Anybody still smelting in the summer heat?

[gspgundog]

Dont exactly call it summer heat but we had 75 so I turned 230 lbs of scrap lead pipe into ingots.

[zardoz]

I'm a creature of habit it seems. I always manage to do a yearly big smelt the day before Thanksgiving. Just seems the right time to do it for some reason.

Once a year is enough, as it takes my back a few days to heal up after that.

[LynC2]

I'm planning on smelting a 100 or so lbs of ww today since the temp will only be in the upper 80's and possible rain, most likely virga. But it sure beats the 105 we had recently

[SlowSmokeN]

I sure need to as I am out of lead to cast. Everything is in 5 gallon buckets ready to be smelted.

[MaryB]

61 pounds of Xray room lead sheet yesterday. 56 pounds yield after all the paper and dirt was skimmed off. My homemade ingot molds using WlMart stainless condiment cups

[onesonek]

We don't see but a day or two of triple digit heat. I don't mind the 90's if I'm in the shade with a breeze.

[Lights]

Just got done re smelting/mixing 65 lbs of lead. But it was only 80 out today up here in Da Nort country.

[LabGuy]

An additional reason I don’t smelt during the summer other than the heat is we have two seasons: the tourist (smelting) season, and the hurricane (rainy) season. The odds of rain are just too high to start a multi hour outdoor lead melting project. Now I might see if I can find a shooting friend with a pole barn.

[Springfield0612]

I use bullet catchers with shredded rubber mulch. So my alloy is all ready set. I boil the bullets in a pot with some dish soap to remove the lube, air dry, toss 'em in the Lee 4-20. So no smelting here just recycle and reuse. I'll wake up early before work a couple days a month and cast bullets before work while it's still cool in the garage. Keeps me stocked and caught up.

[Dusty Bannister]

Sounds like an invitation to the tinsel fairy. Please tell us you are positive that those boiled bullets are absolutely dry before they go into the casting furnace. Dusty

[nightal]

I sorted 116 lbs. of SOWW COWWS .last month,only got 56lbs. of lead.the rest was 38lbs. Zink, the rest was steel, clips, lead tape, trash. I sorted yesterday, 98lbs. I got 45lbs.lead,32lbs. Zink,10lbs trash, planning to smelt it all on Sun. depending on the weather.........

[mikeym1a]

Day before yesterday, got 188lbs gross from a new ((to me) source. sorted it, smelted it over the last two days. 142lbs 6.5oz of refined coww, 12lb 4oz refined soww. about 2 1/4 lbs of zinc, the rest Fe and trash. I would load up the pot, then go inside and wash dishes, or play on computer, or whatever for awhile, then go out and check the pot, skim, flux, cast, reload pot, back inside. By now, A/C is on. Temps were in the 90's with 75% humidity. got to sweating really good while outside. Got done about 5pm. I have a gratifying pile of ingots. Quite pleasing to look at.

[MaryB]

I t is nice to walk by the lead piles and smile knowing you can cast for a long time.

[elginrunner]

I smelted this morning, I stopped by a tire shop on the way home tuesday and came away with a 2/3 full five gallon bucket for $20. After sorting and smelting, I ended up with 43lbs of COWW, and 30lb of SOWW.... I was happy.

[Michael J. Spangler]

I smelted tonight.
Temp was down in the 70s by the time I finished just after 10pm

I'm out of ingots and scored a 3/4 bucket for $15 last week.
I smelted that up and started in the 100# or so of roofing lead before I called it quits. Only got about 1/4 of the roof lead liquid before I shut down.
Boy that roof lead is nasty stuff!!! So dirty!!!

[SeabeeMan]

I can't complain since upper 80's and high humidity are the worst we've had all summer, but all I've done is sorted some wheel weights in the shade with a beer or 3. I'll save the hot work for the fall when its cool and the fire danger is down.

[Markbo]

I have plenty for when it cools off in October. I just got a 30gal barrel from a buddy and it is full of segregated lead wheel weights. I don't know the weight, but I do know a 5gal bucket of lead only is a heckuva lot heavier than a typical mixed bucket that contains over 1/2 zinc! I've got 2 5gal buckets and 2 milk crates of ingots so I am set for casting. FYI The milk crates hold a lot more since I can stack my 1.5"x4.5" ingots to utilize the space better. Now if I could just find some more free milk crates!

[popper]

Got to ingotize ~ 100# next week. It'll be >100 but I'm only near it to pour. It'll get hot when I have to cast but that will be in the mornings with a fan running.

[BK7saum]

I have been putting it off. I've got 470 lbs of range scrap and 340 lbs of sorted ww. But its been too dang hot to consider firing up the propane smelter.

[KYShooter73]

I wish I had a big bucket of wheel weights to sort and smelt. Need to go by my one supplier and see how my bucket is coming.