Has anyone re-melted alox coated bullets that they decided they weren't going to use? Or did you remove the alox with paint thinner or solvent first?
Re-Melting LLA's bullets?
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- Last Post 27 November 2014
Yes I have & it makes a mess of one's pot. At least it did mine. I suggest doing it outside in an old cast iron pot or something you don't mind getting dirty. Wouldn't do it in my bottom pour again.
Pat
If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.
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As Pat says, it will give you a REAL good excuse to clean that pot.GP
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Hmmm....maybe I will soak them in paint thinner to clean them and let them sit for a year to dry....it would not do to throw them into the mix with paint thinner residue on them :caution:
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LOL or you could wash them with acetone and dry them in a toaster oven that should be memorable. Just kidding for CS don't do that. That might quite resemble a triple charge in an old Colt GP
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Still waiting to hear what kind of mess those powder coated bullets will make?
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What powder coated bullets? LLA refers to Lee Liquid Alox. I must have missed something.
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You are correct, I am referring to Lee Liquid Alox coated bullets. It is tenacious stuff after it has been dried on for a while.
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I don't think you missed it, we have not got there yet. But it is going to happen, and someone will mention what a mess it is to deal with melting down powder coated bullets. I think it will be about like trying to melt some of those little isotope containers without cleaning the glue off them first. Duane
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I had a bunch that I remelted in my bottom pour pot. Figured it would be about like flux. Sure did generate a bunch of smoke, but it didn't seem to mess up my pot. They were coated with straight alox, too. Not 45/45/10. Made a bunch of new bullets, and they seemed to be just fine. Good fill out and everything.
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I was wondering if the Alox would behave like smoky flux. That's why I asked if anyone had done it. Thaks!
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I melted a bunch a few years back. It made a mess. I rank the alox right there with lead sewer/drain pipes and WW from a dog infested neighborhood.
The alox skims off but it stuck to my pot. I darn sure wouldn't melt it in my casting pot!
Not much difference than using a thunder mug for a drinking water ewer in my book.
Jeff
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Are y'all saying that it doesn't burn off like any other oily flux? Seems counter-intuitive. I've remelted the odd aloxed boolit or six and the lube didn't seem indestructible.
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Alox usually leaves a substantial baked on carbon residue in melting pots. If your pot is closed bottom and not a bottom pour spout pot, you can boil dishwater in a closed bottom pot to easily clean Alox residue out.
Gary
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Okay, I'll bite. Why can't you boil water in a bottom pour, my Pro-Melt, for example? Do they leak that bad?
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Well, I am not going to tell you to try boiling soapy water in a bottom pour pot. My common sense about water and electricity and bottom valves screams NO!
I would also bet that a good commercial high pressure steam cleaning gun would blast baked on carbon off an unplugged pot that could then be thoroughly dried before use. I sure had a great steam cleaning gun when I worked in a Dental Lab, but I don't have one now.
Gary
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Why don't we try thinking outside of the pot here. If one is going melt down some LLA coated bullets (tar babies may be a good description based upon the residue that is left). Why not just save them until it is time to melt down a batch of WWs. Melt the WWs leaving the clips in the pot, dump in the TBs and let melt. Would not a good amount of the residual goo find itself attaching to the clips and the other debris as the TBs melt? Don't stir or flux, skim the clips, stems, cig butts, etc. before fluxing. Just a thought. So what if there is a little extra tin or antimony in the new batch of alloy.
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Has anyone re-melted alox coated bullets that they decided they weren't going to use?
Or did you remove the alox with paint thinner or solvent first?
I throw the rejected or shot LLA bullets recovered from the burm back into my large smelting pot. Have enough junk to skim off and never noticed anymore to skim off than usual. Never put any that I can remember into my Lee bottom pour. If I did don't remember any messes because of the small qty. added ....afish4570
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I am sure that I have melted thousands of bullets with the old NRA formula lube ("Alox” and beeswax) and never noticed. There are obviously different kinds of Alox. The old sometimes used to have a number after Alox. John
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Easier and less smelly to wash off with solvent , like paint thinner let dry and then remelt. Do not ask me how I know.
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