Nubee Smelting set up questions

[JWFilips]

Hi Folks: I figured I better start another thread before I wear out my welcomes
I'm gaining a lot of info here So Instead of going gung-ho on a casting set up I see I must crawl before walking ...so to speak! So Now I'm thinking smelting.... first, since I got a bunch of different alloys & just secured a continuous supply of WWs & Know how to work the "alloy calculator" now
Please bear with me because I'm trying to use items at hand ( if possible) I have splurged for a roto-metals thermometer (keep my melt low in case of zinc WW). I have a 2 burner propane gas Coleman camp stove ( uses one of those fat stubby cylinders not sure if that will last long enough)) I have a nice deep Stainless steel Stock Pot which has been rejected from household use. I have an old SS soup ladle. Some old muffin tins for ingots & a big metal spoon which I have drilled holes in to sweep off the dross...Not sure what to flux with and I'm going to be smelting a combo of wheel weights, Chilled shot, and 50/50, to come close to 12.6/13 BHN alloy ( which is optimum for my pressures) & Oh yes I'm working outside!
So OK from the above do you think I have it covered to make bullet alloy ingots to be used in my, soon to be receiving Lee pro pot?
I'm only thinking of making up 18 to 20 #s for my first attempt at smelting.
I'm really impressed at all you guys big production set up BUT from a small starters set up what do you think?

[220swiftfn]

Well, to keep things simple, it sounds like you're off to a good start, just keep in mind that the limiting factor is the coleman stove. Others using this set-up have run into a wall at around 30 pounds IIRC, the stove just doesn't have enough "oomph" to keep more at temp. When you're ready for it, a good burner is relatively easy to find at just about any outdoor/adventure store (turkey friers, camp stoves and cast iron dutch ovens are much loved here.....) A good flux is pine pet bedding, or any other wood shavings/chips/dust as long as they are dry and not from treated or laminated wood (bad toxins here, VERY important...) One other thing, you're going to have to be patient and persistant with the shot, the graphite tends to make melting them more difficult.


Dan

[shadygrady]

save all that zinc an send to me

[JWFilips]

Well I finally scored my first small Wheel weight Haul: Checked all of them out and only got a few steel & Zinc ( saving the zinc for you Shadygrady) I tested the whole batch with the cutting pliers test to be sure ..took about 1/2 hour So I got about 40 pounds for about $10 I'm not sure if that is good as a standard but it sure is a great saving based on what I have been shooting & payin to the commercial casters! I just want to say This place could be considered illegal in some states because it is so addictive!... I have learned so much in such a small amount of time & I thank You. You know if you guys could jump in & help the Congress & the Whitehouse I think our Country would be all fixed up in no time!
Thanks Again
Jim

[Ken TN]

JW,
You could get an adapter hose for the Coleman stove and hook it up to a regular propane cylinder.
The better bet as stated above would be buy the cheapest turkey fryer for about the same cost as the adapter hose.

I hit Goodwill stores on their half price Saturdays they do once a month to pick up casting supplies. Great place for muffin tins, cast iron ect.
Heck some of the cast iron is to good to smelt in!

[chrisw]

right now is a great time for turkey fryers- got one last Jan for 15 bucks from lowes! Even included a pot!

[root]

Try this. it's how I refine volume and it keeps the zinc and steel from melting since it doesn't over heat.

The coleman is no good for large volume. unless you do the tank adapter.
I only use the coleman for parkerazation of parts. and it works good for that since it's a short proccess.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?173705-ghetto-lead-refinery-(-my-1st-offical-thread-start-also)

[JWFilips]

My wife rummaged some 2 old 12 hole steel muffin tins for me for free One look great since there is some rust forming in all the cups so I know that
should work but the other is the plate stel being shiny Probably some type of plating I was wondering if I could take a torch to it and burn off the plating?

[slim1836]

Don't forget face and hand protection at a minimum.

Slim

[WILCO]

All of my smelting is done with a cast iron skillet and a coiled hotplate. Simple and effective.

[dragon813gt]

I melt alloys together in my 20# lee pot. My smelting pot is to dirty at this point. I find it easier to mix it in small batches and I'm not stuck with a lot of it if it doesn't work well. I'd save the stainless pot and Coleman stove for cleaning up wheel weights. Wait for the Lee pot to make an alloy.

[gunoil]

make ingots in back yard, hard wood shavings flux . Hope you bought a 20lb pot. (Dang 45's will drain a 20lb pot quick. I need a 30lb pot). If not, buy and sell on ebay til you get what ya want. You need a suction fan in inside, I have a twin fan system rite out the top of roof. That lead will mess ya up. Collect cast iron pieces out in the country, or yard sales, estate sales, etc. Cast iron corn muffin thing, and i bought a couple lee ingot molds, work good too. Ya got a hot plate? Warm up the bullet molds first. Buy long welder gloves at harbor freight. Dont splash lead on ya skin. Dont forget eye protection.

My favorite lee molds are 90352 & 90305. No shoulder on these. I want'a special order a 6 cav mold one day! A cross between 90305 & 90466 turned into a 9mm bullet with makarov round nose. Would work in 380 too. Scale out at 110grn..

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/A8AED1E6-38AA-49C9-AA9F-2510377751C9-770-000000B09A9D46FC.mp4

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/1B875A2E-B857-4D14-9A52-2BF3D1DDFC63-448-0000002E26F16396.mp4
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/9571db6f.jpg

45's will eat ingots like jethro on corn flakes. 9mm aint do bad.

Wash ya brass too!
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/B326B3D4-1240-4616-B9CC-70CFF8494DEB-239-000004CEC9D363D8.mp4

Do this next month.
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/B10CA69B-A10C-48B2-B024-22ED87E83B31-239-000004CD27F36429.mp4

[JWFilips]

I melt alloys together in my 20# lee pot. My smelting pot is to dirty at this point. I find it easier to mix it in small batches and I'm not stuck with a lot of it if it doesn't work well. I'd save the stainless pot and Coleman stove for cleaning up wheel weights. Wait for the Lee pot to make an alloy.

I see, so what you do if smelting is clean up your different leads & Ingot them Then make your final bullet mix when your casting. Well That sound like a good idea for someone who is new at making cast bullets. I wouldn't want to smelt 30 pounds of alloy that I miss-mixed & won't shoot well. In the begining I would like to keep my batches small until I figure out what I'm doing & see what shoots well. Working with the bullet alloy computer I see that I may run into a problem bringing up the hardness of my alloy because I have nothing here that is really "hard" to add to the mix.Every thing I have here is soft with the wheel weights being the hardest. I thought I had Magnum shot but I see it is only chilled shot so The only Antimony I have is what is in my wheel weights.

To address the others messages Yes I have welders gloves. I got my thermometer from RotoMetals ( Talk about fast! 2 days to get a first class package from them to the east coast!) I was lucky to score a used Propane cooker burner on the cheap (can handle a 100 lb stock pot) last week.
Burned off the plating on my ekco muffin tins put some browning solution on them and they are rusting nicely, thanks to this weekend's warm damp weather here in PA. So If the weather holds by next weekend I will be smelting some wheel weights ( outside!) Not sure if I will be doing any blending though until I can get some harder lead but I don't think that will happen locally. May have to wait a bit longer until I get more funds to order some super hard from Roto. Used up all my fun money for this month ( and some of next month!) Oh well I've waited this long.

gunoil, that's a nice indoor set up!

[dragon813gt]

If you have any shot melt that in the same pot you do the wheel weights in. I made the mistake of doing it in my bottom pour and the shot needs to be cleaned up like the other sources of lead.

[root]

If you have any shot melt that in the same pot you do the wheel weights in. I made the mistake of doing it in my bottom pour and the shot needs to be cleaned up like the other sources of lead.

Ya I used some straight lead once # 8 shot and it was funky. had some weird coating on it that had to be cleaned before cast. (teflon?)

Was like plastic smelt like **** and floated on the top of the lead.

Those stars mean dookie!

And by smelt I mean I had about a 50 50 loss of product due to that coating.

[Wayne Smith]

Definitely invest in a 20lb gas bottle and the adapter for the stove. The same attachment should fit your big burner. I cast over a gas burner and a cast iron pot, the Coleman stove is good for that. I used one for years until it finally gave out.

[Spawn-Inc]

Ya I used some straight lead once # 8 shot and it was funky. had some weird coating on it that had to be cleaned before cast. (teflon?)

Was like plastic smelt like **** and floated on the top of the lead.

Those stars mean dookie!

And by smelt I mean I had about a 50 50 loss of product due to that coating.

i believe it's a graphite coating.