Smelting Linotype Colors????

[MGySgt]

Smelting down some Linotype I scored. First 2 pots went great. The third pot got Blues, Greens, Brass and some red.
One picture is of the pot and one is poured ignots.

Any ideas????????

[Winger Ed.]

The looks pretty normal.

Some oxidation, and other parts of the alloy floating up.
Some you can stir back in, some will need to be skimmed off.

I've found that that running the pot a little cooler minimizes that effect.
As the heat goes up, I see more and more 'colors' on top

[MGySgt]

The looks pretty normal.

Some oxidation, and other parts of the alloy floating up.
Some you can stir back in, some will need to be skimmed off.

I've found that that running the pot a little cooler minimizes that effect.
As the heat goes up, I see more and more 'colors' on top

The pot is well over 700 degrees (thermometer), and I have fluxed the poop out of it and the colors show as soon as air hits the surface.

I do get some dross to skim after fluxing.

[Winger Ed.]

The hotter and hotter it gets, the more and more of the blue & dull gray oxidation you'll see when ya quit stirring.

Just a guess, but as one pour was in the mold, the pot got a little hotter for when the next one got poured.
And so on. The last and hottest pour has the most color on top.

I don't worry about it. It's just the nature of the beast, and doesn't seem to hurt anything.

[MGySgt]

The hotter and hotter it gets, the more and more of the blue & dull gray oxidation you'll see when ya quit stirring.

Just a guess, but as one pour was in the mold, the pot got a little hotter for when the next one got poured.
And so on. The last and hottest pour has the most color on top.

So you are suggesting to lower the temp?
That is what I am going to try tomorrow. Turn down the flame once the melt starts to get fluid.

[fredj338]

So you are suggesting to lower the temp?
That is what I am going to try tomorrow. Turn down the flame once the melt starts to get fluid.

Yes, your melt is too hot. Though why you are melting down lino it ingots is beyond me. Just leave it as is & add it by weight to your pot. Unless of course you got big ingots you are reducing to small ones. Lino melts at a low temp, so you dont need to crank the heat.

[MGySgt]

Why put it into ingots? Easier to store in my casting shed until I make my next batch of alloy for casting.