Author Topic: LEAD smelting Question  (Read 954 times)

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Offline GRAMPS 94

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LEAD smelting Question
« on: July 12, 2011, 05:04:58 PM »
Melted my first lead today and poured it into used muffin tins. IT WOULD NOT COME OUT. Came out of only one that looks to be made of aluminum. OK so is a "tin" muffin tin wrong? Am i right that aluminum is the trick or should i be adding something to the lead or the tins. thanks

Offline spinafish

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2011, 05:57:24 PM »
me thinks you melted the aluminum pan onto your lead!!!
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Offline necchi

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2011, 06:15:55 PM »
Uhm, Yes tin pans won't work real good.
Tin melts at 449 degrees, it's easy to have melted lead at 600-700 comming out of a pot.
Tin is added to lead to make it harder, it melts in real easy when lead is molten.
Tuff part about muffin pans is ya just don't know what they are? Could be an alloy of who knows what?
 
Aluminum melts at 660`
found elsewhere

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2011, 01:30:03 AM »
ive found two things that help. Either try spraying some pam in the holes for the first couple useages or scuff them up with a green abrasive pad and sit outside till they get a bit of rust.
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Offline hornady

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2011, 03:11:58 AM »
Aluminum muffin pans have always worked best for me; you can pick them up at yard sales dirt-cheap. The old army stainless steel mess kits work pretty well also.

Offline shot1

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2011, 03:22:57 AM »
You soldered those ingots into that tin pan just like soldering guttering metal together. The aluminum pans are the way to go. How do I know this?  :-[ I have a tee shirt from the been there and done that collection.  :D You will have to place that tin pan on a heat source and re-melt the lead to get it out.   

Offline huntducks

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2011, 07:59:26 AM »
I usully use RCBS and Saco cast iron ingots for PB or WW.
 
I also use Alum. chain link fence posts ties for sm ingots with linotype or tin or a tin/lead mixture there easy to ID and you can pour then into smaller sizes which melt faster, I line them up and bolt 2- 2x4 in place holding them they weight about 3/4lb each and you can get a doz or so lined up which are easy to handel.
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Offline calvon

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2011, 12:52:57 PM »
A cast iron muffin tin makes a nice two pound ingot and will last forever unless you drop it and break it. And no ingots stick to cast iron.

Offline 243dave

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2011, 01:56:18 PM »
+ 1 on the cast iron muffin pan, got only one though.  I also use thick stainless steel condiment cups I bought at Wal-mart, 4 for a dollar is hard to beat.  I bought $4 worth.  :)
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Offline spooked

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2011, 08:33:47 AM »
Wouldn't smoking the pans stop the sticking issue? ???
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2011, 09:01:00 AM »
some hardware stores have plumbers candles . When lead joints were wiped they were used to smoke the pipe where you did not want lead to stick. There was also plumbers soil that did the same thing but I haven't seen it in many years.
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Offline Bob J

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2011, 09:30:30 AM »
+ 1 on the cast iron muffin pan, got only one though.  I also use thick stainless steel condiment cups I bought at Wal-mart, 4 for a dollar is hard to beat.  I bought $4 worth.  :)
Dave

Those are awesome!  I also use the Walmart mini loaf pans when I want to save larger ingots...  They come in about 4.5 pounds each....

Offline bulletstuffer

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2011, 10:03:06 AM »
Picked up a rusty old cast iron 12 cavity muffin pan last year to cast ingots in.  The more I thought about using it for lead the more I thought about using for my cooking.  Sand paper, steel wool, soap and water and a little elbow grease it turned into one of my favorite pieces of cast iron for cooking.  Still using my old rusty aluminum muffin pan for making lead ingots  ;)
 
 "ive found two things that help. Either try spraying some pam in the holes for the first couple useages or scuff them up with a green abrasive pad and sit outside till they get a bit of rust."  I would think you would have to wait for the pam to completely dry before pouring ingots  ???   
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Offline Matt3357

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2011, 10:36:08 AM »
Cast iron "corn" bread pans work great.  One trick is to have a stiff pan (cast iron or cast aluminum) so that when the lead cools and shrinks it falls free.  I get these all the time from yard sales for a few bucks each. 

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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: LEAD smelting Question
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2011, 10:57:26 AM »
I was in a junk shop in South Norfolk and found 3 Cast Iron muffin pans . Got two for 5 bucks. One still had muffin stuff stuck in the bottom  ;D 
If ya can see it ya can hit it !