Making Ingots Question?

[4thebrdz]

Had a big bucket of WW Picked throught them to get the crap and a few Zinc tape and wheel weights out. Mama found a LARGE dutch oven and I melted 90# in 2 melts. When the melt got going I put an asphalt thermometer in and was reading about 650-700deg (top end of the thermometer). I pulled out most of the steel and put some candle wax in. It fired up pretty quick and I stired till it quit smoking. Took out the rest of the impurities and started to fill the Lyman 4 cav ingot mold. The first couple batches came out nice and shiney. then the rest started to frost. I turned down the fire a bit and slowed up using a fan to cool the mold. Still they were coming out frosted.
You think the melt was still hot? or something else?
Thanks!

[454PB]

What you saw is normal. The frosty look doesn't hurt a thing and only means your ingot mould was hot.

If you're melting 90 lbs. at a time, you need more ingot moulds. They can be the commercial ones, or something as simple as aluminum cans (absolutely dry!) with the tops removed or better yet some cast iron muffin tins. Stay away from steel muffin tins, the molten lead will solder to the steel and you'll have a real mess.

My ingot moulds are 1 1/2" angle iron cut in 12" lengths with caps welded at both ends.

[versifier]

Paul,
Let me know next time you want to smelt - I have a big turkey fryer, two large cast iron Dutch ovens, a strainer for the zinc and clips, and ingot moulds that Dick dropped off. Plus, I have a bucket of ww's and two buckets of lino still to smelt before snow flies. An extra pair of hands and extra ingot moulds will make it go a lot faster. (Also, the strawberry wine is ready, and that make everything go a bit easier, too. :mrgreen: ) I know it can be kind of hard to reach me by phone, but if the car is here, so am I, and you are welcome to stop in any time.

[Goatlips]

4theBirdz,

454pb's correct about the steel muffin tins if you use new ones. I learned to just let them sit outside until they rust a bit and they work fine, advantage being that the ingots are easy to handle and fit in my lee pots. Here's some pitchers of them being poured:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/smelting.html

Goatlips

[4thebrdz]

That's what I figured, but since I'm new at this thought to ask the pros. Thanks for the repliesand ideas.

Versifier- been meaning to stop by. Got Mucho many things to do around here and if I get going on something else it's at the spur of the moment and ther ain't no stopping when that happens. Now strawberry wine sounds good, do you add it in the FLUX :drinks:

[dbotos]

Goatlips,

Love the circus animal ingot molds. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for some when I'm out and about.

[Dixie Slugs]

Ole' Dixie's fellows use a bunch of old time cast iron bread stick molds. The each cast nine long lead sticks that go in our pots real easy. ......James

[Ricochet]

The corn bread stick pans are the way to go!

I tried some of those muffin tins. The lead soldered into them. What a mess!

[R.M.]

I'm using a mini-loaf pan from Wally World that has a coating of some sort, teflon maybe. Anyway, no sticking problems at all. If I fill the cavity I get about 4lb ingots. Mostly I just half fill them. Easier to get in my small Lee pot.

R.M.

[PerversPépère]

I buy steel muffin plates at the $1 store and spray them with graphite spray lube. When they are dry, it looks more like a grey-black paint than grease and doesn't transfer to the touch.
Makes very nice little lead pucks that don't stick.
PP.

[9.3X62AL]

PP--

Welcome aboad, sir! There are a few other Quebecois hanging around here, too.

I'm pretty straight-leg when it comes to smelting and ingot-making......mine go into a Lyman or SAECO four x 1 lb ingot pan. I do have an aluminum ingot block that looks like a home-made device birthed on a router--I haven't tried it out yet, and still have a lot of WW's that need reformation. It might get a test drive after deer season.

9 shopping days until D-14 "goes hot".

[yodar]

Cornbread stick molds are great cause they expose a large top surface area for you to see if contaminants have floated to the top.

They also permit enough of the ingots to be stood on end in a dinky 10 lb lee pot to fill it when melted

Yodar