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wtfooptimax200
05-01-2011, 10:21 AM
I'm looking to build a rugged pot for use with the burner setup that I'd like to build. I am considering welding a piece of 10" tall x 10" dia steel pipe (hopefully something no thicker than schedule 5) to a plate to form the bottom. I am doing this to avoid the many horror stories that I've heard about cast iron pots cracking, etc. This pot should hold roughly 2.5 gallons of wheelweights, which is the max that I'd like to melt at one time to avoid overloading my burner. I am confident that pot strength will not be an issue. My major concern is that when melted, the liquid depth in the pot will be only 2.5"+/-, assuming that there are 150# of WW per bucket and a density of .4#/in^3 for lead. Will this depth be sufficient for ladling into ingots? Since I haven't actually done this yet, I'm not sure how far you can ladle down into a pot before the ladle can no longer be filled.

Thanks for any advice.

Digger
05-01-2011, 11:46 AM
I use a #3 Rowell ladle in my plan jane steel pot , it works just fine as it gets down low I simply grab hold of one of my handles that is welded on the side and tilt the pot for the last scoop or two then simply pick up the pot and pour the little bit left into a ingot mold.
Lately as some others here do , I leave a certain layer or amount in to facilitate the next melt.
My pot is roughly the same dimensions and material.
digger

dragonrider
05-01-2011, 12:11 PM
The pot I made is pretty much what you envision but I made a bottom pour making it very easy to fill an ingot mold

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/0603/PaulGauthier/SMELTER/

click on the pics for a larger view.

Digger
05-01-2011, 12:24 PM
Very nice there Dragonrider .... just a little jealous .....:lol:
I am lucky enough to be working in the gas pipeline industry for my materials and took advantage of a welder friend or two for my basic pot.
Would have to by them a lot of dinners for that set up .....:bigsmyl2:
digger

JonB_in_Glencoe
05-01-2011, 01:29 PM
I offered these stainless steel pot shaped thingy's I dug out of the
scrap bin at a jobsite I worked at a while back.

they are a little smaller than what you are looking for, but I still have a couple,
The stainless material is fairly thick...at least 1/8" or maybe 3/16"
$25 plus ship...or trade for some soft Lead ?
Let me know if your interested.

I thought these would be a great start on building
your own electric melter.

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_1527.jpg

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/100_1528.jpg

Von Gruff
05-01-2011, 04:53 PM
If you are going to weld a flat on the bottom of the 10 in pipe, you might think about setting it up inside the pipe by a couple of inches especially if you were going to use a gas burner to heat. The 'skirt' on the bottom helps keep the heat under the melt and transfers more of it to the pot than a flat bottom would. Depending on the type of heat it can also be made long enough to act as a wind shield over the heat source.

Von Gruff.