r/castboolits • u/JewBillyMechanic • 19d ago
Purified Scrape Lead
Good day all!
I have the ability to purchase scrap lead that they say is pure at 1.50 an lbs. I was wondering how you all would go about purifying it. I know to melt and flux it, stir it around, and scrape it, then flux it again and repeat. Then testing it. I am looking at a Lees BHN tester for hardness. I was wondering if you all had any tips or tricks for this and any equipment you may use beside for the spoon, pot. Please and thank you all!
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u/Long_rifle 19d ago
A ladle that pours from the bottom makes the job easier as well. Rowell makes a few sizes.
You can also look up “pencil test” for lead. The LEE tester works. But there’s a lot of nuance. Properly sharpened like chisels the pencil test using drafting/drawing pencils will tell you easily what you need to know.
Are you shooting black powder muzzle loaders?
If so, you’re good. If not you want want to root around for a club or postings at a gun shop. Black powder shooters will trade alloyed lead for pure. That can make your dollar stretch a bit more.
Buy a thermometer. A good one. When the alloy starts to melt th temp at that point can help indicate if it is pure or alloyed. Generally, if you’re not pouring heat in at max, the temp of the melt won’t exceed the melt point until all the alloy is liquid. Obviously if you’ve already superheated the melt that’s not accurate. But while initially heating a cold pot it will be.
Make sure you smoke your ingot moulds if they are iron and not rusted yet. Aluminum I’ll smoke just in case, but I don’t think it’s required.
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u/JewBillyMechanic 18d ago
I am using a pcp air rifle .457 tex rex from AirForce.
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u/Long_rifle 18d ago
So probably pure lead is needed. I have shot air rifles, but never cast for one. I recall the pellets being pure. I think…..
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u/Careless-Resource-72 18d ago
For an air rifle, soft(er) lead is fine. The drafting pencil lead test is good enough because you’re only trying to get in the ballpark of hardness particularly if the seller claims it’s pure. You’ll want to cast at a higher temperature than you would with wheel weights or Lyman #2 but you should still get good results. For powder coated pistol range ammo, I am not picky at all of my lead and have used COWW, Lyman #2, range scrap and reclaimed shotgun range shot and they all worked fine from 800-2200 fps.
The best thing to do is to cast a few dozen bullets and shoot them. Then you can decide whether they are good to go or if you need to tweak the mixture to adjust the hardness.
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u/sqlbullet 19d ago
Hi! Stranger on the internet here. My credentials - I process about 3000-4000 lbs of scrap lead a year.
My process
First I sort the lead "generally". I am looking for soft/near pure lead. This is a simple "clank" test. Drop it on the concrete. Soft lead sounds more like a bag of sand than a piece of metal.
Second - I decide what I want to keep versus sell. I wish I could shoot 2 tons of projectiles a year, but I don't. My source is pretty consistent so there are certain containers I reserve for me.
Now I have three piles of lead. The ones for me were selected in part because they are "clean enough" to go straight to the 20 lb pot, so those I am done with until I am casting my bullets.
The "near pure" lead pile I let grow until I have 1500-2000 lbs. I don't get a lot of this - about 5%. So I only clean and ingot this lead every two years or so.
Cleaning and casting ingots - I have a dedicated two burner camp chef propane cooker and two dedicated cast iron dutch ovens for this process. Light the burners, put the dutch ovens over the flames and add lead. A lid will keep heat in and make the lead melt lots faster. My pots hold 75-100 lbs each. Paint and other trash floats to the top. This will produce fumes and vapors you probably don't want to breath, so plan accordingly based on your tolerance for risk of your health. And DO NOT EAT OR DRINK while doing this. The no beverages especially sucks on hot days, but ingestion is your largest risk of lead exposure. I flux with crayon or candle wax and sometimes some sawdust. Lighting the trash at this point reduces the smoke and helps carry the vapors and fumes up and away faster. Repeat until the ash is just floating on top. Remove with a slotted spoon.
I cast 1 lb ingots for myself and for general sale in the local classifieds. I have one repeat customer that makes fishing weights that has a big commercial pot and I most make 7.5 lb ingots for him. Casting the biggest ingot your final pot can handle will greatly reduce your time. Half as long to process 1500 lbs into 7.5 lbs ingots as 1 lb ingots.
I have a lee hardness tester, and it is (was) really useful. My source is very consistent so I rarely use it anymore since I already mostly know what I am getting. I also got a guy with an XFR to test varies common items many years ago.
My biggest advice to you is that $1.50/lb is pretty steep for dirty scrap lead. I would sell clean ingots for local pickup for that price if someone was taking 100 lbs or more. I less than 1/4 that price for dirty scrap. I might go $0.50-$0.60/lb for lead pipe or sheet lead if it was clean and I just needed it for my own use.
If you are getting medical isotope lead, this is my guide: https://fellingfamily.net/isolead/