Finished the new smelting pot, made a ladle...

[Sweetpea]

Finally had some time this morning.

Added the heat shield to the pot, and created a ladle for smelting.

The end of the ladle is completely out of angle iron, I just used what I had.

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The sky clouded up as I finished, looked like rain, so no smelting today...

I probably need to go bigger with the spout on the ladle, but it always easier to go bigger!

What size hole do you guys run?

[seaboltm]

Good work. It is hard to tell the hole size from the picture. But you nailed it, start small and work up. The hole on a Lyman bottom pour ladle is not big, maybe 1/8" or so. Certainly not 1/4".

[seaboltm]

btw, the ladle handle seems silly long . . . .

[btroj]

I would go 3/8 or so or else you will be there forever pouring ingots. My ladle has no hole, it is more like a soup ladle with little pour spouts in the side of the bowl. When my smelting pot is fully liquid and fluxed I want to get the ingots done as quick as possible. Not rushing but waiting for lead to pour out of a little hole isn't going to make my day better.

[Sweetpea]

btw, the ladle handle seems silly long . . . .

Well, by my calculations, it will hold almost 16 pounds of melt...

I wanted to have a nice long handle, so I can use both hands.

[btroj]

I think the long handle is justified. The pot looks deep enough to merit a long handle.

[GabbyM]

Looks like you're ready to go.
I like long handles too. Figured out a few years back to use a square nose transfer shovel to add wheel weights to the pot. Stand way back and let those 22 rim fires go off and that trapped water. I run my pot on my car port with lean to ceiling. Ceiling is all splattered with lead. Melting scrap lead isn't something I'll do in short pants.

[btroj]

Smelting in short pants is a good way to end up filling your short pants.

[imashooter2]

It looks like from the depth of the pot and the ladle design, you are going to have 4 - 5 inches of melt left in the bottom of every pot that you can't get out. You may have a large capacity pot on paper, but after your scrap melts down 3 inches or so below the rim and the 4-5 inches you can't ladle out... not so much.

[Sweetpea]

Should only be about 2-3 inches left after the big ladle.

Then I bench it, and call in the small ladle...

This wasn't about going much bigger than my Dutch oven, but better heat transfer, for a more efficient smelting session.

I'm quite confident I've got that covered.

[Mk42gunner]

Smelting in short pants is a good way to end up filling your short pants.

That's funny.

On the hole size, I would see how long it takes to fill your ingots molds. I use a dipper and it seems the stream size is roughly equivalent to ½" diameter when I am pouring from it.

I think I would start with a 3/8" hole, then if needed add more.

Robert

[kryogen]

I use a simple stainless soup ladle and it works fine.

my wive says that it adds flavor to the soups. naw, I keep it in the garage.

[fastfire]

I use a smelting ladle like that except the complete top is open, I pour from the corner with no issues.
Hint, put a 90 degree bend on the end of the handle to aid in pouring. My handle is 48" long.
I have 1" left in the pot when done.

[trixter]

I smelt with a turkey fryer and the bottom half of a propane canister. I really like the round bottom. It allows me to get all of the lead out, but usually leave some in the bottom. I have found that there is still some "stuff" in the bottom even after fluxing. and it will remain there. I just refill with range scrap and do it all over again.

[Tazza]

That is a fine setup. I like the heat shield too, would help keep the heat in.

[twc1964]

I use a long handled ladle too. Took an oneida stainless soup ladle, bent the handle a bit and put an 10" wood handle on it i made from a 2×2 that i rounded off a bit. Drilled a 4" hole in one end and filled it with good ole jb weld and shoved the ladle handle in. No warm spoons for me.