Electric stove top for smelting?

[Wilson]

I've been using a propane burner and cooking pot for smelting. Has anyone tried using an electric cook top? How did it work? or not?

[btroj]

It should work. I only have one, it is in the kitchen. Lead doesn't get melted in the kitchen. Ask my wife, she will tell you so.

[Ben]

In 1969 ( when I had to save for weeks to buy a pound of powder ), I started casting with the small round calrod element out of a Hot Point Elect range. I remember that I stacked a couple of 8" blocks on top of each other then placed a 4" solid cap block on top of the two 8" blocks. I had a cast iron RCBS melting pot sitting on the Calrod element. When you took a folding chair and slid up to the arrangement, it worked out pretty well.

The element had no thermostat, it was " wired straight " and was plugged into an outside weather proof wall socket.

I can't tell you how many cast bullets came from that arrangement.

[shadowcaster]

Yes.. It will work. Your wife may not appreciate it though! :-)

Shad

[FLINTNFIRE]

For smelting , only if it is a spare range set up in an outside area or a dedicated smelting / casting area , As for will it work , well yes it will the burners will bring your pot and lead to the melting temperature. But not in the house , just a bad idea as the residue and smell will be there.

[Oreo]

My experience is that it is much slower then a propane setup. I think that even with a high wattage element somehow the efficiency of heat transfer is low.

[Wilson]

OK. Sounds like it would be slower that the propane set up. I was just looking at a more efficient set up. I've got a lot of WWs to clean up.

[detox]

We have an electric stove with glass top. I have used it to melt ingots that were too large to fit in my Lee 20 pot. Then i pour melt into Lee pot.