As some of you know by previous posts, I went ahead and got me most of the stuff necessary to start casting my own bullets. Today I decided to go ahead and melt and flux about 40 pounds of wheel weights I got from my neighborly tire store. On that I want to share some observations:
1) You do not need a ladle if you bought the Lee Production Pot IV (bottom Pour capability.) A regular spoon is more than enough. However, make sure the spoon is not a family heirloom or has a bunch of equally shinny sisters plus other cousins that live inside a fancy box and that only come out once or twice a year during Thanksgivings or Christmas.
2) The thick gloves you have and that you swear they will be enough to handle hot ingots, won't... and it will hurt!
3) Melt in a well ventilated place, not only because of the lead fumes but because of all the grease, tapes, adhesives and other assorted crap that sticks to wheel weights. It will get smoky, it will smell nasty. Make sure that house windows are closed so the smoke does not get in and the smoke detectors go off.
4) Steel floats in lead. That being said, you will feel stupid the first time you remove the very hot steel clips and realize that you need a bucket of water to drop them in. In a pinch, a roller tray works fine.
5) Some wheel weights are not made out of lead so don't try to push them down to see if they melt. It won't work, just remove them.
6) Did I mention that molten lead is HOT? Don't worry, at least one microscopic droplet will fall in your arm and will remind you of this fact. Note to self: next time wear long sleeves. Also, water and molten lead DO NOT MIX. Krakatoa was not a volcano, it was a wet spoon that was dropped inside a Lee Production Pot. Denim Shirt and safety goggles saved the day.
7) A muffin pan will work wonderfully as a ingot mold. Do keep in mind that 6 lead muffins are several hundred times more heavy that regular muffins. And by the way, the muffin pan will get hot in a flash. Remember what i said about the gloves?
8) Fluxing works beautifully but makes the whole area smell like you just set fire to a cathedral.
9) Allow to cool your lead muffins for some 7-10 minutes before turning over the pan. Try to drop them too early and you will have to figure out how to put out the fire on the towel. And still after 10 minutes your dropped lead muffins are too hot to handle... with those stupid gloves you thought would work.
10) Assorted leftover crap is 25% of the weight of the wheel weights and a 100% headache if you don't clean up after yourself and the wife steps outside trying to find out why one of the cats smell like burnt hair.
1) You do not need a ladle if you bought the Lee Production Pot IV (bottom Pour capability.) A regular spoon is more than enough. However, make sure the spoon is not a family heirloom or has a bunch of equally shinny sisters plus other cousins that live inside a fancy box and that only come out once or twice a year during Thanksgivings or Christmas.
2) The thick gloves you have and that you swear they will be enough to handle hot ingots, won't... and it will hurt!
3) Melt in a well ventilated place, not only because of the lead fumes but because of all the grease, tapes, adhesives and other assorted crap that sticks to wheel weights. It will get smoky, it will smell nasty. Make sure that house windows are closed so the smoke does not get in and the smoke detectors go off.
4) Steel floats in lead. That being said, you will feel stupid the first time you remove the very hot steel clips and realize that you need a bucket of water to drop them in. In a pinch, a roller tray works fine.
5) Some wheel weights are not made out of lead so don't try to push them down to see if they melt. It won't work, just remove them.
6) Did I mention that molten lead is HOT? Don't worry, at least one microscopic droplet will fall in your arm and will remind you of this fact. Note to self: next time wear long sleeves. Also, water and molten lead DO NOT MIX. Krakatoa was not a volcano, it was a wet spoon that was dropped inside a Lee Production Pot. Denim Shirt and safety goggles saved the day.
7) A muffin pan will work wonderfully as a ingot mold. Do keep in mind that 6 lead muffins are several hundred times more heavy that regular muffins. And by the way, the muffin pan will get hot in a flash. Remember what i said about the gloves?
8) Fluxing works beautifully but makes the whole area smell like you just set fire to a cathedral.
9) Allow to cool your lead muffins for some 7-10 minutes before turning over the pan. Try to drop them too early and you will have to figure out how to put out the fire on the towel. And still after 10 minutes your dropped lead muffins are too hot to handle... with those stupid gloves you thought would work.
10) Assorted leftover crap is 25% of the weight of the wheel weights and a 100% headache if you don't clean up after yourself and the wife steps outside trying to find out why one of the cats smell like burnt hair.
