Your Sprues Do Not Lie!

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Had a chance to do some casting today and decided to use some alloy that was given to me by a good friend. It was range picked from the berm that he smelted!
Do not know why I decide to use "his alloy". If it were mine I would have no issues however I decide to give his a try. So Even though I "fluxed" the pot with pine shavings and "reduced" the alloy with bee's wax....when I started casting I thought the bullets looked good dropping out of the mould but the bases of the sprews told a different story! If the flat bases of your spews ( The area that lays on the sprew plate) show inclusions...then your bullets have inclusions and your alloy is not "Clean"!
I use these two pieces of knowledge I have gleaned over the years They have been my "Mantra for Alloy" for many years.
Thought maybe some of the newer members can benefit from reading these pdf's
Duke in Maine - Smelting alloy
&
Ian's: Best ever Explanation of Fluxing and Reducing

Jim
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I use a vigorous stirring action to create a vortex that helps bring crud to the surface.
When pouring ingots I make sure to not scrape the bottom or sides of the pot as I don’t want to risk dislodging anything lurking there.

Cleaning the raw stuff well makes it easier to keep the pot clean too.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Okay, that one flew right over my head. What word?
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I have been duly updated, thanks to Dusty Bannister's private message.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
Duane [did I spell it right?] does like the PM's.
he has straightened me out a time or two through them, wish he would participate on the open board more.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
I once knew a guy who went by 'gear', on another site, long ago. He was a smart guy, helped me
with my Honda a couple of times. :)

Bill
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
As far as crud goes, the minute I went to a stainless pot my crud quantity dropped like the proverbial rock. Don't much care for stainless in guns, but it's the cats for melting lead alloys.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Yes those are some great names from my past ( & I can recall a few more! Glad they are here) ;) Folks that were instrumental in teaching me how to cast well!
I had my friends range pick ingots for some time & I was just going to throw them into my smelting pot to be sure they were clean but I wanted to see how he did with cleaning when smelting. I'm waiting for a break in our weather to get in my spring smelting. I have about 250 lbs of range picked commercial cast & home cast and about 250 lbs of jacketed to smelt. Yes I'm crazy because I sort out my range picked bullets. Give the wife and I something to do together !
I will clean smelt each separately. This way I have both clean hard and soft ingots that I can blend in my casting pot as I see fit ( I still like using that lead alloy calculator from "over there" for mixing alloys:rolleyes:)
Jim
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
JW it's not nuts to separate the range scrap out . I have found that the jacketed lead is harder than generally reported . I believe it probably soaks up some of the copper from those silly plated bullets .
That's where the first 20# of lino came from also .
I used to have a gig where I was paid to take the range metal ...... Ahhh the glory days .