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Author Topic: What happened to my lead?  (Read 1177 times)

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Offline Ironwood

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What happened to my lead?
« on: October 22, 2006, 01:03:46 AM »
I have been using scrap sheet lead for casting muzzleloader roundballs.  I cut the sheets into narrow strips so they will go into my Lee Production Pot.  I think I had cast some balls from this same lead with good results.  However the last time I tried to cast some balls from this lead "something" kept floating to the top.  It seemed the more I dipped out the more that came floating up.  The balls came out very rough and the pot pour spout stopped up.  I wish I had saved some of the balls to photograph.  The only thing I have to show you is the lead ingots from my muffin tin.  I know this isn't much to go on can anyone tell me what's in the lead?   



This is a blowup of some of the stuff that came to the top.

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Offline Castaway

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2006, 12:41:08 PM »
Did you flux your melt?  Normally that clears up that mess.
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Offline Ironwood

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2006, 02:22:01 PM »
Castaway, I did flux but I usually don't.  I usually try to get anything that will float out of the lead.  As near as you can get scrap lead to pure lead, the better for muzzleloader balls.  I've never run into this problem.  Thanks for your reply. 
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2006, 02:54:57 PM »
  Any chance that scrap was from cable splicings? Some times that "glue they use to seal the splices acts a lot like that.
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Offline Ironwood

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2006, 04:25:57 AM »
Jhalcott, I'm not sure where this lead came from other than the scrapyard.  There was some kind of residue on the lead which I thought was just from being exposed to the natural elements. 
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2006, 07:17:31 AM »
  melt it down again in a separate pot than the one you cast balls from. scoop off the gunk then flux it with a good flux and stir a bit. then let it cool and do it again. After it is melted the 2nd time pour it into your Lee pot CAREFULLY and cast some balls.If you are still getting this crud ,SCRAP the stuff. See how much the scrap yard will give you for a trade in!
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2006, 07:19:08 AM »
 as a PSS ,weigh a few balls and see how much less they weigh than the pure lead you've done in the past.
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Offline masek77

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2006, 10:38:23 AM »
Your lead was most likely painted or coated in glue. I melt a lot of lead and have to deal with the same thing sometimes. The only thing to do is scoop out the slag. Flux helps.
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Offline jhalcott

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2006, 04:18:34 PM »
  When I worked in the steel mill ,we'd some times melt lead with an acetylene torch. temperature wasnt a concern then as we mostly made ingots. we often got that blue green color telling us we were in the high heat area and needed to cool things off. I had heard lead gives off toxic vapors above about 1000 to 1100 degrees.???
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Offline tacshooter

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2006, 03:02:22 PM »
Looks to me like you might have gotten a little zinc in there somehow. Even minute amounts of zinc will give lead castings an oatmeal like consistency.

Tacshooter
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Offline OhioCruffler

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Re: What happened to my lead?
« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2006, 11:05:35 AM »
Quote from: tacshooter on November 05, 2006, 03:02:22 PM
Looks to me like you might have gotten a little zinc in there somehow. Even minute amounts of zinc will give lead castings an oatmeal like consistency.

Tacshooter

If the slag is hard, Tacshooter has it nailed; zinc.
If it is goopy or soft, the other guys have the answer.

If zinc, there is no way to reclaim it, and you may have ruined your pot.
If it's glue you can flux and scrape.

Larry
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