Smelting wheel weights using wood fire?

Crazy Chaingun

Crazy Chaingun

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Hello all,

I've had an idea rattling around my head for a little while, so I thought I'd post it up.

Would it be feasible to smelt wheel weights using wood as a heat source?

How I would envision doing this, would be to have two fire pits going outdoors, perhaps a meter apart. On one, I would keep a good hot fire going, for the purpose of producing coals. The other pit would have some kind of steel stand or support system for a pot of wheel weights. As fire pit #1 produces coals, I would use a long-handled metal shovel to move those coals to the second pit, to heat the pot, and melt the lead.

As the melting temperature of lead is 328 degrees, I would think that this system would produce a sufficient amount of heat, but that's just a theory.
I realize that this would probably be a bit more work than using a propane burner, but I'm curious as to whether or not it would work.

Has anyone here attempted this? Otherwise, are there any possible issues with my above plan?
I'm pretty new to reloading and bullet casting scene, I realistically may not be doing any casting for a year yet, but I'd like to work on getting set up for it.
 
I'm sure before stoves or burners were ever invented people were using fire...so why not.

Me personally, i would use one fire and get some kind of adjustable blower to make a forge. Temperature can be adjusted by how much air gets blown into the coals.

BTW unless your melting pure lead, the melting temperatures are usually around 500 deg f.

Still simpler just to use a single burner stove $15

Electric-Single-Burner-13485863856.jpg
 
Good idea on the blower, I think a friend of mine has a bellows, I bet that would help (actually, he has a coal forge too, that would probably work great).

On the subject of melting point, Wikipedia list the melting point of lead at 328 degrees C (over 600 degrees F), did you mean to write 500 degrees C instead of F in your post?

And yes, I'm sure a burner would be much simpler, but for some reason, the idea of melting lead over a wood fire, or on a coal forge, seems much more interesting.
The nostalgic in me coming out perhaps.
 
It does work I use an old semi brake drum as a pit an reverse a shop vacuum for a blower get a bit of ash in the melting potso I have to flux often but I've never used any other way so i don't know if it's any more often than you would have to flux using propane or electric
 
stonercanada said:
It does work I use an old semi brake drum as a pit an reverse a shop vacuum for a blower get a bit of ash in the melting potso I have to flux often but I've never used any other way so i don't know if it's any more often than you would have to flux using propane or electric
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I'm pretty new to this, could you explain this "flux" process?
I honestly have no idea what that is.
 
here is how i would go about it,
[youtube]K5xL6Y9hZEc[/youtube]

and here is what happens when your spout gets cold

[youtube]zI2MCsiN3mg[/youtube]
 
Flux introduces carbon into the mix which bonds to impurities and makes them float on top.

Wood is a good flux.

Then you have reductants, like wax, which puts oxidized tin back into the lead. This is a good thing.

Go down a few pages I posted an excellent article explaining all this.
 
I've considered using a fire to smelt wheelweights but I never got around to it yet. A guy would have to take it easy on the temperature so not to melt any zinc into your mix and f**k the whole batch up. Even without zinc, you don't want to run lead too hot, as IIRC, something nasty is released when lead is really hot, way above normal melt temperatures. I think a sturdy homemade rocket stove? might work well for efficient use of wood.

A hot plate might be the easiest to start with.
 
yomomma said:
I'll be smelting up a bunch soon if you want to drop by.
Click to expand...

Actually, you will be melting, not smelting.

Smelting is a completely different process involving melting together lead, limestone, and a carbon source in an oxygen free blast furnace. Temperature has to be hot enough to melt not just the lead and lead oxides but also melt the limestone.... Meaning 2200F to 2400F or more.

But if you are smelting, I've got a dozen old batteries that I'll bring over to convert the lead oxide and lead sulfate plates into elemental lead. That needs a smelter for the conversion. ;)


Here is a PDF file for a mini smelter http://2.imimg.com/data2/DH/CN/MY-205267/mini-blast-furnace-for-lead-recycling.pdf
 
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Don't really give a crap what definition you pull out.

I am smelting, as that is the proper term for the gun community.

If the damned dictionaries have not kept up with the changing world, it is non of my concern.

As for the term melting, that would not be totally correct either since there is more to the process than simply melting....
 
yomomma said:
Don't really give a crap what definition you pull out.

I am smelting, as that is the proper term for the gun community.

If the damned dictionaries have not kept up with the changing world, it is non of my concern.

As for the term melting, that would not be totally correct either since there is more to the process than simply melting....
Click to expand...


Melting with flux is still melting. It's not a definition I "pulled out" smelting is a completely different process. Do you solder two pieces of steel together with an electrical welder?

Tell me when you get your melting pot up to 2400F, then I'll agree with you.


Oh, and you can swear until you pass out, you'll still be wrong.
 
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yomomma said:
And Kleenex became an accepted term for facial tissues. So if BB gun becomes the accepted term for a 50bmg through popular acceptance and use, then yes I will call them BB guns.
Click to expand...

Just trying to save you a whole lot of butt hurt and about $100,000 in legal fees. Using the word smelting instead of melting will cost you that or more. Maybe it makes no difference to YOU, but to tens of thousands of inspectors, investigators and regulatory personal from a number of ministries, the difference is is like telling a CO you are poaching instead of telling them you are actually just legally hunting.

But since you don't care, good luck to you, just make sure you got loads of cash, you'll need it.

(For a couple decades, myself and associates have dealt will various ministries for approvals and defending people for exactly these little types of "misunderstandings". The CFO and firearms people are easy and pleasant to deal with in comparison)

Melting lead is legal without any permits (as far as I'm aware). But smelting is an extremely regulated industry, and without dozens permits and approvals, monitoring and reporting out your ###. They will have a field day with you if you "admit" you are smelting, and without approvals? Their job, and attitude is to lay every charge they can, and let someone else figure it out. I've seen this happen MANY times before, and for no good reason. It's not pleasant, bring lube.
 
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