Cast Lead Thread ?

[JD300]

It is possible to rescue some batches when things get outta whack, but it can be a pain in the arse. Powdered tin is available off places like trademe or craft outfits, it's cheaper than 50/50 solder and actually getting real 50/50 solder can be a pain in the bum now as some are actually "low lead" and have other crap in them.

You also can't tell from appearance what a wheel weight is made from now too - theres a heap of weights out there with lots of zinc or made from pure zinc. I'm yet to figure out a reliable way to test them myslef but I've been told about a electrolysis test where a zinc weight or a weight containing a lot of zinc will fizz in an electrolyte when a current is put through it. Slow but effective as a test.

Linotype was great except it's crap in terms of weight and density - it has a lot of tin and flow stuff in it for a clean reliable cast which also means any holes or cracks in your mold and it goes straight through and out the other side and makes a mess on the ground. Not ideal... I made up some dive weights out of some lead I got given and worked out it was 'linotype' after the 1kg weight arrived in at 900grams thereabouts. Bugger...

Nice cheers for the Info. If you monitor the temperature of your melt zink melts 419.5 °C degrees hotter than lead at 327.46 °C so it will just float to the top with all the other crud then you don't have to worry about sorting it out. guess all I need now is maybe some tin and more pure lead to alloy all the rest of the stuff lol.

[Jhon]

Nice cheers for the Info. If you monitor the temperature of your melt zink melts 419.5 °C degrees hotter than lead at 327.46 °C so it will just float to the top with all the other crud then you don't have to worry about sorting it out. guess all I need now is maybe some tin and more pure lead to alloy all the rest of the stuff lol.

So what thermometer do you use and where do you get them?

[JD300]

So what thermometer do you use and where do you get them?

Sorry mate cant help there haven't made it that far only learnt the process, due tot the nature of the process and material I don't see why a hand held infrared one wouldn't do the job.