bbs70
12-03-2009, 10:12 PM
Last week I got a small amount of unknown lead scrap from the local scrap yard.
Today I had the time to melt it into ingots.
Since most of it looked like someone at one time had melted it I decided to keep it seperate from my good lead.
QUESTION#1
One piece about 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick just wouldn't melt.
I took a benz o matic torch to it with no affect.
Then I put it into the melting pot with some other unknown pieces of lead, while the other lead melted around it, this piece just stayed there.
I finally got tired of playing with it and took it out of the melting pot.
Does anyone have any idea what this piece could be?
QUESTION#2
In a different pot of lead I had to turn my turkey burner up quite a bit to get some of the pieces to melt.
I got to thinking zinc contamination.
When I poured this lead into ingots, it took quite a while for it to set up to where I could dump the ingots out of the molds.
This was done outside at 34 degrees with a high velovity fan 1 foot from the molds (3 of them ) to cool them faster.
It didn't help, still took a while before emptying the molds.
Thinking the lead was too hot, I turned the burner almost completely off and let it sit for a while.
The pot of lead stayed fluid.
Still no difference in cooling time for the ingots.
I am at a loss, ANY input to these two questions would be greatly appreciated.
Bill
Today I had the time to melt it into ingots.
Since most of it looked like someone at one time had melted it I decided to keep it seperate from my good lead.
QUESTION#1
One piece about 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick just wouldn't melt.
I took a benz o matic torch to it with no affect.
Then I put it into the melting pot with some other unknown pieces of lead, while the other lead melted around it, this piece just stayed there.
I finally got tired of playing with it and took it out of the melting pot.
Does anyone have any idea what this piece could be?
QUESTION#2
In a different pot of lead I had to turn my turkey burner up quite a bit to get some of the pieces to melt.
I got to thinking zinc contamination.
When I poured this lead into ingots, it took quite a while for it to set up to where I could dump the ingots out of the molds.
This was done outside at 34 degrees with a high velovity fan 1 foot from the molds (3 of them ) to cool them faster.
It didn't help, still took a while before emptying the molds.
Thinking the lead was too hot, I turned the burner almost completely off and let it sit for a while.
The pot of lead stayed fluid.
Still no difference in cooling time for the ingots.
I am at a loss, ANY input to these two questions would be greatly appreciated.
Bill