Method and apparatus for casting anodes

A method for casting an insoluble anode for use in the electrowinning of copper, the anode being formed by casting molten lead alloy preferably including calcium as an alloying agent in a suitable mold necessary flow of the molten alloy being minimized within the mold, the temperature of the molten alloy and the temperature of the mold being selected to minimize the time necessary for solidification of the molten alloy within the mold, the lead alloy anode preferably being removed from the mold substantially as soon as it is mechanically self-supporting and rapidly cooling the anode in an unstressed configuration to freeze its grain structure and develop dimensional stability. The present invention also relates to a lead alloy casting produced by the above method as well as to an insoluble anode formed from a lead alloy including calcium as an alloying agent, the anode being characterized by the uniform precipitate distribution illustrated in FIG. 7 and the surface finish illustrated in FIG. 9.