Melt lead in a tin can. Where to get lead: all available methods

Lead and its alloys are widely used to make typefaces, plain bearings, and many small parts. In addition, lead is the main component of rechargeable batteries of different capacities.

In everyday life, lead is used to make fishing gear, weights for balancing wheels, etc.
Most machine parts and components manufactured using lead are produced using foundry technologies.

Lead casting process

Lead alloys are multicomponent compositions that can contain up to 10% copper. Its presence significantly increases the melting point. The second most important component is antimony. The main advantage of lead alloys is that molds of almost any configuration can be used to work with them, at fairly low pressures. The melting point of lead is quite low - 325-350 degrees, and this allows you to cast lead parts at home.

For casting lead, injection molding technology is used. Equipment operating on various types of fuel - gas, fuel oil, coke and electrical energy. This equipment must meet the following requirements:
1. Minimum time spent on melting.
2. Minimal material loss.
3. Minimum consumption fuel.
4. Safe and comfortable work.
To obtain molten lead and its alloy, the temperature provided in the furnaces is sufficient to melt the lead.
Lead is processed in crucible furnaces. The main difference between this class of equipment is that the melt does not come into contact with fuel combustion products. Lead and its alloys are melted in furnaces with metal or graphite crucibles, which can operate on several types of fuel.

Crucible furnaces are produced in two versions:
stationary;
rotary.
Furnaces with graphite crucibles for casting make it possible to melt various metals - lead, tin, and aluminum. Moreover, the transition from one metal to another occurs with minimal costs. But crucibles made of graphite have low durability and therefore crucibles made of cast iron are more often used.

The procedure for obtaining lead parts is as follows. Lead pigs or scrap are immersed, where the transition of lead from solid state into liquid. After this, the liquid material is poured into prepared models.
The principle of castings in industry and households is the same, the key differences are only in scale.

Lead smelting molds

As noted earlier, lead is cast into molds to produce parts. Casting molds are made from different materials– steel, cast iron, graphite, and aluminum alloys are used in industry. At home, sand, gypsum, silicone and other materials are used.
The lead casting mold can be made by hand, but mechanized equipment is most often used. Moreover, in many home workshops you can find hobby mechanical equipment.

Structurally, the mold for casting lead products consists of several parts:
1. The form itself, as a rule, includes two parts.
2. Fusible or non-fusible rods, guides and locks.
To make a plaster mold, you need to prepare two boxes made of wood. Then, gypsum, diluted to a creamy state, is poured into a wooden box. After some time, the plaster begins to harden, at which time the future product can be installed in it. In this case, it should be half immersed in plaster. This will form the first half of the mold. A similar operation must be performed to obtain the second form. After the plaster has dried, the form is ready. In order to be able to pour molten lead during the manufacture of the mold, it is necessary to form a casting hole.

Before pouring into the mold, its working surface must be greased with oil. This will make it easier to disassemble the mold later. After the workpiece is ready, it is taken out of the mold and subjected to mechanical processing.
Details can be obtained by using different kinds materials for making molds. For example, casting into metal molds is the most common type used in production. Cast iron, steel and aluminum are used to make molds. IN industrial scale Making casting molds from metal is not particularly difficult. All documentation necessary for the manufacture of molds is developed in the design bureau and transferred to production, where it is manufactured.

One way to make lead castings is to cast lead into a silicone mold. Making an injection mold from silicone is perhaps the longest time. The fact is that almost all operations to create a mold are done manually, applying silicone to the model in layers and carefully leveling it with your hands. In addition, it must be taken into account that the applied layer must dry, which takes 10–15 minutes. But in this case, the result lives up to expectations and the output will be a multi-turn form.

Lead Die Casting

Injection molding technology is used when the task is to produce small castings with thin walls.

This technology has certain advantages:
1. High precision castings.
2. High quality surfaces.
3. There is no need for further mechanical processing of cast products.
4. Possibility of manufacturing blanks with complex configurations.
5. High performance injection molding complex.
6. Low number of substandard products.
7. Saving money and resources when producing large batches of castings.

Lead is one of the top five non-ferrous metals used in everyday life and industry. It is second only to aluminum, copper and zinc.
The properties of lead determined the scope of its application. The main consumer of this metal is the enterprise for the production of rechargeable batteries. This is because lead is highly resistant to alkalis. For installation in batteries, grids made of an alloy of lead and antimony are used.
Certain volumes of lead are used for the needs of electrical engineering; it is used in the cable and wire industry. Fuel production also cannot be done without lead. It is used to produce tetraethyl lead, which is used to improve the performance characteristics of fuel.

The use of nuclear energy has given rise to many technical problems, and one of them is radiation protection. Lead absorbs gamma rays; it is this property that has made it possible to use lead for protection against radiation.
The paint and varnish industry consumes large amounts of lead; lead oxide is used to produce red lead.
Lead casting at home
Casting lead at home is quite feasible. To obtain molten lead, it is enough to heat it to a temperature of 327 degrees. To do this, you can use a gas stove or burner. Some craftsmen manage to use industrial hair dryers that can heat the air up to 500 degrees.

As a rule, casting at home is carried out for the purpose of obtaining fishing equipment - sinkers, spinners. In addition, figurines of soldiers, parts jewelry etc.

Lead is very popular non-ferrous metal, which scrap metal buyers readily accept in any form.

There is no single price per kilogram, since lead is almost never found in its pure form.

This is usually an alloy in which mass fraction lead contains significantly more impurities and depends on the purpose of the metal.

The price of lead per 1 kg directly depends on the demand on the world market, which is only becoming larger every year.

Lead belongs to heavy non-ferrous metals, its isotopes are the result of the decay of uranium. In nature, this element is present in more than 80 mineral ores, some of which are the main raw materials for its production.

In this, lead is similar to zinc and any other non-ferrous metal.

These characteristics make it unique in chemical and physical qualities:

• plastic;
• chemical inertness towards most aggressive compounds;
• fusibility;
• ability to block radiation;
• big specific gravity.

Alloys of non-ferrous metals, which contain lead, are widely used in various industries.

Lead's ability to absorb radioactive radiation made it indispensable for radiation protection V:

• medicine (radiology);
• nuclear energy;
• transportation of radioactive substances;
• storage of radioactive waste.

Traditional lead acid batteries are extremely popular, so 60% of the lead produced in the world goes into their production.

Non-corrosive, lead and its alloys serve protective sheath for electrical cables, laid underground and in water. Production firearms it is impossible to imagine without the use of lead.

The metal's high density has made lead a popular material. for making bullets sports and hunting weapons equipment, as well as for army small arms.

Anti-corrosion properties and ductility This metal is widely used in the chemical and construction industries.

Oil refineries and oil production plants use lead pipe sheathing and lead sheeting to protect steel apparatus. In the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings, lead is used in the construction of foundations and to seal seams.

We could go on and on about the industries where this unique element of the periodic table is used. Bye humanity has not found a complete replacement for lead, thanks to its chemical and physical properties. Therefore, buying lead is very profitable business for , even if the price per kilo becomes higher.

Main sources of lead scrap metal

Lead in its pure form very rare, not only in nature, but also in industrial products.

Typically these are alloys where this metal is alloyed with additional substances to improve certain properties, depending on the application.

Traditional scrap

Here are the most popular types lead scrap, which are most often brought to collection points:

1. The purest scrap lead - cable. Lead with a minimum amount of impurities is usually used for cable protection sheathing.
2. Batteries that have become unusable after prolonged use. Lead plates and battery grids containing up to 10% impurities are the main source of lead scrap.
3. Babbitt liners. Lead babbitt is used for bearings in diesel engines and rolling mills, hydraulic turbines. It contains 87% lead, the rest is various impurities. Lead-calcium babbitt is used in bearings for railway and water transport.
4. Melted in an artisanal way metal. Usually the raw materials are .
5. Weights for balancing wheels c, lead seals and other small parts.
6. Electrolysis baths, covered with lead sheets to protect against sulfuric acid electrolyte and lead chambers used in production using sulfuric acid.
7. Lead production waste– shavings, pieces, rods, wire.
8. Finds from battlefields(required ).

Material requiring special conditions upon acceptance

You need to be as careful as possible with this material:

1. Lead plates, used as protective screens from X-ray radiation, pose a serious danger due to the increased radioactive background.
2. Military scrap, removed from decommissioned equipment.
3. Old acidic batteries and .
4. Crowbar with nuclear installations.
5. Melted down battery plates.

Admission conditions and restrictions

Lead belongs to the group of highly hazardous substances (group 2). As everybody heavy metals, lead toxic and can accumulate in the human body, causing irreversible changes including death. However, if safety precautions are followed, lead does not pose a threat. Therefore, the acceptance of lead for processing is strictly regulated.

Lead dust generated by mechanical action and steam from metal remelting – mortal threat to humans. Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions when disposing of a used battery with electrolyte.

Remelting lead battery plates at home is essential will not bring profit, but irreparable harm can be caused to health and the environment.

Lead scrap metal, despite its large weight, is compact and takes up little space during transportation. This sets it apart from other non-ferrous metals.

Valuation of supplied raw materials

At the lead collection point, the price per kg depends on several parameters. Processing enterprises are interested in pure material and willingly take alloys, including lead, but at a lower price.

Here is the list main parameters that affect the price when purchasing material:

• quality;
• purity;
• volume.

Quality

The most “delicious” and desired lead for scrap buyers is braided power electrical cables.

But here too there is underwater rocks, which everyone who is going to take this material needs to know about.

Metal cable sheath, cleaned from paper, tar, bitumen putty rated higher.

If you do not get rid of cable debris first, the price of lead per 1 kg will be less. After all, when weighing, the specialist at the reception point will subtract a percentage from the actual weight for extraneous materials.

The batteries must be intact, without chips or cracks, always with a handle. The price directly depends on the energy capacity of the battery. The higher it is, the higher the lead content.

Melted lead at home can be of any shape, but most collection points prefer ingots or plates. They give a higher price for such scrap.

Purity

This concept means mass fraction lead in the alloy. How more percentage, the higher the price per kg.

How is the alloy assessed? It all depends on who accepts the scrap metal. Small collection points, private owners and resellers of lead alloy assessed by eye, knowing the approximate composition of this or that scrap.

Processing plants use special equipment, which determines the composition of scrap in a few minutes. This, the cost of such equipment is very high.

But for major players In the market that has such equipment, the presence of such equipment is necessary. After all, their volumes of metal turnover are measured tens and hundreds of thousands of tons.

Volume

When you sell lead, the price is per kg of scrap depends on batch size.

As a rule, wholesale and retail prices for lead intake differ significantly.

The usual rule is that Wholesale prices lower than retail prices, in the recycling collection business it does exactly the opposite.

The larger the volume of scrap, the more profitable it can be sold, and lead is no exception.

Who can take scrap lead for recycling and disposal?

The most low prices at private resellers, roaming the expanses of the country in old cars with a rusty trailer. The services of such “businessmen” are readily used by pensioners or summer residents who have small amounts of various metal rubbish.

Often private traders determine the mass and composition of scrap “by eye”, without any instruments or scales.

Mid-level entrepreneurs open collection points for lead and other non-ferrous scrap, where they independently set the price per kilogram, based on:

• average monthly volume of material receipts;
• storage costs;
• cost of transportation to the plant.

By accumulating recyclables to a certain level, collection points transfer it to a large processing enterprise at a higher price.

It is most profitable to sell scrap for disposal and recycling large companies, whose collection points are dispersed across regions.

The price set per kg of metal is valid in all branches.

This is due to the fact that such companies work directly with factories and factories for processing secondary raw materials, therefore they have all the licenses that give them legal right collect metal waste.

Here are the main ones advantages such companies:

• They weigh accurately material;
• draw up documents if the scrap is delivered by a legal entity;
• provide equipment for export;
• comply precautionary measures when working with hazardous substances.

High competition and a serious struggle for each client force metal buyers to provide services that make their business flourish. Well, why not use such a service as calling specialists to your territory? They will not only sort out the heaps of scrap metal and sort it on the spot, but will also put in order the storage area for all kinds of rubbish.

There are companies that collect only batteries. Indeed, for the disposal of this type of recyclable materials, quite strict rules and regulations. Therefore, to work with hazardous to humans and environment special substances are taken security measures.

However, most companies work with various non-ferrous metals, because the wider the range, the greater the turnover. At the same time, companies are forced comply with stricter security measures, because without this they will not get a license.

How to sell more profitably

To sell lead for scrap more profitably, you need to know some features when handing over different types lead products:

1. Power cables in a lead sheath, usually covered on top with a paper braid impregnated with bitumen. The cable itself also has nothing to do with lead. Therefore, it is better to first remove it from the shell and remove the paper and bitumen from the surface. Thus, the price of scrap will increase.
2. Batteries are divided into different categories. The most expensive batteries are in a polypropylene or polyethylene case. Ebonite batteries are less common and their price is slightly lower.
3. Located inside the battery electrolyte It is better not to drain, as this can cause severe burns. Transporting batteries is equivalent to transporting dangerous goods. It is advisable not to turn the battery over, but carry it by the handles.
4. Some points taking on battery recycling, the cost calculation is done not by weighing, but by multiplying the capacity of the unit by the price of 1 a/h.
5. A battery melted at home belongs to the category soft remelting. But it’s better not to do this at home, since lead and electrolyte are toxic substances.
6. Battery disposal strictly regulated at the government level. For such manipulations, there are special enterprises where all conditions have been created for the safe extraction of lead.
7. Babbitts– bearing shells come with different lead contents and are divided according to the alloy structure into lead and lead-calcium. The latter have a low cost, so it is important to know how to distinguish these rings.
8. Lead batteries are marked B-16, BN, BSb and contain up to 87% lead. Lead-calcium is marked with the abbreviation BKA, BK2, BK2SH. If you know these differences, then unscrupulous acceptors will not be able to deceive you.
9. Common sources of lead include weights for wheel balancing in cars. Usually a lot of them accumulate in tire shops. It is important to know that modern sinkers are increasingly made from other metals. Lead weights with metal fastening are readily accepted by all non-ferrous metal receivers, and the price is calculated taking into account the availability of other metal.
10. Typographic font or gart– this is solid lead, the alloy of which contains other valuable non-ferrous metals (see photo below). But it is becoming less and less, as the modern printing industry moves to more innovative technologies, where a Linotype is not required.

Average prices for 1 kg of lead scrap in Russia

From the table you will find out how much lead costs (the price of scrap depends on the quantity and type of recyclable materials) when sold in small quantities and in tons in terms of cost per kilogram:

As you can see, the difference in prices is quite noticeable, especially when delivering a large volume of lead scrap.

How to find out where the price will be higher

To obtain maximum benefit, need to produce price monitoring at nearby locations where lead can be collected.

After all, it’s one thing to simply hand over lead for patriotic reasons, and quite another to make money from it.

Prices at reception points are significantly differ, which is even more noticeable if you are handing over a large batch.

Therefore, it is very important not only to hand over lead, but to do it as profitably as possible. This approach not only does not contradict Russian laws, but is also the most correct.

Internet

Information about scrap metal collectors can be easily found on the Internet by asking search engine request on a territorial basis. After that all you have to do is choose nearest collection point, where not only will they take lead, but also the price per kg will be the maximum.

Even the smallest companies strive to get into various directories and catalogs posted on the Internet, because this dramatically increases the chance that the seller will find them.

Today, the vast majority of the population uses the Internet, and for many, typing a query on Google is much easier than dialing a phone number and calling somewhere.

Telephone

If the website does not have information about the cost of scrap, then calling companies will help you choose the most profitable option.

Company managers will tell you the cost of lead per 1 kg of scrap.

They will also offer various services such as delivery and loading of material.

After this, you just have to choose the most convenient company.

"Word of mouth"

With the help of word of mouth you can also find a profitable scrap collector, asking friends. Surely someone was selling scrap lead somewhere nearby and the price per kilogram suited him quite well.

In addition, you will not only find out how much lead is taken, but also what impression certain enterprises left on your friends.

Recycling scrap metal – saving the planet’s natural resources

By selling scrap lead, you not only receive benefits, but also participate in the business of conservation of the Earth's natural resources.

The extraction of rare earth ores and its smelting into lead, accompanied by the release of toxic toxic fumes into the atmosphere, all this causes harm not only ecological system, but also to people's health.

In Russia, only 25% of all lead produced is recycling product. This is a small figure compared to other countries. But this small part plays a big role in protecting the environment.

From this video you will learn how to extract lead at home:

In contact with

On the shelves specialty stores presented a wide range of various weights and fractions. However, judging by numerous reviews, most avid fishermen and hunters prefer to use products not from the factory, but self-made. Due to the fact that the fraction is consumables, and sinkers are often lost, hunters and fishermen have a constant need for this raw material.

It is this category of consumers who is interested in where to get lead for casting? According to experts, there are several effective ways lead mining. You will find information on where to get lead for sinkers and shot in this article.

Getting to know the material

Lead is and has excellent anti-corrosion properties, thanks to which this chemical element used in the manufacture of protective coatings in shipbuilding.

Lead is immune to x-rays and radioactive radiation. For this reason, special protective sheets are made from this metal, the task of which is to protect a person from intense radiation.

After the Chernobyl accident nuclear power plant When transported by helicopter, reactive substances were contained in containers surrounded by lead ingots.

The most common uses of this metal are fishing and hunting. Due to the fact that lead is inexpensive and easily melts, it is easy to make a projectile for a firearm or a sinker for fishing tackle from it.

Due to the softness of lead, such a weight can be easily crimped and will be easy to attach to a fishing line without additional equipment. If difficulties with melting usually do not arise, then the question of where to get lead is very relevant. Below are several popular lead mining methods.

From battery

For those who are interested in where to get lead, experienced fishermen and hunters recommend paying attention to the battery. Finding it won't be difficult. All you have to do is go to a scrap metal collection point. In this case, you will have to spend a little money. Those who want to save money can be advised to look for it in a landfill. Old batteries often gather dust in car enthusiasts' garages. If you know car enthusiasts, you're in luck. The owner will be only too happy to get rid of such rubbish. Judging by numerous reviews, batteries are considered the most common source for the extraction of lead, which is presented in the form of special plates. Non-ferrous metal is easy to melt.

How to extract?

Having obtained a battery, beginners often ask the question of what to do next. Experts recommend performing a complete disassembly. Only in this case will it be possible to remove the lead plates. Since they are in acid, they must dry out before melting. Judging by the reviews, disassembly will take at least six hours. The plates dry within 24 hours. Melting will take one hour. In general, you will have to work on one battery for at least a day and a half. As a result, after melting the plates, up to two kilograms of lead can be extracted. Whether it is worth spending time on this, everyone decides for themselves.

From fishing weights

If there are no car enthusiasts you know, and there is not a single battery found at the scrap metal point and the person does not know where to get lead, experienced craftsmen recommend purchasing this non-ferrous metal in the fishing products department. However, this method is less effective, since you will first have to buy lead weights and only then melt them. 1 kg of lead costs approximately 200 - 250 rubles. However, already with necessary raw materials using a homemade method you can make good shot for ammunition.

From car wheels

Another option where to get lead is a car service. Since the car wheel is equipped with special balancing weights, if necessary, they can be dismantled and used for other purposes.

According to experts, one such weight weighs 50-60 g. Judging by numerous reviews, 1 kg will cost no more than 50 rubles. For beginners and those who have no idea where to get lead, experts recommend using car weights.

But today lead is not used in its pure form as a material for their manufacture. Often this is zinc with impurities of babbitt - low-melting. The composition may include antimony and tin. In addition to weights for wheels, lead is also extracted from sliding bearings, and less often from sealing gaskets.

From the counter

This method is suitable for those who have friends who work in the water utility and power grid. Employees of these services quite often have to deal with meters, install or break seals. They are made of lead and, when dismantled, are no longer valuable, so it is possible to agree on regular supplies of this non-ferrous metal.

Where can I get a lot of lead?

According to experts, you can use a communication cable with a lead sheath. To make the coating, lead is used, which, judging by reviews, is very soft and can be easily removed with a regular knife. Depending on the brand of cable, the thickness of its protective layer can vary from 1 to 2 mm. Due to the fact that bitumen is applied on top of the lead coating, and the product itself is wrapped with steel tape, those who want to extract a low-melting non-ferrous metal will have to do a fair amount of tinkering.

Experienced professionals recommend that beginners perform this procedure at sub-zero temperatures. In this case, it is much easier to separate the bitumen. Bituminous substances melt well. It is enough just to hold the cable over the fire for a while. The bitumen will flare up and it will be much easier to remove. According to experts, it is lead shells that provide the largest amount of the necessary metal. Compared to lead extracted from a battery, cable lead is much cleaner.

In addition, during the melting of battery plates, a lot of debris remains, which is often more than the non-ferrous metal itself. For this reason, before starting melting, the plates are carefully tapped. The main purpose of these actions is to get rid of the filler. Otherwise, there will be a lot of unnecessary slag in the container with molten lead.

Can be ordered from the supplier

For those who have already tried all the methods and no longer know where to get lead, we can recommend ordering non-ferrous metal from the manufacturer. Judging by numerous reviews, in this case you will have to pay about 170 rubles for 1 kg of a fusible substance. Much cheaper, about three times, you can buy lead at a non-ferrous metal collection point.

Finally

Regardless of the method used to extract lead, when working with it, you must adhere to safety precautions. Lead is a very toxic substance; it must be melted in a room with good ventilation or exhaust hood. Many home craftsmen prefer to work with it in the fresh air. If this recommendation is neglected, the released electrolyte vapors can cause irreparable harm to human health. In addition, to avoid getting burned, you should be as careful as possible with molten lead.

The article discusses where to get lead for shot, making sinkers, and more. There are several options, everyone can choose something for themselves.

Lead, designated by the symbol Pb (plumbum), is one of those metals that have been known to mankind for a long time. Lead finds in the form of beads date back to 6000 BC. In Ancient Rome, lead water pipes and dishes were made until the toxicity of lead compounds was proven.

Now this is a strategic metal, it is used in defense industry. Explosives and current sources are made from it. Lead is inexpensive to produce and the metal is extracted from naturally occurring minerals. First, a rough alloy is obtained, then a pure one.

It is not difficult to melt lead at home; the melting point of lead and its alloys is not higher than +330–450°C, and that of solders is not higher than +230°C. The metal is not subject to corrosion damage, is ductile, malleable, and is used in many industrial fields. It is used to make household items, fishing gear, and do-it-yourself solders by filling molds with liquid lead.

The metal is dirty silver or silvery-bluish in color and has a high specific gravity - 11.34 g/cm 3 . Tensile strength no more than 18 MPa. for compression within 50 MPa. Due to its high plasticity, it lends itself to many types machining, it is cold rolled to the state of foil, stamped, cut, and cold-fretted. When drawn, lead breaks; wire is made from it by pressing the blanks in dies.

When cooled to -266°C, lead becomes a superconductor, despite its low electrical conductivity at room temperature (resistivity 0.22 Ohm * mm 2 /m). In air, lead quickly fades when cut, sautéed, coated oxide film, characterized by low chemical activity. The metal itself is also resistant to corrosion damage, so acid-resistant vessels and containers are made from lead and alloys. Pb is the last element in the periodic table with stable isotopes. The metal is capable of retaining radioactive radiation.

The cubic, face-centered structural lattice ensures the toughness of the metal; it is difficult to break, but it cuts well and is easy to scratch and crush. When heated, the structure becomes fluid and the initial viscosity decreases.

Melting involves a phase transition under thermal influence. Low-melting lead alloys are poured at +400–450°C, the technological temperature is achieved at home on an open flame burner, electric or gas stove burner. The reference literature indicates the melting temperature of lead as +327.4°C. For alloys the indicators are different; they depend on physical characteristics components included in alloys. Solders with tin and cadmium have a melting point that is 40–60 degrees lower, depending on the concentration of the additive.

At +700°C, the lead melt evaporates, forming a toxic aerosol. Metal boils at +1750°C. The oxide layer undergoes phase changes from solid to liquid only when heated to +850°C.

Application area

Despite its toxicity, lead is valued for its corrosion resistance and ability to block γ-radiation. It remains indispensable in many industries.

Up to 75% of the resulting lead is used in electrical engineering for battery plates and transformer superconductor systems, power cables. Babbitt - steel alloyed with Pb, has anti-friction properties. Alloys containing tin and cadmium are used for solders.

Plumbum is part of anti-corrosion coatings and dyes. Bullets and shot, printed font, figurines, and sinkers are cast from it. Sheets of metal shield X-ray units, nuclear reactors, bunkers at landfills. The plates are sewn into aprons, vests, and other protective clothing. Lead plates reduce vibration and seismic shocks. They are used in construction to compact masonry, foundations, and bridge supports. Nitrate is used to produce explosives with high detonation.

How to melt lead

In factories, the following are used as melting tanks:

• special crucibles made of refractory ceramics or refractory metals; they are placed in electric furnaces that provide the necessary thermal conditions;
• heating baths, they are equipped with built-in shades, maintain the required temperature of the metal around the entire perimeter.

You can melt lead yourself at home, in the yard, garage or workshop in a tin can, it will replace the crucible. On one side of the tin a groove is made for pouring metal into the mold. The edges of the form are folded so that they are securely fixed in the clamp. Instead of tacks, it is more reliable to hold the hot container with pliers; the melting pot will not burn your hands while filling the mold.

You can use old household utensils to melt lead scrap: pots, pans, stainless or enamel kettles, or other heat-resistant cookware. The slag layer is removed with a special spoon with a long handle. This is done immediately before pouring the metal into prepared molds.

Melting process

The following is used as a heat source for melting scrap:

• a fire, with a smelter stand placed above it;
• blowtorch, it is fixed in a stationary position;
• a gas burner, with which the metal is heated both from below and from above, alternately;
• kitchen stove (gas or electric).

Important!

The container is installed so that the flames do not extend beyond the bottom area.

Lead smelting begins with a preparatory stage: you need to prepare a smelting container and grind the scrap. It is cleaned of impurities, possible moisture, and contaminants. Then cut into small pieces with a knife or metal scissors. It is difficult to break lead pieces; they bend well. The smaller the scrap, the faster it will melt. It is recommended to gradually add it to the melting tank. When the pieces are loaded into the melt, the risk of the melt overheating to the volatility point is reduced. You should not heat the pieces to a reddish tint, this is a signal that they are forming toxic volatile compounds.

If a container with thick walls is used for the melt, it is preheated. Dry the tin enough. The melting pot is filled no more than half, preferably 1/3. A thick layer will not heat up evenly.

The melting pot must stand firmly on the burner and not wobble. After the scrap melts, a slag cap forms on the surface. It is removed before pouring the melt into the mold. It is preheated so that there is no sharp temperature contrast. The melt is poured unevenly into a cold mold. Potholes, folds, and other defects form on the casting surface.

Safety precautions

When melting lead in an isolated room, it is important to take care:

• about ventilation, it is necessary to force air in with a fan so that the concentration of hot aerosol is minimal, lead compounds have a detrimental effect on the brain, liver, and kidneys;
• about respiratory protection (a respirator is needed), vision (you should wear work glasses), long-sleeved clothing made from natural materials, synthetics melt if accidentally ingested, increasing the burn area;
• fire safety, you must keep a fire extinguisher at hand.

Liquid lead has high fluidity. If it comes into contact with a wet surface, it splashes heavily. Melt splashes are possible during heating of lead scrap. In the work area, flammable items must be removed or isolated.