Can I

[WCF3030]

I've 1000 9mm lead rounds with lube.
Can I melt them with the lube on them?
Will it just burn off?

thanks.

[felix]

No problem, lube just melts and chars. Stir lube in after lead has melted for a flux job. ... felix

[44man]

Yeah, great way to flux!

[Black Prince]

To each his own, but if I was going to do that, and I have, and I do it all the time, I'd put all of those lubed bullets in the pot while it was cool and then start the heat. That way the lube would have a chance to melt out slowly as the heat rises. I WOULD NOT get a pot of hot metal and then dump all the lubed bullets in it because the lube as it burns (almost explodes) may cause hot lead to pop out in your lap or worse. When you have metal hot at 700 degrees or higher, you don't want to dump anything in it that will burn below the surface of the metal because it'll burn so quick that it'll cause all sorts of interesting situations. Just a didja know from somebody that once poured some wheel weights that were stored in the garage into a pot of molten metal and as it was pouring, I noticed a spider going in the pot along with the wheel weights. Spiders are mostly water. Water turns to steam at about 212 degrees depending on elevation and the 750 degree hot lead was more than enough to cause a steam explosion. That incident was enough to cause me to be CAREFUL when I dump anything into a pot of hot metal. I still have the " brand" on my right hand and will go to my grave with it where a quarter sized splash of hot lead landed and stuck with a sisssssing sound and the smell of burning flesh.

But that was better than a buddy who was casting outside at night so he could stay cool in the summer. He had a light above where he was casting and a bunch of bugs and moths were drawn to the light. He said he didn't think anything about it until a big bug landed in his pot of metal and immediately caused a steam explolsion. That place still has little shiney pieces of lead burned into the side of the house and deck. He said he left them there as a reminder to him to be careful about what he dumped into a pot of hot metal in the future. He was wearing eye glasses which probably saved his sight because his face and neck are a mess even today years after that.

So I reckon you might wanna be careful about what you dump into a pot of hot lead too pilgram.

[WCF3030]

Thank you fellas.
Good advice Prince.
When I do it I'll start with a cold pot and the 9mm.

[Jack Stanley]

At almost every casting session I have a handful of lubed bullets that for whatever reason need melting again . I'll put a few on the stirring spoon at a time and flux the pot with them ....... sounds like you got a lot of flux :-D I have notice that if I get to many off these in the pot . The melting lube will try to crawl out of the pot , I haven't tried melting a whole pot of them to see what happens though .

Jack

[44woody]

wcf3030 If I were you I would put them in a old cooking pot fill with water and boil the lube off let cool cut the cake of lube out save it put the bullets in a cold melting pot and melt them the cake of lube that you cut out is a good fluxing agent but what ever you do (DO NOT PUT WET BULLETS IN A HOT MELTING POT VERY DANGEROUS ) I hope this helps :castmine: 44Woody

[tall grass]

WCF3030

I doubt that you are talking about liquid alox from Lee. If it is don't put it in the bullet making pot. Put the bullets in your WW smelting pile. My experience is that liquid alox just forms sticky gooy stuff in the pot that sticks to your ladle, pot sides and everything else. It will not burn off.

later

Jim