Melting led shot?

[Mainehunter]

I have nearly 100 lbs. of old, crusty lead shot that I acquired years ago. I would like to add some of it to my led alloy mix to try heat treating and such but BOY! Can't get them to melt! They are led and I can squish them in my bench vice or press. I've heard stories they can be a bear to melt but this is ridiculous! Any suggestions?

Mainehunter

[EdinCT]

Not sure but hardened shot with a high antimony level may have something to do with it, antimony unblended takes over 1100 degrees to melt. Not to sound like a jerk is the pot heater turned all the way up?

[JB]

It's been a number of years since I melted any lead shot, but I don't remember it being that difficult. I don't remember the ratio, but we used the old lead shot with a little tin mixed in for most handgun bullets.

[Sixgun]

I've used probably a ton of lead shot...back in the day when you could buy it for $10 a bag. Paco Kelly turned me on to this stuff.............magnum shot has 6% antimony and makes beautiful hard bullets but I always added 2% tin for the alloy to mix well which he suggested.........probably on here somewhere in his articles.

Even regular shot makes bullets in the Lyman #2 hardness level but once again, add 2% tin.

Heat it to 750.....if it's not melting you either have a bad thermostat or your shot is bismuth or copper coated.

At auctions I always buy all I can get..if the price is right......I ain't spending $30 a bag.

You will get crud on the surface......from corrosion of the surface.....flux well and enjoy....-----6

[Chuck 100 yd]

It only takes a handfull of magnum shot mixed into 20# of wheel weight alloy to allow it to be oven heat treated.
I did a bunch of bullet heat treating in the past and the bullets continue to get harder and harder over a period of about two weeks so if you are going to size them do it right away or it will become very dificult if not impossible later, depending on how much they need resized.

I heat them to about 425 deg. In a wire basket. Let them soak at that temp for a half hour to an hour and quickly quench ( basket and all ) in a sink full of ice water.

I have never tried to melt hard shot just by it self, always mixed with other lead that was already melted.

[Mainehunter]

Not sure but hardened shot with a high antimony level may have something to do with it, antimony unblended takes over 1100 degrees to melt. Not to sound like a jerk is the pot heater turned all the way up?

Didn't even use the pot. I used my oxi/acetylene cutting torch and it still wouldn't melt. Besides having such a high melting point I think the problem here is with oxidation. When I have time I'll try fluxing the snot out of it to get the oxidation off, throw in some scrap lead and see what it'll do.

Mainehunter

[Chuck 100 yd]

The shot could be melted inside a hard outer shell of oxcide? Did you try to move or smash any while it was hot? Strange. Are you sure it is not iron/steel shot?

[GunnyMack]

Marine hunter is the shot crusty as in oxidized? Light grey/white crust? That oxidation is just like insulation. The shot on the inside is melted but just can't get through that layer.
You could try to tumble it and knock that layer off, but don't do it in the house. That Lead Ox will become airborne. I have seen the Ox layer sit on top but the lead has melted out the bottom.

I have a bunch of old shot that I haven't melted down because of this very reason, big pain to reuse.

[guido4198]

I'm going to chime in here and remind you that if the "crusty" nature is because of the formation of lead oxide (that would appear as the "light gray/white crust" Gunnymack mentioned) you have a serious health hazard situation. Ingestion of lead oxide powder is the quickest way I can think of to get yourself a severe case of lead poisoning.

[Sixgun]

With lead....it's common sense...don't eat it, wash after using, always...always....have a suction fan of some sort...don't pick your nose...don't wipe your eyes......wear a heavy shop apron.....

Lead is used here near everyday for the last 42 years and I get tested yearly......high normal the doc says.....got tested last week in fact.....I'm still alive with no stomach cramps....

But........but.........if your stuff is THAT bad...it ain't worth the aggravation.........chuck it or recycle it.

Another but.........you get yourself a metal tub of some sort.....pour in the lead.....add lye and water........let it sit for awhile......scrub it with a wire brush.......pour the rinse on the neighbors yard...rinse again..........should be like new..----6

[GunnyMack]

Good info Six, I didn't know lye would remove lead ox!

[Catshooter]

........pour the rinse on the neighbors yard.....----6

Six,

You are a bad monkey!! No banana for you!

Well, unless the neighbor voted for Hitlery . . .


Cat

[Chuck 100 yd]

[.45colt]

Six,

You are a bad monkey!! No banana for you!............. ROTFLMAO !!!

[Mainehunter]

Marine hunter is the shot crusty as in oxidized? Light grey/white crust? That oxidation is just like insulation. The shot on the inside is melted but just can't get through that layer.
You could try to tumble it and knock that layer off, but don't do it in the house. That Lead Ox will become airborne. I have seen the Ox layer sit on top but the lead has melted out the bottom.

I have a bunch of old shot that I haven't melted down because of this very reason, big pain to reuse.

The oxidization isn't too bad I've seen worse and yes, it's grey and crusty white. Since I was kid helping my dad and my older brother loading shot shell for trap, skeet and cast bullets, I've learned early on the dangers what this stuff can do.

Six.... You've put on my thinking cap on using lye! Called my brother up and he remembers my dad using lye to clean up the lead shot. Also he mentioned my dad used magnum shot exclusively for his cast loads which I didn't know. The other thing my brother mentioned my dad used cinder blocks not only to take some of the oxidation off but to ruff up the surface on the lead shot to help melt the lead shot quicker.

Mainehunter

[Sixgun]

Yea....lye is nasty stuff. If you ever get an old gunstock that's oil soaked and beat up.......wash that baby with lye.....it gets the oil and dents out and raise the grain about a foot. ----6

If that shot was mine, I'd do the mess outside with an old pot...like the kind you cook spaghetti in....its what I use when melting down wheelweights in quantity. Than I'd fire up the huge propane flamethrower...the kind that hooks up to a 40 lb. propane tank........and melt it from the top......stir....flux......heat....stir....flux.....then pour into 1 pound ingots.

After your done melting all the lead, just rinse out the pot and donate it to the local Mosque so they can cook their bacon in.

Couple of years ago I melted down 1500 pounds of wheelweights in this manner. Took me several days to do it all and costs me 4 tanks of propane but what a time saver! That flamethrower will melt 50 pounds of lead in no time and get that lead HOT.

Now you know why they call me Mr Ingot.----6

[GunnyMack]

Just for kicks I looked up how to make lye, I remembered this was in FireFox books from years ago.
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

[Sixgun]

Gunny,
That was a neat tutorial....I like to make things myself and I'm gonna try that this summer.

I've been using drain cleaner as this stuff is lye.

NOW I know why my ash can that I use for the wood stove ashes is all chewed up with pits and holes. After filling it with ashes....... I leave it outside for a couple of days to make sure it's all cooled down......then it rains on it...mmmmm.........also.....nothing grows where I spread the ashes.....---6

[GunnyMack]

Yeah I also remember that you can use the ashes for removing hair from hides so you can make your own buckskins also!

[Catshooter]

After your done melting all the lead, just rinse out the pot and donate it to the local Mosque so they can cook their bacon in.]

!

Oh Mr. Ingot, you are so bad. Bad! Somebody needs to beat you like a rented mule.

You certainly should know that no one at a Mosque is cooking any bacon. You have to cook it for them! If you then pour the hot grease on their sidewalks it helps to melt the snow off. They'll appreciate that, or at least all the Mosques that we (used to) have around here seemed to.


Cat

[Sixgun]

OK Cat.... ....on a serious note, I know of no mosques around here. I believe it's a 20 mile drive to Philly or a 15 mile drive to Wilmington, De. to find one and I don't frequent either city as they have turned into toilets.---6

[GunnyMack]

Boy I could really add to that, but I'm afraid they would ban me from the forum...
Pigs, bullets, mosques, you do the math