Smelted 2 batches of range lead today.

[triggerhappy243]

I smelted 125 pounds of indoor range lead today. lots of copper jackets came out.I noted 2 things at the pouring of the last ingots... a brass glittery coating floating on the melt. so I let it sit and looked as the melt stopped swirling and it looks like copper or yellow brass glitter is floating to the surface.

And secondly as the last inch of lead was freezing in the bottom of the pot, I bumped the pot and the half solid lead took on the texture of what you see in this picture. the lead has geometric shape protrusions sticking up out of the lead. Any ideas what this all is?

[Yodogsandman]

You might need to flux and reduce some more using both sawdust and a wax. Skim off the glittery stuff. Might be from sintered frangible bullets.

Sometimes if the melt gets a little too hot, a bronzish colored top skim will form from the tin or maybe a small percentage of copper separating.

You bumped your pot and it created a sort of lead art due to the "ice" being broken up as it was forming.

[typz2slo]

It may actually be copper. I have been doing lead analysis for members here and see small traces of copper in the results when people send me samples that came from range scrap.

[triggerhappy243]

I had 1 ingot tested with that xray gun and it showed 1.39 % copper. this was done last week. so with last nights melt i was more observant with the melt. those brass colored particles, you can actually see them moving around on the melt. Fascinating for sure.

[Intel6]

I have melted range lead form an indoor LE range where the only ammo shot was factory 180 JHP's, nothing else. I had some tested at the scrap yard and it showed a small % of copper. I think it is the copper jackets vaporizing on the armor plates and the very small particles are mixing in with the lead making it hard to get out.

[triggerhappy243]

Intel6, was there any tin content when you had it tested?

[duckey]

The frangable bullets will create a sand like surface film that can be skimmed off before it melts.

[triggerhappy243]

frangible bullets whats that?

[Mica_Hiebert]

frangible bullets whats that?
Bullets made from compressed copper powder or similar metal designed to fragment into a dust when hitting steel as no to ricochet at public ranges. I am curious to know how frangible 223 work on varmints :idea:

[triggerhappy243]

I dont know how they work, I am old school and use those darned horrorable nasty copper jacketed lead bullets California just hates, LOL

[Postell]

I would guess someone casted some bullets from a Alloy that had copper in like bearing babbett..

[runfiverun]

tin in an alloy will pull some copper into the melt naturally.

[taco650]

tin in an alloy will pull some copper into the melt naturally.

Does the copper make the BHN go up a little?

[osteodoc08]

Does the copper make the BHN go up a little?

Minimally, but does make a tougher bullet.

Many casters played with root killer (copper sulfate) to add copper to an alloy to make a tougher alloy years ago. It has also been used to displace zinc

[triggerhappy243]

Is any copper content bad for boolits for a muzzleloader?

[Nose Dive]

Yup... i think you have some more smelting to do.

Flux well...i mean WELL with sawdust....three or four times...mix well.

Try some elemental sulfur at the end and mix well. last go around...wax it up and mix.

I do 'range crud' too... you get it all.... dirt...cigartte butts, dirt... copper... I water wash night before on the drive way.....

Put 3 inches of sawdust in bottom of pot...fill pot...come up slow on temp....mix well.... do sawdust three more times......

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[triggerhappy243]

elemental sulfur........... what is it and what does it do?