so, i skim off the jackets and debris. Later, when I feel like it, i sift the jackets and debris to get rid of the sand, etc. Then I spread out the jackets and go over them with a magnet to get all the steel out. then I take a bucket or two to the scrap yard and they pay me the price of 'Yellow brass" which has been in the neighborhood of $1.13. I'll usually leave the scrap yard with about $125. Makes me feel good, too, that all that copper isn't going to the landfill.
nice video. I get about 120lbs of lead wheel weights from my tire shop guys every couple of months and smelt them down, yet I never get sick of watching other guys do the same thing! Scrap them jackets, then your powder and primers will be free too :)
Who says that shooters don't do their part to help the environment? Not only do you say a bunch of money, you recycle. And you help to prevent all of that lead from getting into the water table, stopping the range from eventually being a toxic waste site. Well done!
I think your take on his comment is "backwards"... He did not say that "shooters are good for the environment"... His statement was that some shooters (who reclaim range lead) -- do their part to help the environment... I am pretty certain that the point he was making is that "reclaiming range lead and recycling it" is helpful -- and saves the reloader money at the same time...
DKH TACTICAL you're right, I digress, I read the 'you' not as a second person pronoun referring to the cteator of this video, but as an indefinite pronoun referring to 'shooters in general.' My bad.
AttackGypsy That does nothing to the enviroment, infact when they melt it in open air it release a lot of toxic. They do it to save money. Recycling companies are the ones who do the cleaning.
Nice return on your effort! and thank you for warning folks about the inherint dangers of breathing lead at any stage of reclamation and smelting and to shower and wash clothes afterward's...you really have to appreciate how dangerous this stuff really is, for many year's I was doing this and paid the price. I still do, but am much more careful while doing so!.......it can be very rewarding and safe as long as we practice safety at all stage's....... to cast and reclaim lead for our hobby as long as we know the reality of the danger!........Thank You for the great video........ and KEEP ON ROCKING IT!.......DKH TACTICAL.......
Now, i see the point of quenching to make them easier to handle faster, but the hardness issue is debated as having and viable benefit and doing it at the ingot stage seems pointless as you're just going to have to melt it back down again to actually cast the bullets later on. 🤷🏻♂️
He also took an unnecessary and risky step by introducing moisture into the range lead. you will end up fluxing and scraping the dirt out with the copper anyways so no need to wash your boolits before melting 😉
First, Thank You for serving brother. I did 10 years Army Aviation. Thanks for your vid. Just getting into shotguns and have decided to reload. Doing a lot of reading and watching on the handling, smelting and molding of lead. A lot to consider, specially when it comes to safety. Thanks again.
Thanks to you as well! If you are just getting into reloading -- you are likely to find yourself with a new hobby that you will love nearly as much as shooting! I reload both Metallic and Shotshell, but for Shotshell -- I only do 12 and 20 Gauge, and only Buckshot and Slugs. I have been wanting to do some reloading videos, but just have not made the time. If you are looking for some REALLY good 12 and 20 Gauge Buckshot and Slug loads -- I would be more than happy to share some data with you...
Thanks for the data offer. I'm not going to do that much spare-ramenting with loads. I'm a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it guy." Starting to get my reloading orders in. Got the Lee Press today and should be getting 7/8oz molds, Lee smelting pot, Hammerhead slugs, wads and primer in-Cheddite hulls by Friday. Already have Blue and Red Dot powder from reloading 9mm and 40/45 Cal. Next is find some scrap lead and get ta smelting... Got a list of reload items once I go threw the Hammerheads. Funny thing is after a day or two of Youtubing and internet serching, I'm talking the talk of a shotgun reloader that knows just enough to get myself in trouble. I do have a question though. Of the hulls you reload, what do you consider good, better, best for reloading?
To any new or inexperienced melters. Do NOT introduce any reclaimed lead or scrape pieces into your molten lead pot that are not completely dry!! A drop of water on a bullet or old wheel weight and your molten lead WILL explode in your face. Be advised and have fun.
Wow! Great haul! You did more in that one haul than I've done in three! I would love to see your sifting method. I haven't had much luck sifting at my range.
CountryBoyPrepper Not sure my sifting method is much different from yours. Homemade sifter made out of 2" x 4"s and some 1/4" Hardware Cloth (Chicken Wire). If you ever find yourself coming down to Central Florida -- give me a shout, and you can come with us!
DKH TACTICAL I think I am just having better luck with the Range I am going to. It's been around for a long, long time - and I don't think anyone else has done much recovery at it. (Hope it stays that way -- LOL). Just watched your Lead Recovery Video --- and we must have got the Sifter Idea from the same place... My sifters look pretty much just like yours!
Thank you sir! It was a good haul - but I have made some modifications and refinements to our collection process, and we are getting geared up for another run this coming weekend. Built a 2-Man Sifter which will be used on top of two specially made Saw Horses. Will completely alleviate the back breaking work of the sifters I made for our previous trip. They work well - but are still a lot of work. The new method should be incredibly smooth, with very little effort, and should drastically decrease the amount of time involved. Anticipating over 1000 lbs on this next haul. I plan to do another video as well.
FortuneCookie45LC Thank you sir! We were definitely pleased with this last clean up --- not only for the amount that we were able to yield, but the quality as well. Should make for some really nice cast bullets!
DKH TACTICAL That sure is a whole lot better than for us to ship all that range scrap overseas, have them smelt it into really big ingots and then sell it back to us that way or in car batteries. You've liberated it... Will look forward to your bullet casting videos... Best to ya
The only important thing I would change is re-enforcing those wood tables with cross braces! Maybe replace them with wrought iron patio tables. Your source of lead was sweet!
OrangeJeepDad I used a combination of things. PowerPoint in Animation Mode with Transitions - and added the Explosions and Bullet Holes with the Sound Effects, and then I used Adobe Premiere Elements to put it together.
I rinse wheel weights before I sort them so I can better discern if they are steel, zinc, or lead. Makes the visual part of the sorting go quicker. After I'm done sorting, I let them dry for a few weeks. For range scrap, I just toss all of it in. Dust, dirt, rocks, sand, etc. It all floats on lead and is MUCH easier to skim off than rinse off.
Yes - the debris will float to the top, but you end up with wayyyyyy less mess by taking a little extra time on the front end... I was not in any rush. If taking the extra time is not your thing --- and/or you don't have the time (or patience), feel free to just dump it all in the melting pot and get jiggy with it...
Mohamed Aziz I bought that tube of FLUX a couple of years ago, and have not been able to find it since -- but you can use Candle Wax, straight Paraffin Wax, or Saw Dust... Saw Dust works extremely well.
a little trick for drying it would be to take 2x4s and small chicken wire and make basically shaker screens. Then just stack them up with 1 inch spacers (can be cut from 2x4s) to set between the racks for airflow. That way you get air going from all sides (pretty much) instead of just from above. You also take up less room stacking it vertically instead of all over the patio. Also leave the last 1/8 to 1/4 inch of lead in your pot when you are done melting. It will melt quicker after already having been melted and you should find that it will allow you to melt your scrap quicker having a puddle already in the pot.
OtisENGINEuity -- great idea. My wife would definitely appreciate me taking up less space and creating less mess on the back patio... Great suggestion about leaving some lead in the bottom of the pot! Thanks!!
DKH TACTICAL no problem, I learned that first hand when I brought stuff home after my grandpa died and started making weights. I noticed that if I left a bit in the pot it'd word easier.. same deal. I'd love to do this myself especially with California going psycho about lead but unfortunately I have scoliosis that has made itself seriously known since I turned 30.. Threw my back out just bending over to pick green beans and took 2 weeks before I could do anything again.. BTW, as the son of a retired Air Force MSgt, thanks for your service. I'd be in the Army right now if it wasn't for my stupid back.
Joseph Gauthier Thanks Joseph. I ended up using a few pounds this weekend of that lead we just reclaimed, and did some casting with a new 6 cavity 158 Grain .357 mold. Bullets came out great, and I used a new process of Powder Coating them --- instead of Tumble Lubing or Pan Lubing. They came out nice! I will definitely be doing a Powder Coating video soon!
DKH.. Welcome to the lead smelting and casting addiction! I always like to see a fellow caster in action. I found your channel through CBP and am now subbed! Some pointers for you from a long time lead hound & caster: 1) Your safety gear looks good except for your son wearing shorts and tennis shoes. Heavy cotton jeans and boots work well. I have done the spilled hot lead dance and was so glad I was all safey-ed up. I even wear a welders apron. 2) You don't need to wash your lead. It can leave water trapped in the lead (ask me how I know) even after sitting for a long time. Also.. any dirt, grime, coating, grease, or debris, will burn off with the melt and can be scooped off the top. 3) Fluxing.. It looked like candle wax that you used to flux the melt. Wax is not a flux. It can only reduce the tin & antimnoy back into the melt that may be lost through oxidation. It also creates surface tension & prevents surface oxidation. Use sawdust instead.. go to Walmart and buy a bag of pine pet bedding. Saw dust reduces, prevents oxidation, and cleans your lead. Wax will Not clean your lead. Fill your pot with the scrap, add in a tennis ball size pinch of the sawdust to the pile and put the heat to it. You will also find that when you are scooping the junk that the lead doesn't stick to the debris. You can flux multiple times with sawdust if you like, and every time you add new scrap. One last thing.. make sure that you scrape the bottom and sides of your pot. Dirt can actually become trapped under the lead and you don't want that in you bullets. 4) Water dropping your ingots will only add a small amount of surface hardening to them, which will be lost when you remelt the ingots to make bullets. WD does cool them faster though. If you want harder bullets.. WD them. I find that most of the range scrap that I deal with comes in at about 12 bhn which is similar to wheel weights. If you have any questions I am always happy to help. In all.. I enjoyed watching your video.. Thanks Shad
shadowcastre Thanks for your comments... I definitely agree on all SAFETY pointers... My son started out with Jeans, as I insisted on it -- but then changed as the morning turned to afternoon and it got hot. I'm not as strict with him as I was when he was a teenager! Now that he is 24 and a grown man - he has his own way! Even when you are as careful as you can possibly be - accidents can still happen, and I will insist on jeans throughout the process from now on! As for what you said looks like candle wax -- it is actually FLUX, that I purchased in a 6 inch long, 1 inch diameter roll. Looks like wax - but it is actually FLUX. We have also incorporated sawdust into our fluxing as well. I do a lot of woodworking, and have plenty on hand. Thanks for the info on Water Dropping of the ingots. I understand that any hardness may be lost when the ingots are re-melted in the bottom pour pot - but as you mentioned, I also Water Drop my bullets as well. Love it when I get feedback from other TH-camrs! I enjoy any comments that will help me improve my processes. Thanks again - and Happy Casting!!
I have a question, I have about a 6 quart pot outside melting right now on a turkey fryer, and it even has a lid. I filled the thing nearly to the top but it's been burning on full blast for about 3 hours and is only halfway melted (sigh) what am I doing wrong or what can I do to speed up the melting process?
@@jacobwilliams2089 I had the same problem. The flames from your fryer are probably yellow/red. That means the temp is on the low side. Make the flames more BLUE by adjusting how much air the fryer get. More air = more blue = more heat.
ocean374 I will definitely defer to anyone who is smarter on this topic - or has more experience than I do, but Range Lead is going to be a MIX of different types of Lead. Since I am reclaiming bullets of all types, it will include some Cast Bullets that people might have used Wheel Weights in their mix, and bullets from people who might have reclaimed Lead from Batteries, Dental Offices, Keels from Sailboats ---- the list goes on and on... So the amount of Antimony (percentage) that you might have with reclaimed Range Lead can definitely vary! I personally use the Reclaimed Range Lead for all my bullets, buckshot and slugs, but if you are looking for specific softness for your slugs (so they will expand/mushroom better), then you are definitely better off with pure lead -- or as close to it as you can get.
The only reason commercial shotgun slugs are pure lead is liability. You can fire them just fine through a full choke, but hard cast lead can only be fired through a cylinder choked barrel. I've made many hard cast lead slugs and they shoot just as well. As for pure lead being softer for expansion, it's a pretty mute point when punching a .729 calibre hole through something.
Why not cut the jackets for the lead? Also been watching a lot of some of the others have not seen a finished product quite as CLEAN. The better wax for Flux? Pre Wash? Well I have been kicking around What molds I`ll end probably one Lee one Lyman . Lees got 2 half pound which will be good for small batch pistol ammo.
True... It was more to just cool them off so we could move them and get them out of the way. I do water-quench when casting -- so calling this a "water-quench" at that point was not necessarily for "hardening" -- and more so just get them cooled off and out of the way!
My comment about Water Quenching was premature. We were just dropping the ingots into the buckets of water to cool them down to make them easier to handle/maneuver. Obviously, we Water Quench the bullets when casting..
Literally the only thing your process has that’s better than mine (see ‘Copper And Lead Recovery From Old Bullets’ video, which is about to be revised with an even better melter) is the way you mold the ingots. I currently use muffin and pie pans. 😄 Every time I see one of the many videos showing bullets being melted in skillets and pots just open to the environment with NO insulation to save energy cost and decrease melting time, and no containment against the occasional and sudden eruption from trapped gas or trapped moisture, I just want to jump right out of my skin! 😬😄! But what do I know, having recovered only around 5,000 pounds of bullets so far (all from “open range” and BLM areas)? 🤓
For the future you don't need to weigh each bucket to find out the total weight. Since you have 128 half pound ingots you have 64 pounds of lead in half-pound ingots, and you have 286 pounds of lead in whole pound ingots. Add 64 and 286 and you get 350. The extra pound you had might have been from the buckets, might have been an extra ingot that didn't get counted - I know I'd tire of it after about 50.
where did you get your things to pour the melted lead into from that forms the ingots? can those same molds or ingot casting things be used for copper or aluminum or brass?
If you are referring to the Lyman 1lb Ingot Molds - I got them from Amazon. Here is the link: www.amazon.com/Lyman-2837794-Lead-Ingot-Mould/dp/B001GXHM4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470013424&sr=8-1&keywords=lyman+ingot+mold
You are very welcome! I have refined my Lead Retrieval Process. My son and I are planning another trip - probably in September. Should be a minimum 1000 to 1200 lb haul.
DKH TACTICAL wow thats going to be a great haul if you can pull it off btw alot of the automotive stores most likely have old battery post and terminals and such easy way to get goot grade already sorted lead.... without gravels live ammo maybe occasionally you'll get a rusty stuck steel bolt but nothing too dangerous
Another source would be junk yards or at yard sells though yard sells could take a while but look for batteries, posts terminals and old hand tools like drills saws alot of them had lead castings the ones today have steel, aluminum and plastic castings or body's/ handles
+gerry kline Not sure what you are asking with the question of "Actual Weight"... The scale we are using in the video is a pretty decent bathroom scale - so it's not going to be 100% accurate, but it's close enough for my purposes. The pots are "Cast Iron". One is a really big skillet, and the other is like a Dutch Oven Pot.
Tearing means the bucket has weight which is not LEAD thus you set the bucket on the scale hit the tare button and set it to "0" then add your lead weight. Getting the EXACT weight of JUST THE LEAD!
+HILUX CHAINSAW Yes... In terms of Metallurgy -- Flux is a chemical cleaning agent - or purifying agent/reducing agent used to absorb impurities into what is referred to as "slag" that forms on the top of the molten lead. Some people use various types of wax (candles, paraffin wax, even crayons). Fine sawdust also works exceptionally well.
+Robert Johnson - Fluxing can be done several different ways. You can use paraffin wax, candles, even crayons. Saw dust works extremely well, but generates much more smoke than the others. Fluxing is the last step in cleaning your Lead before pouring into ingots. Once you have removed all jackets and debris, add the flux and give your pot a good stir. The flux aids in drawing out any remaining impurities to the surface so they can be skimmed off.
+Grant Richter It saves on the amount of cleanup required from skimming. I agree that it is not 100% necessary -- but it's just the way we prefer to do it. To each his/her own!!
+Nick Musuraca Yes - after doing this a few times, we keep seeing ways to improve the process, and the need for some type of tables at an appropriate height was on of the first things we noticed. Each time we do this, we see areas for improvement and for efficiency. We started out with only 1 Burner, and only 2 Ingot Molds. We quickly figured out that we were wasting precious time, and burning through more propane by only having 1 burner and 2 Ingot Molds. Getting the right utensils was also something we didn't have to begin with. The Tempura Scoops for removing the Jackets, and the Ladles for pouring the Ingots were also added after our 1st endeavor. We are by no means "Experts" --- but I think we are getting better each time we do it!
What do you do of the fully jacketed ? I know that some people split them in half so that lead can flow out, but heh, I'm not sure I want to examinate each bullet one by one. Or do you examinate the jackets you retrieved from the dross bucket ?
+zebracherub We generally do not mess with the fully jacketed bullets since we take in enough without having to bother with them. Too much trouble for the little amount of lead we would recover. They are scraped of with the rest of the jackets and debris.
I know lead in Petrol and lead pipes are bad for water, so is it a good idea to be around lead fumes? No expert on this, but i'm guessing its not great for you? Apart from that, a very interesting and satisfying video to watch.
Any moisture at all when dealing with molten lead can be disastrous. Even a drop of sweat from your forehead when leaning over the pot can be dangerous. I don't mess around when water/moisture when melting lead. I would definitely rather spend an extra day or two (or more) just to be sure it is completely dry before proceeding with melting it down.
LOL... Yeah - I have a big Ingot Gun... Doesn't everyone? No - in all seriousness, there is no other reason for quenching the ingots, than to assist in cooling them off so we could handle them and lay them out. Otherwise, just dropping them on the pavers and leaving them there to cool would have also been fine.. I just ran out of room - and dropping them into a bucket of water saved space!
I made "sifters" using 2" x 4"s and Screen Mesh (Chicken Wire). The Sifters were approximately 2 feet long, by 1 foot wide, and obviously 4 inches deep. After screwing the wood pieces together in the form of a box (rectangle), I cut the screen mesh out in a section that would provide enough to fully cover the bottom, and have enough to go up about 2 inches on each side of the box, and secured the mesh to each side using a staple gun. If you are lucky enough to have access to a range that has sand, or fine dirt for the back-stop, it is a pretty easy process. Just dump a few shovel-fulls into the sifter, shake back and forth until you get all the dirt and sand to fall through, and all you will have left is bullets (and possibly some debris)... Remove as much of the debris as possible, and dump the contents into your 5 gallon bucket. Repeat until your bucket is about half full (this will be about as much weight as you will be comfortable with moving...
I pick through the piles while they are drying - but all the debris floats on the top of the lead anyway, so whatever you don't pick out - you can just scoop off with the rest of the dross/debris.
+2003Harleyguy I do have a couple hundred pounds of wheel weights that I have yet to sort through, but nothing that I have melted down into ingots. The only thing I have right now are ingots from Range Lead (which will have a small amout of Antimony in it). I sold everything I had listed on eBay and Etsy. I typically sell 10lbs for $25.00 -- which includes Priority 2-Day Shipping, which comes out to about $1.90/lb + Shipping. I could cut $5.00 for an order of 30 lbs for $70.00.
350lbs = 158kg...the current uk rate for scrap July 2016 here in UK is 50p per kg so this yield is worth approx £80 sterling scrap...@July 2016 prices. So I guess when you have purchased all the gear to smelt it...and have some free time over a weekend you can start to make a small profit after the 2nd / 3rd batch... You should be looking to claim 1000lb of scrap before smelting to make a clear £150 profit after.
Which in my mind makes this not really worth the effort to process it. £80 for how many days work? Split how many ways? Less costs? McDonalds pay £6.17 an hour to put this into context, thus = 13 hrs.
To put this in perspective -- standard FJM 9mm bullets run about .08 to .10 cents a piece if you buy them in bulk. So if I reload 1000 standard FMJ's -- the bullets alone will cost me around $100.00 (with shipping). I can make 1000 Lead Cast 125 grain Round Nose Bullets from 18 lbs of Lead, or 6000 Lead Cast 125 grain Round Nose Bullets from 108 lbs of Lead. So - that 108 lbs of lead is actually worth around $600.00 to me, when I compare it to standard 125 grain FMJ bullets that I can buy for reloading. So --- Yeah.... I think its worth it!
It literally only takes a few seconds for the molten lead to solidify so you can dump them out of the molds. There is no need to "Water Quench" -- as I said in the video. We were just dumping them in the bucket of water to cool them down faster so we could more easily handle them...
The stuff I am using in this video is something I bought online a few years ago, but basically - yes, its pretty much just like candle wax. You can use actual candle wax, or paraffin wax (Gulf Wax) -- even crayons will work. Fine sawdust works exceptionally well - and I actually prefer sawdust... Just prepare for some heavy smoke that it will produce...
you can also try borax though it might make for a harder residue when it cools.. it tends to turn back into a crystalline form. It's a very commonly used welding/brazing flux.
DrHillbillyShow right but whats an average, say today... what would he have gotten for that amount of ingots?
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I've seen anywhere from $200 for 1000lbs of old car batteries to $1.20 per pound of lead ingots - "How much" is too broad a question. There are open quotation sites that you can google for your area and they'll vary across the country. Do a google search for 'lead prices' in your town.
I bought some from Ballistic Products, but after a bit more research (you know most of this is all trial and error), we ended up using sawdust, and it works awesome...
+DKH TACTICAL I would defiantly wait to sell copper prices are way down but I would suggest you bring some to a scrap yard and ask them if they will take it as one of these (in order from best price to lowest): bare-bright, #1 copper, #2 copper, or breakage. Also don't go to just one if its an option I've gone to two scrap yards in my town and there was a 20 cent difference for the same copper
It's FLUX. You can use pretty much any type of wax as flux (votif candles, Gulf Wax, even Crayons). Fine sawdust works exceptionally well - but usually creates more smoke. It's used to bring out impurities in the lead -- helps with the cleaning process.
@@ctyoungman I typically used about half the size of a crayon, but have stopped using that kind of flux. I only use sawdust now. It works great. A few tablespoons is plenty.
Robert - I have done so in the past -- and will likely be selling some after my next haul, which should be within the next 30 days. I charge $2.00 per lb. + shipping. Let me know if you are interested, and send me your e-mail address and I will let you know when I have ingots for sale.
So how much did you end up making off of this run? I know it was a while ago now, but still curious. Thinking about getting into this and would like to know if it's worth it all.
I sold about 100 lbs at $2.00/lb, which bought some new reloading dies and some other reloading components, but I do a lot of casting (Slugs, Buckshot, and a wide range of various hand gun calibers), so I go through a lot of lead just by myself. I still have well over 100 lbs left, but we will be doing another run around October - after it cools off. We have refined our sifting process, and plan to recover well over 1,000 lbs on the next run.
DKH TACTICAL Thanks for the reply. That's seems like some pretty good cash. I may just get into it! Also, can't wait to watch the videos you make about it, 1,000 pounds will be crazy. Thanks again!
Not counting the time it took to rinse it and let it dry --- just the process of melting 555 lbs down, cleaning the lead, and pouring into ingots was about 6 hours worth of work. We had 2 burners going, with 1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven and 1 Cast Iron Skillet. We will definitely be investing in another 5 quart Dutch Oven before the next haul, and I may purchase a few more 1 lb. Lyman Molds. A 4th person would also help tremendously. It is quite a bit of work - but other than the cost of propane and man hours - its basically free. The amount of lead retrieved has more than paid for the propane we used, and paid for the the molds and cast iron pots - and other utensils. This next run will be pure profit.
Plus - this time, with the huge haul we are planning on bringing back, we will also be salvaging the jackets to sell for scrap. Since we had 200 lbs of it from the last trip - I would guess we will probably have 500 - 600 lbs in this next trip.
Do you do anything with the full metal jacket bullets that are not scored enough for the lead to melt out? I usually sort through mine before melting and cut jackets. Any advise would be helpful!
Takes a "while" to get everything up to temp to get the melting process going. Depending on how much you put in the pot to start with (I would not go more than 1/4 of the overall depth to start), it will take a good 30 minutes or so to get the melting started. Make sure your burner is pretty much "wide open" --- and just be patient.
Is it normal for lead to turn a gold-ish yellow on top that slowly turns dark? I've been melting wheel weights and the lead started to get a yellow skin that won't stop coming out, no matter how much I remove.
Yes -- at least from my experience... When melting the lead down - getting ready to pour into ingots, and when I am melting the ingots in my Bottom Pour Pot, I get the same Gold/Bronze-ish Sheen on the top. Not sure about the reason. Could be impurities still in the lead - coming to the top.
Try keeping your heat between 700 -900 degrees. Other than that that, not sure why you are getting so much of the yellowish skim. I have also started using sawdust for fluxing.
+Robert Johnson I don't have a video for that at the moment - but its actually pretty easy. I made sifting boxes using 2"x4"s -- approximately 2 feet long, by 1 foot wide and attached chicken wire to the bottom with a staple gun. The Chicken wire is perfect to catch anything above the size of a 22 round. You can even put handles on both ends for a better grip. Just dump a few shove fulls of dirt from the mound into the sifter -- give it a few shakes, and all you should have once the dirt and sand has sifted through is bullets and debris. Pick out most of the debris, and dump the bullets into a bucket. Repeat the process until you have enough to your liking...
Hey mate, great vid.! I'm totally new to this, so I have to ask--Does the 'Range' allow you to just scavenge this up, or is it your own range? Also, that's a great respirator that lets us hear you so clear that we'd almost think you didn't have it on---Har! Gb bg
+Robert Johnson As I outlined in your earlier post - there are several different ways to flux. For a Cast Iron Pot that might hold 20 - 30 lbs of lead, I would recommend using the equivalent of a small votive candle if using any type of wax. If using saw dust - use 3 or 4 tablespoons. There isn't really any magic number/amount. If after you have fluxed it once - it still looks like it needs more, then do it again!
How do you come about getting the spent ammo? Every place I have spoken to has either a cleaning crew that gets them. Or the metal company buys them.Is
Outdoor dirt ranges, I built a 20" x 30" wood frame with 1/4 inch hardware cloth between the 2x2 wood and screwed cedar fence board around the sides centered so you can grab it and holds it together. Scoop a few shovel fulls from the berm and shake, get about 50 pounds in a half hour
Thanks! Planning another haul here in the near future - so there will definitely be another video coming. Next haul should end up well over 1000 lbs with the new sifting method we have come up with!
+DKH TACTICAL sounds like he is saying moving the batches from towel to skillet is really super tedious; any trick to make it easier or just like that?
Not really sure I 100% buy into that... You really need to have high heat to remove the antimony from lead -- and I kept the temperature around 700 -- but anything is possible... Not that big of a concern for me though. The bullets and buckshot that I cast work just fine for my shooting purposes. I wasn't going for a specific Brinnel hardness anyway -- but even if it did remove all the tin and antimony, and I was left with pure lead -- it would be hard enough for casting and reloading.
I don't profess to be any type of expert on this process, but I would not say that just having a "Mirror Finish" is in any way a Scientific Method of determining that all the tin and antimony has bee removed. However, if you are really wanting to take it to that level and determine the Brinnell Hardness of your Lead, there are multiple Lead Hardness Test Kits out there for sale.. One on Midway USA for around $60.00
I sure wish I could find that video I saw some years ago of a shirtless guy in flipflops and shorts out in his backyard busting open a car battery with a hammer and screwdriver, pulling out the lead plates and boiling them down without even so much as a rinse, a respirator, glasses, gloves, hat or anything. I'm kinda betting it was his last video ever.
(i know you said this isnt an instructional, and its your own person way of doing it but im suggesting something anyway) 2 simple suggestion. GLOVES when handling the lead. and safty glasses. if you get that dust into a open wound, or in to your eyes,.. man... could be a bad bad day for ya. :) be safe my friend :D And i mean during the cleaning of the lead in the bucket.. not the actual melting part. ;)
3 things to save yourself a LOT of effort. #1 you gain nothing by rinsing off the dirt but dirty water and a wait to dry #2 Use significantly deeper containers to melt in. Reduction of the surface area reduces oxidation and higher pressure from depth makes floating off the gangue much more effective. 2-3x depth vs diameter is best. #3 stirring with a pine stick will flux your material much better, esp with a deeper container. If you must flux with wax like you are doing, set it on fire to eliminate about 95% of the smoke.
Thanks for your comments/suggestions. Depending on the amount of dirt/debris - I will probably continue to rinse, but I understand your comment, as all dirt and debris will remain on top... I'm just not in that big of a hurry! Definitely concur with the deeper pot suggestion. Getting rid of the big skillet and purchasing another 7 quart Dutch Oven for the next haul. Stirring with a Pine Stick is an interesting idea as well.
Hope it's helpful The stick provides the carbonaceous material for the flux and you can make sure it gets well down in the pot, scraping the bottom and sides to get the crud up to the top.
so, i skim off the jackets and debris. Later, when I feel like it, i sift the jackets and debris to get rid of the sand, etc. Then I spread out the jackets and go over them with a magnet to get all the steel out. then I take a bucket or two to the scrap yard and they pay me the price of 'Yellow brass" which has been in the neighborhood of $1.13. I'll usually leave the scrap yard with about $125. Makes me feel good, too, that all that copper isn't going to the landfill.
This is the ULTIMATE prepper video. Great job guys.
nice video. I get about 120lbs of lead wheel weights from my tire shop guys every couple of months and smelt them down, yet I never get sick of watching other guys do the same thing! Scrap them jackets, then your powder and primers will be free too :)
Who says that shooters don't do their part to help the environment? Not only do you say a bunch of money, you recycle. And you help to prevent all of that lead from getting into the water table, stopping the range from eventually being a toxic waste site. Well done!
I think your take on his comment is "backwards"... He did not say that "shooters are good for the environment"... His statement was that some shooters (who reclaim range lead) -- do their part to help the environment... I am pretty certain that the point he was making is that "reclaiming range lead and recycling it" is helpful -- and saves the reloader money at the same time...
DKH TACTICAL you're right, I digress, I read the 'you' not as a second person pronoun referring to the cteator of this video, but as an indefinite pronoun referring to 'shooters in general.' My bad.
AttackGypsy That does nothing to the enviroment, infact when they melt it in open air it release a lot of toxic. They do it to save money.
Recycling companies are the ones who do the cleaning.
Except for the part where he contaminated his back yard with lead by washing it with a hose.
He's melting it below the vapor temperature, so you're full of shit. It's not releasing "a lot of toxic"
Whats up with those toe socks..Haha Good vid
Nice return on your effort! and thank you for warning folks about the inherint dangers of breathing lead at any stage of reclamation and smelting and to shower and wash clothes afterward's...you really have to appreciate how dangerous this stuff really is, for many year's I was doing this and paid the price. I still do, but am much more careful while doing so!.......it can be very rewarding and safe as long as we practice safety at all stage's....... to cast and reclaim lead for our hobby as long as we know the reality of the danger!........Thank You for the great video........ and KEEP ON ROCKING IT!.......DKH TACTICAL.......
Now, i see the point of quenching to make them easier to handle faster, but the hardness issue is debated as having and viable benefit and doing it at the ingot stage seems pointless as you're just going to have to melt it back down again to actually cast the bullets later on. 🤷🏻♂️
This is an old video but i wondered how many comments would address that.
Some folks really make you scratch your head. Okkkkkk 😀
He also took an unnecessary and risky step by introducing moisture into the range lead. you will end up fluxing and scraping the dirt out with the copper anyways so no need to wash your boolits before melting 😉
First, Thank You for serving brother. I did 10 years Army Aviation. Thanks for your vid. Just getting into shotguns and have decided to reload. Doing a lot of reading and watching on the handling, smelting and molding of lead. A lot to consider, specially when it comes to safety. Thanks again.
Thanks to you as well! If you are just getting into reloading -- you are likely to find yourself with a new hobby that you will love nearly as much as shooting! I reload both Metallic and Shotshell, but for Shotshell -- I only do 12 and 20 Gauge, and only Buckshot and Slugs. I have been wanting to do some reloading videos, but just have not made the time. If you are looking for some REALLY good 12 and 20 Gauge Buckshot and Slug loads -- I would be more than happy to share some data with you...
Thanks for the data offer. I'm not going to do that much spare-ramenting with loads. I'm a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it guy." Starting to get my reloading orders in. Got the Lee Press today and should be getting 7/8oz molds, Lee smelting pot, Hammerhead slugs, wads and primer in-Cheddite hulls by Friday. Already have Blue and Red Dot powder from reloading 9mm and 40/45 Cal. Next is find some scrap lead and get ta smelting... Got a list of reload items once I go threw the Hammerheads. Funny thing is after a day or two of Youtubing and internet serching, I'm talking the talk of a shotgun reloader that knows just enough to get myself in trouble. I do have a question though. Of the hulls you reload, what do you consider good, better, best for reloading?
To any new or inexperienced melters. Do NOT introduce any reclaimed lead or scrape pieces into your molten lead pot that are not completely dry!! A drop of water on a bullet or old wheel weight and your molten lead WILL explode in your face. Be advised and have fun.
Wow! Great haul! You did more in that one haul than I've done in three! I would love to see your sifting method. I haven't had much luck sifting at my range.
CountryBoyPrepper Not sure my sifting method is much different from yours. Homemade sifter made out of 2" x 4"s and some 1/4" Hardware Cloth (Chicken Wire). If you ever find yourself coming down to Central Florida -- give me a shout, and you can come with us!
DKH TACTICAL I think I am just having better luck with the Range I am going to. It's been around for a long, long time - and I don't think anyone else has done much recovery at it. (Hope it stays that way -- LOL). Just watched your Lead Recovery Video --- and we must have got the Sifter Idea from the same place... My sifters look pretty much just like yours!
DKH TACTICAL I may do that one day. Thanks!
No matter how many times I do it, it's always magical to watch someone else do it. Nice video.
Thank you sir! It was a good haul - but I have made some modifications and refinements to our collection process, and we are getting geared up for another run this coming weekend. Built a 2-Man Sifter which will be used on top of two specially made Saw Horses. Will completely alleviate the back breaking work of the sifters I made for our previous trip. They work well - but are still a lot of work. The new method should be incredibly smooth, with very little effort, and should drastically decrease the amount of time involved. Anticipating over 1000 lbs on this next haul. I plan to do another video as well.
+DKH TACTICAL that's going to be nice man. Looking forward to the video. The most I've ever got at one time was 70+ lbs.
That's what I think about porn
You've got some fine reserves of lead - beautiful ingots - Congratulations to you !! Stay well, and good shootin' to ya....
FortuneCookie45LC Thank you sir! We were definitely pleased with this last clean up --- not only for the amount that we were able to yield, but the quality as well. Should make for some really nice cast bullets!
DKH TACTICAL That sure is a whole lot better than for us to ship all that range scrap overseas, have them smelt it into really big ingots and then sell it back to us that way or in car batteries. You've liberated it... Will look forward to your bullet casting videos... Best to ya
The only important thing I would change is re-enforcing those wood tables with cross braces! Maybe replace them with wrought iron patio tables. Your source of lead was sweet!
Great video 👍
I see that you quench the ingots in water do you quench again when you’re casting bullets
CBP sent me. Will be watching and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
OrangeJeepDad Thanks.. And Thanks to CBP! He is good people!! I'm quite the NOVICE compared to most on here -- but I sure do enjoy it.
Always willing to help if you have questions. Your intro is very impressive. What did you use to create it?
OrangeJeepDad I used a combination of things. PowerPoint in Animation Mode with Transitions - and added the Explosions and Bullet Holes with the Sound Effects, and then I used Adobe Premiere Elements to put it together.
Wow!
Great operation!
Why wash it first? Won't the smelting separate the dirt from lead?
Yea I kind of thought it was a waste of time to wash it.
I rinse wheel weights before I sort them so I can better discern if they are steel, zinc, or lead. Makes the visual part of the sorting go quicker. After I'm done sorting, I let them dry for a few weeks. For range scrap, I just toss all of it in. Dust, dirt, rocks, sand, etc. It all floats on lead and is MUCH easier to skim off than rinse off.
Yes - the debris will float to the top, but you end up with wayyyyyy less mess by taking a little extra time on the front end... I was not in any rush. If taking the extra time is not your thing --- and/or you don't have the time (or patience), feel free to just dump it all in the melting pot and get jiggy with it...
asleepinthealley better efficiency by not heating a bunch of extra stuff dirt and rocks and such.
Everything will float. Then skim
Anything else is wasted time.
Is it possible for someone to know if an iron skillet or dutch over has been used to melt lead?
awsome video that lead stash is a treasure trove as good as gold!!
angelo soriano Thanks! It was a pretty good haul, and the ingots came out great --- very clean!
it appears your an old salty sailor too!!i was separated in 84 from the uss wabash out of alameda ca
+angelo soriano (lead bullets
for life)
kindly, send to name of flux
candle wax or wood shavings and saw dust works as well.
Mohamed Aziz I bought that tube of FLUX a couple of years ago, and have not been able to find it since -- but you can use Candle Wax, straight Paraffin Wax, or Saw Dust... Saw Dust works extremely well.
Looks so cool when it has that mirror clean look. I may have to
do this one day.
a little trick for drying it would be to take 2x4s and small chicken wire and make basically shaker screens. Then just stack them up with 1 inch spacers (can be cut from 2x4s) to set between the racks for airflow. That way you get air going from all sides (pretty much) instead of just from above. You also take up less room stacking it vertically instead of all over the patio.
Also leave the last 1/8 to 1/4 inch of lead in your pot when you are done melting. It will melt quicker after already having been melted and you should find that it will allow you to melt your scrap quicker having a puddle already in the pot.
OtisENGINEuity -- great idea. My wife would definitely appreciate me taking up less space and creating less mess on the back patio... Great suggestion about leaving some lead in the bottom of the pot! Thanks!!
DKH TACTICAL no problem, I learned that first hand when I brought stuff home after my grandpa died and started making weights. I noticed that if I left a bit in the pot it'd word easier.. same deal.
I'd love to do this myself especially with California going psycho about lead but unfortunately I have scoliosis that has made itself seriously known since I turned 30.. Threw my back out just bending over to pick green beans and took 2 weeks before I could do anything again..
BTW, as the son of a retired Air Force MSgt, thanks for your service. I'd be in the Army right now if it wasn't for my stupid back.
All those lead ingots lead me to believe you have a primer guy you know those things that have become ultra rare😅😂🤣💯
Country Boy Prepper, sent me over. Nice vid can't wait to see the rest
Joseph Gauthier Thanks Joseph. I ended up using a few pounds this weekend of that lead we just reclaimed, and did some casting with a new 6 cavity 158 Grain .357 mold. Bullets came out great, and I used a new process of Powder Coating them --- instead of Tumble Lubing or Pan Lubing. They came out nice! I will definitely be doing a Powder Coating video soon!
Sweet, can't wait
Fascinating, very nice video👍
DKH.. Welcome to the lead smelting and casting addiction! I always like to see a fellow caster in action. I found your channel through CBP and am now subbed!
Some pointers for you from a long time lead hound & caster:
1) Your safety gear looks good except for your son wearing shorts and tennis shoes. Heavy cotton jeans and boots work well. I have done the spilled hot lead dance and was so glad I was all safey-ed up. I even wear a welders apron.
2) You don't need to wash your lead. It can leave water trapped in the lead (ask me how I know) even after sitting for a long time. Also.. any dirt, grime, coating, grease, or debris, will burn off with the melt and can be scooped off the top.
3) Fluxing.. It looked like candle wax that you used to flux the melt. Wax is not a flux. It can only reduce the tin & antimnoy back into the melt that may be lost through oxidation. It also creates surface tension & prevents surface oxidation. Use sawdust instead.. go to Walmart and buy a bag of pine pet bedding. Saw dust reduces, prevents oxidation, and cleans your lead. Wax will Not clean your lead. Fill your pot with the scrap, add in a tennis ball size pinch of the sawdust to the pile and put the heat to it. You will also find that when you are scooping the junk that the lead doesn't stick to the debris. You can flux multiple times with sawdust if you like, and every time you add new scrap. One last thing.. make sure that you scrape the bottom and sides of your pot. Dirt can actually become trapped under the lead and you don't want that in you bullets.
4) Water dropping your ingots will only add a small amount of surface hardening to them, which will be lost when you remelt the ingots to make bullets. WD does cool them faster though. If you want harder bullets.. WD them.
I find that most of the range scrap that I deal with comes in at about 12 bhn which is similar to wheel weights.
If you have any questions I am always happy to help.
In all.. I enjoyed watching your video.. Thanks
Shad
shadowcastre
Thanks for your comments... I definitely agree on all SAFETY pointers... My son started out with Jeans, as I insisted on it -- but then changed as the morning turned to afternoon and it got hot. I'm not as strict with him as I was when he was a teenager! Now that he is 24 and a grown man - he has his own way! Even when you are as careful as you can possibly be - accidents can still happen, and I will insist on jeans throughout the process from now on!
As for what you said looks like candle wax -- it is actually FLUX, that I purchased in a 6 inch long, 1 inch diameter roll. Looks like wax - but it is actually FLUX. We have also incorporated sawdust into our fluxing as well. I do a lot of woodworking, and have plenty on hand.
Thanks for the info on Water Dropping of the ingots. I understand that any hardness may be lost when the ingots are re-melted in the bottom pour pot - but as you mentioned, I also Water Drop my bullets as well.
Love it when I get feedback from other TH-camrs! I enjoy any comments that will help me improve my processes.
Thanks again - and Happy Casting!!
shadowcastre ....great info......I hound as well.
I have a question, I have about a 6 quart pot outside melting right now on a turkey fryer, and it even has a lid. I filled the thing nearly to the top but it's been burning on full blast for about 3 hours and is only halfway melted (sigh) what am I doing wrong or what can I do to speed up the melting process?
@@jacobwilliams2089 I had the same problem. The flames from your fryer are probably yellow/red. That means the temp is on the low side. Make the flames more BLUE by adjusting how much air the fryer get. More air = more blue = more heat.
@@rogerolsson7303 I think most of it just wasn't lead and I didn't know
What do you do with the water that you wash them with? I have a well so I don’t want to dump it on the ground?
Can roofing lead be used for the same purpose?
Great video can you use range scrap for slugs or is it to hard or is it softer than wheel weight thanks
ocean374 I will definitely defer to anyone who is smarter on this topic - or has more experience than I do, but Range Lead is going to be a MIX of different types of Lead. Since I am reclaiming bullets of all types, it will include some Cast Bullets that people might have used Wheel Weights in their mix, and bullets from people who might have reclaimed Lead from Batteries, Dental Offices, Keels from Sailboats ---- the list goes on and on... So the amount of Antimony (percentage) that you might have with reclaimed Range Lead can definitely vary! I personally use the Reclaimed Range Lead for all my bullets, buckshot and slugs, but if you are looking for specific softness for your slugs (so they will expand/mushroom better), then you are definitely better off with pure lead -- or as close to it as you can get.
The only reason commercial shotgun slugs are pure lead is liability. You can fire them just fine through a full choke, but hard cast lead can only be fired through a cylinder choked barrel. I've made many hard cast lead slugs and they shoot just as well.
As for pure lead being softer for expansion, it's a pretty mute point when punching a .729 calibre hole through something.
How do yall know the hardness of your ingets
Why not cut the jackets for the lead? Also been watching a lot of some of the others have not seen a finished product quite as CLEAN. The better wax for Flux? Pre Wash? Well I have been kicking around What molds I`ll end probably one Lee one Lyman . Lees got 2 half pound which will be good for small batch pistol ammo.
How much work goes into taking it from ingots to bullets/shot
Am I weird to say your voice is very soothing with the echo in the backround
I learned a lot from your video
what is the thing you put your blue color on?
That’s a solid 33,782.6 115grain 9mm bullets
What is the peace of blue clour
Quick question, what purpose does the flux serve?
Kyle Bryant it removes impurities from the lead
Cleaning the lead making it easier to pour.
Have you tried flour? It even gives it a nice color
Kyle Bryant ...flux bonds and seperates impurities out of the lead base metal
What do you use for flux?
Nice! But why to waterquench when you anyway will melt the ingots to make bullets later?
True... It was more to just cool them off so we could move them and get them out of the way. I do water-quench when casting -- so calling this a "water-quench" at that point was not necessarily for "hardening" -- and more so just get them cooled off and out of the way!
My comment about Water Quenching was premature. We were just dropping the ingots into the buckets of water to cool them down to make them easier to handle/maneuver. Obviously, we Water Quench the bullets when casting..
Literally the only thing your process has that’s better than mine (see ‘Copper And Lead Recovery From Old Bullets’ video, which is about to be revised with an even better melter) is the way you mold the ingots. I currently use muffin and pie pans. 😄
Every time I see one of the many videos showing bullets being melted in skillets and pots just open to the environment with NO insulation to save energy cost and decrease melting time, and no containment against the occasional and sudden eruption from trapped gas or trapped moisture, I just want to jump right out of my skin! 😬😄! But what do I know, having recovered only around 5,000 pounds of bullets so far (all from “open range” and BLM areas)? 🤓
3 years and no likes. No one likes a bragger
How many 1lb ingots can you get from a full propane tank?
For the future you don't need to weigh each bucket to find out the total weight.
Since you have 128 half pound ingots you have 64 pounds of lead in half-pound ingots, and you have 286 pounds of lead in whole pound ingots. Add 64 and 286 and you get 350. The extra pound you had might have been from the buckets, might have been an extra ingot that didn't get counted - I know I'd tire of it after about 50.
Awesome Don! Lead is getting harder to find... Most of my contacts have already dried up. Get it while you can!
Bubba Rountree Outdoors Thanks Wade. I definitely plan to increase my stockpile!
The places I have contacted have people that pick up the spent ammo
What is the flux you putting in there?? Looks like wax..
Nice video. Do you go through the bullets and look for the FMJ ones that didn’t split open? Or do you not care and claim the lead you can get?
great job. those Ingot molds are not cheap
Why does nobody put a LID on the pans to keep the heat inside making the melting process a LOT faster?
where did you get your things to pour the melted lead into from that forms the ingots? can those same molds or ingot casting things be used for copper or aluminum or brass?
If you are referring to the Lyman 1lb Ingot Molds - I got them from Amazon. Here is the link:
www.amazon.com/Lyman-2837794-Lead-Ingot-Mould/dp/B001GXHM4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470013424&sr=8-1&keywords=lyman+ingot+mold
+DKH TACTICAL yes and thank you very much my new found friend
You are very welcome! I have refined my Lead Retrieval Process. My son and I are planning another trip - probably in September. Should be a minimum 1000 to 1200 lb haul.
DKH TACTICAL wow thats going to be a great haul if you can pull it off btw alot of the automotive stores most likely have old battery post and terminals and such easy way to get goot grade already sorted lead.... without gravels live ammo maybe occasionally you'll get a rusty stuck steel bolt but nothing too dangerous
Another source would be junk yards or at yard sells though yard sells could take a while but look for batteries, posts terminals and old hand tools like drills saws alot of them had lead castings the ones today have steel, aluminum and plastic castings or body's/ handles
What were you using for Flux?
Did you tare the bucket for an actual weight ... also what pots are you using to melt in...?
+gerry kline Not sure what you are asking with the question of "Actual Weight"... The scale we are using in the video is a pretty decent bathroom scale - so it's not going to be 100% accurate, but it's close enough for my purposes. The pots are "Cast Iron". One is a really big skillet, and the other is like a Dutch Oven Pot.
Tearing means the bucket has weight which is not LEAD thus you set the bucket on the scale hit the tare button and set it to "0" then add your lead weight. Getting the EXACT weight of JUST THE LEAD!
Why do you add flux?. Is it to make impurities rise to the top?.
+HILUX CHAINSAW Yes... In terms of Metallurgy -- Flux is a chemical cleaning agent - or purifying agent/reducing agent used to absorb impurities into what is referred to as "slag" that forms on the top of the molten lead. Some people use various types of wax (candles, paraffin wax, even crayons). Fine sawdust also works exceptionally well.
Now what? Do you sell those ingots?
Is the resulting alloy from melting copper jackets into the lead still useful for bullets? What is this alloy called and what're it's properties?
can you please tell more on how you flux in
+Robert Johnson - Fluxing can be done several different ways. You can use paraffin wax, candles, even crayons. Saw dust works extremely well, but generates much more smoke than the others. Fluxing is the last step in cleaning your Lead before pouring into ingots. Once you have removed all jackets and debris, add the flux and give your pot a good stir. The flux aids in drawing out any remaining impurities to the surface so they can be skimmed off.
very nice!
cool video, I really like the molds. Where did you order them from
Amazon... Here is the link: www.amazon.com/Lyman-2837794-Lead-Ingot-Mould/dp/B001GXHM4W
I think I got a couple off Midway USA and a few from Ebay. They are not cheap!!
Thanks
Why do you clean the scrap when you can just skim the dirt off the molten lead during melting?
+Grant Richter It saves on the amount of cleanup required from skimming. I agree that it is not 100% necessary -- but it's just the way we prefer to do it. To each his/her own!!
Those little DIY tables are a great idea.
+Nick Musuraca Yes - after doing this a few times, we keep seeing ways to improve the process, and the need for some type of tables at an appropriate height was on of the first things we noticed. Each time we do this, we see areas for improvement and for efficiency. We started out with only 1 Burner, and only 2 Ingot Molds. We quickly figured out that we were wasting precious time, and burning through more propane by only having 1 burner and 2 Ingot Molds. Getting the right utensils was also something we didn't have to begin with. The Tempura Scoops for removing the Jackets, and the Ladles for pouring the Ingots were also added after our 1st endeavor. We are by no means "Experts" --- but I think we are getting better each time we do it!
What did you use to flux the lead? Candle wax or saw dust?
Both and sawdust should always be first.
Thank you
@@1212skindog
You are very welcome my friend.
Great vid.........thank you so much.
What do you do of the fully jacketed ? I know that some people split them in half so that lead can flow out, but heh, I'm not sure I want to examinate each bullet one by one.
Or do you examinate the jackets you retrieved from the dross bucket ?
+zebracherub We generally do not mess with the fully jacketed bullets since we take in enough without having to bother with them. Too much trouble for the little amount of lead we would recover. They are scraped of with the rest of the jackets and debris.
I know lead in Petrol and lead pipes are bad for water, so is it a good idea to be around lead fumes? No expert on this, but i'm guessing its not great for you? Apart from that, a very interesting and satisfying video to watch.
TheMwnciboo -- Lead is definitely not good for you - nor are the fumes. That would be why we wear respiratory protection (as shown in the video).
It's not lead vapor fumes (lead boils at 3,164°F). It's impurities fuming. That's not good but there is no lead vapor at melting temps.
This video is Awesome! First time i saw flux? I need to learn more, also, if there is no range, where else could I get scrap lead? Thank you :)
Yoga socks for the win. Also nice yield.
why dry it before melting it, wouldn't the heat from the melting proc. also dry it?
Any moisture at all when dealing with molten lead can be disastrous. Even a drop of sweat from your forehead when leaning over the pot can be dangerous. I don't mess around when water/moisture when melting lead. I would definitely rather spend an extra day or two (or more) just to be sure it is completely dry before proceeding with melting it down.
Matt Fleming Boiling off the water require a lot more heat/energy/propane=money.
Just a drop of water in the molten lead can explode it ALL out of the pot, no no no water!!!
You are Shooting the Ingots? Or for what is the water quinching?
LOL... Yeah - I have a big Ingot Gun... Doesn't everyone? No - in all seriousness, there is no other reason for quenching the ingots, than to assist in cooling them off so we could handle them and lay them out. Otherwise, just dropping them on the pavers and leaving them there to cool would have also been fine.. I just ran out of room - and dropping them into a bucket of water saved space!
I dont clean that stuff, in melt it with all the dirt and Sand. It will come to Surface.
All-righty then... Thanks for sharing!
How do you separate the bullets from the stones and rocks?
I made "sifters" using 2" x 4"s and Screen Mesh (Chicken Wire). The Sifters were approximately 2 feet long, by 1 foot wide, and obviously 4 inches deep. After screwing the wood pieces together in the form of a box (rectangle), I cut the screen mesh out in a section that would provide enough to fully cover the bottom, and have enough to go up about 2 inches on each side of the box, and secured the mesh to each side using a staple gun. If you are lucky enough to have access to a range that has sand, or fine dirt for the back-stop, it is a pretty easy process. Just dump a few shovel-fulls into the sifter, shake back and forth until you get all the dirt and sand to fall through, and all you will have left is bullets (and possibly some debris)... Remove as much of the debris as possible, and dump the contents into your 5 gallon bucket. Repeat until your bucket is about half full (this will be about as much weight as you will be comfortable with moving...
I pick through the piles while they are drying - but all the debris floats on the top of the lead anyway, so whatever you don't pick out - you can just scoop off with the rest of the dross/debris.
CBP sent me, are ingots for sale?
+2003Harleyguy How many are you looking for?
+DKH TACTICAL Up to 50 pounds depending on cost. Do you have pure lead (stick on) for buck shot & slugs? BTW, thank you for your service!
+2003Harleyguy I do have a couple hundred pounds of wheel weights that I have yet to sort through, but nothing that I have melted down into ingots. The only thing I have right now are ingots from Range Lead (which will have a small amout of Antimony in it). I sold everything I had listed on eBay and Etsy. I typically sell 10lbs for $25.00 -- which includes Priority 2-Day Shipping, which comes out to about $1.90/lb + Shipping. I could cut $5.00 for an order of 30 lbs for $70.00.
350lbs = 158kg...the current uk rate for scrap July 2016 here in UK is 50p per kg so this yield is worth approx £80 sterling scrap...@July 2016 prices.
So I guess when you have purchased all the gear to smelt it...and have some free time over a weekend you can start to make a small profit after the 2nd / 3rd batch... You should be looking to claim 1000lb of scrap before smelting to make a clear £150 profit after.
Which in my mind makes this not really worth the effort to process it. £80 for how many days work? Split how many ways? Less costs? McDonalds pay £6.17 an hour to put this into context, thus = 13 hrs.
+Sean Hendy exactly 👍🏼 I don't know how much bullets are to buy....but I'm sure in USA they are cheap as chips...not worth the hassle doing this.
But what's the cost of buying lead for making bullets?
+Emil Ahlstrand from what I found, the market price is $1.80 a kilo.
To put this in perspective -- standard FJM 9mm bullets run about .08 to .10 cents a piece if you buy them in bulk. So if I reload 1000 standard FMJ's -- the bullets alone will cost me around $100.00 (with shipping). I can make 1000 Lead Cast 125 grain Round Nose Bullets from 18 lbs of Lead, or 6000 Lead Cast 125 grain Round Nose Bullets from 108 lbs of Lead. So - that 108 lbs of lead is actually worth around $600.00 to me, when I compare it to standard 125 grain FMJ bullets that I can buy for reloading. So --- Yeah.... I think its worth it!
How do you know when the lead is set enough to turn them out of the moulds?
It literally only takes a few seconds for the molten lead to solidify so you can dump them out of the molds. There is no need to "Water Quench" -- as I said in the video. We were just dumping them in the bucket of water to cool them down faster so we could more easily handle them...
the flux is just regular wax from lights?
The stuff I am using in this video is something I bought online a few years ago, but basically - yes, its pretty much just like candle wax. You can use actual candle wax, or paraffin wax (Gulf Wax) -- even crayons will work. Fine sawdust works exceptionally well - and I actually prefer sawdust... Just prepare for some heavy smoke that it will produce...
you can also try borax though it might make for a harder residue when it cools.. it tends to turn back into a crystalline form. It's a very commonly used welding/brazing flux.
+DKH TACTICAL ive heard something saying that the toxic gas does not come from the lead before it boils.. true or false?
Good question. Will definitely have to research that one!
Even if your estimate was above the yield that's still a lot of lead to work with, congrats on your haul from the range.
What do you do with these ingots? Sell them? If so, for how much a pound?
DrHillbillyShow right but whats an average, say today... what would he have gotten for that amount of ingots?
I've seen anywhere from $200 for 1000lbs of old car batteries to $1.20 per pound of lead ingots - "How much" is too broad a question. There are open quotation sites that you can google for your area and they'll vary across the country. Do a google search for 'lead prices' in your town.
Which flux you are adding to purify lead
I bought some from Ballistic Products, but after a bit more research (you know most of this is all trial and error), we ended up using sawdust, and it works awesome...
Cool video lots of info! Oh and it's not a gas mask, it's a half face respirator 😉
What do you do with the copper jackets?
+tankkiller308 After our next clean-up, we are going to try and find a place that buys scrap metal. I think we have around 150 lbs right now...
+DKH TACTICAL I would defiantly wait to sell copper prices are way down but I would suggest you bring some to a scrap yard and ask them if they will take it as one of these (in order from best price to lowest): bare-bright, #1 copper, #2 copper, or breakage. Also don't go to just one if its an option I've gone to two scrap yards in my town and there was a 20 cent difference for the same copper
What is the substance poured in? What's the role? Thank!
What was that blue stuff and what did it do to the lead?
It's FLUX. You can use pretty much any type of wax as flux (votif candles, Gulf Wax, even Crayons). Fine sawdust works exceptionally well - but usually creates more smoke. It's used to bring out impurities in the lead -- helps with the cleaning process.
@@dkhanlin1 whats typically the ratios for flux to molten lead.
@@ctyoungman I typically used about half the size of a crayon, but have stopped using that kind of flux. I only use sawdust now. It works great. A few tablespoons is plenty.
+DKH TACTICAL, do you ever sell the lead ingots to others? if so, what do you charge? I'd be interested in purchasing
Robert - I have done so in the past -- and will likely be selling some after my next haul, which should be within the next 30 days. I charge $2.00 per lb. + shipping. Let me know if you are interested, and send me your e-mail address and I will let you know when I have ingots for sale.
So how much did you end up making off of this run? I know it was a while ago now, but still curious. Thinking about getting into this and would like to know if it's worth it all.
I sold about 100 lbs at $2.00/lb, which bought some new reloading dies and some other reloading components, but I do a lot of casting (Slugs, Buckshot, and a wide range of various hand gun calibers), so I go through a lot of lead just by myself. I still have well over 100 lbs left, but we will be doing another run around October - after it cools off. We have refined our sifting process, and plan to recover well over 1,000 lbs on the next run.
DKH TACTICAL Thanks for the reply. That's seems like some pretty good cash. I may just get into it! Also, can't wait to watch the videos you make about it, 1,000 pounds will be crazy. Thanks again!
How long does it take to refine that much? Reckon it could be an income on its own?
Not counting the time it took to rinse it and let it dry --- just the process of melting 555 lbs down, cleaning the lead, and pouring into ingots was about 6 hours worth of work. We had 2 burners going, with 1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven and 1 Cast Iron Skillet. We will definitely be investing in another 5 quart Dutch Oven before the next haul, and I may purchase a few more 1 lb. Lyman Molds. A 4th person would also help tremendously. It is quite a bit of work - but other than the cost of propane and man hours - its basically free. The amount of lead retrieved has more than paid for the propane we used, and paid for the the molds and cast iron pots - and other utensils. This next run will be pure profit.
Plus - this time, with the huge haul we are planning on bringing back, we will also be salvaging the jackets to sell for scrap. Since we had 200 lbs of it from the last trip - I would guess we will probably have 500 - 600 lbs in this next trip.
Do you do anything with the full metal jacket bullets that are not scored enough for the lead to melt out? I usually sort through mine before melting and cut jackets. Any advise would be helpful!
Where did you purchase those burners at?
Amazon.com ---- here is the link: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JXYPU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I went to Walmart I purchased a lodge cast iron pot as well. how long does it take to melt the lead?
My pot cracked
Takes a "while" to get everything up to temp to get the melting process going. Depending on how much you put in the pot to start with (I would not go more than 1/4 of the overall depth to start), it will take a good 30 minutes or so to get the melting started. Make sure your burner is pretty much "wide open" --- and just be patient.
That's CRAZY! Never seen a cast iron pot crack before...
Is it normal for lead to turn a gold-ish yellow on top that slowly turns dark? I've been melting wheel weights and the lead started to get a yellow skin that won't stop coming out, no matter how much I remove.
Yes -- at least from my experience... When melting the lead down - getting ready to pour into ingots, and when I am melting the ingots in my Bottom Pour Pot, I get the same Gold/Bronze-ish Sheen on the top. Not sure about the reason. Could be impurities still in the lead - coming to the top.
Try keeping your heat between 700 -900 degrees. Other than that that, not sure why you are getting so much of the yellowish skim. I have also started using sawdust for fluxing.
What are you guys using as flux?
Its basically paraffin wax that I purchased from MidwayUSA several years ago.
+DKH TACTICAL awesome thanks, great vid. Just doin some research before I start casting
can you us how got them form the range
+Robert Johnson I don't have a video for that at the moment - but its actually pretty easy. I made sifting boxes using 2"x4"s -- approximately 2 feet long, by 1 foot wide and attached chicken wire to the bottom with a staple gun. The Chicken wire is perfect to catch anything above the size of a 22 round. You can even put handles on both ends for a better grip. Just dump a few shove fulls of dirt from the mound into the sifter -- give it a few shakes, and all you should have once the dirt and sand has sifted through is bullets and debris. Pick out most of the debris, and dump the bullets into a bucket. Repeat the process until you have enough to your liking...
Hey mate, great vid.! I'm totally new to this, so I have to ask--Does the 'Range' allow you to just scavenge this up, or is it your own range? Also, that's a great respirator that lets us hear you so clear that we'd almost think you didn't have it on---Har! Gb bg
Yes --- and Yes..
What process do you use to reclaim the rounds from the berm?
Picking em up
You reclaim the copper as well?
Not yet... But definitely will be doing so on the next run! Plan on a minimum 1000 lbs on the next haul...
what kind and how much you use
+Robert Johnson As I outlined in your earlier post - there are several different ways to flux. For a Cast Iron Pot that might hold 20 - 30 lbs of lead, I would recommend using the equivalent of a small votive candle if using any type of wax. If using saw dust - use 3 or 4 tablespoons. There isn't really any magic number/amount. If after you have fluxed it once - it still looks like it needs more, then do it again!
How do you come about getting the spent ammo? Every place I have spoken to has either a cleaning crew that gets them. Or the metal company buys them.Is
Outdoor dirt ranges, I built a 20" x 30" wood frame with 1/4 inch hardware cloth between the 2x2 wood and screwed cedar fence board around the sides centered so you can grab it and holds it together. Scoop a few shovel fulls from the berm and shake, get about 50 pounds in a half hour
love it keep up the videos!!
Thanks! Planning another haul here in the near future - so there will definitely be another video coming. Next haul should end up well over 1000 lbs with the new sifting method we have come up with!
Did u wear some respirator? It is extremely toxic
Yes. Respirators were used.
how much would that cost?
Thomas Tuan Nguye --- how much would "what" cost? Not sure what you are asking for cost on.
like if you re going to sell it? how much would it cost your customer ?
I typically sell it for around $1.75 to $2.00 per pound.
Not bad. That's only 15,550 rounds of 158grain .38cal bullets.
It must have been a labor of love going from the towels to the skillet. Or do you have a secret ?
+Nick Musuraca Not sure I understand your question?
+DKH TACTICAL sounds like he is saying moving the batches from towel to skillet is really super tedious; any trick to make it easier or just like that?
I was watching a video and he said that if you have a mirror finish you have removed all the tin and antimony. Was that your goal.
Not really sure I 100% buy into that... You really need to have high heat to remove the antimony from lead -- and I kept the temperature around 700 -- but anything is possible... Not that big of a concern for me though. The bullets and buckshot that I cast work just fine for my shooting purposes. I wasn't going for a specific Brinnel hardness anyway -- but even if it did remove all the tin and antimony, and I was left with pure lead -- it would be hard enough for casting and reloading.
I don't profess to be any type of expert on this process, but I would not say that just having a "Mirror Finish" is in any way a Scientific Method of determining that all the tin and antimony has bee removed. However, if you are really wanting to take it to that level and determine the Brinnell Hardness of your Lead, there are multiple Lead Hardness Test Kits out there for sale.. One on Midway USA for around $60.00
Don’t think you can remove the antimony from lead.
I sure wish I could find that video I saw some years ago of a shirtless guy in flipflops and shorts out in his backyard busting open a car battery with a hammer and screwdriver, pulling out the lead plates and boiling them down without even so much as a rinse, a respirator, glasses, gloves, hat or anything.
I'm kinda betting it was his last video ever.
Clumsy people don't watch this video. DKH; Thanks for the video.
(i know you said this isnt an instructional, and its your own person way of doing it but im suggesting something anyway)
2 simple suggestion. GLOVES when handling the lead. and safty glasses. if you get that dust into a open wound, or in to your eyes,.. man... could be a bad bad day for ya. :) be safe my friend :D And i mean during the cleaning of the lead in the bucket.. not the actual melting part. ;)
Nothing some good old chelation therapy won't fix lol.
3 things to save yourself a LOT of effort.
#1 you gain nothing by rinsing off the dirt but dirty water and a wait to dry
#2 Use significantly deeper containers to melt in. Reduction of the surface area reduces oxidation and higher pressure from depth makes floating off the gangue much more effective. 2-3x depth vs diameter is best.
#3 stirring with a pine stick will flux your material much better, esp with a deeper container. If you must flux with wax like you are doing, set it on fire to eliminate about 95% of the smoke.
Thanks for your comments/suggestions. Depending on the amount of dirt/debris - I will probably continue to rinse, but I understand your comment, as all dirt and debris will remain on top... I'm just not in that big of a hurry! Definitely concur with the deeper pot suggestion. Getting rid of the big skillet and purchasing another 7 quart Dutch Oven for the next haul. Stirring with a Pine Stick is an interesting idea as well.
Hope it's helpful
The stick provides the carbonaceous material for the flux and you can make sure it gets well down in the pot, scraping the bottom and sides to get the crud up to the top.