Most efficient way to ingotize lead/alloys?

[jkpq45]

I'm just getting started cleaning and ingotizing scrap lead and want to plan ahead. Is there a general consensus on what the maximum size of a single ingot should be?

I'm thinking I need to compare the sizes of a 10 pound pot, a 20 pound pot, and a SFR/MFR box (in case a miracle occurs and I find a surplus to pass along....)

Whaddya think? Any input?

[40Super]

It all depends on how your going to remelt for casting time.The bigger the ingots the more each one cools the molten lead and you have to wait longer for it to get back up to casting temp.I like my 9oz. mini muffin ingots(1 lb would work also).But the smaller ones are harder to store because of all the pieces.I also preheat the ingots so I can just steadily drop one in every 5 to ten minutes and do a quick stir,then keep on casting.

[jkpq45]

Update:

MFRB:
Inside Dimensions: 11 7/8" x 3 3/8" x 13 5/8"
Outside Dimensions: 12" x 3 1/2" x 14"

[randyrat]

40super has a very good point...small ingots are very nice when you need to keep the heat for some molds. I like 1/2 to 1 lb ingots

[bobthenailer]

I also like the 1 pound ingots for feeding the pot , as for storing i store it in bulk i use 5 to 15 gallon plastic buckets/ barrels. but i also have 6 ingot moulds from saeco ,rcbs & lyman that ive picked up over the years to use when smelting.

[sqlbullet]

+1 for 1 lb ingots. I use Lyman ingot molds. They are not only a convenient size for topping off a pot, they box up very will with little wasted space. That was something that always bugged me about mini-muffins and cupcakes.

I will tell you another little trick I have learned when making ingots. I use two lyman molds, four 1lb ingots per mold. I bought a cheap cookie sheet with the 1/2" lip all the way around and stole a terry hand towel from the kitchen that was the same width as the cookie sheet. Fold the towel into thirds, put it in the cookie sheet, and soak it good with water.

This acts as a heat sink on the mold without a huge about of splash. By the time I fill the second mold, the first is ready to dump. No more time spent waiting on ingots to set up. Last weekend I ran about 800 lbs of lead using this method in about 6 hours. If I would add a second dutch oven so I spent less time waiting on lead to melt I could probably cut that time by another 1/3.

[runfiverun]

airc from my testing a room temp 1 lb ingot will drop the temp of a 20 lb lee pot 40-50*f for about a minute.
a 1 kilo ingot drops a 40 lb pot about 25*f

[fredj338]

Pot size matters in relation to ingot size. My 40# Magma will easily take 3# ingots, not my 10# Lee. It gets 1#. The 20# can take a 3# ingot but it pulls a lot of heat out of the pot, so 2# seems a good alternative. My range scrap is poured into 2# ingots, pure lead in 1# & clip WW in 3#.

[Lloyd Smale]

i do mixed batches of 1,2 and 3 lb ingots when i smelt and also do 25lb ingots using bread pans to put away for future alloying. That way if you want to make up 5050 ww/lyno or 5050 pure/ww you can just throw 2 of each in the pot and youve got it.

[41mag]

I have only been playing around with pouring my own since about this time last year. Up until then the only thing my 4-20 pot had poured up were some very large surf weights for shark fishing.

That said I started out with the muffin pan deal, but after beating the initial 6 of them out of the pan with a hammer, I decided to go with the cast iron cornbread mold. For personal use I find these MUCH more user friendly and they fit well in the storage boxes I had for brass storage and such. Sterilite Hinged Lid 7qt Box (http://www.housewaresandbeyond.com/images/items/12537/jpg/Sterilite-1904-7-Quart-Hinged-Lid-Storage-Box.jpg)

These are listed as discontinued but they can still be found here and there. None the less, this size box easily holds up to 70# of the cornbread or when stacked properly the smaller square type ingots like the Castboolits, Lyman, or Lee. I write the type of alloy, date, and such on the top with a sharpie, and if I use it up and change alloy, it is easily erased with a rag and rubbing alcohol.

If looking to sell, you might as well build, or have built, some angle iron molds. The ingots are easily stacked into the flat rate boxes and ship well. Use either 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 or 2x2 angle cut about an inch shorter than the internal dimensions of your shipping boxes. This will allow you to put in the needed packing to ensure no broken boxes or spills during shipping. Once you get it figured out your set. The angle iron ingots will also stack very well and you can get a large quantity into a small area for personal use. I have purchased plenty of them from members here, but haven't tried them in my 4-20, as I usually blend what I get in with others, and then pour the resulting alloy into the cornbread molds.

Depending on what your going to use to pour will also determine your ingot sizes for your pot. In my 4-20 I find that the cornbread ingots fit very well and I can stack in enough that I get it about 3/4 or so full with the initial ingots depending on how I stack them in. They are also easily set up on the top or on a hot plate for preheating. Weighing about 1.5# each on average also makes them easy to calculate when blending one alloy with another.

[pcw907]

I just use old muffin tins, different sizes for different alloys to keep them sorted.

[SlimTim]

Assuming one is using the 4 cavity molds put out by the various makers, such as RCBS, SAECO and Lyman,

a) are the four cavities on said molds one pound in capacity?

b) what is the best sized ladle to pour one cavity to it's intended capacity? best sized ladle to fill two cavities to their intended capacity?

Thanks!
SlimTim

[**oneshot**]

I do a mix of muffin tins 1/2 full to full and lyman ingot mold.

[sqlbullet]

Assuming one is using the 4 cavity molds put out by the various makers, such as RCBS, SAECO and Lyman,

a) are the four cavities on said molds one pound in capacity?

b) what is the best sized ladle to pour one cavity to it's intended capacity? best sized ladle to fill two cavities to their intended capacity?

Thanks!
SlimTim

I use Lyman and they are nominally 1 lb each. That word is important. We don't really think a lot usually about the differences in density of the different alloys when we are casting 150 grain boolits.

When you casting a 7000 grain ingot it really matters. I pour them shy of the top for pure lead, and slightly muffin top for WW. When you compare two 1 lb actual weight ingots, they look pretty different.

I have an antique 4 lb plumbers ladle that was my great grandfathers that I use to fill ingots. After I leave a little space so I don't spill, three pours fills my two ingot molds. Dump and repeat.

As soon as I am done with email I am picking up propane and will begin this very process.

[SlimTim]

I use Lyman and they are nominally 1 lb each. That word is important. We don't really think a lot usually about the differences in density of the different alloys when we are casting 150 grain boolits.

When you casting a 7000 grain ingot it really matters. I pour them shy of the top for pure lead, and slightly muffin top for WW. When you compare two 1 lb actual weight ingots, they look pretty different.

I have an antique 4 lb plumbers ladle that was my great grandfathers that I use to fill ingots. After I leave a little space so I don't spill, three pours fills my two ingot molds. Dump and repeat.

As soon as I am done with email I am picking up propane and will begin this very process.

Understood, I hadn't considered that possibility but it makes good sense.

I'm thinking a 4# ladle might be a bit much for me as Mr. A. Ritus has been hinting at making house calls here. I know it doesn't sound that heavy, but you should see my pile o' ww. Your notion of leaving a little space also makes great sense, so perhaps a 3# ladle, if there is such a thing, would be the bee's knees for me.

Thanks for your valued experience.

SlimTim

[454PB]

I made this ingot mould from 2" X 1/8" angle iron. The ingots weigh about 3 pounds each, and will fit all my bottom draw pots. I also use the Lyman 1 pound ingot mould, and the smaller ingots are used for "fine tuning" the ratio/weight.



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

[DRNurse1]

A long time ago I used a tool called a Monotype. It had a small melt pot for the lead ingots but since it needed continuous feeding, the ingots were dangled from a hook above the pot where they could warm and be fed in to the melt. A ratchet/ wheel lowered the ingot as the melt was used. One end of the ingot had a 'C' shaped hanger moulded into it so that the ingot could hang from the hook. When the ingot reached this 'C' the hanger became 2 pieces and fell into the melt without allowing the hook to dip into the melt.

I am sure some of you creative welders could make such a mould for the general population, if we were inclined to hang an ingot over our melt.

I have a couple of the ingots but alas none of the moulds we used so I will try to provide photos.

DRNurse1

[lwknight]

Just get a 3X5 bread pan. You can fill it to 11 pounds or fill it just as much
as you want.
even 1 pound ingots cast nicely in it.

[uccm25]

Hey Fellas-
Where can I find a 25 to 30 pound cast iron melt pot.
Guy

[40Super]

RCBS and Lyman sells 20lb pots,but they are kind of small,25-30lb isn't much bigger. What are you planning it for? As a lattle pot,it would be ok,smelting ,it'll take you forever, trust me.

[alfloyd]

Try this one.
http://www.magmaengineering.com/component/banners/click/13/

Ballisti-cast also makes one.
http://www.ballisti-cast.com/Free-Standing%20Cast.htm

They are both bottom pour pots but in a large size and electric.

Lafaun

[Bjornb]

Hey Fellas-
Where can I find a 25 to 30 pound cast iron melt pot.
Guy

This pot from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dutch+oven

Has been serving me well for several months. I melt around 100 lbs. daily if the weather cooperates.

[badbob454]

Hey Fellas-
Where can I find a 25 to 30 pound cast iron melt pot.
Guy

cut in half an old propane tank one of the 5 gallon size or the 20 pounders , this will hold at least 60 plus pounds
remove the valve , fill with water, or co2 , and cut in half .....

[alfloyd]

I have a melt pot made from an old 20 lb. propane tank. Cut it just above the weld seam. It holds over 200 lbs of melted lead. Works great. I also took 2 other propane tanks and used them to make a heat jacket around the lead pot, with about 1.5 inches space between the pot and jacket. Cut small holes at the top to vent the heat out. This keeps the flame on the bottom and the heat on the sides of the inside pot. Makes the propane last longer and heat the lead better.

Lafaun

[dragon813gt]

I use mini loaf pans. They weigh around 3.5#s each. Able to almost empty the Dutch oven with two of the molds.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/Reloading/0dcc18ac.jpg

They stack nicely with little wasted space like you get with round molds.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/Reloading/74f640a4.jpg


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[carbine]

Members sell, Big pots made from steel propane tanks. I got one from Davy Crockett, I believe. Same cost as a cast iron pot, holds 200 ponds of lead and wont fail.
my 2 cents

[fredj338]

Assuming one is using the 4 cavity molds put out by the various makers, such as RCBS, SAECO and Lyman,

a) are the four cavities on said molds one pound in capacity?

b) what is the best sized ladle to pour one cavity to it's intended capacity? best sized ladle to fill two cavities to their intended capacity?

Thanks!
SlimTim

They all pour roughly a 1# ingot, depends on how full you pour it. I normally over pour my Lyman so all the ingots are connected, makes stacking easier for me. They break apart easily enough & weigh about 1.2# w/ pure lead.

[lwknight]

Hey Fellas-
Where can I find a 25 to 30 pound cast iron melt pot.
Guy

Wally world or Tractor Supply are cheapest.
They sell "Lodge " brand and its pretty good stuff.

[dRok]

I made molds that are 2" angle iron, 8" long, ingots are 5-6lbs each. I use them in my 20lb lee but it takes a while to recover when I dump one in. I just toss it in and come back 15 minutes later and Im ready to continue. Or you can hold the ingot with a glove and it will just melt off whatever you want, 1/2 or 1/3 of a bar. Its easier to make and handle larger ingots IMO.

[bslim]

I've found that 1# ingots work the best for me. While I'm casting I have 4 ingots sitting on the lip of my 40# pot. When needed the ingots are preheated and by adding one at a time, I notice very little temperature drop and it does not affect my casting cycle.