Newbie Question about Ingots and WW

[sharpshooter81]

So I decided to get into casting. I am using a coleman stove, and I planned on making my own steel ingots from a small piece of channel iron. Just wondering if an ingot made of steel will contaminate my lead ingot bricks when I pour them in?....Also, how do you guys melt your WW? Isnt there a small metal clip on them that should be removed? Thanks in advance!!
:grin:

[Reload3006]

the only way your steel angles will contaminate your lead is if you possibly get some oil on it. But that will just burn off and act like flux so No worries there.

When I smelt my wheel weights I do it outside on a turkey fryer using a cast iron dutch oven. Sort the WW make sure you arent wasting your time throwing steel in there and you dont want your alloy contaminated with Zinc there is a thread on here that has a great pictorial of what to look for. After the Lead is melted the steel and other debris will float to the top Take a slotted cheap spoon (you can get these at the dollar tree) and dip off the trash. as the bulk gets dipped off you will have to go to a big regular spoon. then just flux it really good drag off the dross one more time then pour them into your ingots.

Thats the way I do it anyway. I am sure there are lots of other methods some probably better.

[Budmen]

The ingot molds will work fine as long as you get your welds ground down on the ends so the lead doesn't stick I made 3 of these to make 10# ingot but I have found it is just easier to make the one pounders right off the get go with a Lee or Lyman mold. Believe me the price is worth it but you can also use muffin tins or any small bread loaf pans too these are cheap and well worth it compared to trying to get the corners smooth on your welded angle iron.

[Budmen]

As Far as the ww go dont waste the time trying to take the clips off the lead is poured around the clip. Throw them in the pot heat to 600 or 650 degrees and they will float off the lead with the rest of your unusable dross skim with a spoon or ladle and sell for scrap steel to buy more lead.

[Budmen]

Also I tried the route with the coleman stove If your looking to melt 5# at a time it will work but it takes forever and propane is not free. Invest in a turkey fryer and a cast pot so much faster and cheaper in the long run. Also I always try to cast on windy days because all the fumes from lead can have ill side effects supposidly try a nice breeze with your coleman stove you'll want a fryer

[williamwaco]

Don't worry about steel ingot molds.

Ingot molds by Lyman and Saeco ( and probably others ) were cast iron until just a few hears ago.

.

[canyon-ghost]

I use channel iron ingot molds, it's what's handy. When melting down wheelweight, I'm using candle wax. It's very flammable- foot high flames! I drop a couple of sizable chunks in and wait til it smokes white, then light the pot. It burns down and all the clips and crud turn black.

I just let it burn all the way down. All you have to do is get the ww hot enough. Then, I skim it off with an old long handled teaspoon and drop it in a METAL coffee can. I drilled holes in the spoon with a 1/4" drill bit.

The rough surface on the channel or angle iron will stick the ingot in there. Keep a knife handy, I just slip the point in when it's cooled, and pop out the ingot. Kano Kroil makes a good release agent, or smear it with the same candle wax. Just be careful to not get burnt. You can tell it's cool when it gets a frosted over surface.

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/ingotmolds006.jpg


http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/October152010003.jpg

Think that won't work?

[mdi]

Rusty is good! Lead doesn't stick to rusty iron or steel molds and rust won't contaminate the lead enough to worry, you'll flux the melt when you're casting anyway. I made a couple channel iron molds a while back (I had a welder at work assemble them for me and I lost them in a move so I can't weigh the ingots), I think they were 3" across the open end and 6" long.. One thing to remember is to weld the ends on at an angle, or the ingots won't drop out. Another thing I've been using lately is Mini Loaf pans; 3"x5" steel pans with tapered sides; one full will weigh nearly 12 lbs...

[runfiverun]

i welded on the outside.
i also cut the ends on an angle [narrow on the bottom] to allow the ingots to come from the mold easier.
i would definatly recommend the cast iron dutch oven and turkey cooker to clean the ww's in, you can cast from this pot with a ladle also.
a large magnet will pull the clips from the lead as well as a spoon.
but the spoon is more useful in scraping the pot.
search fluxing.

[454PB]

I made mine from 2" angle iron, but the principals are the same. Weld on the back side. The ingots from this weigh around 3 pounds each.







http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5060&d=1191949259

[Mk42gunner]

Welcome aboard.

Channel iron will work fine for ingot molds. I have made several out of angle iron; everything from old bedframes (hard to weld) to 2" angle. I make mine somewhere around 10 inches long so they will set across the top of my electric casting pot to preheat.

Also as has already been said, weld on the outside, with a small amount of draft so the ingots will come out. I dump mine rather vigorously sometimes if the ingots are trying to stick.

A Coleman stove will work for casting, it is the way I (and a lot of others) started out. I find an electric pot is much more comfortable to use, less heat escapes around the pot where your hands have to be to ladle cast.

Robert