Which is faster?

[hawkeye1]

I melted down 120 lbs. wheel weights to ingots yesterday. I got to wondering if you guys thought it would be quicker, after ladling out eight ingots worth of melt, to just dump in a whole pot of wheel weights at once and let it melt or a handful at a time, skimming and mixing as I go. Surely a few of you guys have tried it both ways.

[MrWolf]

Start with a small layer of lead from prior melt if possible. I do a full pot starting from cold to burn off any moisture. I would not add handfuls as you melted. Asking for a visit from the tinsel fairy. Good luck.
Ron

[jsizemore]

I melt a big pot of WW's so the ingots are predictable when I cast bullets with them.

[Winger Ed.]

I always leave the pot about 1/3 full or more when I shut it down.
It heats back up faster.

If you toss cold wheel weights into a pot with molten Lead----
Plan on a steam explosion that will re-decorate your ceiling, and make you look the Tin Man from the 'Wizard of Oz'.

[243winxb]

I melt 40 lbs at a time. Keep filling the pot , till its full. Flux & make ingots.

The ingots get a lot number & a notation of the mix. WW, scrap, or pure. The batches with some pure are for target loads of 38, 45 acp.

The rest get linotype added as needed to the 10 lb casting pot.

[Mal Paso]

Propane has a lot of hydrogen in it so the hot gases coming from the burner have a lot of water in them which will condense on cold lead as it passes through to the pot.

Wheel weights can have moisture in cracks. Best to start with a cold pot so the moisture is driven off before the lead melts.

[jsam]

I agree, leave some clean lead in the bottom of the pot to help melt the next load and never add fresh wheel weights to molten lead. I know from personal experience what can happen if you dump in fresh ones that have moisture in them that get submerged under molten lead.
At average atmospheric pressure, the expansion ratio between water in its liquid form and steam is 1:1700. This means that under ideal conditions, 1 part of liquid water expands to 1700 times the volume as steam when boiled.

It is quite impressive to see it for yourself

[megasupermagnum]

I have not tried it a bunch of ways, but what worked well for me was to fill the entire pot to the top with weights, and then start melting. I poke and prod a bit as they melt, to make sure they aren't bridging. When it gets down a ways, I add more weights. I don't feel good about adding dirty weights to molten lead, but I see no issue adding them to the existing pile, leaving plenty of time for them to burn off anything unwanted. Eventually you reach an equilibrium where you can stop adding weights, or you simply run out of weights to add. At that point I let them all melt, do my stirring, skimming, and fluxing. Finally alloying followed by more fluxing if desired.

[reddog81]

I have always added a bunch at a time and then come back half an hour or so later. I sort through them before hand at some point and would notice if they were wet. I store WWs in my garage and have never had any that were wet.

[414gates]

I melted down 120 lbs. wheel weights to ingots yesterday. I got to wondering if you guys thought it would be quicker, after ladling out eight ingots worth of melt, to just dump in a whole pot of wheel weights at once and let it melt or a handful at a time, skimming and mixing as I go. Surely a few of you guys have tried it both ways.

Dump the lot in. Fire it up.

No need to add little bits at a time if you starting from cold, even if there is moisture on the weights.

If there is a bit of water on the weights, don't dump into a melt. add small quantities at a time by letting them float for a minute to dry out, then mix in.

[fredj338]

I leave an inch or so in the bottom & add scrap to the pot, turn it up & put the lid on. Come back when its melted & start fluxing & pouring ingots. I add metal back when its about half empty & repeat. All my stuff is stored inside so no worries of trapped moisture.

[GregLaROCHE]

When melting range scrap that I know is dry, because I collect it from an indoor range, I first melt a full pot and as it goes down, I add ladles full of more scrap. I think it is more efficient to new lead to molten, than starting again heating cold lead. My casting pot definitely heats up faster when starting cold, if I’ve left some lead in from the time before

[blackthorn]

There are times when slow trumps fast. Melting lead is one of them!! Speed kills, or in this case, speed dances with the tinsel fairy! Be safe, not sorry.