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Rangefinder · May 6, 2012, 03:27 PM

Also notice that Zinc is marked with "Zn" in most cases. As long as you run your smelt below about 750 degrees, the zinc will float rather than melt, and can be pulled off with all the clips. If you have contaminated a melt with zinc, there will be NO question--the skimmed melt will look and act like silver oatmeal--chunky.

Besides the side-cutter test, you can also give it the concrete floor "drop" test. Lead allow will be pretty flat when dropped on-end. Zinc will have a crisp ring to it. Special note--lead alloy WW's will ring a little if you drop it on the clip.

The easiest way I've found to handle a smelt is to sort clip-on from stick on--nothing more. Smelt at 700 degrees, and skim off everything that floats. Sorting individually is time consuming and redundant so long as you keep your smelt below the melting point of zinc. With literally thousands of pounds of lead alloy I've smelted over the years, the ONLY smelt I have ever contaminated was the one I did intentionally in order to see early-on exactly what it looked like and how it reacted.

May 6, 2012, 03:27 PM	#6
Rangefinder Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2005 Posts: 2,017	Also notice that Zinc is marked with "Zn" in most cases. As long as you run your smelt below about 750 degrees, the zinc will float rather than melt, and can be pulled off with all the clips. If you have contaminated a melt with zinc, there will be NO question--the skimmed melt will look and act like silver oatmeal--chunky. Besides the side-cutter test, you can also give it the concrete floor "drop" test. Lead allow will be pretty flat when dropped on-end. Zinc will have a crisp ring to it. Special note--lead alloy WW's will ring a little if you drop it on the clip. The easiest way I've found to handle a smelt is to sort clip-on from stick on--nothing more. Smelt at 700 degrees, and skim off everything that floats. Sorting individually is time consuming and redundant so long as you keep your smelt below the melting point of zinc. With literally thousands of pounds of lead alloy I've smelted over the years, the ONLY smelt I have ever contaminated was the one I did intentionally in order to see early-on exactly what it looked like and how it reacted. __________________ "Why is is called Common Sense when it seems so few actually possess it?" Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Politicians. Last edited by Rangefinder; May 6, 2012 at 03:35 PM.