Smelting WWs (HELP)

[DCP]

I am Smelting WWs and needs some help

Using 185,000 BTU burner

5 quart dutch oven 10x4

I want to keep heat down to melt the WWs to 600 to 650

SO where would you start

Regulator on 1/2 or what

How hot can I get this lead

Thanks

[rob45]

With a five-quart dutch oven, it will be very easy to overheat with the burner you mentioned.

If you do not have a thermometer, take it slow at first. If the lead is hot enough to start producing "colors", then you're too hot.

A good rule of thumb: Slow and easy 'till you get to know the burner.

[DCP]

Thanks

If do have a thermometer

[odinohi]

If you have a KNOWN zinc ww, tie it to a cable or wire hook it to your pot and through it in while smelting your ww's. Like the other dude said, keep the heat down. The zinc ww on the cable wont help to determine high temp, but it will let you know if you contamiated your melt with zinc. Hope this dont confuse ya and good luck. Tom

[Stick_man]

If you have a KNOWN zinc ww, tie it to a cable or wire hook it to your pot and through it in while smelting your ww's. Like the other dude said, keep the heat down. The zinc ww on the cable wont help to determine high temp, but it will let you know if you contamiated your melt with zinc. Hope this dont confuse ya and good luck. Tom

Sorry, but I have to disagree. If you heat it up until your "known" zinc melts, you've just ruined your whole pot of alloy. I believe a better approach is to heat slowly, watching it closely. When your weights start to get soft, cut back on your heat, stir, and quickly remove the floaties. Start cutting back your heat at around 600 degrees to slow the increase and you will have a good chance on not contaminating your melt. The temp will still continue to increase a little, but hopefully you will have sufficient time to remove the Zn and Fe garbage before they contaminate all the good ones.

"If your house is on fire, don't want to wait until your smoke detectors go off to take action".

[Edubya]

I start with a small quantity and add more as I see the first ones start to melt. The adding new ones keeps the temperature low and keeps any zinc floaters from contaminating the good lead alloy.When I see a floater I'll scoop it and the clips out, then flux and stir. This produces good clean dependable alloy ingots that produce good clean boolits with only a few ounces of tin thrown in and fluxed while casting.
EW

[lwknight]

I run it full blast till stuff starts melting, then turn it down and start stirring. You can tell when you just got the goodie out of it. Scrape the junk with a slotted deep fryer spoon or something like that. Start ladeling your treasure into molds.
If you don't just walk off and leave it you will never melt zinc.
All the grease and trash will flux it for you automatically.

[leadman]

Check any questionable looking wheelweights with sidecutters. You will be able to just barely mark a zinc weight with them. You will never melt an FE weight, they are iron.
Look for a weight marked ZN, this is zinc.

[nonferrous]

If you are going to stay with this and will be casting boolits, you will never regret buying a lead thermometer. A reasonable value to put on your WW ingots is .90 a pound, it won't take long to get past he cost of a thermometer.
When and if you give the hobby up, you will get most of the money back when you sell it.
I think that working with this stuff without one would be like trying to drive a car without a speedometer.

[Echo]

+1 on starting slow. Turn the volume control down pretty far, so you have a low flame. If it takes 30 minutes to melt the WW's, that's about right. Use the slotted spoon to take off the flotsam and jetsam, and zincies.
Running at max until they start to melt means standing over it, watching closely, until they start to run, is boring and time consuming - you could be doing a crossword, or lube/sizing, or watching the Cowboys. Run it low and read a book.