Lead pouring question.

Lead pouring question.

I think I have read a recommendation to put a little wax in the pot. Do you use paraffin or bee’s wax? How much do you use? What does it do? Thanks for your help.

If you put wax in the pot it is going to smoke like crazy and could flame up. This I know from experience!!!!!!!

I know when I used to pour lead bullets there was a lube wax that we would add to the lead but I do not remember what it was.

Wax in the mix is a good thing - use a chunk of about 3/4". I use paraffin, but candle wax should work. Stir the mix after you add the wax and light the smoke (burn it) for maximum effect. When the flames die, skim off the gunk that is on top of the mix, then pour.

Any time you start having difficulty pouring, flux (the process of using the wax) again.

What it does is slightly change the chemical makeup of the lead and makes it more "mellow". Works for soft or hard lead.

There are others here who can probally explain this better than I, but I know it works.

Do this outdoors, or in a building w/ a high ceiling. Make sure you have doors open or fans running.

UG

Ditto UG
Use the wax to remove impurities - every once I add a small marble size ball of wax to the pot - lead seems to flow a little easier. It does flame up.

Ditto ditto that beeswax or wax flux will help to separate impurities from the melt like suspended fine grit & oxide particles and that will float to the top as powdery dross. Would like to suggest that a long handled small ladle like the Lee helps to stir in the flux & skim off the dross, & the stirring hand should be well gloved. Lighting the smoke is a necessary part of the fluxing process - dropping a small lit match into the pot with the wax might work. You can get by without fluxing clean lead, but dirty scrap like wheel weights will generally pour better if fluxed properly.

I prefer to melt & flux scrap lead separately in a 50# or so open pot & ladle pour the clean lead into ingots for later use. Also prefer to add wax in smaller pea size pieces a little at a time rather than in one larger chunk to keep the flames down. There are other ways to light smoke, but I drop in a match size piece of rolled up paper towel soaked with a little paint thinner lit by the propane burner flame under the melt pot. Proper fluxing will also separate the crusty scum floating on the melt into useable metal which will return to the melt and powdery dross which can be skimmed out. The dross can then be screened to separate powder waste from remaining metal hitchhikers which can be returned to the pot.

"I prefer to melt & flux scrap lead separately in a 50# or so open pot & ladle pour the clean lead into ingots for later use."

Same here - don't like to use contaminated lead in my bottom feed pots. Like to use the cleaned ingots for jig pouring. I also use a long tea spoon to clean off the slag from the top of the melted lead.

Use gloves and eye protection - be safe

Ledhead can confirm this, but up until 8-9 months ago I had NEVER fluxed my lead!!!!!!!! I was reading a thread from the Tackleunderground site about it and Ledhead and Cadman and others kept telling me cmon Fatman try it, it really does work!!!!!!!!

Now I thought I knew it all, been pouring since I was 12 with help and by myself since I was 13. Had all the different types of lead sorted in different containers never ate or drank while pouring (of course this was after the one and only MAJOR accident when I was 13).

I finally tried the fluxing and man the first time the wax fumes burst into flame scared the crap outa me LOL. But then the excess gunk and junk came to the surface. Before this I was getting a 25% success rate pouring tire weight down to 1/32 and 1/16 but now it was 85% + depending on what mold I was using.

Seeing as the kitchen in my house is right above the garage I took some of the wifes scented chunks that I scrape out of her melting plate and I keep it and use it and it works, and the scented part keeps the head lady from knocking me about..

Fatman

"MAJOR accident" could qualify you for a role in Phantom of the Opera! Would like to add that some of the dross powder will settle to the bottom of the pot during fluxing which could be messy in a bottom pour melter. So, its better if possible to flux in a separate pot and only use clean lead in a BP melter.

Altho flux smoke will often ignite without a starter, there will usually be smoke before & after the flame which can be minimized by having a flame source in the pot before adding the wax that will continuously burn till after the flux has burned off.

The dirtier the lead the more wax is necessary for a proper cleaning, & it takes some practice knowing how much wax for how long to add into the pot. Ideally, the waste dross should only be a dark powder free of shiny metal.

Now I dont know if this will work never tried but it should. I work in a refinery melting gold, silver, copper, and other precious metals and what we use to clean it up before a pour is borax (the powdery soap) it works great just a teaspoon in about a gallon size pot and all the crap either disappears or clumps up in a ball and you can scoop that out .

Just to kind of sum it up .. I had poured for years used a little wax but did not really "Flux It" ... Then had this great thread in TU about fluxing .. and it has worked out with me:

1. I use a big pot to melt down and clean up scrap & new lead ... Flux it good ... clean up the crap ...pour into ingots that fit in my Lee Bottom Pour.

2. In the Lee Bottom Pour I will flux as I use new ingots and sprues .. in a small Lee I use about a marble size piece of wax ... stir and scrape the bottom and sides as well with my big serving spoon and of course dip off the crap.

Fellows it really helps

JSC

Well this could explain why every time I have poured lead it turned out pitted and hard. This is good to know for sure. Will have to make sure I remember when I pour this spring.

Wish I had a video camera so I could tape doing the fluxing, it really does help.

fatman

I use candle wax. It works well and usually self ignites. One warning... the first time I dropped the wax in the pot and it burst into flames, I tried to blow it out. DO NOT DO THIS. Singed the eyebrows right off my fool head and caught some marabou on fire. Please use caution.

BEESWAX IS THE ONLY THING I USE. no problems

I put a peice of candle wax in there, along with a 6 inch peice of solder wire. I don't know which item caused the majic, but the jigheads are 100 percent smoother, pour better, and remain shiny for the longhaul. even with a cold mold, it's alot better.

The Do-it instruction booklet says that tin (solder) added will generally improve lead. Ditto "redear" on a long lasting shiny smooth finish. My preferred alloy is 4-5% tin by weight added to soft lead - more than that is a waste of expensive tin and too much tin can actually make an alloy harder to pour.