looking to melt lead oxide in furnace/crucible, anyone in Tulsa area have one

[ok-22shooter]

I am smelting used Linotype to get clean alloyed lead and remove the fines that are trapped within the slugs I have received. It appears that the oxides that have formed will melt at around 500 deg C to reform into the metal. This not practical with a turkey fryer burner. As I have over 300# of fines, I would like to try melting in a furnace/crucible to see if it works and if it is worth the effort b4 I build or buy a furnace. Anyone in NE Oklahoma have a furnace and be willing to give this a try?

 

[rickm]

Dont know why you cant use the turkey fryer burner and just use small amounts cause i use one regularly to make ingots and usually do 40#'s at a time it just takes longer (but im usually outdoors and in the cooler time of the year and having to deal with wind) depending on the regulator you have on the fryer and mine will get way above 500 degrees i usually regulate it around 650.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dont know why you cant use the turkey fryer burner and just use small amounts cause i use one regularly to make ingots and usually do 40#'s at a time it just takes longer (but im usually outdoors and in the cooler time of the year and having to deal with wind) depending on the regulator you have on the fryer and mine will get way above 500 degrees i usually regulate it around 650.

Regulator being the key as you said for more heat.
I use this one.

https://a.co/d/dsCfQMz

 

[rickm]

I don't remember what size regulator i use i have several laying around and i just switched them out til i found the one that worked for me.
The last one i bought was from a individual and it was the burner set up and a full bottle of gas for $10 he was going to throw it away so i gave him the 10

 

[Hooper]

I use a metal tin can on top of my propane fish/turkey burner.
I probably need to get a little heavier something to melt in, just in case the old can busts a seam. I use a pair of channel locks and welding gloves for transfer into old cupcake tins. I get a rhythm going while melting and pouring with two cupcake pans, and adding linotype to my old crisco tin, long tablespoon for skimming trash out, candle wax and sawdust for flux.

Just take a minute for the lead to solidify enough in the cupcake tins to be able to let them pop out on turnover on a clean surface. So if you have two tins it is like using two bullet molds in bullet making.

My linotype is always pretty clean after one melt and pour.

My problem is I do not see Linotype lead available any more to melt.

Oh yeah I do all lead processing outside in a tall shop, with a fan on low to make an airflow away from me.
I try to make sure there isn't any water or other liquids close to the process also. I probably should wear my clear face shield, but I just wear my Ray Bans.

 

[ok-22shooter]

Thanks for the comments but..... I am smelting my used Linotype lead at 650 to 700 deg F. Fabricated steel lead pot is 12" diameter by 12" tall. just under 50# per inch of lead depth, have poured over 300# in one batch of ingots. Once the used Linotype gets to a slushy stage, I flux with LOTS of sawdust, went thru maybe 2 gallons of sawdust on the last batch. I get about 1" of fines on top for every 5" of liquid Linotype in my pot. remove the fines and then use beeswax a couple of times to try and get the last of the impurities out. Last batch was 300# of lead and about 100# of the fines. My raw material is used Linotype that the operator does not flux during their 600 deg F process. They add new Lino, sprues and tie bars back in to the mix until it gets too dirty and then they drain into a metal pail. the slugs I advertised for sale in the classified are the raw drained lead. the initial analysis of the used Linotype lead is 3.6% tin and 12% antimony, the rest lead. At 750 to 775 deg F, the fines/dust will NOT combine back into the liquid, no mater what I use for flux. the little bit of data I have researched is that this may be lead, tin and antimony oxides. a 2 gallon metal bucket with 8" of the fines weight 50#, it is very heavy. Lead above 800 deg F can put off VERY bad fumes. Per the research, it take over 500 deg Centigrade, 930 deg Fahrenheit to break down the oxide. at that temperature, cast iron is getting pretty weak. that's why I am looking for a true crucible that will take copper melting temperatures. My pot has a 200,000 BTU burner and my regulator will go to 25 PSI. I get 720 deg F lead temperature at 7 PSI propane pressure to the burner. On Tuesday, the plan is to melt 300# plus of slugs, pour around 125# as used Linotype ingots and then mix in 175# of pure lead. that should give me around 1.8% tin and 6% antimony which is pretty close to hard ball bullet alloy. I will then have 4 batches of smelted used Linotype, over 600#, and the 350# of bullet alloy.

Did get an email back from a company that sells solders and buys back dross. they may be interested.

A guy on CastBoolits will do an analysis of the lead for 1# of lead per analysis. I will send a sample from the start and end of each batch I have poured to confirm the ingots are pretty much the same all the way thru the pour. Yes, an over kill but I have a lot of lead.

 

[Hooper]

Thanks for the comments but..... I am smelting my used Linotype lead at 650 to 700 deg F. Fabricated steel lead pot is 12" diameter by 12" tall. just under 50# per inch of lead depth, have poured over 300# in one batch of ingots. Once the used Linotype gets to a slushy stage, I flux with LOTS of sawdust, went thru maybe 2 gallons of sawdust on the last batch. I get about 1" of fines on top for every 5" of liquid Linotype in my pot. remove the fines and then use beeswax a couple of times to try and get the last of the impurities out. Last batch was 300# of lead and about 100# of the fines. My raw material is used Linotype that the operator does not flux during their 600 deg F process. They add new Lino, sprues and tie bars back in to the mix until it gets too dirty and then they drain into a metal pail. the slugs I advertised for sale in the classified are the raw drained lead. the initial analysis of the used Linotype lead is 3.6% tin and 12% antimony, the rest lead. At 750 to 775 deg F, the fines/dust will NOT combine back into the liquid, no mater what I use for flux. the little bit of data I have researched is that this may be lead, tin and antimony oxides. a 2 gallon metal bucket with 8" of the fines weight 50#, it is very heavy. Lead above 800 deg F can put off VERY bad fumes. Per the research, it take over 500 deg Centigrade, 930 deg Fahrenheit to break down the oxide. at that temperature, cast iron is getting pretty weak. that's why I am looking for a true crucible that will take copper melting temperatures. My pot has a 200,000 BTU burner and my regulator will go to 25 PSI. I get 720 deg F lead temperature at 7 PSI propane pressure to the burner. On Tuesday, the plan is to melt 300# plus of slugs, pour around 125# as used Linotype ingots and then mix in 175# of pure lead. that should give me around 1.8% tin and 6% antimony which is pretty close to hard ball bullet alloy. I will then have 4 batches of smelted used Linotype, over 600#, and the 350# of bullet alloy.

Did get an email back from a company that sells solders and buys back dross. they may be interested.

A guy on CastBoolits will do an analysis of the lead for 1# of lead per analysis. I will send a sample from the start and end of each batch I have poured to confirm the ingots are pretty much the same all the way thru the pour. Yes, an over kill but I have a lot of lead.

10-4 I see.
You are on a commercial melting level. I just thought you were looking to cast a few bullets as a pastime.
You need a large forge or a real large kiln. It would take you a couple of months every evening to melt that in my operation. I thought I was really cutting a fat hog, able to make a 1000 or so bullets in a few hours work.
You are next level. Of course you know this already about time constraints.
You need to go out there in arkansas where one of the Remington ammo plants are located and sub out to them.

Sounds like you have the ability to build a shop forge with your knowledge about lead.
With steel and fire bricks or something of that nature. Propane or Acetylene for fuel and a shot of pure O2. and a wind turbine, you would look like USS Steel melting Iron.
If I were younger and more mobile, I would get into forging steel. I just don't have that kind of stamina to stay out in a shop all day any more.
I think a man can build one fairly reasonable, with some ingenuity. A ton of youtube info on forge building.

For a temporary setup you can get some oxy/acetylene pressure gauges to increase pressure of gas and add oxygen for real heat. I alternate with Propane and Acetylene with my Gas gauge, I have both type tips to cut with. New iron or light gauge metal I use propane, Heavy or dirty steel I use Acetylene. Meltin my 30 lbs of linotype I use the fryer burner.

I see gauges at pawn shops all the time for sale. I personally will not use a gauge that someone has pawned. I go to a professional welding supply to get mine rebuilt or purchase new if they leak or anything. I would try a new one from Harbor freight though, if I needed one. My stuff is Victor mostly.

Also you can build a really hot directional fire with just propane no added Oxygen. a propane orifice, a piece of heavy 2 inch pipe, black plumbing pipe, you just have to rig a way to regulate air, hence you have a Home made weed burner. I used to have one laying around. Propane got so high, and roundup is cheap so I don't need one any more.

Well I am done spitballing, Hope it gives you an idea for your mission.
Good Luck sir.