First Time Smelt

[45coltnut]

Hello friends and fellow shooters,

Well, today was a first for me. While I've been casting my own boolits for a couple years now, I had never smelted any lead....till today.

I had a stash of wheel weights from some local buys and give always. I'd been meaning to do this for sometime, but always procrastinated it due to never doing it before. So, I bit the boolit (pun intended) [emoji51]

After some last minute study on melting points of zinc, I place my lead thermometer in the lead pot and fires that baby up. You can tell from the lead ingot pics which ones came from the cold mold [emoji43]. I should have used my head a little more and filled the same principles as I do during my casting sessions. But, I guess my mind was on so many other factors with safety and that huge pot o lead!

Overall, I'm very happy! First time out and I've now added ~68lbs of lead to my stash.

Here's some pics of my setup and end product.

BTW......it was freaking HOT in west Ky this morning.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/19/9fafc964da1d9e6fac2e502b8580bc5e.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/19/a3d47da9ced2c0f130796efaca3f93ee.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/19/af2bbd2037306551765dd2bc4203cbc6.jpg

[chsparkman]

Very nice! I like your setup. Sure is fun, isn't it?

[45coltnut]

Yep, sure is. I can already see that I need about 3 more ingot molds [emoji3]. I don't like having to wait so long for cool done. Hence the fan in the pic.

BTW, I was under a canopy as well to help from the brutal sun [emoji91]

[lightman]

Nice Job! Looks like you figured it out pretty well. I just posted a thread about it being so hot that I wimped out on my planned afternoon smelt! You have a nice comfortable looking set-up and a nice pile of ingots to show for your sweat.

[lightman]

Yeah, more molds would cut out some of your wait time. I run about six or seven of those Lyman type molds and after 3 or 4 cycles I have to wait a little while. By then the ole back needs a stretch, so I'll grab a shot of water and give them a minute. If I was just starting out I would make some molds out of channel iron but I found these cheap one time at a gun show and its what I've been using for years.

[Yodogsandman]

That's real close to my set up! Good job! I use a piece of plywood over the other burner and use a metal can to dump the clips and dirt in. I picked up a couple of cast iron corn bread molds, the ones that are half round and about 5" long by 2" wide. !2 ingots in each at a time!

When the ingots are cool, they're stacked up on cardboard and spray painted on both ends for color coding depending on the alloy.

Not nearly as hot here but, I'll wait for the fall for that work.

Be safe, watch that sweat!

[45coltnut]

Yodogsandman,

Yep, a couple times the sweat was starting to role fairly well. And, I had to make sure I had wiped my head and face prior to ladeling out hot lead. I started early in the morning as I was trying to beat the heat. But, there was no outrunning it. I have to say that is sure is nice to sit in my cool basement and look at that pretty stash of lead now :)

I think its time to fire up the lead pot and cast some big ole .460" Hammers for the ole Hi Wall!

[lightman]

You earned it, my friend! I wimped out today, bad as I wanted to, I just was not up to it. Fall will be here, sooner or later!

[MrWolf]

Nice setup. I place towels over plywood and soak them with water, not puddles but wet. Helps the cooling process and lets me keep a good rhythm. I have three cornbread moulds with nine ears each and two rcbs ingot moulds. Timing works about right for me.

[bld451]

Yup, I soak a towel and lay it on top to cool mine. Helps a lot. Keep the H2O away from the pot and your unmelted stuff, but the water boils off fast, and your ingot molds should be hot enough to not worry about moisture in the molds. Just use your head. Speeds things up.

[RogerDat]

Nice, perseverance in the face of adversity builds character, or at least that is what they say, personally I'm making it my life's work to avoid building any more character than I absolutely have to.

Good looking stack of smelting work, I fear the single sweat drop landing in the mold just before I pour. Face shield does help reduce the possibility but once it gets hot and humid I'll be dripping if I do anything, let alone work next to a big pot of molten lead and a burner.

[Chris24]

I was smelting the other day, and a drop of sweat actually landed in the pot. It sizzled, but didn't splatter at all. It evaporated before it could do any real damage. I think it's called the Leidenfrost effect; it turns to steam and never touches the molten metal.

[RogerDat]

Yes dripping in the pot not a worry. Water on top of molten lead won't pop. Dripping into a mold and then pouring lead on it that would be a worry. Or sweat on lead or ladle going into the pot and under the lead.

It is the trapping of the burst of steam pressure under molten lead that will explode. AKA visit from the tinsel fairy

[osteodoc08]

Those sure are purty and I'm sure they stack nice too.

[4719dave]

good job ..remember flux flux ..I cut my ww just to be sure but keep heat down and youll be okay ..