Lead melting and Discussion

[@canofanger]

What a great video. I got one of those lead melters and dig out lots of lead from the shooting range. It's so relaxing melting the stuff into ingots. Probably something that goes back hundreds of years in our genetics, working with metals. Thanks for the video.

[@earlwright3613]

me and my dad was melting and molding lead one day when I was 13 , well I was holding the mold squatted down and long story short ,my dad tripped and spilled the molten lead on me in the early 80:S . luckily it only landed on my right arm and right foot. it did some damage but it made my dad really upset to the point of tears . it's all good, just be careful folks

[@jonahi1304]

did it damage the muscles or deep scarring? i always wondered how bad molten lead would damage if you dropped it

[@wjiuvdjsvhsnsm]

@@jonahi1304 It probably didn’t, because lead is to hot and won’t stick on human skin

[@walterwilson1884]

I sure did enjoy your tutorial, great job , and very matter of fact . That’s what the world needs .

[@jamesiii8966]

Thank you for your video. I just started casting my own slingshot ammunition, because steel is so expensive and takes almost a week and a half to get shipped to my house. More power and more lethal than anything else I have shot. So cheers and God bless you.

[@justjoe5373]

Soft lead is the best ammo for unarmored targets

[@canofanger]

Good idea

[@6lr6ak6]

Great video, melting and pouring is quite therapeutic.

[@larryblankenship8180]

I will be texting all the plumbers that I know after watching this Thanks

[@BroShaver]

Really thorough video, much appreciated. Man's work.

[@MarkNovy]

thanks

[@user-cd1hs2vw2x]

Eye protection, leather apron, long-sleeve shirt, gloves on BOTH hands, gloves to elbows (gauntlets) - that's what I wear.

[@valken666]

Incredible how those fumes didn't get to your lungs yet. It took me only once, the wind turned against me, got my lungs hurting like hell. I learned my lesson.

[@MarkNovy]

been doing it for over 20 years..doesn't bother me

[@valken666]

Didn't bother me for some time as well, you've been lucky. And I was wearing a disposable mask for fumes, didn't help one bit. Air goes through the sides. Now I don't do anything without my 3M 7500 medium size with proper filters. Been too close to death for anything less.

[@sashasoule4585]

Valken for the cancer conscious people out there, what filters do you use? Particle or gas?

[@shadowcastre]

Mark… I always enjoy seeing a fellow caster at work and his methodology. Having a pile of ingots is a beautiful sight. As a long time shooter and caster I have some input for you and a few questions. I am not interested in ruffling your feathers here, but what I am interested in is healthy discussion. Also.. I will be using the term smelting when referring to the rendering/melting/cleaning of scrap lead, as it is the accepted term in the casting world. Next time you smelt up a pot of lead, throw in a handful of pine sawdust. It is the best flux/cleaner that I know of. Let it burn, stir it all in, scrape the bottom and side of the pot, then scoop all the crud from the top. You will be amazed at how much cleaner the lead will be. As far as safety gear goes.. With your time spent as a plumber, if not using safety gear works for you then that’s ok, but for the new guy just getting into smelting/casting, I recommend that they safety up (Welders gloves, glasses, mask, all cotton clothes, etc..). One burn from a simple mistake is too many. Free lead.. Where do I find it? You are fortunate to collect it in your business. All lead sources here are a pay by the pound only. 800 degrees is a bit too hot for my smelting pot, too big of a chance of Zinc melting in the alloy. I deal with mostly range scrap and wheel weights. Soft, pure stuff is hard to come by as scrap. Lead melts at 621 degrees F, Tin melts at 450 degrees F, and Zinc melts at 789 degrees F. If your buddy bought mostly tin wheel weights, then he’s got a gold mine. However I suspect that what he got, was lead with Zinc in it. Zinc will cause the slush and oat meal look on top of the melt, makes terrible bullets, and is hard on barrels. Also, Tin in your melt won’t hurt your rifling. In fact it actually improves your alloy. Tin does only a very small amount in hardening lead, and makes the alloy flow in the mold better and acts as a binder. Antimony on the other hand will harden lead up in a hurry. Tin in the lead will also not hurt the rifling in your barrels. It has been added to lead for well over a hundred years from early muzzle loaders to today’s modern firearms. You can easily use lead up to wheel weight hardness (12 bhn) in a rifled muzzle loader and most anything in a smooth bore with no resulting damage. Casting is a passion of mine and If you have any questions, I’m more than happy to help. Thanks for the video.. Shad

[@danielcox9292]

+shadowcastre Spoke what was on my mind.

[@danielcox9292]

+shadowcastre I have about 500lbs of wheel weights and ive been smelting foreverrrr

[@johnrowlee3023]

Put a little candle wax in the melting and stir will bring out more of the slag if you want it cleaner

[@alvinthompson6333]

good tip, thanks

[@thomassmestead6424]

Lyman recommends beeswax, rather than paraffin, to act as a flux when casting lead ball for black powder guns.

[@thomasjefferson1457]

Remember that soft lead is harder to come by than hard lead. It's worth more too,.

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

You can always make lead harder......putting it back to pure and soft again is nearly impossible unless you have foundry/lab equipment, special skills and knowledge.

[@usmcdevildog5569]

I've melted a lot of lead pipe. Man it stinks. and don't chop pipe with a axe or something similar. it will explode when both ends are crimped. My friend hurt himself pretty bad doing that. Thanks for the video.

[@alvinthompson6333]

good tip.

[@DonnyB]

Very interesting.. with my background I am learning quite a bit from your videos, Thank you Mark Novy

[@MarkNovy]

As the Sarge once told me that if I can help just one person with anything then it was all worth it. TY Donny

[@DonnyB]

You have certainly assisted me! So thank you

[@summonerjp]

Shame to melt that drum trap. Couldnt help but remark to myself at how good those wiped joints look

[@derrickmitchell39dm]

I live 45 min out of Chicago. I'd would like to get my hands on some of that lead.

[@KLR-650]

Wheel weights are mostly tin? I wish. Did you mean zinc?

[@harveyhudspeth6824]

This is how I do it , seems like I always still have scum or debris on the bottom , I’ll stir it up and scrape the bottom and more comes up , I’ve never done the flux or sawdust thing , my ingots look good but always seem to have crap get in my Lee pot when making sinkers

[@joseresendiz6862]

Gracias por compartir tu conocimiento es muy educativo

[@hardingdies7811]

Overall, I thought it was a great and striaght-forward video. I was surprised you didn't flux the melted lead - maybe that's why you had the extra 'dross' when you put in your ladle. For pouring lead bullets, I found I got better bullets if I flux the lead each time I add new lead.

[@guzmanpatriot]

Can you flux the lead with candle wax?

[@Reaper_1776_]

@@guzmanpatriot you sure can. I personally use canning wax but often use candles too. Just be careful because it will flame up for a second when you add it. After the burn is over you will get tones of impurities to scoop out.

[@justjoe5373]

How much wax would you say is good for this amount of lead? And do you use real beeswax or paraffin wax? I heard people say you should use paraffin

[@lumpyeggnog2]

Ive been looking for a stove with a countertop-type set up, that will hook up to a 15lb propane tank, so that I don't have to keep buying those small canisters. My battery-makers book says that I have to heat to 620f degrees to melt lead, but i havent been able to find any stove with temp-control like that in any sporting/outdoor stores... Is exact temp that important?

[@MarkNovy]

stove top set up? how large a lead supply do you want to melt? www.cabelas.com/product/Lyman-Big-Dipper-Electric-Casting-Furnace/706428.uts?productVariantId=1382584&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=02950667&rid=20&gclid=CjwKCAjw8IXMBRB8EiwAg9fgMGCQ6cONL8G8npdUirOxNPjbpYYncprYM_DIpYRVaKGTTK3l2nKoyBoC294QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.dsor this one: www.buffaloarms.com/bullet-casting-supplies/casting-furnaces/15000-btu-single-burner-propane-lead-furnace-63-5111 both work well controlling the temp is pretty easy.. once its liquid just adjust flame or in electric models just dial back a bit621.5F is the desired temp

[@l.a.3887]

Great video I wish I could get lead like that

[@MarkNovy]

you can.. just have to look around.. just got another 200#

[@l.a.3887]

@@MarkNovy I'm working on it

[@megadome9116]

Hi good job! I just wanted to ask... in your opinion which is the safest and Also the best temperature to melt lead without letting it make fumes ? Thank you

[@MarkNovy]

Lead melts about 620F so anything under 900F won’t produce fumes. I usually go about 750F

[@megadome9116]

@@MarkNovy Thank you sir! For sharing your knowledge

[@andrewmolina1617]

I was melting sum lead today to make sinkers out of an old lead drain pipe. I thought the amount of scum was excessive till I seen this video. Wow. Whats a good way to make those long pipes smaller and more manageable? Hacksaw?

[@MarkNovy]

sawzall em into useable size first or hacksaw but that takes longer lol,,

[@huckstirred7112]

hatchet takes them apart with 1 r 2 swings

[@purplepeopleperson3815]

@HUCK stir Great idea. Using a hatchet versus a sawzall or hacksaw would also create much, much less lead dust/particles some of which you could end up inhaling into your lungs if not wearing a proper face mask/filtration system.

[@rodneyzurek4900]

Great video! But just to be on the safe side do you ever have a blood test for lead!

[@MarkNovy]

not necessary but i do get blood tested every month for other things like my heart just dont lean over an huff the fumes

[@airsoftfreak11]

Isn't led toxic to breath I was told that a couple years ago and remembered I used to melt led all the time as a kid and never wore protection ? Was I stupid?

[@EdwardTyndall]

i is toxic i did too all the time if we only knew back then what we know now

[@heavyweightboxingfan2269]

Brilliant video.

[@travischristians4835]

I have seen people using candle wax as flux for lead to help purify it even more after scooping the dross out. Have you tried that method?

[@marknovy3660]

beeswax

[@justjoe5373]

That safety talk tho, we need more of that. Today people are safety Nazis, in my country people like my dad used to cast lead soldier figurines as kids. Lead won't kill you if you keep your gear dry and are outside in a well ventilated area and you don't spill the lead over yourself. Heating up molds is done more for perfect casts than water evaporation IMO, if a mold isn't wet it's dry. When I lived in a village I used to cast lead with some fishermen friends and we never once had wet mold issues, and we used to cast a lot since they loved fishing

[@christopherpottie8474]

1 lb of lead will cast 25 - .50 cal rounds at 305 grain

[@croweater6814]

This is the sort of information only an american would know

[@dH-fu6un]

Crow Eater because America is the best country in the world we live free here.

[@joecardenas9681]

Thanks for the video. Does this process take out the tin, zinc, antimony, etc.?

[@marknovy3660]

no it doesnt .. i need to add those for further hardness

[@purewhite84]

That's some heavy scrapes near the end you was pulling more lead then impurities

[@MarkNovy]

Probably. But as I get thousands of pounds a year of this crap. Some waste is really inconsequential.

[@jamesley6362]

a great video sir but why no resperator

[@MarkNovy]

cause theres a fan at my back and dont feel the need to wear one..especially as im not over the pot huffing fumes

[@5roundsrapid263]

Wheel weights don’t have tin. They have a lot of zinc, but it can be sorted out. Tin would be good, I add it to make better bullets.

[@MarkNovy]

not for black powder it isnt.. and I'm making .270 now ; so wheelweights wont cut it..thats only 4% tin..you need to add linotype for hardness ( in the 20-22 bh) by adding 12% antimony to the mix

[@5roundsrapid263]

Mark Novy I usually just do pistol calibers. 12 BHN is good enough for them. The weights usually have 4-5% antimony, so I just add tin.

[@jungleno.]

Lead wheel weights contain both tin and antimony which are necessary for casting bullets.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Jun Gleno It depends on what type of weight. The clip-on type has 4% antimony, but the stick-on type has over 99% lead. Almost none have tin.

[@cameronferguson8230]

I will by some from you how much.

[@jaishiv2010]

Please please answer some questions No one ever explained me 1. Of what material the utensil/pan you used was made? 2. Can high temperatures melt the pan? 3.what is melting point of brass and lead? 4. If I use mold of any shape and pour melted liquid lead in it and if the lead sticks to mold as happens in welding, how to separate them without damaging shape of any of them? Your video was amazing, please answer as soon as possible I am waiting for your explanation

[@MarkNovy]

the pan? the mold? is cast iron..the pot is cast iron.. youll never get it hot enough to melt cast.. Melting point of lead is 621.5F 327.5C Brass is 1675 F 920C and cast iron pot is 2300F 1260C so you see you wont ever get it that hot. honestly I have never seen lead stick to the mold or the pot or the ladle even.. so no worries there.. anything else?

[@jaishiv2010]

Mark Novy thanks,one more thing ,using propane torch can I get same results?

[@MarkNovy]

propane will melt it but Mapp Gas or acetylene is better... costs of those canisters vary

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

I have melted lead in a tuna fish can with a spout pinched into the side, pouring directly into the mold. I have also used an aluminum cooking pot. I have used a plain gas kitchen stove, and a Coleman liquid fuel camp stove.

[@dennischarles8976]

Thank you for the information and a great film. Very interesting.

[@billprice6248]

great video

[@matteedstrom]

Wow, lead pipes has been forbidden in Sweden for over 40 years. And you still have them in Murica, thats REALLY bad!

[@MarkNovy]

Matte Edstrom they are illegal here too but you still find them in homes over 50 yrs old. so we cut them out when we find them and change it to pvc.

[@djryan8944]

Is it ok to cover lead when melting?

[@MarkNovy]

+David Ryan As I have never covered it I cannot give you an answer on it.

[@dadscaly]

I covered it today without issue. It might be a little smoky and stinky when u first take the lid off though. My stuff was really dirty

[@HossLUK]

how much money is a single lead ingot? couple bucks?

[@MarkNovy]

Hoss EV I wouldn't know..never sell any. Maybe you could get a few shillings if you sold em to people that wanted to cast their own lead ball.

[@jackdunn9983]

Element collecting?

[@jungleno.]

About a dollar/pound

[@JohnDoeEagle1]

@@jungleno. Not anymore in October 2022..... $2 - $3.50 per pound depending on purity and alloy.

[@chembleton]

Daft question but does that spoon not get hot? I noticed you can manage to hold it without gloves when you're extracting the crud!

[@MarkNovy]

No it really never does.. you don't leave it in the melting pot

[@dustindavis4922]

Lead melts around 600 actually 800 is a little to hot

[@MarkNovy]

actually 621F if you want to be precise..

[@dave1secondago]

that's a great vid man

[@yogiilham4667]

I have a stone of lead and I do not know how to process into ingots..can you help me??

[@MarkNovy]

+Yogi Ilham did you see what I have? the items used in the video will help you. Other than that I don't know what youre asking

[@marijanabrezic8854]

+Mark Novy i was always a fan of lead casting,i casted a 3,52 kg lead ingot, its 5x50 lead bar, and its about 1,5 cm high, i made the mould out of square iron pipe, i cutted out one side of the pipe, then i bent 2 sides 125 degree, the side that i cutted out, i cutted it in half and welded them on the ends of the mould, then i welded on some handle so i can carry that mould, pretty good mould tho.

[@TheCerberusInferno]

Thanks for the video

[@Ryan-xl7bp]

I'm 15 and I melt lead

[@ethanmessinger425]

I'm 13 and I do it

[@ScrappingwithGrandpa]

I have 400 pounds worth of lead boots from roofing projects

[@MarkNovy]

My roofing buddy has the same stuff. It’s all good to use.

[@isaactoso3918]

I'm your 100th sub lol

[@MarkNovy]

Lmao! Never even counted but thanks

[@stupidsmartmonkey]

115th. Good to see someone using pipe

[@fajile5109]

I think i need a plumber friend.

[@claudias7276]

+Ryan a am 11 and a do this

[@dibraniuk]

Why led-free stuff is becoming the norm? Whats wrong with led? they say is TOXIC but aren't all other metals just as bad ?!! tin, copper, silver, bismuth, indium, zinc, antimony, and traces of other metals. maybe some gold too! is this just a trade manipulation to condemn metals favoring most easy to get ones???

[@ScienceWithJames]

No. Lead is much more toxic than other metals. Bismuth, gold, silver, indium, etc. are non-toxic/close to it. Lead will accumulate in your brain and cause serious damage.

[@Atropis88]

amazing!

[@johnhawk9321]

Cool thanks

[@tomaszstarling]

Slag or scum?

[@jungleno.]

The residue that floats to the surface is called Dross.

[@UltraLimitedHD]

Get a blood test for your lead level...