Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

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threoh8
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#16

Post by threoh8 »

Just a safety reminder:
Melting pots and ingot molds should ONLY be used for lead. Once used for lead, they're no good for food anymore.
No morning casting session / afternoon fish fry with the same pot!

Oh, and wash your hands. Often.
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OldCannon
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#17

Post by OldCannon »

threoh8 wrote:Just a safety reminder:
Melting pots and ingot molds should ONLY be used for lead. Once used for lead, they're no good for food anymore.
No morning casting session / afternoon fish fry with the same pot!

Oh, and wash your hands. Often.
Doesn't hurt to wear a mask either, to prevent inhaling the vapors, particularly when you're pouring into ingots.
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#18

Post by Gyrogearhead »

OldCannon wrote:
Doesn't hurt to wear a mask either, to prevent inhaling the vapors, particularly when you're pouring into ingots.

:iagree: Just be aware that the little white "dust" masks like you get at the hardware store will not stop lead vapor or any other vapor for that matter. When it says "dust mask" on the label it means just that; it will filter out the dust only. For filtering lead or tin or antimony vapor you need the canister type of masks that look like jet fighter oxigen masks with a tuna can on each side.

There too, read the label because you want to be sure the canisters are rated for "metallic vapor" or "chemical vapor". In other words the canisters rated for use with paint solvents (the most common kind) won't do what you want either. :cryin

Gerry
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#19

Post by SeaHawk »

Those who would like to deprive us of our hunting and shooting sport sure keep the pot stirred.

From osha.gov, select "Casting" on the left side.

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/leadsme ... ngtask.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Keep molten lead temperature below 1000°
F to minimize lead fumes and particulate
emissions during lead transfer and drossing
of castings and molds."


I find a lot of dust clings to the sides of the pot so I flux frequently and scrape the sides of the pot. This allows the dust to float to the top of the melt and be captured in the fluxing agent so it can be skimmed off without exposing the dust to the atmosphere.
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#20

Post by Gyrogearhead »

AndyC wrote:I can't afford a thermometer yet, and I'm still getting used to how hot my new burner actually gets. I said that I know it's too hot - is that all right with you? :totap:
Hi Andy,

Here's where I got my Tel-tru thermometer delivered to my doorstep for $22.89 last March:

http://bbqbonanza.com/

I think they've gone up about a dollar or two since then but they are still way more affordable than the ones sold for lead melting. Same thermometer, different target audiance. I got the 2" dia. Stainless Steel one with a 5" stem graduated 150-750 degrees F. I picked the 750 degree one over the 1000 degree one because the division marks are farther apart and easier to detect a temperature excursion early on, before the lead rainbow appears. :thumbs2:

The 5" stem reaches the bottom of my Lee 10# bottom pour furnace and keeps the thermometer head about an inch or so above the pot rim. To mount it on the Lee I picked out a piece of scrap aluminum sheet about 1/32" thick and cut it into a rectangle about 1X 1/2" and drilled two 1/8" holes in it, one near each end. Put one of the screws from the top of the furnace through one of the holes with the 1" side of the tab pointed toward the center of the pot and put the thermometer stem through the other. Now the thermometer stands upright at the side of the pot with the end of the stem touching the bottom of the pot just past the curve from side to bottom. That leaves plenty of room to stir in flux and skim the dross without catching the thermometer stem. The molten lead won't stick to the aluminum so when you take the thermometer out of the furnace at the end of the casting session the aluminum wipes off the thermometer stem and drops the residue back into the pot.

The stainless clip that comes with the thermometer is great for hanging on the side of the C.I. double boiler when smelting but is worthless when casting with the Lee furnace.

I'd have gotten this info to you earlier but I had to go dig it out of my files; no easy task.

Hope this helps.

Gerry
"With atomic weapons, as in many other things, knowing what to do isn't nearly so important as knowing what NOT to do." -- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1946

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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#21

Post by ghostrider »

There too, read the label because you want to be sure the canisters are rated for "metallic vapor" or "chemical vapor". In other words the canisters rated for use with paint solvents (the most common kind) won't do what you want either.
But paint vapor is a chemical vapor :-)
how do you ensure you have the right kind?
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Jumping Frog
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#22

Post by Jumping Frog »

Lead fumes are not a problem -- nonexistent -- until you get above 1200 degrees. I normally cast at about 700 degrees. There is not enough vapor pressure to create any lead in the air at that temperature. So I do not wear a mask when casting bullets.

However, when I smelt wheelweights or other scrap, they are very dirty and a lot of crap burns off. I definitely do that outdoors and I do wear a respirator.

I am far more concerned about making sure I wash my hands, do not touch my mouth or eyes, and avoid dust from tumbling brass. Those all create more of a risk of lead poisoning than lead vapor fumes.
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#23

Post by OldCannon »

Jumping Frog wrote: I am far more concerned about making sure I wash my hands, do not touch my mouth or eyes, and avoid dust from tumbling brass. Those all create more of a risk of lead poisoning than lead vapor fumes.
Excellent point. I definitely wear a dust mask when handling tumbled brass, especially when I'm using the media separator.
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#24

Post by Gyrogearhead »

Finally got around to smelting the 150# of wheel weights I scored last summer with my home made furnace. I used a turkey fryer like Andy C & V-Rog used but I took mine all apart and made it smaller to fit a 2 qt. dutch oven and light enough I could put it up on saw horses so I didn't have to bend over it.
Smelting setup 2
Smelting setup 2
Pretty basic stuff; I used an old aluminum pot I got from Goodwill for the base, an old cast off burner grille from a gas stove I got for a dollar at a flea market, the wind screen, burner and hose/regulator from the turkey fryer. Its all mounted on a piece of hardy plank and 1/4" plywood. Melts a pot full of wheel weights in about 20 minutes.
Smelting 3
Smelting 3
Got two cornbread stick moulds from the flea market and they make nice 1"X1" X8" ingots.
smelting 4
smelting 4
Gerry

P.S. How do you guys get bigger pictures in your postings?
"With atomic weapons, as in many other things, knowing what to do isn't nearly so important as knowing what NOT to do." -- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1946

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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#25

Post by Dave2 »

Gyrogearhead wrote:P.S. How do you guys get bigger pictures in your postings?
"img" tags. If you quote AndyC's original post, you can see the BBCode.
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#26

Post by texasmusic »

This is one cool thread. :thumbs2:

Thanks for taking the time to post, top notch stuff!
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Gyrogearhead
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#27

Post by Gyrogearhead »

Hi Andy,

The moulds are not as readily available as the corn-cob type but at flea markets and second class antique stores they can be found usually for $10 or there abouts. Same for the plumber's ladle; you just have to look "under the table and in the bottom of the box" as they arn't usually displayed with the nicer stuff. Had to pay $7.00 for the ladle because it is one of the "larger" sizes; it holds a little over two pounds of lead per dip so it pours one complete ingot with a little left over. The vendor I got it from at The Round Top Antiques Fair last spring had several of them but I had to walk away and then go back to his booth twice before I got his very best price.

"Used" cast iron is really cheap at flea markets compaired to having to buy it new at Academy or Bass Pro Shops and the old stuf is usually of a heavier-duty quality. Yeah, it's rusty and dirty but a few minutes with a wire brush and a little WD-40 and it looks a really good UPS brown (that's called Patina in the antique dealers parlance.) If you have the time to poke around flea markets and dicker with the dealers you can save a lot which means more $$$ to buy scrap lead & etc. :drool:

Gerry
"With atomic weapons, as in many other things, knowing what to do isn't nearly so important as knowing what NOT to do." -- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1946

Wisdom comes from reading the instructions. Experience comes from not reading them!

Gyrogearhead
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Re: Smelting range scrap to make boolits...

#28

Post by Gyrogearhead »

Dave2 wrote: "img" tags. If you quote AndyC's original post, you can see the BBCode.
Andy C wrote:Bigger pictures - well, I upload my pics to Imageshack.us, thencopy the URL and then paste that URL between IMG tags (you'll see the "Img" button just above where you type your first line of text.
Thanks guys, I'll give that a try next time.

Gerry
"With atomic weapons, as in many other things, knowing what to do isn't nearly so important as knowing what NOT to do." -- J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1946

Wisdom comes from reading the instructions. Experience comes from not reading them!
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