I know you need to use clean lead for your jig molds. However, I am a metal detectorist and I would really like to repurpose some of these lead weights I find in the saltwater. Is there a way to purify these so they are acceptable to melt down for a jig mold. Thanks for your help.

Just melt the lead and add candle wax to flux the lead in mold pot. The contaminated material floats to the melted lead surface. Use old table spoon to scoop off the junk on the surface. I use a pie tin to put the waste material in.

Work with safety glasses, gloves and out doors if possible.

Tom

PS, old muffin tin makes a good ingot mold.

 

 

You will get a better flux if you get it hot enough for the wax to catch on fire.  If mine doesn’t catch fire I light it.  I use a spoon but have it in vice grips so that I can stir the lead while the wax burns.  That way I get more slag to float to the top.  If your lead is very dirty you may need to flux it more than once.

 

It is also a good idea to flux it every time you add lead even if you think the lead is clean.  You will be surprised at how much floats up.

What Jig Man wrote is what I do. The only thing I can add to this is make sure the lead is very very dry. If you put a lead weight that was in water and it contains some water in one of its cavities, it will explode and you will get burned. On unknown lead I would put it all in a pot and melt it outside. As it heats, the water will turn into steam and burn off. Naturally don't stand in front of the pot while this is happening. Once you get it to a liquid, I would then start fluxing it. Be safe.

You can’t get better advice than that given by cadman.  He is a pro’s pro when it comes to jig making and all of the aspects that go into it.