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making sinkers,


leonardgid

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Well I cant give you an answer nor actual advice but just give you the melting temperature of lead which is 327.5*C give or take depending on other elements.

 

Actually what I would say is that trying to melt lead in a lead pot wouldnt end well I dont think :whistling:

 

 

Edited by kingie chaser
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14 hours ago, leonardgid said:

if anyone was/is  into making sinkers can you tell me if i can use a thick aluminium wok or a small stainless  saucepan with a thick base to melt lead    please , thank you all.

I do it infrequently and tend to pour a lot in one go as I find there is a fair bit of prep and set up - so that way I get maximum bang for invested time. Last pour was in 2017 and I made over 20kg of sinkers. Still have about 1/3 of that stockpiled... but I have been chatting to @Welster regarding the next pour.

From my experience, there's a couple of things to consider when you chose a smelting pot apart from the construction material. The main thing is: how much lead do you plan to melt? and how many sinkers and what size do you plan to make?

That will determine how big a pot you need and how much lead you need to keep molten so that you are not waiting around for the next bit to melt - this can take a while.

My snapper lead mold has 4 - 8 -10 - 16oz sinkers. Thats 38oz (about 1kg) of lead to cast all 4 in  one go.  That gives you an idea of how much molten lead you need to keep on standby.

I preheat the mold with a butane torch before pouring the lead into it. A cold mold will cause lead to set in the throat and you wont get a solid pour.

You then need to wait about 4-5min for lead to set before cracking open the mold and removing the sinkers (set aside for finishing) - then re-assemble the very hot mold before pouring the next batch. If you can get an extra person to help you'll whizz though it as one can be finishing sinkers while the other one does the smelting.

I found by keeping big pot of molten lead on standby, it helped speed up melting additional lead due to its large thermal mass and hence speed up the whole process in general.

Regarding the pot material: Lead melts at 327C as KC posted. Aluminium melts around 660C, cast iron, steel, stainless steel melt at 1100-1400C. I chose to dedicate a cast iron camping pot to my smelting because it is sturdy and holds the heat really well - keeping your lead molten. A stainless pot would work, but you'll lose a lot of heat from the thin sides - it just depends on how much lead and how many sinkers you want to make.

I also found it helpful to keep the s/steel ladle in the melt so that it too stays hot. You'll be surprised how quickly things cool and the lead sets where you don't want it to.

Safety warnings:

1. make sure your mold is DRY and the work space is dry. If molten lead touches any water, you will have an explosion of sprayed molten lead.

2. work in a well ventilated place (I also wear a welding gas mask)

3. wear heavy gloves (like welding gloves) and eye protection.

4. wear heavy clothing and foot protection (I basically wear old cotton/canvas shirt, jeans and work boots ie. my welding gear). 

Have fun and stay safe !!

Cheers Zoran

image.png.ce37dcc5589b3e4d7153b82398b58913.png

image.png.c9cc5c8f40a19b72dbf88d6c8e85d0a0.png

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I invested in an electric smelting pot. It has a 'tap' built in. Mt larger version holds about 10kg.

It takes around 30 min to melt a full (cold) pot.

I have multiple molds going at the same time so I minimise lost time.

If I can get assistance, 2 people preferably, the sinkers fly....

 

Recently I have moved to a 'new' style of sinker.... I make larger barrel sinkers-- I have around 20 wires to pot in the mold so all I have to do is take a full wire out and put a new one in-- remove the sinkers when they are all cold = 60 sinkers.

I them put a womens hair clip into the centre hole of the sinker and crimp the sinker to keep it in place.  This forms the eye to connect it to the line.  The hairclips are surprisingly rust resistant and last a very long time.

 

I have molds for the larger snapper sinkers too.

 

Once you try an elecric pot "you will never go back...."

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On 9/26/2020 at 11:04 AM, dmck said:

I invested in an electric smelting pot. It has a 'tap' built in. Mt larger version holds about 10kg.

It takes around 30 min to melt a full (cold) pot.

I have multiple molds going at the same time so I minimise lost time.

If I can get assistance, 2 people preferably, the sinkers fly....

 

Recently I have moved to a 'new' style of sinker.... I make larger barrel sinkers-- I have around 20 wires to pot in the mold so all I have to do is take a full wire out and put a new one in-- remove the sinkers when they are all cold = 60 sinkers.

I them put a womens hair clip into the centre hole of the sinker and crimp the sinker to keep it in place.  This forms the eye to connect it to the line.  The hairclips are surprisingly rust resistant and last a very long time.

 

I have molds for the larger snapper sinkers too.

 

Once you try an elecric pot "you will never go back...."

thank you,  very useful information, i will look them up,  

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On 9/25/2020 at 8:47 PM, Blackfish said:

I used to melt lead in old jam/Tin fruit tins.

Bend the front to a spout and square off the back so I could pick up the tin with a pair of Multi Grips.

I put it on a round BBQ burner and made heaps of sinkers.

Back in the day........ 

thank you.

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On 9/26/2020 at 9:55 AM, zmk1962 said:

I do it infrequently and tend to pour a lot in one go as I find there is a fair bit of prep and set up - so that way I get maximum bang for invested time. Last pour was in 2017 and I made over 20kg of sinkers. Still have about 1/3 of that stockpiled... but I have been chatting to @Welster regarding the next pour.

From my experience, there's a couple of things to consider when you chose a smelting pot apart from the construction material. The main thing is: how much lead do you plan to melt? and how many sinkers and what size do you plan to make?

That will determine how big a pot you need and how much lead you need to keep molten so that you are not waiting around for the next bit to melt - this can take a while.

My snapper lead mold has 4 - 8 -10 - 16oz sinkers. Thats 38oz (about 1kg) of lead to cast all 4 in  one go.  That gives you an idea of how much molten lead you need to keep on standby.

I preheat the mold with a butane torch before pouring the lead into it. A cold mold will cause lead to set in the throat and you wont get a solid pour.

You then need to wait about 4-5min for lead to set before cracking open the mold and removing the sinkers (set aside for finishing) - then re-assemble the very hot mold before pouring the next batch. If you can get an extra person to help you'll whizz though it as one can be finishing sinkers while the other one does the smelting.

I found by keeping big pot of molten lead on standby, it helped speed up melting additional lead due to its large thermal mass and hence speed up the whole process in general.

Regarding the pot material: Lead melts at 327C as KC posted. Aluminium melts around 660C, cast iron, steel, stainless steel melt at 1100-1400C. I chose to dedicate a cast iron camping pot to my smelting because it is sturdy and holds the heat really well - keeping your lead molten. A stainless pot would work, but you'll lose a lot of heat from the thin sides - it just depends on how much lead and how many sinkers you want to make.

I also found it helpful to keep the s/steel ladle in the melt so that it too stays hot. You'll be surprised how quickly things cool and the lead sets where you don't want it to.

Safety warnings:

1. make sure your mold is DRY and the work space is dry. If molten lead touches any water, you will have an explosion of sprayed molten lead.

2. work in a well ventilated place (I also wear a welding gas mask)

3. wear heavy gloves (like welding gloves) and eye protection.

4. wear heavy clothing and foot protection (I basically wear old cotton/canvas shirt, jeans and work boots ie. my welding gear). 

Have fun and stay safe !!

Cheers Zoran

image.png.ce37dcc5589b3e4d7153b82398b58913.png

image.png.c9cc5c8f40a19b72dbf88d6c8e85d0a0.png

thank you for the advice , i will do as you said , out doors  under a metal  roof , just a quick question about  respirators etc, wonder if you know if these  p2 filters  are suitable  for melting lead , could not find information, this is the  tipe ive got at home with a half mask Protector P2 Particulate Respirator Filter

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9 hours ago, leonardgid said:

thank you for the advice , i will do as you said , out doors  under a metal  roof , just a quick question about  respirators etc, wonder if you know if these  p2 filters  are suitable  for melting lead , could not find information, this is the  tipe ive got at home with a half mask

Hmmm not sure as I don't know the specs on that one. I just look to see if it says it can be used for welding fumes ...

I use disposable ones - pick them up at hardware stores in the welding section ... they look something like this in different colours:

image.png.6ee76a84b7b797f665c4ee6e1a924280.png

Cheers Zoran

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On 9/26/2020 at 11:04 AM, dmck said:

Once you try an elecric pot "you will never go back...."

hahaha .... 🤣   ... and old electricians never die .. they just lose their contacts ! 

Cheers Z

Edited by zmk1962
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22 hours ago, leonardgid said:

thank you for the advice , i will do as you said , out doors  under a metal  roof , just a quick question about  respirators etc, wonder if you know if these  p2 filters  are suitable  for melting lead , could not find information, this is the  tipe ive got at home with a half mask Protector P2 Particulate Respirator Filter

My Sundstrom brand mask has a throw away prefilter, that fits onto the particle cartridge that can also be fitted to the gas cartridge.    I'd guess the gas cartridge would be the go.   It has been a while since I have used a gas one. 

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