Smelting Lead in the Winter

[Canadian Bush Wacker]

What is the coldest anyone has melted pure lead outside? If your just making ingots is there something that should be considered when doing so?

This is going to be done in unheated garage with doors open, and not during a billard!

 

[Spawn-Inc]

as tempting as it might be, let your ingots air cool. i've dropped mine in the snow or a bucket of water and they have sucked and trapped some water inside them. when i add them to the casting pot they will make the lead bubble. usually it's not a big deal but it will sometimes get a tiny bit violent and throw small bits of lead out of the pot.

since your "inside" it's no big deal, i will be smelting a bucket of wheel weights and some sheets of pure lead in the next couple weeks in my garage as well.

 

[redryder]

If i'm making ingots, I really prefer being completely outside, with lots of airflow and I don't drop them in water or snow. Don't see the point. I cast bullets in the garage with the doors wide open and that is when I drop the bullets in a bucket of water with a cushion at the bottom. Works for me.

 

[JR86]

If i'm making ingots, I really prefer being completely outside, with lots of airflow and I don't drop them in water or snow. Don't see the point. I cast bullets in the garage with the doors wide open and that is when I drop the bullets in a bucket of water with a cushion at the bottom. Works for me.

I second all of this. Smelting lead is usually a lot dirtier.

 

[laurencen]

only melt wheel weights outside, there are lots of nasty stuff with them such as asbestos dust, never cool in water or snow for ingots, once you have ingots I cast bullets inside in the warmth

 

[ron hilchey]

Make sure your ingot moulds are warm (not -40) when you drop hot lead into them.

 

[zuke]

Make sure the WW are warm, if their cold and you dump them into the pot they'll attract moisture as they warm up

 

[Camaroguy]

Make sure the WW are warm, if their cold and you dump them into the pot they'll attract moisture as they warm up

That won't be a problem if there's no molten lead in the pot. The moisture will evaporate as the weights heat up, before they turn liquid.

 

[yomomma]

I have about 250 lbs waiting for spring to be melted down....sorted already. I like to schmelt the stuff at night.

 

[Lionel]

It takes a LOT of extra heat to get the lead melted in the cold.
Keep a good heat sheild around your melting pot, and it will help.
Propane? Or electric?
I know that using propane in the winter takes a LOT longer to heat my melting pot than it does in the summer. Just be patient. Really patient.

 

[desporterizer]

I melt my weights in my wood stove. Just enough heat and that gawd awful smoke gets vented outdoors.

 

[Camaroguy]

I melt my weights in my wood stove. Just enough heat and that gawd awful smoke gets vented outdoors.

Do you put them in a pot, then put the pot in the stove?

 

[yomomma]

Do you put them in a pot, then put the pot in the stove?

This is what I use to melt my pewter in the wood stove

 

[desporterizer]

A lovely stainless pot I bought at wall mart. You need to get some serious coals in there for the lead to melt but the low temp keeps any zinc from melting. More importantly, I am not choking to death on the smoke in my nice warm garage.