Does this look right? Molten lead

[Birddog1911]

I'm melting ingots, for the first time ever, and I haven't seen what I thought would be clean lead, so to speak.

I have skimmed the top a few times, only to have more of this copper looking slag form again. I've fluxed twice with paraffin wax.

Cast 4 balls, and they look...odd?

 

[Eterry]

I've seen lead with a red sheen, due to some type of antimony, and I've cast with it. As for the cast balls, they seem way too cool. Turn up the heat, keep skimming the lead, and keep casting. If they get a frosted look the lead is too hot.

After further thought, the red could be from rust on the pot, dipper, or transferred onto the lead. I've seen transfer many times using WW's for cartridge bullets.

 

[Nobody85]

Looks like your mold is too cold. Let that thing heat up in the pot with the lead before pouring. You’ll get much better results

 

[Trapper Scott]

I'm melting ingots, for the first time ever, and I haven't seen what I thought would be clean lead, so to speak.

I have skimmed the top a few times, only to have more of this copper looking slag form again. I've fluxed twice with paraffin wax.

Cast 4 balls, and they look...odd?

Mold or lead is too cold.

 

[Birddog1911]

Thanks, I thought that that might be the case.

Now, if I can get you guys to come clean out the barn, I can get back to casting!

 

[Phil Coffins]

Lead is too hot and mold is too cold. That’s what I see from this far away.

 

[pat i.]

Where did you get the lead you're using? Those balls look weird even for a too cold mold. But without being there it's hard to tell.

 

[Birddog1911]

From a local guy, said it was pure.

 

[SDSmlf]

From a local guy, said it was pure.

Pure what?

 

[Birddog1911]

Pure lead.

 

[SDSmlf]

Pure lead.

Just out of curiosity, did you do any testing yourself before using, say hardness testing? Hate to say it, but aways suspicious of the ‘local guy who says it was pure’. Unfortunately, more often than not things don’t hold true and work out. If you are lucky hopefully it’s just a temperature issue.

 

[necchi]

Cast 4 balls, and they look...odd?

I'm with Phil Coffins on this one
The lead in your pan is way too hot, it's "oxidizing". aka; burning
You can flux as much as you want,, but ya have to "skim" the crud from the surface,, that's what fluxing is supposed to do,, make the impurities float.
Ya scrape/skim the nasties out of the pot. (that's hard to do when it's the pure lead itself that's scorched)
Your mold won't cast proper cold, once you develop a "cadence/rhythm", a series of 15-20 ball will get the mold (and you) in sync with a proper temp,, it's about timing, again a "cadence".
(those first 15-20,, go back in the pot next time)
I struggled with the same "temp" learning curve when I first began. I finally broke down and bought a casting thermometer, when I used the device to see where I actually was and got the temps where they should be, it was much easier, much more successful.
Within a few months, the thermometer use languished, it became easy to see the condition of the lead in the pot.
There is an apparent "visual/apearance" to molten lead that changes within the proper range that becomes easy to identify once you learn it.
I like to run mine a little on the hot side,, 740-780 for my best results, I cast in early spring or fall when outside temps are in the 40-50's

 

[SwanShot]

I'm melting ingots, for the first time ever, and I haven't seen what I thought would be clean lead, so to speak.

I have skimmed the top a few times, only to have more of this copper looking slag form again. I've fluxed twice with paraffin wax.

Cast 4 balls, and they look...odd?

I heat the mold first until the lead wont stick to if a dip a corner in the melt. Scraping the manure off the top is just life when you are casting.

 

[dave951]

As to the temp, I've found that large ball/minies/bullets are best cast with the lead hot, like 800+ and pour fast. I can get away with 750ish when casting 50cal round ball.

 

[Birddog1911]

I didn't know that you could get the lead too hot. And I had the burner really going. I'd bet that was certainly one problem. I'll definitely have to look for a casting thermometer.

My second attempt was bad. I did heat the molds well, but I think that that "skim" kept me from filling the ladle enough. Every time I tried I wasn't getting enough lead in and on top, to fill. Gave up as it was getting cold.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Must disagree with Phil, a rare event. Everything is too cool. Let lead heat up, keep stirring and skimming, let mould rest in the lead, it will float and get up to temp. Take one of your cast balls and give it the thumbnail test. If it is too hard to make a deep grouve, it is harder lead than most of us prefer for a prb.

 

[Timber Wolf]

I have never used a thermometer when cast but tend to run hot as I am usually cast big balls, minnies, or six-cavity molds. I lay my molds (usually Lee Aluminum) next to pot on the Turkey Fryer burner while melting the lead, the molds are up to temp by the time the lead is ready to pour. I do hold the mold open over the flame to "smoke" it a little. I don't know if it does any good but does not seem to hurt anything. I usually get a good balls/minnies from the start with this procedure. I keep two or three molds handy and warm as they get pretty hot with my lead temps and casting speed. I just set one down open off to the side to cool and run another one a while. I ran 24 pounds of lead through three molds just the other day in one sitting. The molds were a single cavity .735, double cavity .54 REAL, and a six-cavity .50 RB.

 

[DTCoffin]

I started casting bullets for centerfires this year as I was gifted with many pounds of lead and tin/lead bars.
I've done quite a bit of researching and most everything I have found on castboolits forum recommends fluxing with sawdust or some other carbon when cleaning up bulk lead ingots, then when you get to the point of actually casting from your pot to use beeswax or something like it.
Seems to work pretty good and I usually skim off a lot of crud , even from foundry ingots.

 

[andy52]

Lead is too hot and mold is too cold. That’s what I see from this far away.

Same here the bluist tint says to me the lead is too hot and the wrinkles say mold is too cool.

 

[Sun City]

Casting requires a hot mould! Lead temp should be betwixt 750-800F! Preheat the mould by holding over an open flame such that after about two minutes when you are holding the mould up to your cheek that you can feel the heat emitted from! You can then cast good balls or bullets! Poor quality moulds deliver poor quality balls/bullets!