Patrick L
09-01-2009, 04:35 PM
I was doing a smelt today, and made a bunch of my regular bullet alloy. I also finally melted down some metal my father-in-law gave me a few years ago.
I think it was lead, but I'm not sure. I have never melted straight lead, so I don't know how that behaves.
To begin with, there were four round ingots, about 4" in diameter and 3" deep. They were a dark grey/green color, I think just patina or maybe paint. When hit with a hammer they deformed pretty easily, and bright silver metal shone thru on the flat.
When this stuff melted, it was a cloudy grey in color. It was also "stickier" than the WW metal I'm used to; I mean if I stirred it, the splashes really stuck like a skin to the sides of my cast iron pot, and I could "peel" them back into the melt. When I fluxed there was a thick layer of dross, but the dross itself seemed to have quite a bit of metal to it.
Since I didn't know what it was I melted it separately and just poured it into smaller ingots for possible future use. I didn't add any to my bullet alloy.
Is this how pure lead acts, or what do I have?
I think it was lead, but I'm not sure. I have never melted straight lead, so I don't know how that behaves.
To begin with, there were four round ingots, about 4" in diameter and 3" deep. They were a dark grey/green color, I think just patina or maybe paint. When hit with a hammer they deformed pretty easily, and bright silver metal shone thru on the flat.
When this stuff melted, it was a cloudy grey in color. It was also "stickier" than the WW metal I'm used to; I mean if I stirred it, the splashes really stuck like a skin to the sides of my cast iron pot, and I could "peel" them back into the melt. When I fluxed there was a thick layer of dross, but the dross itself seemed to have quite a bit of metal to it.
Since I didn't know what it was I melted it separately and just poured it into smaller ingots for possible future use. I didn't add any to my bullet alloy.
Is this how pure lead acts, or what do I have?