Thread: cleaning lead for casting

I had a trial run at melting lead today.

First I upgraded my outside the shed fire.


The old outside the shed fire with the new one.


Time to see if lead will melt.


Its melting


Ready to pour.


Anybody for a shiny muffin???


Quite happy with my initial trial.
Looking for a decent heavy base stainless saucepan to make a crucible from,and a slotted spoon to remove the rubbish.
Andrew

Good job.

Fun, isn't it.

Should be plenty of spoons at the op-shops.
Old camp ovens work well, as the heat is apparently more consistently spread, and holds better too.

Originally Posted by d@rk51d3

Old camp ovens work well, as the heat is apparently more consistently spread, and holds better too.

Exactly. Allows you also to put it right on top of the coals and get the lead hotter. Makes it a lot easier to remove the scum when it's really hot as it separates better.

Maybe try a chip basket to just lift out all the metal tags.


Might be time to start doing a roundup of dead car batteries mate!!

Andrew


Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

To clean the lead we melt it and skim it off.

Then I use upside down coke/beer cans to mould 'ingots' for later use.

I have a proper lead furnace for moulding sinkers.

Get a heavy iron pot, some fire bricks to build a furnace to hold the fire and the pot, and an old vacuum cleaner in blow mode to provide an air blast for a suitably hot fire. Coal, coke, barbecue charcoal, or barbecue heat beads are good. You can pour aluminium & bronze with this arrangement. Plenty of castings have been done at home using this method by generations of hobby engineers. You only need a skimmer made from a suitably long steel rod with a rectangular tab welded on to control slag whilst pouring. You just use the rectangular end to move and hold back the slag from the pouring lip.

Best not to use the household vacuum cleaner. This may cause stoppage of conjugal rights.

Originally Posted by LOVEMYRANGIE

Exactly. Allows you also to put it right on top of the coals and get the lead hotter. Makes it a lot easier to remove the scum when it's really hot as it separates better.

Maybe try a chip basket to just lift out all the metal tags.


Might be time to start doing a roundup of dead car batteries mate!!

Andrew


Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

Hi Andrew
I dont intend messing with old batteries,too unfriendly to the world.
I picked up 3/4 of a bucket of wheel weights today,they owe me a further bucket and some.
Would weigh at least 30kg if not more.
Andrew

Went thru the pan cupboard.
Dug out a nice heavy pan about the size Im looking for.I have modified it to melt/pour lead.THANKS Roverrescue for the great idea.

Its a very heavy pan,says Scanpan on its base.Do you think SHMBO will miss it???
Andrew

Hope you have that mattress sorted in the shed bud, that's if she let's you live......


Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...