casting pot

[realfisher]

i am in need of a good size pot to melt down lead and pour into ingots. any sujestions?

[mooman76]

Get creative. If you can't find an cast iron pot some people make them out of old propane tanks and such.

[Bret4207]

The standard is an inexpensive cast iron dutch oven from Harbor Freight, TSC or Walmart. Other possibilities include water heater cores, propane tanks, pressure tanks, steel pots. Remember that lead is HEAVY. I have a 5"x6" pot I cast from and it holds over 40 lbs of alloy. So if you make a large rendering pot remember it'll be very heavy when full.

[WILCO]

RCBS has a 10 lb. capacity for under $25.00! [smilie=s:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/rcbs-cast-iron-lead-pot-with-pour-spout-10-pound-capacity-80010.html

[D Crockett]

Realfisher how about something that will 100 + lbs I make such a pot I also make ingot moulds that will dump out the ingot with out sticking also make a magnet with a T handle on it to get the wheel weight clips out of you mix with give me a pm if you would like to know more about this stuff D Crockett

[realfisher]

thanks for all the input. there is a swap meet near me this weekend that i will have to look through

[Papa Jack]

How big is "Good Size" ? What are you using for a burner ?
For my old Coleman Stove I use a pot I made from a piece of pipe, about 5" in Dia. and about 4" deep, I welded a 3/8" thick plate bottom on to it, and a pipe handle about 1" dia. (yea, it gets really hot) I laid it on it's side and heated a spot and used a ball pean hammer to roll a pouring lip. It works really good and holds enough that it's still a struggle to lift it when it's full...
For the big weed burner propane fired melter I use a cast iron Dutch oven, laddle out of it to the ingot molds.... "PJ"

[realfisher]

papa jack, i have a 2 burner camp cook stove. most of the pots made like the rcbs mentioned above are too small.

i like to have one that can hold about 50 pounds of lead. also makes it easier to melt wheel weights down and remove the clps as well as flux.

i have a pot here about the size of the rcbs one pictured in this thread and its hard to flux with

[Recluse]

The standard is an inexpensive cast iron dutch oven from Harbor Freight, TSC or Walmart. Other possibilities include water heater cores, propane tanks, pressure tanks, steel pots. Remember that lead is HEAVY. I have a 5"x6" pot I cast from and it holds over 40 lbs of alloy. So if you make a large rendering pot remember it'll be very heavy when full.

+1

Got a dutch oven from a sporting goods shop for something ridiculous like ten bucks. Have never looked back.

Also bought my wife an identical dutch oven the same day so she could make me apple cobblers and the such.

It's yet to see a cobbler, while my smelting dutch oven on the other hand, has produced who-knows-how-many pounds of ingots.

:coffee:

[Skipper488]

I've done the math and if you fill a six quart dutch oven to the top it will hold 141.9525 pounds of lead. I melted down a bunch of wheel weights and ended up with 60 pounds and it was obvious I had not quite reached the half full mark. BTW Tractor Supply has a made in China cast Iron Dutch Oven for $14.95 right now. :D

[Moonie]

Skipper488, I can't seem to find it on their website, all they show when I search for dutch oven are lodge, now I do love lodge cookware it is not made in china or anywhere close to $14.95 lol.

Got a link?

[arjacobson]

I use a enamelware(?) large stew pot with lid... It holds quite a bit when smelting

[Skipper488]

Moonie it's not on their web site. I saw it the other day when I was there. Yea, I offered to buy my wife one of the $14.95 ones but she's holding out for the $60 Lodge.

[Moonie]

Skipper488, I have the Lodge Signature series dutch oven, it is alot more than $60 and I will not be using it to smelt. I'm the cook in the family so it isn't my wife I have to fight for it but would never ruin something like that.

Skipper488, your wife will be very happy with it.

[Skipper488]

That's why I bought the cheap made in China stuff. I knew if I brought that Lodge home I'd never see it.

[Mk42gunner]

I made my smelting pot out of an eight inch section of 8" pipe, don't remember if it was schedule 40 or 80. I welded a piece of 1/4" plate on the bottom. It will hold somewhere around 100 pounds; which can get dicey if your turkey bryer isn't strong enough.

I have found that when I fill it with WW, once they melt is about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I need to build more ingot molds.

Robert

[saz]

I picked up a Camp Chef 12" dutch oven at sportsmans warehouse for $24 on sale a couple of months ago. I almost felt a little guilty using it for smelting, since it is a REALLY nice dutch oven. Scored a good turkey fryer on craigslist too........ Cant beat it!

No more smelting on an electric hotplate with a stainless steel bowl anymore!!!

[Skipper488]

saz, where is the camp chef made? We've started trying to buy more stuff made in the US and the Lodge products are made here, They're a little pricwy but if that's the onlt ones made here that's what my wife gets for cooking. Iknow, I know I bought the made in China one for casting....Well it's not like any lead they put in it will hurt my casting. :kidding:

[saz]

Ya know, I thought they were made in the US until I looked at their website and it says nothing about it, so I contacted them and asked. We will see what the outcome is.

[lwknight]

I got a Lodge 10" pot at Tractor Supply that holds something over 100 pounds easily.
Seems like ir was around $40.00 there about .

Update : It is $39.95 for the 10" 5 quart and has deeper sides than the 12" 6 quart .
Figure that one out will ya?

BTW: the 6 qt is about 60 bucks

[Digger]

I made my smelting pot out of an eight inch section of 8" pipe, don't remember if it was schedule 40 or 80. I welded a piece of 1/4" plate on the bottom. It will hold somewhere around 100 pounds; which can get dicey if your turkey bryer isn't strong enough.

I have found that when I fill it with WW, once they melt is about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I need to build more ingot molds.

Robert

Ditto on the pipe section , did the same thing with a piece of 8 inch and a piece of 6 inch.
The 8 inch holds just under 200 lbs almost full and the 6 inch I use for creating alloys , mixing tin , different lead , easy 30 lbs 28820

[Texasflyboy]

I made my smelting pot out of an eight inch section of 8" pipe, don't remember if it was schedule 40 or 80. I welded a piece of 1/4" plate on the bottom. It will hold somewhere around 100 pounds; which can get dicey if your turkey bryer isn't strong enough.

I have found that when I fill it with WW, once they melt is about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I need to build more ingot molds.

Robert

You should have kept going once you had the 1/4" plate welded on....

I did the same thing with a piece of 12" pipe, but now I realize that 6" or 8" is probably perfect:

Casting Pot made out of 12" Pipe and 1/4" plate (http://hgmould.gunloads.com/newpot/instructions.htm)

[songdog53]

I have pot made from bottom of ppropane bottle and also us # 6 cast pot that belonged to father-in-law when pouring HP's with ladle.