Do you clean range lead before melting?

[Jal5]

I am getting ready to do my first batch of smelting range lead. Typical stuff including some FMJ which I will split the jackets first.

I saw a Youtube video last night where the guy washed all that range scrap first then somehow dried it all before putting it into the pot. Got all the dirt off basically first. Is that necessary? How the heck would you dry up that scrap in order to safely put it into the hot mix? didn't make sense to me. Please enlighten me...I am a beginner in this addictive business!

Joe

[fryboy]

if i wash it it sits for days in a dry spot and then never gets added to a already melted melt , much like ww's start with a cool pot , as for melting it - never in my casting pot but always as a raw source ie; the smelt , the dirt will rise to the top just as normal ( and assorted rocks, jackets etc ) treat it just like ww with the exception of making sure that all the jackets have a hole in them ( tends to cut down on visits from the tinsel fairy ...)

[oneokie]

Cleaning is not really necessary, but it does cut down on the amount of crud that has to be skimmed.

As to drying the washed range scrap, just put it in a cold pot with some previous smelt left in the bottom. As the pot heats up it will evaporate any remaining moisture. To be on the cautious side, always use a lid on your smelting pot when smelting range scrap on the off chance that there is a live round or primer in the pot. A lid also helps hold the heat in the pot.

[mold maker]

I handle large quantities of lead from an outdoor range. The reason I clean it is to be certain there are no live rounds involved.
Up to 100 lbs at a time in a cement mixer with a little soap does the job just fine in about 10 min. Then I spread the bullets, on the drive, in the sun, to dry. I use a garden rake to spread and stir until dry. This is where I spend some time looking for live rounds. Even a 22 short can cause lots of excitement in the smelt process.
This time of year Mother Nature adds some leaves, to use as flux.
Whether you wash or not, its best to use the above method to dry the scrap. The dirt and moisture from any kind of trap has the ability to ruin your day.

[runfiverun]

i start range scrap from an empty pot.
you can add to the top once it melts down some.
i pour mine out on the ground or a piece of sheet metal, and use a shovel to scoop it into the pot.

[fredj338]

I sift it to get rocks & crud out, but not wash it. Like mm, I don't want a live round getting in by mistake & the plated bullets need to be split anyway.

[Jal5]

Started going through it last night, it is tedious. Any plated with lead showing at the base I just threw in the melt-as-is pile but any FMJ I put aside to be split later. There are some slugs with the plastic skirt part still attached which I am separating too. I am basically looking at them all and taking out any obvious junk plus putting the FMJ ones aside for later. Will that be good enough?

Joe

[lawboy]

I handle large quantities of range scrap from an indoor range. I think that is important to note because at 20 yards, against a steel backstop, there are no "unsplit" jacketed bullets to deal with. They are all flat as a pancake! I do not clean the scrap. I do keep an eye out for live rounds but I smelt in a heavy cast iron pot with a heavy lid. I have had live rounds cook off in the pot more than once. There is a little "pop." Lid does not even shudder. Still, it is unsettling. There is a lot of rubber, cardboard and wooden clothes pins in the scrap I get. I leave that in because it fluxes the lead as it melts and I do not have to add any other flux to clean the melt before pouring ingots. I get very clean ingots this way and all my customers marvel at how uniform and clean the lead is. Just my experience.

[Kskybroom]

I get scarp from a outdoor range, I sift it to remove dirt, live rounds, rocks,ect..
At the same time I pick out,cast boolits,fms,plated,things that need smashin, Then i smelt it occordenly in 250lb lots without fluxing into 50lb ingots..Then i try to mix and match a usable alloy from a 300lb lot into cleaned an fluxed 3lb ingots,,,
Is This Rocket Science or Do I need a different Plan........

[zomby woof]

I handle large quantities of range scrap from an indoor range. I think that is important to note because at 20 yards, against a steel backstop, there are no "unsplit" jacketed bullets to deal with. They are all flat as a pancake! I do not clean the scrap. I do keep an eye out for live rounds but I smelt in a heavy cast iron pot with a heavy lid. I have had live rounds cook off in the pot more than once. There is a little "pop." Lid does not even shudder. Still, it is unsettling. There is a lot of rubber, cardboard and wooden clothes pins in the scrap I get. I leave that in because it fluxes the lead as it melts and I do not have to add any other flux to clean the melt before pouring ingots.


I get the same results

[RKJ]

I don't get as much range lead as some of you, but what I do is put it in a large flower pot that was unused and used the water hose on it. All the dirt and junk goes down the hole and onto the ground, I let it dry for some time before I smelt it and start with a cold pot. There isn't a lot of it so I don't have much to add after it's started.
I pick the lead off the berm and there isn't any live rounds (yet) but sometimes my 2 1/2 yo Grandson puts brass (and other stuff) :) in the bucket so so I need to watch it.