Melting lead with a Conclusion

From the Internet the melting of lead is at 621 degrees , The red hot coals of a wood fire are 3000 degrees . If i use a cast iron pot placed in a bed of red hot will my lead simply melt to a liquid that i will see - then to be pored in to a pottery planter I have and will just bust up when lead is cool . the lead i have are from plumbing joins - car weights and I also have 8 # from a battery that has been soaking and washed in backing soda .

Copper Head, pouring it into a pottery planter is a very bad idea. Use Pyrex instead.

Thanks , I have Pyrex from the trash finds . (all sizes ) when fully cool will i have to bust Pyrex or will it fall out ?

Should fall out as metals contract when they cool. Just be very careful and don't breathe any fumes.

is pyrex that glass cooking stuff ? will it thenceforth be contaminated ?

First whatever you pour the melted lead into has to have been heated. If there is even the smallest amount of moisture in it, the water will flash into steam exploding liquid lead everywhere. That is not a good thing. Don't use pottery it would be very hard to get it dry enough. Second pyrex might work and it might just crack in two, so wherever you do the pouring make sure you and your stuff will be safe if the container breaks. Third, lead melts at 621 F, alloys will melt at a lower temperature. Somewhere around 900 F lead starts putting out fumes that will cause lead poisoning if you breath them. Do this outside, upwind and use a HEPA mask if you have one. Also don't melt the battery pieces, it is not worth the risk. Some wheel weights are made of zinc which melts at 787 F. So if you melt wheel weights and some are floating instead of melting they may be zinc instead of lead. Let us know how it goes and be safe!!

Starbits

well I am thinking Now - - The pyrex can handle the heat so I will put the lead and Pyrex on coals and let melt - then move to side and cool I can also put Pyrex on a Metal pan for safety

Let us know what happens

Originally Posted by Copper Head

well I am thinking Now - - The pyrex can handle the heat so I will put the lead and Pyrex on coals and let melt - then move to side and cool I can also put Pyrex on a Metal pan for safety

They are harder find free - as they tend to be expensive but I've seen those cast iron ceramic pots - a small one might do well if the ceramic stays affix to cast . I have a cast pot i care not about but i figure cooled lead will stick . One thing for sure i will not pour it or be near it unnecessary . I figure melting in a vessel and be gone from area . For sure once it melts it has to be moved as I have seen lead will burn away. avoiding smoke i will pick a day thats not windy in all directions .

Copper Head,
I use a muffin pan for making my ingots or use a small cast iron pan.
If you do decide to use a muffin pan just be sure not to over fill them and get hot lead in the muffin cup seam. It is a real pain in the rear to get them out then.

Buckatabon

if you melt a bunch of battery cable clamps with copper wire ends still inside, what will come of the wire ? will it just float to the top like steel on tire weights ?

would you just sell cable clamps with copper in em as dirty lead ? tire weights too ?

I know the talk about Pyrex and smelling lead fumes .This is the question that will solve it all for me See i figure if i melt lead in a cast iron pot
once dry i wont be able to get lead out of it SO is that a true assumption or is lead when dry not going to stick to cast iron Also the pot is a rusty one so not sure if that would work to a advantage ??

I have melted lead in a 10 inch cast iron pan, and left the lead to cool and harden. I have never had a problem. The 10 inch lead ingot just slides out

Buckatabon

I had an old cast iron skillet that was in an old junk box or something, from an auction or flea market, not sure really. It was in a shelf where I did lots of tinkering long ago. The skillet had a "top"(kind of half moon, only sealing a little over half of the skillet) welded onto it, with an opening left near the handle, and had lead in it. The top, around the weld had rusted and I pulled/bent it back to removed the old lead. Apparently they had used it hanging downward(by the handle) over an open fire to melt lead, which when melted, they poured out into molds, or whatever. This wasn't a large cast iron skillet, smaller than an 8"

Well then thats sounds like the ticket lead won't stick to cast iron when dry , next time I have red hot coals I'll try out the pot and I feel safer to set it and for get it

Originally Posted by Copper Head

Well then thats sounds like the ticket lead won't stick to cast iron when dry , next time I have red hot coals I'll try out the pot and I feel safer to set it and for get it

The one I referred to, I believe they probably poured it hot