Lead Oxide

[jim4065]

I have uncovered a pile of ingots which have a lot of "Moss". The inclination is to just melt 'em down, flux and re-cast as clean ingots. Got to thinking about it and realized that I know zilch about Lead Oxide. (I presume that's the "flaky white stuff".)

Does it shed the oxygen and re-combine with the lead when heated to maybe 800 degrees F? If it doesn't re-melt, does it combine with the flux? Does it vaporize & make me stupid(er)? If you had a bucket full, could you get any lead out of it or is it a harmful annoyance? :confused:

[sheepdog]

I believe with enough fluxing you can reclaim alot of it. I would start low heat and flux generously.

[docone31]

Some of the oxide will recombine. A lot will just be dross.
You need to vaporize the lead to get the fumes.

[Shiloh]

Like the above posts said, some will reduce back to metallic lead some to dross. Know this though It is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation. Common sense and wash your hands!!

SHiloh

[Bert2368]

Actually a lot of the white stuff is lead carbonate, it reduces to lead oxide and carbon dioxide on heating. As others have noted, you don't want to ingest or absorb it.

It will be at least partially reclaimed by fluxing the pot with a carbonaceous material such as bees wax, sawdust, old candle stubs, etc.

If you use one of the non smoking borate fluxes, all you will do is remove/waste the oxides.

[Wilsknife]

I recently mistakenly purchased some Hornady JHPs that are VERY>>>OLD.
There is lead oxide in the hollows. How to get it out so it doesn't get in the gun(s)? Or would tumbling them work to clean it out.:coffee:?

[sargenv]

if they are in the hollows but not on the actual contact surface, I'd say just shoot em.. it's not going to get into contact with your bore.. so why bother?