Dundas: Smelting for White

In preparation for turning the galena collected at Dundas into flake white I needed some kind of guinea-pig (I wonder if such a phrase is still politically correct ..?) to test my proposed processes for turning such a metal into an oxide pigment.

I don’t know why it came up in conversation, but my neighbour mentioned that they still use lead in balancing tires; and he also happened to have some such wheel weights in a bucket! So outside, and with a good breeze blowing across my little camp stove, I used my little plumber’s torch to melt down these scraps and then cast them into a few aluminum cups.

The work was quick and without incident. Each little medallion released from the cup by giving it a gentle squeeze and I stacked them in a bucket for use in the next step.

My only real concern at present is that I know this sample will not be pure. Wheel weights are roughly 95% lead, but they also have some tin and antimony mixed in them to produces certain properties. These extra elements might have some unexpected impact on my tests (which I will be on the lookout for). Still, it is good to have something other than my little bit of galena to test my theories!