Cleaning lead gunked guns properly

Wow, that's something I've never really thought about. I just throw it away with the rest of the trash.

Same here. Lead is natural and gets a bad rap in my opinion. As long as you don't eat it I think you're OK.

Lead is found in nature. We get it from nature. Getting rid of lead wheel weights for fear they will come loose and end up in the ground, that's ridiculous. My lead cleaning supplies end up in the garbage which end up in a landfill. Circle of life.

Folks used to use mercury to remove lead fouling.

Oolong said:

Do I throw the mercury away too?

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Well, I wouldn't but that was one way to clean out lead back in the 'Dark Ages' so to speak.
Personally I've never given much thought to HAZ-MAT disposal of lead contaminated cleaning patches. I just throw them in the dumpster.

Melt it down for more boolits!

Best thing I ever saw was the old Lewis Lead Remover. It was a cleaning rod
with a brass or bronze screen on the end and that scraped the lead out of
your barrel. Don't know if it is still sold. It worked on really fouled bores.

Not just lead on cleaning patches, what about all the “junk” that comes out when melting down wheel weights; the clips and sledge and whatever else that gets skimmed out of the pot? What do people do with that?

Twiki357 said:

Not just lead on cleaning patches, what about all the “junk” that comes out when melting down wheel weights; the clips and sledge and whatever else that gets skimmed out of the pot? What do people do with that?

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Last time I smelted, I lived alone and did it on the stove with a small cast iron plumbers pot. All the dross went out with the kitchen trash. As others have said, the "dangers" of lead is a bunch of liberal, EPA feel good garbage. Don't swallow the lead, wash your hands before you eat and you will be ok.

Side note: As a once commercial electrician, I have sat and ate my sandwich, hands dirty and covered with oil from pulling MC cable many times. I am sure that would be far more hazardous to my health than a little bit of lead particles on my hands

I have just read the various comments that I would like to add: lead is actually dangerous it takes a lot of hygiene among others to wash hands after handling lead, avoid breathing the fumes when melting. I worked with lead in printing and saw in the staff two people with lead poisoning (they smoked and polluted their cigarettes with their hands).
I finish with mercury, it is a proven violent (carcinogenic) fish, here in Europe mercurochrome disinfection is prohibited as well as thermometers containing mercury.

Sory: not fish but poison !

SteelyNirvana said:

Last time I smelted, I lived alone and did it on the stove with a small cast iron plumbers pot. All the dross went out with the kitchen trash. As others have said, the "dangers" of lead is a bunch of liberal, EPA feel good garbage. Don't swallow the lead, wash your hands before you eat and you will be ok.

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Ditto. Except that I use a one burner Coleman stove in the garage with the door open.

zb338 said:

Best thing I ever saw was the old Lewis Lead Remover. It was a cleaning rod
with a brass or bronze screen on the end and that scraped the lead out of
your barrel. Don't know if it is still sold. It worked on really fouled bores.

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I get my Lewis Lead Removers from Brownells.

bornintheeu said:

I have just read the various comments that I would like to add: lead is actually dangerous it takes a lot of hygiene among others to wash hands after handling lead, avoid breathing the fumes when melting.

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Someone correct me if im wrong but doesn't lead have to be 1400-1600 degrees for it to start vaporizing and emitting "fumes" where you would be inhaling toxins? The highest temp lead will get while smelting is 700-750 degrees,

Lead is a naturally occuring substance, that is true, but it is found in certain geological formations, not in your city ground water. Having said that, a little dros in your trash in the landfill is probably much less toxic than other trash.
Mauserguy

Keep your melted lead under 900 degrees and dispose of dross skimmed from the lead-pot surface in sealed containers and you will be OK. Smoking and eating with lead oxide dust on your hands will cause you to ingest lead. An exhaust fan nearby is a big plus. Most lead fumes come from those without a proper thermometer and gas heat without thermostatic controls. It is easy to get lead way too hot. Casting quality bullets requires correct amount of heat. I collect my dross in metal coffee cans with lids and take them when full to our hazardous waste disposal site. I throw used cleaning supplies in the ordinary trash. That included vacuum cleaner bags from my once a year cleaning (whether it needs it on not) Rendering scrap lead to make ingots of known alloy takes place outside in the open air. I cast in a out-building with A/C and exhaust fan right over my casting area. I go through about 150-200 pounds of lead alloy in a year to feed my various rifles, pistols, muzzle loaders and slug-shooting shotguns.