Melted lead weights can be reused to make fishing lures, sinkers and hunting bullets. To melt lead weights, you need a heat source hot enough to melt the lead and then you need to remove the impurities from the lead to make the molten metal reusable. During the melting process, harmful lead fumes released into the air. You need to take precautions to eliminate inhaling the toxic fumes or exposing others in your home to the dangers of lead.
Items you will need
Particulate respirator
Leather gloves
Electric melting pot
Lead weights
Ladle
Tin can
Ingot molds
Put on the particulate respirator and the leather work gloves.
Move the electric melting pot to a safe outdoor location, fill the hopper of the melting pot with lead weights and turn on the melting pot.
Skim the impurities from the top of the melted lead, when the lead weights have completely melted with the ladle. The impurities will be grayish in color as opposed to the silvery color of the melted lead.
Place the impurities in a scrap tin can. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until no impurities remain in the molten lead.
Pour the molten lead from the electric melting pot into ingot molds and refill the hopper of the melting pot with additional lead weights.
Remove the lead ingots from the ingot mold after they have cooled to room temperature.
Repeat Steps 1 through 6 until you have melted all the lead weights.
Turn off the electric melting pot and allow the pot to cool before bringing the melting pot indoors.
Warnings
- Keep water away from molten lead, as moisture will cause the hot lead to explode from the hopper of the melting pot.
References
Warnings
- Keep water away from molten lead, as moisture will cause the hot lead to explode from the hopper of the melting pot.
