COWW clips

[bakrzdzn]

Hello, I have been lurking, and learning for a while. My question today is what am I getting in addition to the clips when making coww ingots? It is shiny and mixed in with the clips/dross/oxide that floats to the top. I have been saving it to maybe try to remelt it as it might be tin/antimony.

Thanks in advance for your insight on what I have.

[Winger Ed.]

Not sure what temp. tha antimony will go in, but tin is fast, it wants to melt in and alloy with the Lead.

What doesn't stir in--- is trash. Rust flakes from the clips, dirt, oxides, etc.

[oley55]

if you keep your sifting spoon hot you shouldn’t be having much lead/tin making it to your trash bucket. unless your sifting spoon isn’t large enough for you to tap and jostle a bit.

you will likely burn more propane than can be recovered from your clips. that’s my experience

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If you flux the melt/clips with sawdust and wax, there will be no shiney stuff, except what you pour into ingots.

[oley55]

If you flux the melt/clips with sawdust and wax, there will be no shiney stuff, except what you pour into ingots.

for clarification, you flux the inch thick layer of clips floating on the melt?

[Rickf1985]

Yes, this will separate the lead from the crap and the crap will all float to the surface. BUT, You are saying it is shiny, what temperature are you melting at? If you are above 750 you could be melting zinc weights into the mix and that would not be good at all. Zinc will melt around 750 but there is no way you can control it that closely in a large pot of lead. I keep my lead at 650 with a max of 700 and if it get up to 700 I will shut the burner off until it starts to drop and then fire it back up on low heat.
Me personally, I don't flux with the clips in there, I scoop them out and then flux. The small amount of usable lead stuck to the clips is nothing compared to what you would save by fluxing with them in there. For me it is just cleaner and easier to get the clips out and then flux. But you can do it either way. Try both and see which one you like best.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

for clarification, you flux the inch thick layer of clips floating on the melt?
Yep.

Once the lead alloy is melted, I throw in a fist full of saw dust (not chips, I use dust), and a pea sized wax ball, then light it on fire. Then I stir. Then I use a slotted spoon to scoop out the blackened clips. If some clips still have some lead alloy clinging, I leave those and flux again. Sometimes this needs to be repeated a few times. Once all blackened clips are removed, and all the black char powder is removed, then I flux again with only wax. Then the melt should look perfect and I ladle the alloy into ingot molds.

[Mitch]

think of the shiney lead on the clips as the gold plated coins you see .0000 something % gold not much there.Much the sam whan saveing Dross.I agree that is is not worth your time and propane to try and recover any very small amount of lead from clips or dross.Sill why WW at all.After you sort em them melt em an pick put the clips.Then wonder is you missed and zinc. For me it has become not worth it.Evin if they are free. There is no magic for casting in WW it is only anther alloy plane an simple.

[Winger Ed.]

for clarification, you flux the inch thick layer of clips floating on the melt?

I don't bother. Once they float up-- out they go.
Then I flux & stir the pot like owes me money.

[OFFSHORE]

+1
Melt COWW, remove clips, then flux 3 times with saw dust and wax for clean alloy material. This has worked well for me!

[lightman]

Yeah, me too. I'll get a skimmer full of clips and give them a big shake. Most of the lead stuck to them will come off. Then I flux, scrape the sides and bottom of the pot and skim off the trash. I save the clips and sell them for scrap.

I don't know what you are seeing on top of your melt. I would flux and stir it well. Zinc will look kind of like oatmeal.