Just starting to cast

[Jal5]

Took the plunge this week and started melting range scrap I have collected all summer. Using propane turkey fryer burner/dutch oven and assorted spoons I have scrounged up.  Produced 1# muffins, 22 so far from this scrap mixed jacketed and lead.  Other than the melt being a little dirty even after fluxing and spooning out the dross this first attempt was a success.  I need to be a little more patient with getting more of the dross out I think and maybe turn down the heat a little when it gets to that point and I start to ladle into the muffin pan.  I think I have about enough scrap for another 20 or so muffins at this point.

Plenty more scrap where this batch came from just picking it by hand off the berm, in no time I have a coffee container full.

Joe

[stimpylu32]

Joe

I get quite a bit of lead that way myself , your right about it being dirty  I tend to run my batch a bit hotter for making ingots than I do for casting bullets , just to help get the junk out .

I would not be too concerned about getting every last bit of the scrap out on the first melt ( ingots ) as you will want to flux again as you cast the bullets anyhow .

stimpy

PS-- Welcome to the wild world of casting ! 

[gray-wolf]

what do you use for flux when you do your melting ?

[Czech_too]

I've used small chunks of canning wax but am using sawdust at the present time.  Just a pinch of it seems to do the job.  Drop it on top, stir the melt some and skim. 

[gray-wolf]

I don't know how big of a surface area your smelting pot has but a little more than a pinch may be needed.
Saw dust is a great flux and it will keep your casting pot a lot cleaner than wax will.
As a safety note to all--make sure you let the saw dust sit on top of your melt for a short while until it is at least brown before stirring it into the melt.  Reason being that if there is any moisture in the saw dust you don't want it in you hot lead.  Steam = not good.  The S/D does it's work after it is charred and you release the carbon, --Carbon is what does the fluxing.  The small sap balls that form on Conifer trees is a very aggressive flux, and works well also. = Rosen.
  I am sure you knew all of this but I just thought I would mention it for those that are unaware of it.

[Jal5]

I used sawdust from cutting up a downed tree earlier this fall, so it was large flakes.

The free lead is good Stimpy!  Picked up 18# of scrap today after my morning hunt at the shooting club I belong to. Didn't disturb anything on the berm, just picked em up off the ground and it didn't take any time at all.

Joe

[NH Yankee]

I took the plunge and had my first bullet casting session today.  It was GREAT.  The bullets came out looking good, the weights were within 2 grains and within 2-4 grains of what the literature said that I should get for weight.  I am hooked.  I have about 130# of lead and 30# of linotype.  This batch came from wheel weights though. 

NH Yankee (in south TX)javascript:void(0);

[CherokeeT]

Welcome to the world of casting.  Your cost of shooting will go down so you can shoot more !!  In my opinion, best to get the initial melt as clean as possible so there is less contamination in our casting pot.  I have been know to melt it more than once to get the alloy clean.  When melting wheel weights, you want to keep the heat low enough so zink will not melt, so you have time to get it out before contaminating your alloy. 

[Old Fart]

Welcome to the world of casting.  Your cost of shooting will go down so you can shoot more !! 

This right here.
Why I started many years ago.
These days it helps chase off cabin fever.

[MSM]

   I myself just started casting yesterday. I used some candle wax for flux. After reading about using saw dust, I wonder if paper or cardboard would work?
   Also, I am concerned about zinc contamination. Does it just float to the surface or do you need to watch the temperature? I am guessing it looks like the slag that floats up?
 
   Thanks,
   MSM

[Jal5]

If your temp isn't too high the zince will float up with the other debris.
I am going to try shredded paper as flux, I remember reading about someone else doing that and it worked ok too. Plenty of it from our shredder at work 

[Lloyd Smale]

about anything carbon based works for flux. Some better then others. Ive used sawdust, wax, motor oil, bullet lube ect. With zinc wws the best thing to do is to fill your pot with wws cold turn the heat up and watch them close. As they start to melt use a stick to push the top wws down into the melt. JUst when it gets hot enough to melt those wws that are being pushed in the zinc ones which require more heat will float to the top. If you walk away from your pot with the heat cranked up they will melt into your mix but right at the point where most of the wws are melted you should be able to pick off the clips and the zinc wws.

[MSM]

  That is good information. Thanks for the replies.
  MSM