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AndyC wrote:Read this: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_4_Fluxing.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Come to think of it, read the whole book - download it

Cool! Thanks! I've got other stuff to do, but this is more interesting right now.

Jumping Frog wrote:For both melts, periodic stirring to mix the flux into the melt is important. I use a wooden stick to stir it (the stick itself also serves as flux!).

OK, that's what I was wondering - if the flux needed to be "folded" in, or if stirring was enough.

One more (for now!) question.

Flux. What's the best option? I've seen sawdust, tea lights, and bits of candle wax used. is any one of them preferable to another?

Thanks for all the hints and reminders! As usual, great insight from the "pros" is only a question away.

Great, thanks!

That'll save me a good bit of time, then. Now, all I need is an old cast iron pot and some cheap molds. Looks like I need to hit Goodwill and the thrift shop tomorrow. And then refill my propane bottles.

Good day, gents!

With my recent decision to start shooting lead, I said to myself, "Self, why not just go all the way and make your own bullets, too?" And I said to myself, "Sure!" I am fortunate enough to have been able to scrounge a batch of range scrap today, with the possibility of getting more later.

My question is: How much do I need to clean this stuff up before I smelt it? There are bits of rock, dirt, clay pigeons, stems of plants and such among the slugs, lead, plated, and jacketed bullets. I know it will either float to the top or burn off, but does that just make the process longer?

I'm also trying to figure out how much I have. My online cheat sheet says 1900 cubic inches (the tub is 22" across and 5" of lead in it), which means that at 6.55 ounces per cubic inch, that's over 750 pounds! Taking out the empty space and all the copper jackets and other crud in there (say a 30% reduction), that's still over 500 pounds. Can those numbers be right?

I know I had a load in the back of the truck on the way home - I could feel it, so that could be right. I was backed up pretty close to the berm, so it wasn't too hard to take a 1/3 full bucket, dump it, and get another.