Lead pouring...

[leptar]

Hi,
Just got done making a ton of sinkers... 2-16oz banks and 1-3oz egg... during the course of melting the lead sometimes tanned on us... other times it was just perfect silver color...

We ran into a problem with the bank sinkers larger then 8oz... lots of hollow spots... the molds were hot the ladle was hot... everything was perfect.. just when we cleaned the trim there was a hollow spot inside... The lead we used was old but unused water pipe and a bunch of trim from a buddies chimney(new)..

Never had a problem like that before... we were getting 5 bad to 1 good... we oiled the hinges with a needle dropper.. (motor oil)

Never noticed this before we have been pouring our own stuff now for like 10+ years...

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else..

I poured the lead not to slow but never fast... I sometimes get a layered sinker in the begining...

any input / experience would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks

[Diamond Tackle]

"just when we cleaned the trim there was a hollow spot inside..."

When you say cleaned the trim, do you mean the flash or cutting off the sprue? If it was the sprue revealing a void or air pocket then your feeder sprue might not be big enough to allow for shrinkeage as the lead is cooling. Have you sucessfully used these same molds before? If its the flash on the bottom of the cavity that would be unusual unless you are pouring in a way thats not allowing the air to come out as the lead goes in or youre running way too hot which is usually what flash indicates.
8 OZ is not a lot of lead. I pour up to 20 oz with no problems at all but the "feeder sprue is nice and large on those. What temp are you running your lead? . If its turning purple on top then youre way to hot. Pure melts at 621, but run it at about 700-750 . It sounds like youre using almost pure, pipe &trim usually is very soft and pure except for the stuff that floats to the top. Try also Fluxing. I use a special flux specifically made for lead, but you can use beeswax too. That powdery stuff(scum) needs to foat to the top and be skimmed off. Should look like glass on top when fluxed properly.
Also if youre sinkers are breaking(crumbling) as you dump them out,then youre opening the mold too soon &or running too hot.

"I poured the lead not to slow but never fast... I sometimes get a layered sinker in the begining..."

Thats normal as the mold is cold on the first cast,but then it should stop, esp on large sinkers.



Make sure you go to www.do-itmolds.com (the link is not working right now but that is the right one) They have some very good info on there, and troubleshooting tips. They should have all the answers you need.

[beamie]

Sounds like your getting a late start. I caught my lead pouring jig tying bug early Feb, and I'm still tying.

Your problem is probably in the lead. There are different kinds...harder and softer ect. Just like there are many different kinds of stainless.

You probably had lead on the harder side. Will be fine for some of your molds but as with your case ran into problems with bigger sizes.

I use what ever lead I can get a hold of and sometimes the quality of jig is never the same. I mix it all together and will never end up with the same lead concoction twice.

The softer leads seem to pour the best.

Just us up the lead you have with what ever mold works for that and find some soft stuff for the biggies.

Good luck, Beamie

[leptar]

Thanks for the replies..... greatly appreciated...

I meant to say the sprue.. didn't know the wording...

I dont add anything to the pot... i skim the hard way.... i learned my lesson several years ago... a sight i will never forget... 30 lbs of lead in the air all from a passing august shower... that was not a good day..

as far as the temperature.. i know purple is too hot... i get my lead to purple.. then reduce to where it golds over after a stirring... I keep my molds on the top of the pot to warm up.. then i do a fast pour at first to heat them up a tad more... mostly molds bigger then 8oz..


I'm sure fluxing is the thing to do to help clean the lead... but I've had a few bad experiences with lead.... so the only thing that goes in the pot is lead and the ladle...

af far as layering goes... i just wanted to give an example of how slow i pour... but if i opend the mold after i just poured i'd have alot of liquid fall out... I've never had a sinker crumble/split after the second pour.

In all honesty... other then the extra work.. i've found "wheel weights" to be "less problematic"


thanks again

[beamie]

Leptar,

The one thing I didn't mention is that over the years experimenting etc. The one thing that I have done was say take a dremel tool and increase the size of the pour hole at the "sprue"

Have even blocked off and relocated pour points to make things flow better.

By the way the correct terminology for the crap on top when your melting is called "dros"

Beamie

[fishman]

Sorry I did not know where to post this but I have a question. I'm making eggs sinker with a DO-IT- Mold. I was wondering if somebody knew of a good way to remove the little peices of lead that are around the sinker? It is where the 2 halves of the mold come together. I've tried using a small wire cutter but it still does not come out perfect. I'm looking for someway to make them perfect so I can sell them to the store. I thought I heard about a rock tumbler but do I have to add sand or something to them? Thanks for all your help in advanced.

[gone fishin]

not tryng to change the subject ... but .. I have some very large chunks of lead and have to reduce the size in order to get it into my melting pot. What method do you use to cut the lead into smaller managable chunks??

[bloocrab]

gonefishin', ,,, I've used a hack-saw many times to cut thru 6" thick lead bars....takes a bit of work though,,,if I could get my hands on those massive 3' long bars again,...I'd try a sawzall with a long blade,,,don't put more lead in the pot than you can comfortably pour...the pot can grow heavy while your pourin'...

Fishman, cut the nipple and file away...it won't take much effort,, just a little more time

I've had symptoms like yours due to the lead being too hot. Could be the quality of the lead too...experiment, you'll figure out your problem. Does it happen right away? Try putting the pot on the ground for 5 minutes....see if it gets any better... I'm with Timnam on this one

[Saltheart]

We use only pure virgin lead. Have had trouble with other lead but the pure virgin lead pours well once the mold is hot.

For bigger stuff you need to pour the lead in quickly from a good size ladle.

just a guess from the above info but I would say you have some sort of lead alloy , not pure lead.

[striprman]

Does the mold have a "riser" as well as a sprue ?
I put candle carbon on the molds (the carbon that comes from the flame of a candle) to put a carbon layer on before I pour anything, and the addition of a riser lets the lead pour easier (less back pressure)

[riarcher]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

not tryng to change the subject ... but .. I have some very large chunks of lead and have to reduce the size in order to get it into my melting pot. What method do you use to cut the lead into smaller managable chunks??

Larger Stainless pot from a yardsale over a wood fire into ingots of the suitable size is easiest, and helps with the blend if its a concern.

[riarcher]

Originally Posted by leptar

Hi,
Just got done making a ton of sinkers... 2-16oz banks and 1-3oz egg... during the course of melting the lead sometimes tanned on us... other times it was just perfect silver color...

We ran into a problem with the bank sinkers larger then 8oz... lots of hollow spots... the molds were hot the ladle was hot... everything was perfect.. just when we cleaned the trim there was a hollow spot inside... The lead we used was old but unused water pipe and a bunch of trim from a buddies chimney(new)..

Never had a problem like that before... we were getting 5 bad to 1 good... we oiled the hinges with a needle dropper.. (motor oil)

Never noticed this before we have been pouring our own stuff now for like 10+ years...

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else..

I poured the lead not to slow but never fast... I sometimes get a layered sinker in the begining...

any input / experience would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks

Done a lot of molding for .75 Musket balls and smaller.
Generally speaking;
Hollow spots - supply more lead to the spue and keep melted til it's drawn in.
Wrinkles- mold / lead too cool, warm it a bit more (couldbe cooling in your laddle if you're pouring too slow or with a smallish ladle)
Crystalized look - lead being poured is too hot
A rule of thumb on good temps are usually gold / wheat colored on top. The silver color is good melted temps, however by the time it passes air going to/into the mold it's cooled just a bit too much to fill out preperly. Also the time spent in the laddle while pouring them large sinkers is loosing heat as well. By-the-way, your laddle capacity shouldbe at least 1 1/2 times your mold cavity's capacity to maintain heat, more is better.

The lead you're using never goes bad! And I'll tell you many front loader riflemen would be cursing you for using such prime musket fodder on sinkers. If your supply is limited you could cut it 50% with wheel weights or line-o-type if it's readily available. difference wouldbe neglagible.
If you feel you'd like to flux your lead, Bee's Wax (from a local bee keeper) works perfectly. Personally, just skimming the top is satisfactory for me (and I've gotten particular about my balls/bullets weighing w/i 0.3 grains for match shooting).
Hope some of this can be of help?

[gone fishin]

Larger Stainless pot from a yardsale over a wood fire into ingots of the suitable size is easiest, and helps with the blend if its a concern.
Reply With Quote

gonefishin', ,,, I've used a hack-saw many times to cut thru 6" thick lead bars....takes a bit of work though,,,if I could get my hands on those massive 3' long bars again,...I'd try a sawzall with a long blade,,,don't put more lead in the pot than you can comfortably pour...the pot can grow heavy while your pourin'...


Thanks for the info. I wonder if cutting it with a band saw would work. Too much heat, gummin up the blade?

[NIB]

U need a real aggresive blade to cut thru lead.It is not a good way to do it...I never tried one of them carbide ones I wonder how that might work.Blow torch it into a ingot mold.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

Larger Stainless pot from a yardsale over a wood fire into ingots of the suitable size is easiest, and helps with the blend if its a concern.
Reply With Quote

gonefishin', ,,, I've used a hack-saw many times to cut thru 6" thick lead bars....takes a bit of work though,,,if I could get my hands on those massive 3' long bars again,...I'd try a sawzall with a long blade,,,don't put more lead in the pot than you can comfortably pour...the pot can grow heavy while your pourin'...


Thanks for the info. I wonder if cutting it with a band saw would work. Too much heat, gummin up the blade?

It don't gum the blade up.It heats the lead an then the lead cools it's like ur going nowhere's fast..

[jkswimmer]

use a little wd40 for lubrication when cutting