casting lead

[MattF]

Never noticed that personally, barring when there's a rust layer. Must be some variation between canister qualities, I'd guess.

Those crucibles aren't cheap, are they. I was a bit surprised at the prices last time I looked too.

 

[Wedg1e]

I use an old wok over a petrol stove. A few years back we built a mobile x-ray cabin, lining an ISO shipping container with 6mm lead slabs that were cast for the purpose.
We trimmed them to size using a table saw (the flying chips were bloody painful!) and at first the guys were sweeping the floor and binning the chips. I put a stop to that (on environmental grouds, obviously ) and collected the chips at the end of every day.
130Kg of lead slivers later the local scrap merchant was my best mate

 

[daleyd]

years ago when I needed a small amount of lead I melted it down in a clean baked beans tin on a camping stove

Haha yeah, I think as you get a bit older you probably realise messing with molten metals and no safety gear was probably not the wisest idea !

 

[the snooper]

I use an old wok over a petrol stove. A few years back we built a mobile x-ray cabin, lining an ISO shipping container with 6mm lead slabs that were cast for the purpose.
We trimmed them to size using a table saw (the flying chips were bloody painful!) and at first the guys were sweeping the floor and binning the chips. I put a stop to that (on environmental grouds, obviously ) and collected the chips at the end of every day.
130Kg of lead slivers later the local scrap merchant was my best mate

nice bit of beer money there

 

[bigegg]

That was what I was trying to ask, would the soup can withstand the molten brass and would I run into any problems with the chrome coating?

.
brass is an alloy of copper and zinc - it needs to be heated with a lid on to stop the zinc (which melts at 450c? I think) boiling off.
You also need a proper crucible to melt brass - steel crucibles will dissolve into the liquid brass, and at the melting point of brass will be red hot, and quite plastic (as in "will stretch and split under the weight").

backyardmetalcasting.com is a good place to learn about casting in general.

As to the chrome coating - I melted some diecast (zinc) door fittings which were chromed.
When the zinc melted, it left a perfect, microscopically thin chrome skin behind

 

[MattF]

Haha yeah, I think as you get a bit older you probably realise messing with molten metals and no safety gear was probably not the wisest idea !

It's like those lead figure kits you used to get though. There were never any cautions in those other than to be careful. Besides, molten metal can get you from the unlikeliest of scenarios. I have a small scar on my forehead from a blob of solder years ago. Had an unusually clingy blob one day which wasn't having any of the sponge, so a quick flick to clear the tip ended up with it getting me smack between the eyes. It's resisting trying to brush it away whilst still molten which is the hard part.