| Posted: Thu May 5th, 2011 09:49 pm |
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axgold
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Does anyone cast and mill their own lead? I have come to understand that when melting lead, one puts a potato in the mix. Has anyone heard of such a thing? From what I understand it keeps the lead calm and less splaters, or it is just a crazy German thing.
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| Posted: Fri May 6th, 2011 11:57 am |
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Roy
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Never heard of using a potato in casting, perhaps you have misheard the information because if anything damp or wet is put into hot/ boiling, melting lead it will create and explosive mix.
Very Dangerous. Water and liquid hot lead will splatter like a fireworks display. Don't try it, it will blow up in your face.
Alternatively, perhaps the potato could be used to rub along a cold casting before attempting to put it through the milling machine, sometimes treating the casting by rubbing with a lightly oiled rag can help the process.
However, too much oil will create problems with the milling wheels not gripping the lead and hence the lead getting stuck, which means taking the machine to pieces and clearing the offending piece of lead, rather like a paper jam in a printer.
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| Posted: Fri May 6th, 2011 05:39 pm |
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Steve
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I have cast a great many lead pieces and never would consider adding a potato, or anything else that will create steam. The meatl will "float" on the surface momentairly then blow the entire pot of metal out on the walls and floor and faces and skin that is nearby. DON'T DO IT.
You want everything dry in the smeltor pot. Graphite will make the mold slick, don't know how it would effect the mill. Need to find one and try it.
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| Posted: Fri May 6th, 2011 05:44 pm |
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Melanos
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On the other hand, if you pour hot lead in a bocket of cold water you will obtain amazing lead forms...
Start with small amounts... And still be careful.
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| Posted: Fri May 6th, 2011 08:30 pm |
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Mary Clerkin Higgins
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Potatoes are added to glass batch for certain effects when blowing glass - I think to get lots of bubbles - but as has been pointed out, it would probably NOT be a good idea to add it to melted lead. Last edited on Fri May 6th, 2011 09:42 pm by Mary Clerkin Higgins
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| Posted: Sat May 7th, 2011 06:38 pm |
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6th Post |
Rona
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Hartley Wood used to add a large potato or a small turnip to the pot to get a seedy glass; the local greengrocer sent them round specially. It is quite spectacular to watch it evaporating. Don't know if English Antique do it - I seem to remember them telling me at Lamberts that they blast air in to the molten glass so they can control the size and shape of the bubbles.
Used to cast and mill lead when I worked at Salisbury Cathedral, who employed 2 full-time plumbers (as in plumbus, lead) and we never put anything in the lead - as said by others, very dangerous. Dropping molten lead in to a bucket of water used to be a fortune-telling thing in Nottinghamshire, England (Presumably elsewhere too but that's where I saw it done). Someone reads the shapes like reading tea leaves.
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| Posted: Sat May 7th, 2011 09:27 pm |
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7th Post |
Steve
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I have also heard of using a willow branch in the melt instead of a potato, the size of the branch is what is used as a control for bubble quantity and size.
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| Posted: Sat May 7th, 2011 09:39 pm |
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axgold
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I did not think that you would add it to molten lead but put the potato in the melting pot with the unmotlen lead and let them melt/burn together.
I had the same reaction as the rest of you about it being very dangerous. When I was growing up we used to pour the lead into water as part of our new years eve celebration and then interperet the shapes as a predictor of the new year.
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| Posted: Mon May 9th, 2011 11:58 am |
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Rona
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I Googled potato in molten lead and got some interesting results. Quite a few fishing sites telling you how make fishing weights using a potato for a mold - fishing weights in lead are illegal in Britain because of the damage to the environment. A step-by-step on how to make some contraption for archery using a potato as a mold (photos show no mask to prevent ingress of fumes and no gloves to prevent burns - possible, yes. Sensible or smart?) Lots of bits of advice on fishing sites saying "if there's scum in your molten lead, drop a potato in then skim it off" - it claims the lead will be shinier after. These are generally followed, a few posts down, by someone saying "great idea! must try it!" and then, a few after that, someone saying "for God's sake don't, it's dangerous, just skim off the scum". Nothing about melting the lead with the potato, which I would think would just add to the scum, though that's just my hunch.
Steve - intrigued by the willow branch! Does it have to be willow?
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Steve
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I was told that by a long time glass guy. I see no reason to doubt it due to the willow being such a soft airy sort of wood. When burned in a fireplace or campfire it burns like paper, hot and fast. SO I would think any soft usueless wood should react the same. Willow is so plentiful over most of the country whereever there is a lake, I think I would try that first.
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| Posted: Tue May 10th, 2011 08:24 am |
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Don Burt
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I have some experience in this area: Take 8-10 small red skin potatos and simmer them in unsalted water for 20 minutes. Rinse in cold water, then pare the potatos into halves. Toss the potatos with chopped scallion, brown mustard, worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise and fresh baby dill. Refrigerate until chilled. Purchase lead came as needed from DHD, Sunshine, Bendheim or other AGG sponsor.
Not sure about the willow branch thing.
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| Posted: Tue May 10th, 2011 08:50 am |
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Rona
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Presumably you use the willow branch to make a traditional whisk which you then use to make the mayonnaise.
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| Posted: Thu May 12th, 2011 08:44 am |
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Nonnie
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I'm pretty sure the willow branch is used to beat people who give smart aleck answers.
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axgold
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Here is a what I believe to be a good article on fluxing....cross referenced with other sites about casting bullets, where a potato was mentioned, but not in as much detail about why one uses something in molten lead prior to casting as stated in the article at this link:
http://www.sixguns.com/crew/simplefluxing.htm
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