Last Clean-up of Scrap Lead

[alamogunr]

Over 3 short days, I cleaned up the WW, Stick-ons and shielding I had accumulated over the past year. No more! I'm getting too old to hoist around the equipment and ingots. I've mentioned before the #5 Rowell ladle is too big. My back ached each night when I finished. The yield from this work was about 1000 # total. I got approx. 120# of stick-on ingots and 200# of shielding lead, along with about 700# of WW. This makes my total inventory of ingots about 4000#, not counting the solder I use to add tin. If I ever run out, Rotometals has just about any alloy you could want and has free shipping if you order enough. Hopefully they will still be in business when/if my stash runs out. Their 6% antimony lead would go real well with the 800# stash of 40/60 and 50/50 solder I've got.

I’m turning my “smelting equipment” over to my shooting buddy’s son who does some casting. Part of my 3 day effort was to turn his lead into ingots that would fit his pot. My own sons are not in a position to use it and neither is he right now. He has 4 young daughters age 8 to 1 yr (I think). But he has a place to store it and I need the space it took up. Besides, if I have a change of heart, it will still be available. I’ve got some pictures of the equipment and the last clean-up and will post if I can figure out how. I wouldn’t bother but I’m somewhat proud of it even if it does look grungy.

John
W.TN

[lwknight]

Sounds like you have about $4000.00-$6000.00 worth of trading power.

[montana_charlie]

I’m turning my “smelting equipment” over to my shooting buddy’s son
At some point you decided you wanted to 'smelt scrap lead', and now you've done your last batch. I guess you can cross that item off of your 'bucket list'.

Too bad your Rowell is a #5.
If you were 'done' with a #7 I might try to cheat you out of it.

CM

[alamogunr]

Too bad your Rowell is a #5.
If you were 'done' with a #7 I might try to cheat you out of it.

CM

I can't imagine handling a #7 over several hours.

[montana_charlie]

I can't imagine handling a #7 over several hours.
I can't either, and wouldn't intend to use it that way.

I'd only use it to mix up a twenty pound batch of alloy, where I could melt and mix the metals, flux the 'potful', and pour it out into ingots...all taking place in that single vessel, over a propane fire.

I do the same thing now using a two-quart saucepan, but I'm not happy with how I have to hold it when pouring the alloy into the ingot moulds.

Might have to look at those cast iron teapots on eBay...

CM

[John Boy]

This makes my total inventory of ingots about 4000#
[smilie=w:

[alamogunr]

In my OP I mentioned that I stretched this session out over 3 short days. By short, I meant about 5 hours on 2 days and 3 hours on the third. One reason it took so long, I wanted to be sure that I didn't foul the batch with zinc. I feel sure that some clean up sessions several years ago probably got some zinc weights mixed in. At that time I wasn't too careful about temperature and at times it probably got as high as 800ºF or maybe more. The only thing that saved me then was that zinc weights were not that common. I think the ones that got in are so diluted that they haven't made much difference. I have used that mostly for handgun bullets. Since then up to now all I have cleaned up is range scrap.

This time I was careful to keep temperatures low. I probably overdid it since I don't think the temperature of the melt ever got over 650-680ºF. I checked it every potfull before adding more WW and after skimming the clips. I did skim off several zinc(or?) with each batch. This was after sorting to remove obvious zinc weights.

John
W.TN