primary smelting pot

[smokesahoy]

I've been looking around for a tall and narrow pot to do some primary smelting, with pour spouts. I already have a bottom pour but I need this to clean up range lead and make large bars of standardized alloy after my awesome foundry type score at the scrap yard.

So the bean pot design seems like it would be perfect, but before I buy is there a better option you know of offhand?http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000VXIQZM?cache=fbc2d730023840f5a6a76a19111517ea&pi=SX200_QL40&qid=1406639219&sr=8-1#ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1

[country gent]

Depends on your heat source Stand strength and how much you want to do at a time. A 25 lb propane cylinder can be cut to hold around 300 lbs at a session. A larger one might be 500. thses would need to be ladled not a big deal. Ingot molds can be purchased or made from angle iron or channel iron easy enough in 4-5 ingot gangs. A ladle can be made to fill these in one dipping. A small clean shovel can be used to stir and skim or one made up also. The big thing with a Big pot and large quanities is 1 a stand that can support all the wieght when hot, 2 a heat source that can melt and maintain that much lead molten. 3 enough ingot molds that whn last ones are filled first ones are cool other wise your waiting for ingots to cool instead of pouring lead. With large batches I like 2 people working together one pouring another dumping molds and stacking IDing ingots. Large quanities can be interesting but done right the consistency achieved is great. A 300lb pot and pouring 3-4 lb ingots makes a lot of ingots fast and all the same. Id as to pot number and you can always use the same mix of pots 10 lb pot 1 ingot each from pots 1,2,3 this takes 300 lbs of alloy to 900 lbs of very consistent alloy

[imashooter2]

2.5 quarts is small for a smelting pot and lifting 45 pounds or so of molten metal to pour from the lip is a bad plan.

You would be way better off and safer with an 8 quart or so Dutch oven or half a propane tank pot with a suitable large ladle.

[smokesahoy]

Thanks for steering me straight guys.

[mold maker]

There is a reason most of us use a cast iron dutch oven/ bean pot, on a turkey/fish fryer. It doesn't require us to lift and pour from it. That is a disaster looking for you to make a mistake.
Molten lead is very unwieldy and keeping control of it is marginal at best. A dipper large enough to pour at least 2 (1lb) ingots is a much safer plan. If your arms are strong, a larger ladle works also, but over doing it is a serious risk.

[AlaskanGuy]

I use a large cast dutch oven, and a large ladle.... I Only attempt to pour out the very last bit of the pot.... And even that can be dangerous.... A good old ladle is all ya need... Like this..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Swett-Cast-Iron-Casting-Ladle-12-5-long-/191253525227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c879932eb

You can get the one in the link above for 10 bucks....

AG

[JSnover]

I went the same way when I first started, even fabricated my own bottom pour ladle out of welded steel scrap. The pot was too small, the ladle was too heavy and the Coleman stove was underpowered.
An 8 qt DO and turkey frier with a 3lb ladle made life much easier.

[imashooter2]

I use a large cast dutch oven, and a large ladle.... I Only attempt to pour out the very last bit of the pot.... And even that can be dangerous.... A good old ladle is all ya need... Like this..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Swett-Cast-Iron-Casting-Ladle-12-5-long-/191253525227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c879932eb

You can get the one in the link above for 10 bucks....

AG

That is exactly the ladle I use. My tools and setup:

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/scrap600.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/smelt600.jpg

Pretty simple really, but it can turn out a couple ingots on a lazy Saturday...

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/smelt10-30s.jpg