Lead flushing
- Thread starter freire
- Start date
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- High River, Alberta
Lots of petroleum products will usually eat at tar. Wd-40, diesel, etc. Those will be easier to clean off before melting. Small amounts can be heated with a torch and wiped off.
If it's just traces I would let it burn off during melting if outside.
If it's just traces I would let it burn off during melting if outside.
How much lead do you have? If it's a lot, then you will spend a lot of money on solvents (or gasoline) wiping the tar off.
Personally, I'd just melt it all, and let the tar either burn off, or skim it off with the rest of the dross when it floats to the top.
It also depends on how big your melting pot is. I've used a 10 qt dutch oven, so throwing a big wad of lead isn't an issue. If I were limited to using a small Lee melting pot, then I suppose I might cut the pieces smaller with an axe and maybe pre soak the lead pieces in a pail of gas to soften the tar.
I live in the country, so I don't have to worry about annoying the neighbours with weird smells.
How much lead did you score?
Personally, I'd just melt it all, and let the tar either burn off, or skim it off with the rest of the dross when it floats to the top.
It also depends on how big your melting pot is. I've used a 10 qt dutch oven, so throwing a big wad of lead isn't an issue. If I were limited to using a small Lee melting pot, then I suppose I might cut the pieces smaller with an axe and maybe pre soak the lead pieces in a pail of gas to soften the tar.
I live in the country, so I don't have to worry about annoying the neighbours with weird smells.
How much lead did you score?
Thanks Eck,
Can't do that in the city
Roadtrip!!!
Okay. Gasoline. I'm a firebug. What can I say?
Several hundred pounds is a lot of lead to melt. Are you going to melt this all in one go, or are you going to peck away at it over several months?
Either way, I would suggest a dedicated "dirty lead" pot to melt it with. Transfer to ingots where they will go into your "clean" pot.
A bigger pot, like a cast iron pot from Value Village, and a turkey fryer burner, will still take a while. Or, you could go camping and set the dutch oven in the middle of the fire, and let the campfire do the job. You might have a 100 lb ingot to drop out of the dutch oven in the morning. I also get my metal (not aluminum!!) soup ladles from VV, too. Makes it easier to fill ingots with a big soup ladle than it is with a big soup spoon.
The winter time thing where you beat the tar off when it's frozen will work pretty good, too. There'll still be a bit of junk, but you can skim it easy. Might be nicer melting lead in the winter, when it isn't so hot and muggy.
Several hundred pounds is a lot of lead to melt. Are you going to melt this all in one go, or are you going to peck away at it over several months?
Either way, I would suggest a dedicated "dirty lead" pot to melt it with. Transfer to ingots where they will go into your "clean" pot.
A bigger pot, like a cast iron pot from Value Village, and a turkey fryer burner, will still take a while. Or, you could go camping and set the dutch oven in the middle of the fire, and let the campfire do the job. You might have a 100 lb ingot to drop out of the dutch oven in the morning. I also get my metal (not aluminum!!) soup ladles from VV, too. Makes it easier to fill ingots with a big soup ladle than it is with a big soup spoon.
The winter time thing where you beat the tar off when it's frozen will work pretty good, too. There'll still be a bit of junk, but you can skim it easy. Might be nicer melting lead in the winter, when it isn't so hot and muggy.
Oh, the gasoline bit.
If you soak the lead in a pail of gas, and the tar all comes off, mostly, I would save the gas, in an old labeled gas can, and use it for starting fires. When camping, or backyard bonfires and such. Easier to use gas than to have to muck about with finding paper and kindling. More dramatic, too. I also don't use a lighter, I use the old fashioned wooden matches. They stay lit longer when I throw them.
Sorry for the detour. Back to melting lead.
If you soak the lead in a pail of gas, and the tar all comes off, mostly, I would save the gas, in an old labeled gas can, and use it for starting fires. When camping, or backyard bonfires and such. Easier to use gas than to have to muck about with finding paper and kindling. More dramatic, too. I also don't use a lighter, I use the old fashioned wooden matches. They stay lit longer when I throw them.
Sorry for the detour. Back to melting lead.
