All
I want to thank all of the TU members who contributed to the sticky posts on pouring/fluxing, and to all of the other posts on pouring jigs - made things much safer and easier, and I knew what to expect.
I had gotten some molds and lead earlier this summer, and finally got all the other stuff I needed to give things a try.....
I was using lead that had been previously melted (in small ingots the size of cup-cakes), and since I could dent it w/ my thumb nail, I assumed it was soft lead (not wheel weights, etc).
I got them melted, and added some parafin wax - flames and smoke - wow!!
But afterwards, there was some black specs of crud on top - so it did something. But then I noticed some other crud - some a light orange/brown color, and some which was light blue - in/on the lead. I scrapped it off, got down to silver melal, and got some pouring done.
Supper time came, so I shut down the camp stove, poured the remaining lead in my own cupcake tin, and went it to eat.
After the eating was done, I was back out side and looking at the crud in my tin can - and it looked like lead. So firing up the stove again, I melted some more "cup-cakes", and the crud from the tin can.
The tin can crud was the last to melt, and did that very slowly, and then it was back on the top again - so that was the wrong thing to do....Poured a few more jigs, and called it day.
Questions:
1) The zillon $ question is what is that colored stuff? No amount of fluxing seemed to help to get rid of it....
2) What is the best way of disposing of it?
3) Is there a rule of thumb for judging the temperature of lead? (I think I had a better temp (or warmer molds) before supper.)
Many thanks....
UG
