Lookin For a Better Pot

[hothands906]

I'm in the very beginning stages of casting boolits, and have a few things already that I need. I'm asking if "anyone" knows if there is a melting pot similar to this one in the picture, that is approx. three or four times as large. It needs to be of the same design and have the capabilities to pour like this one. If there's not one like that already, then someone get busy and invent and manufacture one. [smilie=s:

67303

Great forum.

[BBQJOE]

Why would you need something exactly like that?
A lot of folks here use this: http://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/electric-melters-or-furnaces/

[hothands906]

Well I have the Lee 20lb. on order, and Midway is sending as of now. I was wishing someone made a pot like in the picture, except larger to use as a smelter. If you had one larger, with a pour handle and spout, that would be large enough to pour ingots and melt up to ten pounds of lead at a time and not have to do the propane and dip method of smelting and pouring ingots.

[rintinglen]

The problem is that lead is heavy. You get a Potter type pot big enough to hold 8-10 lbs of lead and you'll end looking like Popeye. I started out with a Potter 2 lber, years ago. the problem I had was the limited capacity. Right about the time the mold was casting good, it was time to add more lead. I smelt these days using a turkey melter and an old cast iron pot. Propane is a good thing.

[ku4hx]

Gas powered turkey frier is the way to go for me. I've done the pot on hot plate thing, but I got tired of mixing 10 lbs. or so at a time. Now I usually do somewhere between 30 and 50 lbs. and even that seems a mite small now.

[spfd1903]

I got the Lee 20# furnace at the recommendation of my cast boolit mentor. Bought cast iron pots at garage sales for smelting with a turkey fryer burner. The niche for my Lyman 10# pot is making barrel slugs or casting a handfull of muzzle loader balls, both just pure lead, no alloy involved in such a small pot.

[hothands906]

I guess I was wishful thinking. The smaller hand pot that's in the picture is great for small smelting jobs, but now I have over 200 lbs. of lead and WW to smelt. Guess I'll check out the yard sales and Wally World for a burner.
Thanks guys.

[shadowcaster]

You can't go wrong with propane and a turkey fryer. Make sure you get one that has a high pressure burner. As for a pot, many casters use cast iron or stainless steel and do the ladle method. Even with the ladle method you could end up with up to 2 pounds of molten lead per dip. Do not use an aluminum pot. It will fail in the end. My personal choice for smelting is a bottom pour pot I made from scrap steel.

Shad

[Raven_Darkcloud]

I use a cast iron tea kettle to smelt my lead with. it was $14 at bi-mart. It will do 40-50# with enough heat. Use good welding gloves when you pour your ingots as the handle gets hot as hell.
67360

[zuke]

Stainless steel pressure cooker.

http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy356/zuke_bucket/pressurecookermeltingpot066.jpg (http://s807.photobucket.com/user/zuke_bucket/media/pressurecookermeltingpot066.jpg.html)

[master caster]

Old propane tank cut around middle works very nice. I could not get the valve off so i shot it with the 223 for awhile to ventilate the top. Take a angle grinder and cut around the weld line really makes a nice pot. I was using a cast iron dutch oven until i got a crack in the bottom. It will hold a 5 gallon bucket of ww at a shot if your turkey fryer stand can handle it.