Clearing Up

When we moved in here nearly 23 years ago there was a prize winning garden that was a tad overgrown. Underneath some of the creepers on the side of the garage was an old coal bin, and inside that was a rotting nail box full of lead wheel weights. I thought I might hang onto those so they went into a bucket and 3/4 filled it. Over the years I managed to pick a few sinker moulds at ridiculously low prices and store them for a hot, bright and shiny windless rainy day. I also picked up some heating gear and an old aluminium pressure cooker from the local thrift shops, they move some stuff and get some money to do their work. Took a while to get the initial melt going with little surface contact but as it progressed things got easier.

Take one bucket of old rubbish

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...psorlkrxs6.jpg


Get it melting

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...psgbxallr9.jpg


To improve the melt speed I stacked up some old bricks

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...psz2wwpo2i.jpg


Scrape off the steel clips and other crud which all floats nicely to the top.

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4lryrzzs.jpg


Once I'd managed to get some heat into the moulds things started working well. Figured the easiest way was to pour some lead in and just dump the results straight back in the pot. Hey presto some virtually free sinkers.

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...psx3m1yq6e.jpg

Bloody good results there :thumbsup:

Wana come Fishing? :D

Such fun melting lead. A mate and I used to melt lead head nails in the sixties and we made all sorts of stuff. They only problem is lead is so soft and so heavy it doesn't make good arrow heads.

15kg of sinkers, 2.5kg left in the bottom of the pot to start the next melt and about 5kg of rubbish. Cleaned up all the holes, inside and out, so they are easier on the line.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rushy

Such fun melting lead. A mate and I used to melt lead head nails in the sixties and we made all sorts of stuff. They only problem is lead is so soft and so heavy it doesn't make good arrow heads.

---

Blunt quite easily too.

Last time I made sinkers would have been at least 35 years ago with the old man. Only a handful of those left. They were made from salvaged lead pipes and flashings, handy having a couple of builders in the family.

Mate of mine died in the process of making sinkers.
He was collecting lead head nails off a roof in Thames and fell to his death. :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

Mate of mine died in the process of making sinkers.
He was collecting lead head nails off a roof in Thames and fell to his death. :(

---

That reminds me that I have a dose of those in the garage too. As the nails rust away I replace them with scews and collect the lead. There will be some flashings when I bust up the knackered wood shed.

There were a few that got into trouble gathering lead off roofs back on the 80s.

Yeah, I was one of them. The cops caught me ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

Yeah, I was one of them. The cops caught me ;)

---

I'm picking that was a good 'wake up call' that set you back on the straight and narrow.

I wish I could say you are correct GM. Alas, it took a few more run ins with mr Plod before I realised the error of my ways.
One of the perils of growing up in a village of 900 residents is that the kids can indeed get bored.

Next youll be casting bullets as well

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pengy

I wish I could say you are correct GM. Alas, it took a few more run ins with mr Plod before I realised the error of my ways.
One of the perils of growing up in a village of 900 residents is that the kids can indeed get bored.

---

Your dark side is coming out to us Pengy.

@gadgetman

Melting metals and creating alloys is a fascinating process.

Just watch the lead fumes coming off your pot, they're not good to breath.

To help clean up your lead you can use a flux in your melt.

Flux will help purge the melt of impurities and float them to the top as dross.

Chuck a whole tea light candle (removed from the aluminium casing) into you molten lead and give it a stir

It will catch fire initially, once burned out give the molten lead another stir and remove the dross.

I'm currently making a small furnace that will be capable of melting aluminium and bronze for casting.

Cheers
Pete

@P38 keep us posted on the furnace project with pics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 223nut

@P38 keep us posted on the furnace project with pics.

---

@223nut

Making one like this out of an old LPG cylinder, including making my own cast able refractory.

https://youtu.be/gFOq88iQg60

Also making an LPG burner to power it.

Cheers
Pete

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by P38

@gadgetman

Melting metals and creating alloys is a fascinating process.

Just watch the lead fumes coming off your pot, they're not good to breath.

To help clean up your lead you can use a flux in your melt.

Flux will help purge the melt of impurities and float them to the top as dross.

Chuck a whole tea light candle (removed from the aluminium casing) into you molten lead and give it a stir

It will catch fire initially, once burned out give the molten lead another stir and remove the dross.

I'm currently making a small furnace that will be capable of melting aluminium and bronze for casting.

Cheers
Pete

---

Will try the candle thing next time.

A crucible furnace is on my to do list. Planning on using a couple of old LPG cylinders. I need to find some refractory.

@gadgetman

I can share the cast able refractory recipe I intend to use if you like

Might start a new thread.

Cheers
Pete

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by P38

@gadgetman

I can share the cast able refractory recipe I intend to use if you like

Might start a new thread.

Cheers
Pete

---

Yes please. I have the cylinders cut ready to go.

You boys looked at using an arc furnace? you both have welders I think?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

You boys looked at using an arc furnace? you both have welders I think?

---

Yeah but I can see this just an excuse for a new toy area :thumbsup:

Castable refractory I'm going to use, but will add Sodium Silicate , Water Glass, and Silica Sand to bind it all together and give it a hard surface.

Homemade furnace refractories

Water Glass
https://youtu.be/n_Kxm-w_XkI

Some tips on sourcing materials.
Pearlite, Garden Centres or landscapers
Bentinite Clay, Well Drillers, called well drillers mud.
Silica Sand is proving hard to get, those that have it want to sell me a ton.
Portland cement, any hardware store.


Water Glass
Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic Soda, Mitre10
Silica, Cat Litter, any pet store, read the contents as it must be pure silica

Cheers
Pete

I've been looking at that sight for a few years. Can get hold of refractory that is good for cast iron casting.

Very tempted to knock up a waste oil burner since I generate so much of it with vehicles.

A bit of google-foo seems to indicate a lot of placemakers stores sell silica sand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gadgetman

A bit of google-foo seems to indicate a lot of placemakers stores sell silica sand.

---

Awesome.

I'll give them a try.

Silica sand is the last ingredient I need.

Cheers
Pete

gadge if you want a bit more waste oil for that fuel -call round home and tell my ryan to hand it over!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Make sure you dont get water in the molten lead. It's spectacular... Painful too.

---

Your no wrong.

Or any molten metal for that matter

Cheers
Pete

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by P38

Awesome.

I'll give them a try.

Silica sand is the last ingredient I need.

Cheers
Pete

---

I'd head to the gardening/landscaping section.