[357mag357]

Does this look normal? I am using lead that was originally wheel weight that I casted, fluxed and then poured into ingots. I used a Lee 20# pot to heat the lead. Once the temp reached about 800 degrees I fluxed again using Frankford Arsenal CleanCast Lead Fluxing Compound. The top layer of lead turned a rainbow color. Did I get some tin mixed in my batch of WW or is this normal? I don’t remember the lead doing this when I fluxed it the first time. Any thought?

[sqlbullet]

Flux and clean. Just looks like oxidized alloys that need to be reduced back into the melt.

If I may ask, why are you running your pot at 800° degrees? You will greatly increase the rate at which your alloyed metals oxidize and the need to flux the pot. 700° is plenty hot for wheel weight alloy.

[rcmodel]

+1
Pretty normal if you are running the pot too hot and burning it up.

Turn the heat down & Flux & Clean again.

A rainbow color smooth film is just normal oxidation. Yours looks kind of lumpy in the picture.

rc

[357mag357]

800 degrees was the temp after I had the Lee on high to melt the ingots. I then fluxed and turned the temp down to 700-750 degrees. The picture was taken when the pot was cool.

[NuJudge]

Normal Lead oxides, of which there are several. Tin oxides will typically be this beautiful golden color. There are also yellow Lead oxides, but they will be powdery.

My professors at the University of Michigan used to leave a bunch of charcoal on the top of a Lead bath, to inhibit oxidation.

[GP100man]

357
was the wheel weights (stick ons) or (clip ons)
the stick ons are closer to pure lead & will make purty colors qwiker than an alloyed melt????

GP100man

[357mag357]

99% clip ons 1% stick ons. I really try to separate the stick ons from the batch. Thanks all for the good info.

[rfwobbly]

Does this look normal? The top layer of lead turned a rainbow color.

Yes, but unfortunately for you it seems to display a map of North America.

Now if it had displayed what seemed to be a picture of Jesus, then you could have sold the whole pot on Ebay and retired to your own Caribbean island where Federal Express would bring you a new shot gun and a pallet of shot shells and clays everyday for the rest of your life.

That's too bad. Better luck with the next pot!

:rolleyes:

[ArchAngelCD]

oooooooo, pretty colors...... (sorry, flashback)