Flux pure lead for Black Powder?

That larger pot will help with temperature control , but because it is a bottom pour type you won't be able to use your ladle.

Some folks prefer a bottom pour pot, I am not one of them.


Rich
 
Bottom pour pots are great when they're new but it doesn't take long for them to start clogging up and they're just aggravating.
 
manufacturers use wheel weight type lead when they give a weight in grains
Pure lead will weigh more
try to keep the gold hue to a minimum, that is a sign the lead is at maximum temperature.
I slowly turn temp down until It just goes away
 
I have been using a bottom spout Lee pot for the last few years, but I cast pure lead for muzzle loaders and harder for cartridge. I dump out the pot to change lead and I think this helps keep the crud from plugging the spout.
I do flux my lead when smelting it in my gas plumbers pot, but not much in the electric.
 
Something else to look at....

I do have a Lee Production pot that works very well with with a Lyman ladle. I'm not sure I understand all this problem with a ladle. I have never had a "golden sheen" on any lead with my pots turned to the max. A bottom pour has not been used here in this century. Also, the production pot is also made without bottom pour. Use both here. We get a curve ball at every turn in this thread. What! Your pot is too small for the RCBS ladle.:eek:
 
The RCBS ladle is not too small for the LEE small 4 pound pot if you have it clear full. If there is only 1/2 full lead in there a lot of the ladle sticks out of the lead, and if you ever let it get cold, it collects lead on the outside and the little pour hole plugs up.

I think a SS Tablespoon would be a better choice for this small lead pot. Larger pots that hold 10 lbs or 20 lbs of lead would work a lot better for that ladle.

Did some casting last night and put out 12 of 12 pefect bullets with the heat setting set at 6. Any higher than that and I get a gold sheen back. I can actually melt the lead pretty quick at setting 5.

I am not having problems with light bullets, actually not a problem, but what the mold says is "lighter" than what I ended up with. 460 gr tranlated into my bullets weighing it at 508gr. (avg.) I have NO issues with pouring with the LEE ladle, only with the RCBS. I bought pure 100% lead from Roto Metals. Only other lead was lead fishing weight wire that is 1/4" in diameter and weighs 1 lbs (from Cabela's).
 
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Great link. And it shows that for pure lead, fluxing does nothing. The sawdust he mentions simply forms a physical barrier between the melt and the oxygen in the air. Of course having this layer of charcoal crust on top of your melt might be problematic if you are dipping.

I have considered making a circular "lid" out of sheet metal that will float on top of my melt when I do bottom-pour casting (which most of my casting is). However, if you just let an oxide layer form, it also forms a barrier against further oxidation.

Sounds like if you are working with a tin-lead alloy there are some fluxes which will reduce oxidized tin back to regular tin, thus keeping it in the melt.

But if you are working with known alloy sources, or known pure lead sources, there are no "impurities" to flux out of your melt.

Steve
 
Pure lead, which I am supposedly using, melts at 621 deg. F. I'll run it at 725. Ordered a digital LYMAN lead thermometer today and once I find 725 on my pot using the dial, I'll mark that. That gives it just a little above melting, and should be enough to keep molten during a pour and fill out a HOT mold.
 
From reading a post(s) on cast boolits that the concensus is that 100 deg above where lead melts should be good for bullet casting. Correct? Getting zinc in the mix... I would think if I have 100% pure lead that I'd have to add Zinc to worry about it in the lead.
 
And it shows that for pure lead, fluxing does nothing.
Click to expand...
Wrong.

Maybe nothing for a bottom pour, but absolutely essential to clean up the forming crud from/for dipper work.
The OP has already reported his problems therein. `Nuff said.

Theory's great... until it meets reality.
 
From reading a post(s) on cast boolits that the concensus is that 100 deg above where lead melts should be good for bullet casting. Correct? Getting zinc in the mix... I would think if I have 100% pure lead that I'd have to add Zinc to worry about it in the lead.
Click to expand...

Lead melts at 621° zinc melts at 786°. Maybe is just me but 675° is a little closer than I like but I use a lot of stick on wheel weights so I have to be careful about zinc.
 
But Hawg, I have no wheel weight to melt nor do I want them. I only have pure lead for the Minnie' ball moulds.
I should not worry about zinc no matter how high the temp goes.



psst... How do I enable "quotes" in my message?
 
Wrong.

Maybe nothing for a bottom pour, but absolutely essential to clean up the forming crud from/for dipper work.
The OP has already reported his problems therein. `Nuff said.

Theory's great... until it meets reality.
Click to expand...

Here's the reality: No amount of fluxing pure lead is going to stop the melt from oxidizing on the surface. You might enjoy 2 minutes of dipping before a new oxide layer forms. I've seen this countless times. You "flux", get a nice shiny surface on your melt until the flux burns off, and then the oxidation process starts all over again. You can flux and skim and flux and skim until you are blue in the face - all you are doing is wasting lead.

That is why when ladle pouring you should use a ladle with a submerged pour spout, so that the dross floats on top of the ladle. You do not need to skim the dross for a ladle to work if you have a good ladle.

Steve
 
Assuming that the OP has a way of knowing that his lead is pure, I would agree with Maillemaker.

What if there is no way to verify the purity of what is in your melt, how does one remove these unwanted metals such as tin and antimony leaving only pure lead in the melt ?
 
I'm Happy

Assuming that the OP has a way of knowing that his lead is pure, I would agree with Maillemaker.
Click to expand...

With me, this is not a factor as I flux every time; just part of my routine and there are always benefits to doing so. ….. :)

Part of my lead supply are factory poured ingots that are stamped pure plumbers lead. Wish I could remember the name of the company and can look it up. Each weighs 5-LBS. and I smelt it down to 1-LB. ingots. I use a commercial flux and always skim off surface junk. ….. ;)

NOT A High-Jack; but this thread reminds me of the one about eating Coyotes. That one went on forever. Now, whether you flux or not or eat Coyoted, or not, I'm happy for you …… :D


Be Safe !!!
 
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