dross

[Big Boomer]

Last week I melted down 2 large plaster buckets of mostly commercial cast boolits that I carefully culled from j-word projectiles and swaged boolits. I cast them into clean ingots made in small cornstick pan size. I used pieces of candle to flux the mix before making the casts.

Along the way I noticed that the amount of dross was building up and had to go get another small can because there was so much of it - dirt and crap on the boolits. After about the 3rd can, I decided I would not do per usual and toss the cans of dross.

When I was all done, I put the cans of dross back into the iron kettle and turned up the heat. I was surprised at the amount of good lead that was still in the dross. How do you guys deal with good lead in the dross? 'Tuck

[Johnch]

Stir and flux
Stir and flux

I bet if you had the heat up a little to start with
And kept stiring
You would have had a lot less dross

John

[oneokie]

Use sawdust or crushed charcoal briquettes for flux and stir with a piece of wood.

[RU shooter]

Its what I'm doing now,Remelting my dross and all my culled boolits. As stated by others flux and stir often.

[1874Sharps]

Tuck,

Back in the old, old days I have read that casters would put about an inch of charcoal on the top of the molten lead to absorb fumes and reduce dross formation (dross is mainly oxide of lead/tin and if the oxygen is kept away, it does not form). Fluxing with a good commercially available flux or candle wax, etc. is very effective at cleaning up the surface of the lead and ensuring consistent, homogeneous alloy. Be careful with handling the dross! Oxides of lead and tin are more toxic by far than elemental lead and tin!