Smelting pot

[DRSNINER]

I am just starting to gather the stuff to smelt my ingots. I have some ww and a very sturdy fish/turkey fryer base,donated by my hunting buddy,propane bottle and ingot molds. My question is what kind of smelting pot should i be looking for,aluminum,cast iron and what size is best?

[Jailer]

Cast iron or steel. DO NOT use aluminum to smelt with a turkey fryer.

I use a 6qt dutch oven. It works well.

[Ole]

I use one like this (http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-cast-iron-dutch-oven-44705.html).

Best price I found unless you get lucky and find one at a thrift store or garage sale.

[D Crockett]

I will not use a cast iron pot I had one come apart on me one time what a mess how it happened I had some slag in my laydel and smacked the side of the cast iron pot with the ladel to get the slag out that is when a haire line crack with a thin stream of lead came out the side of the pot I was lucky that it was pointed in a direction away from me or I could of been burnt bad I will use steel pots only D Crockett

[leadman]

I use the same pot as OLE. Works great. Do not heat the pot without something in it to melt or hit the pot.

[frkelly74]

At the Goodwill here I got a nice stainless 4 Qt pot for $2.50 at the half price sale. One of the plastic handles burnt off the second time I used it so I will replace the handles with stout a bail before next time. You just gotta look. I use it in my gas grill that I salvaged for smelting, I moved the outside burner inside so it's stable and I can close the lid and let it cook.

[lrdg]

I don't want to come off as a jerk or something, but isn't smelting extracting metal from ore? My father had a silver claim when I was a kid that tended to be more lead than silver. I use to get a kick out of using charcoal to smelt small amounts of lead and who know what trace metals. I'm just asking.

[dragonrider]

We consider wheel weights to be ore. :D Welcome to the forum.

[DRSNINER]

Smelt, melt its still making something useful,lead,out of something that has been disgarded so in reality we are being green.wow never been accused of that befor. Feels good

[Phat Man Mike]

welcome to the group! 1st off and I see your a okie 2nd! I use a cast aluminum pot over charcoal .. but have been looking into one of the pots in the swapping and selling area. mine takes to much to heat it up. just scored some pure lead today so I'll be busy soon. :)

[lrdg]

I've been lurking for several years, learned a lot but never felt the urge to comment.

I have been casting for forty years and if you count my father's efforts and my interference, my experience goes back another fifteen years. I have used whatever comes to hand to deal with large amounts of lead and their initial melt. Steel sauce pans seem to work about as well as anything. Yards sales and Goodwill are good sources. I can guarantee that a good hot campfire will melt down an aluminum pan. On the other hand, I have been known to throw a couple handfuls of range lead or WWs in a Coke can and stick to "cooler" areas of the fire. Next morning I just peal away the can. Although the bottom of the can will often sick to the "ingot".

I also have in my collection a dutch oven I used for years that now has a definitely bulged bottom because I tend to build those campfires rather hot. I picked up part of an acetylene bottle (lower 18 inches) a couple weeks ago. Looks to be like it could be dandy if I don't want to move it around too much.

[milprileb]

It seems cast iron dutch ovens if abused will crack when hot: banging one does it if reading this forum is proof positive. I will not debate that at all. Now how one goes about clanging and damaging one is beyond me but I guess folks do.

That said: I chased for a few months yard sales, thrift stores , antique places and found no dutch ovens. Spent tons of time and money doing so and what a fool I was.

Go to Walmart (or look at web site) and USA made, Lodge cast iron Dutch Ovens can be bought that are totally made right (Harbor Freight Chinese ones are problematic) and Lodge
can be trusted. Pick your price range and you buy right the first time.

I would have been money ahead and time ahead by going and buying Lodge from Walmart. I spent well over 30 bucks in gas chasing about for no results for finding a steal deal on a old cast iron dutch oven (which might have years of abuse and fail me too).

So consider buying new and not chasing the dream. For those who lucked into a steal deal: good on you.

Lastly: If you pulse this board for more on this subject you find Harbor Freight dutch oven lids may or may not fit and you got legs on them that may not fit your burner. Lodge tops fit
and they have a smooth bottom that sits nicely on any burner.

I think my 8 qt Lodge ran me 50 bucks. It really cost me 80 bucks cause I spent all the time chasing a good deal. Yours can really cost far less if you check out Walmart , Target and stores that sell cast iron stuff in your neighborhood.

Good Luck ! I think cast iron is the safest type pot to melt metal in. Other pots are a risk.

[blackthorn]

I use an old cut-off 20lb propane tank. Remove the valve--fill the tank with water--use an angle grinder (zip-cut) to cut out a good sized chunk from around (including) the valve hole--dump the water--lay the tank on its side and use the zip-cut to remove the top of the tank at the "shoulder". From this point on you can gussy the pot up with whatever turns your crank, such as ways to attach a handle, spout, lid etc. etc.

[Mal Paso]

I bought a Stainless Steel Restaurant Steam Table Insert ( 11" diam. 8 1/2 tall pot without handles ) at Smart and Final for $22. Chinese but made to NSF standards so a fairly heavy gauge. Best deal I could find including wallyworld.

[captaint]

I got myself one of the Harbor Frieght 12 qt dutch ovens. Cast. Cheap. Works great - however, I make it a point to avoid beatin on it!!! enjoy Mike

[straightarrow]

I have smelted range scrap into 260 pounds of lead muffins in the last couple months in a six quart cast aluminum pot with heavy lid that was bought at Goodwill for $2.50. I have had this set up on a turkey cooker in the yard hooked to a 25 pound LP tank and ran it for up to six hours with no problems with the pot. Before that on my very first smelt I did 70 pounds of lead muffins from wheel weights on an old propane coleman stove using a thin $2.00 aluminum sauce pan. This was on the stove on full blast for about three hours with zero damage to the pan.

[waksupi]

I have smelted range scrap into 260 pounds of lead muffins in the last couple months in a six quart cast aluminum pot with heavy lid that was bought at Goodwill for $2.50. I have had this set up on a turkey cooker in the yard hooked to a 25 pound LP tank and ran it for up to six hours with no problems with the pot. Before that on my very first smelt I did 70 pounds of lead muffins from wheel weights on an old propane coleman stove using a thin $2.00 aluminum sauce pan. This was on the stove on full blast for about three hours with zero damage to the pan.

Not a good idea. Every time you heat the aluminum, they weaken more. The reason it can be used for cooking, is that everything you cook has water in it, and will not go hotter than the boiling point. Keep messing with the bull, and you WILL get the horn.

[straightarrow]

10-4, I guess I will be looking for something made of steel.

[BigRix]

Here is what I used. Can't beat the price.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=115120&highlight=smelting+pot

[afish4570]

I will not use a cast iron pot I had one come apart on me one time what a mess how it happened I had some slag in my laydel and smacked the side of the cast iron pot with the ladel to get the slag out that is when a haire line crack with a thin stream of lead came out the side of the pot I was lucky that it was pointed in a direction away from me or I could of been burnt bad I will use steel pots only D Crockett

Had the same problem with the cracking of a cast iron pot. Seems the amount of dirt and bullet jackets slowed the melt down and the plumbers furnace created a hot spot and it cracked. With my recently cut off 20# propane bottle pot, the steel seems to be the way to go. Worked great today and had 73# of ingots. Had alot of TMJ pistol bullets that obviously didn't melt.afish4570;-);-)

[bumpo628]

10-4, I guess I will be looking for something made of steel.

D. Crockett sells pots made from propane tanks here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=124520

I can't wait to try mine out. I don't think you can go wrong with a steel pot.
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r298/bumpo628/IMG_20110903_185146.jpg

[10 ga]

I use cast iron dutch oven with no problems but I don't beat on it with the ladel, have used #10 cans fished out of the dumpster, stainless steel pots of various sizes and a demilled freon tank. In fact currently use all of the above in one form or another depending on what I'm doing, type of "ore", product produced etc...
The dutch oven was a "artifact" find product of my metal detecting and old stuff scrounging, have 6 and only use 1 for smelting/casting. Others are "food grade". The #10 cans are readily at the dumpster station, I just look in the can bin and there always seem to be a couple in there. I use them a lot for preheating my "ore" but they will do for small lot smelting in a pinch. The stainless steel pots and pans are readily available at Goodwill/Salvation Army/second hand and thrift stores. I like to find the really small sauce pan type as they are good for ingot molds. They produce nice "giant coin" ingots, and if I need a smaller amount I can just cut the "coins" with the hatchet. The demilled freon tank is my large smelting unit. I just opened the valve and removed the valve with a pipe wrench. Then filled with water and cut to size with a zip cut. I've been using it for 3 years and it is none the worse for wear. In fact I use wood fire for my large smelting operations and as I keep a good level of ore (it will hold a full 4 gal bucket of COWWs at start) and melt in it and feed as the ingots are cast there arn't any problems. The only of my pots that I have purchased have been the stainless steel ones from the "thrift" stores. Best to all! 10 ga

[quack1]

Here is what I use- a big stainless bowl that I got for $.50, since it had a couple of dents. Filled to about 3/4, it will make about 30 muffin ingots. Here it is in action sitting on my burner with a cut down steel 5 gallon bucket as a wind deflector. This bowl has smelted nearly a ton of lead.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/1quack1/IMG_0001.jpg