Going to do my first schmelting run today

[atom73]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the information that I have gained from you guys. I am gonna be cooking down some ww and straight lead and pouring them into ingots today. I have read all about the tinsel fairy and ID'ing ww types and am glad to have the wise counsel to keep me safe. Todays project is convert my 5 gal pail of wws and two large bricks of straight lead into separate ingots for casting. Planning on using wax flux as I have no sawdust. Any last bits of info to keep in mind? I have cast lead fishing weights before so I am not totally green, I will be using a propane burner and cast iron pan to melt.
Mike

[runfiverun]

use a stick to stir your pot,any type of carbon will help clean your alloy.
keep the ww's and lead separate.

[sheepdog]

Good luck atom. I remember thinking "150 pounds per bucket, 7000 grains per pound. One pail is all I'll ever need!"

[atom73]

well, I didnt kill myself and poured up a tin of muffin ingots. What do I do with all the slag, there isnt that much but there is some powdery type stuff that is left. I used wax to flux it, just tossed a hunk on, let it melt, and once it burst into flames I stirred it with a piece of really dry 1x1. Thanks again.
Mike

[Gunslinger]

Good luck atom. I remember thinking "150 pounds per bucket, 7000 grains per pound. One pail is all I'll ever need!"

He he I can remember that as well. "These 200lbs will last me the next 5 years", I thought... yeah right... they were gone a year after

[rwt101]

I started casting about 5 to 6 weeks ago and thought the same thing. I cast 20 lbs and am out of bullets already.
Bob T

[runfiverun]

if the slag is heavy i save it in a bucket then smelt it again by putting it in the pot on low heat and let it come up to temp then skim carefully and flux again.
then pull out what you can get it's good stuff.
if it's all fluff toss it in the g/c.

[stephen perry]

Casters will be facing the wall in the next year spending allot of gas looking for lead outlets. Tire shops are still a good source for WW but I think percentages of zinc will increase with each year. I don't think a March on Washington will bring back lead WW.

Seems obvious that pots will be made to melt zinc since it is showing up in more buckets. I usually throw zinc away but now I will save it for future use. Life sometimes ain't fair but what is fair.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[Gunslinger]

The amount if Zinc WILL rise... Europe banned lead weights some 5 years ago... sometimes I get as much as 50% zinc... I hate it....