Lead melting problem

Jericho

Jericho

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Started melting WW's today. Did great until the very end. I had one piece of lead that wasn't a WW. Yeah, curiousity killed the cat and I tossed it in, with about 10 lbs of lead remaining in liquid form. It didn't melt as fast as the rest of the lead, and it got really clumpy. The piece looked like a piece of cracked pipe maybe, dunno. It didn't have the same weight as lead, but it wasn't very big. Very deceiving piece of metal. I scratched it with steel and it's surface (looked like lead) shone shiny silver on the mark. After I scooped the remaining clumpy crap out of my beautiful pan of lead, it kept going yellow and then burning over bright bluish color/brown. I fluxed it several times over and poured about 5 pounds into ingots but marked them as possibly contaminated.

Anyone have any idea what that metal was or if the remaning lead is salvagable?
 
Yeah but very slowly. I don't have a metal thermometer. Probably best that I get one. I was using a big propane burner. I had a zinc ww not melt but I think I adjusted the temp a little bit. My first melting experience. I got about 60 good pounds with about 10 pounds screwed... fun stuff though!

It was really really clumpy when it melted, almost like a melted marshmellow with skittles in it.
 
Try casting with it, you might be alright, if not a lot went into the melt.
See what you get for bullet quality, and how they come out of the mold. I've gotten away with it before.
KEEP IT AND THE RESULTING BULLETS SEPARATE, until you confirm they are OK
 
I got most of it back out but some must remain giving it the gold shimmering color on top. I can skim it off and see the shiny silver but then it comes back. Leave it long enoguh and it turns blue.

The ingots are for 9mm / .45acp. If it won't damage my firearms I'll certainly try casting with it unless someone can recommend otherwise.
 
Fry: You can get those colors with good metal if you are running the temperature too high. They may just be oxides of lead and tin. Flux them and stir thoroughly and reduce your flame. Pour into ingot moulds as fast as you can after fluxing. See what you get.
 
I have a fair bit left in the pan. I'll try tomorrow with a low flame. The burner I'm using can get pretty hot. The flame is huge. Probably where my problem lies.
 
I get the gold all the time. That, as I understand is the lead and air making an oxide. Skim and don't worry. The shiny silver and blue are normal too. I'd say from your description that you got the other stuff out and I'd use the ingots you cast.
 
If that mystery WW was Zinc, your alloy is pooched. Even a tiny amount will ruin mold fill-out. You can still use it for sinkers, ballast, making your own wheel weights, etc, but not for bullets.

One easy test for Zinc ww is the drop and listen. Drop a lead ww on concrete and it goes 'thwack'. Drop zinc and it gives a ringing sound. Melt the thwackers and toss the ringers.

BTW, tin doesn't 'separate out' when the melt gets too hot--lead and tin form a stable alloy at all liquid temperatures. Tin does oxidize, and at high temps you will get add'l powdery dross forming on the surface from tin that's mixing with oxygen. Keep the temp down, or put a layer of boric acid on top of your melt. The boric acid turns into a glassy layer that keeps the air off, and the Tin from oxidizing--this assuming you're using a bottom-pour setup.
 
Here's what to look for. Melt it and pour it into your ingot mold. If you get what look like bubbles around the outside of the ingot, toss it. It's got an "unfriendly to casting" metal in it. If it forms very nicely to the mold. No wrinkes or bubbles or other imperfections, you're probably ok. Just the same, keep that batch separate from your known good stuff, and don't mix the ingots when doing your next big casting session.
 
I guess it isn't pooched at all. It coulda been that my melt was far too hot. The first batch came out alright. I marked and seperated the last ingots I casted and what was left in the pan. I kept the flame low and took my time. The 2nd batch I casted with the yellow/blue was on a much higher flame... I thought I could 'speed it up' because it was getting late.

Anyway I kept the flame low and there was no yellow or blueish crap on the top of the melt. It stayed a beautiful shiny silver and I poured the ingots fine. They turned out like my first batch, a nice bright semi shiny grey. They all look the same, but I kept them seperated still.

Think it was the temperature?
 
High heat can cause premature oxidation. Very likely you are right. A frosted appearance to cast bullets is the first indication you are getting too hot.
Lots of guys ignore that, and bullets are ok, but the best results are using moderate temps.
 
I agree. Slow and steady. With another 5-10 mins, some patience and a lower flame, the melt was so much better. Nothing coming to the top... just a beautiful shiny silver color. Amazing really, and hypnotizing. I'm on the look out for all sources of lead minus the unusable stuff. Might even buy some at a scrap yard just to have a passtime :)
 
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