Who uses cast iron cookware for melting lead?

[Just Duke]

Who uses cast iron cookware for melting lead?


I received this reply from another post. Not that I don't appreciate this gentlemens concerns with my and others safety, but I spent $130.00 for a dutch oven and was hoping I could use it safely. Also if anyone has a vessel they manufacture and would like to sell me one just let me knw. Very surprised with all the talent present on the forum some entrepenure hasn't fabricated some and marketed them in the "Buy/Sell" section.
TIA
Duke

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=374202#post374202


Free advice freely given...worth what you paid for it:

Consider the original temperature range cast iron cookware is manufactured for today. Average cooking times, and temperature ranges, including rise to temperature are significantly different than when using a propane based heat source in lieu of a range top.

In other words, cooking beans and cooking lead have vastly different thermal properties and temperature ranges. Beans cook about ~150~F, lead is ~550~F or higher.

As many others have done, I started off my casting & smelting with cast iron cookware. Fortunately, my first disaster was small, it was with a Wagner Ware 1088 fryer that held about 15 pounds of lead over a turkey fryer stand. While smelting one day, I tapped the side of the pot with the ladle to dislodge a bit of dross and the pot immediately cracked. Hot molten lead flowed everywhere. color me surprised.

I was not injured. The mess took weeks to clean.

Not satisfied with this first disaster, I repeated my action by purchasing a large lodge pot. Same result. A crack and hot molten lead everywhere on the 9th or 10th use.

I wisely switched to a custom built steel pot made from 8" pipe and flat plate welded into a bowl.

However, I still had not learned my lesson. I used a small lodge pot for casting hollow points. It lasted about a year, and one day, I left the casting area for a short restroom break and returned to find my pure hot molten lead all over the concrete floor of my shed.

That was the last time I used cast iron cookware. The date was 1991 or so.

Since then, I have used steel pots, made from junkyard pipe and flat plate welded and have not had a single failure to date.

My experience, posted for the general knowledge of the group.










.

[ktw]

I've smelted a little over a ton in an 8qt cast iron dutch oven over a turkey fryer burner. No problems. I haven't tried banging on the pot while it was hot though, either.

-ktw

[Shiloh]

THis is a VERY informative topic!!

A buddy liberated his moms dutch oven for smelting wheel weights and range lead. SO far, no problems in years. Good to know about not striking a 600 degree cast iron vessel.
Thanks a lot for the heads up!!

Shiloh :castmine:

[Just Duke]

THis is a VERY informative topic!!

A buddy liberated his moms dutch oven for smelting wheel weights and range lead. SO far, no problems in years. Good to know about not striking a 600 degree cast iron vessel.
Thanks a lot for the heads up!!

Shiloh :castmine:

You bet Shlioh stay safe! :castmine:

[1Shirt]

Have never thought of smacking/striking the side of a cast iron pot to remove dross, always just sturr:coffee:ed it. Never had a problem. Do suggest a lid on the top of a dutch oven cast if you are smelting condoms acquired from the range, as they can pop in the pot. Interesting thread. Ought to be a sticky!
1Shirt!

[Jack Stanley]

Duke , before I completely out grew my Pro-melt , I would rent a plumbers furnace that would make very short work of any leaad that got in the pot .
I never tried to replicate the plumbers furnace , I went right for the throat and built a pot out of a section of steel pipe that a five gallon bucket would fit inside . It's melted enough lead already to last me a lifetime without one problem . The caution of using cookware is sound though because if I remember right the plumbers pot was much thicker .

Jack

[mooman76]

I've been using the same cast iron pot for over 30 years without a problem. I have heard of foriegn cast iron that wasn't as strong. I thought the lodge ware was ggod made in USA stuff but maybe it isn't. One old way of cleaning cast iron cook ware is to add water while it is really hot and the cheap stuff won't take the temp change, cracks right off.

[anachronism]

It makes sense. They really can't be designed to operate at 800+ degrees, since no one ever cooks at those temps. Plus cast metals are less impact resistant than forged.

[Just Duke]

Yea it seems like the bigger the Dutch Oven the thicker the steel. I have 6 to 7 Dutch Ovens in all sizes for horse packing. The 10 quart I have recently aquired is dedicated to my lead production. It is 10 quarts and 14 inches diameter. At 7 inches high it is almost a big skillet.

[HeavyMetal]

Striking any metal while it's hot will get you a reaction you don't want.

Texasflyboy may have a habit of striking his pot repeatedly during cast / smelting and the cracking might be a long term result?

It is a reminder to us all that our hobby, while "tons" of fun, can get dangerous real fast and we should take every concevable precaution before we "light up".

I have used a cast iron pot, purchased at a good will, for years. I will be giving it a good inspection before it's next use and will start looking at it's construction.

Texasflyboy has a good idea with steel. A trip to my local pipe supply may net me both a steel plate and a chunk of steel pipe to make a custom pot to fit my plumbers furnance.

If I have a brain storm or any good ideas during construction I'll pass them on.

[Navahojoe]

I have been using the same Lodge cast iron pot for about 30 years to melt lead for sinkers, fishing jigs, ect. ( Liberated it from the chore of soup making, cooking Gumbo, ect, form my, then living, Mother) Just in the last few years have I used it to melt wheel weights for boolits. Nary a problem. But, I haven't rapped it on the side while it was hot either.
Of course, "Murphy's Law" could strike at any moment!
regards,
NavahoJoe :castmine:

[Boerrancher]

I cracked a cast iron dutch oven years ago melting down WW's. I use to toss my WW in the piece of 12 inch well casing with a bottom welded on it, as has been described and would fire up the Oxy/Acet torch and melt them down. One day I had been given a Dutch Oven full of WW's. I thought I would just melt them down in the Dutch Oven. While I was putting the heat to them with the torch as I normally would in my regular home made melting pot. About the time I got most of the WW's into liquid form, the side of the Dutch Oven cracked. I took the heat away and let every thing solidify. I didn't have a mess because I caught it in time. I am thinking what caused it was uneven heating of the cast iron causing it to expand at different rates, causing stress. Since that time the only thing I use cast iron for is ingot moulds.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[yodar]

THis is a VERY informative topic!!

A buddy liberated his moms dutch oven for smelting wheel weights and range lead. SO far, no problems in years. Good to know about not striking a 600 degree cast iron vessel.
Thanks a lot for the heads up!!

Shiloh :castmine:

I got this for $35 FOB DELIVERED porcelain covered

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=139255_ts.JPG&h=&w=&bgc=&ui=&mc=&cf=&nv=&c=&adid=429509

Yodar

[Just Duke]

Cool! Got a link to the add too?

[waksupi]

$130 for a dutch oven? I have a couple I can spare, at that price!~

[copdills]

Thanks for the information

[Wayne Smith]

My dad told me that one of the characteristics of cast iron is that it is brittle. He cautioned me never to strike it. The is was when he caught me using the front end casing of the Farmall 200 as an anvil. I never forgot that lesson.

[JDL]

I still use the Lyman cast iron casting pot that I got new in 1967 and never had a problem.
JDL

[Le Loup Solitaire]

While some folks have been smelting and casting with cast iron for short periods or many years; some successfully and some not. It is understandable since lead does not stick to it and the various vessels are of large sizes that will handle a lot of melt. Whatever works for you, do it. But as a collector of cast iron I am aware that cast iron whether hot or not, doesn't really like to be whacked or dropped and can/ will crack or shatter if subjected to either. In evaluating any piece of cast iron a knowledgeable buyer will tap a piece with a key or a knife blade and if the cast iron piece does not ring, then there is a crack in it. No maybe(s)! Once a crack gets going, then the risk of total breakage is increased. Another point to consider is that cast iron has certain properties in the heat department and welders know that repairing cast iron can be tricky; rapidly heating it and especially cooling it off too fast can be a disaster. Neither would be normally done in s/melting or casting but its good to be aware of a possible problem. Cast iron pots, molds, and dutch ovens of foreign maufacture such as "Hong Kong", "Made In USA", and other places that "knock off" various items in usually rough castings are not a great loss if they give up the ghost, but certain brands like Griswold, Wagner, Wapak and certain others are considered American heirlooms and are highly collectable...some being very much so and worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. So if you want to use a pice of cast iron for smelting, casting ingots or boolits, I would suggest that you first look at the underside/back of the piece and see what you have got and check it out at the library or at an antique store where they have reference books. You might be surprised. LLS

[clong]

damn, I have been using a cast iron plumbers pot that I got from my uncle, who was a plumber. Only 60 or so years of use and still no cracks.

[twotrees]

I have been to the factory store in Tenn, a few times and the foundry is right behind the store.

It's a small town North West of Chattanooga just past a big lake on US Interstate 24.


Good Casting,

[Bodine]

I have been using a cast iron plubers pot for many years with good results. I do bang the ladle on the top edge occasionally to get the dross buildup off of the ladle, however after reading this I think I will stop before despair finds me.
I also use a 7 cavity cast iron muffin pan to make ingots, cheaper than buying ingot molds from RCBS or SAECO.

On another note, has anyone noticed that Lyman has quit making cast iron ingot molds and has gone to making cheap aluminum ingot molds? Looks like a Lee with the wood handle only it has 4 full 1 lb cavities. Sure is a shame to see them go to a cheaper product.

[Junior1942]

I smelt lead in a Wal-Mart coffee can over a cooking campfire in my front yard. I put a sturdy wire handle on the can and suspend it via a wire hanging from a tree limb.

http://www.castbullet.com/reload/photos/smelt05.jpg

[Just Duke]

I have been using a cast iron plubers pot for many years with good results. I do bang the ladle on the top edge occasionally to get the dross buildup off of the ladle, however after reading this I think I will stop before despair finds me.
I also use a 7 cavity cast iron muffin pan to make ingots, cheaper than buying ingot molds from RCBS or SAECO.

On another note, has anyone noticed that Lyman has quit making cast iron ingot molds and has gone to making cheap aluminum ingot molds? Looks like a Lee with the wood handle only it has 4 full 1 lb cavities. Sure is a shame to see them go to a cheaper product.

Yes I received 8 about a mont ago with disapointment.

[1Shirt]

Ya just gotta love Junior for down to earth common sense solutions to big problems that the rest of us seem to create.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[freddyp]

I used to use a cast iron pot years ago until the bottom cracked and started a slow leak. After trying different pots that limited the melt capacity to about 100 pounds, I began a search for something bigger. I started finding used five gallon propane tanks that could not be refilled due to the old valve system. The five gallon tanks work great. I open the valve and let it air out for a day or more. I then unscrew the valve and let the tank sit up-side down for a day or more. When time permits I saw it by hand about two inches above the weld line. The bottom already has a base for it to stand up-right and will hold about 200 lbs of melted lead. Since the tank is drawn steel, there are no worries of it cracking. So far I have melted well over 1000 lbs this way.

[Bret4207]

Duke- If you still have the receipt for that $130.00 dutch oven, return it to the freekin' thief that ripped you off and go get a cheapy at Walmart. Been using the same cheap Lodge oven for 15 years and it's taken all sorts of abuse. I think I paid about $28.00.

You got ripped dude!

[Typecaster]

Mine's taller than a dutch oven, and holds about 100 lb. Has both a bail (handle) and a ring on the side for tipping, but I've never been that adventurous. When I bought it about 35 years ago it was orange with rust, but the first batch of WWs cleared that up. Whenever it gets crap building up, I just leave it out in the rain and let it rust again, and the rust gets behind the junk. Then just a wipe with a wire brush and it's ready to go again.

I learned as a teenager not to bang on cast iron tools (don't ask), and learned the necessity of preheating when trying to arc weld cast with nickel. It's really annoying to have a second break due to heat stress.

Richard

[hiram]

I read about using the bottom half of a propane tank. It's not cast so it won't crack.

[cohutt]

20 Quart dutch oven that i use is roughly 17" diameter and 8" deep. It has very thick walls, empty it weighs close to 40 lbs.

I've had it well over half full before, put blocks under to brace. I never hit it or bang on it as previously posted cast iron is brittle. (I have some old patio furnture of cast iron that broke a leg off when a basketball hit it.)

This was a modest 137 lb smelt, have had it much deeper before. check wall thickness-

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/bermining%202/misc015.jpg

here it is with 200+ lbs of berm diggins in it:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/bermining030.jpg

[buck1]

2 tons in a Harbor freight dutch oven, ) no trouble.....Buck

[Just Duke]

Duke- If you still have the receipt for that $130.00 dutch oven, return it to the freekin' thief that ripped you off and go get a cheapy at Walmart. Been using the same cheap Lodge oven for 15 years and it's taken all sorts of abuse. I think I paid about $28.00.

You got ripped dude!

That's actually is not a bad price. It was more to have one delivered from an internet source that had them for a good price.
Lodge Dutch Ovens now and not 15 years ago are a bit of a pricey purchase.
Being retired for the last 7 years and having an inordinate amount of spare time on my hands gives me time to research modest pricing on products. But there's only a certain amount of patience I have and it comes a time when one just does not care how much it is Bret.[smilie=1:
As to the relativity of "A CHEAP PRODUCT" and "PERSONAL SAFETY" I opted for higher quality Dutch Oven made by Lodge.

i.e.
Here is one but shipping was $40.00 plus they were back ordered 6 weeks which meant some guy/gal working from his home has them drop shipped
http://www.ekitchengadgets.com/lolodecaduov1.html?CS_003=740264&CS_010=lolodecaduov1


Here is the one I got and it's a deep version. 5 inches
https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/product1_new.asp?menu=prologic&idProduct=3970

Just checked the sticker on the box from Las Vegas RV Supply and it's $115.49 plus tax and gas over to the barrio side of town so not bad besides as others have said here, they having been using theirs for 20 years plus.

Well I think I have less than $200 into this setup.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/CAST11.jpg

[Just Duke]

20 Quart dutch oven that i use is roughly 17" diameter and 8" deep. It has very thick walls, empty it weighs close to 40 lbs.

I've had it well over half full before, put blocks under to brace. I never hit it or bang on it as previously posted cast iron is brittle. (I have some old patio furnture of cast iron that broke a leg off when a basketball hit it.)

This was a modest 137 lb smelt, have had it much deeper before. check wall thickness-

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/bermining%202/misc015.jpg

here it is with 200+ lbs of berm diggins in it:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/bermining030.jpg

[SIZE="4"]Wow! That is one big Dutch Oven Cohutt! lol:drinks:
Where did you get that? I thought I had purchased the largest one available too. Thanks for sharing the pics.



.

[jhalcott]

Another thing to NOT do with your cast iron pots. Do NOT grab the edge with a pair of vise grips to use as a make shift handle. This CAN cause a fracture of the pot metal. The fracture will spread rapidly,especially under the stress of the weight of the lead.

[Bret4207]

That's actually is not a bad price. It was more to have one delivered from an internet source that had them for a good price.
Lodge Dutch Ovens now and not 15 years ago are a bit of a pricey purchase.
Being retired for the last 7 years and having an inordinate amount of spare time on my hands gives me time to research modest pricing on products. But there's only a certain amount of patience I have and it comes a time when one just does not care how much it is Bret.[smilie=1:
As to the relativity of "A CHEAP PRODUCT" and "PERSONAL SAFETY" I opted for higher quality Dutch Oven made by Lodge.



To each their own man. I know what you mean about patience vs. time, but I have a lot more patience than money. BTW- our local Wally world and TSC both have non-Lodge ovens for under $40.00 for those on a budget.

[KCSO]

Gee I have a smelter pot from a print shop and guess what, its cast iron! I also have a cast iron pot that was a duch oven , a flower pot and a dog dish before being upgraded, I got this from my grandmother in 1965 and it still works an has smelted lead for the last 30 years. I would class this as anyone can break anything if they try.

[targetshootr]

Wonder if it would be a good idea to run a metal band of some kind around the middle, just in case.

[cbrick]

I am by no means an expert on cast iron but to my understanding one of the prime differences in cast iron cookware and its price is a method of tempering it. The cheap import stuff isn't and the more expensive domestic stuff is.

High quality cast iron has always been pretty pricey and as I've been led to believe the tempering is the reason. Non-tempered cast iron is pretty fragile and the tempered is much tougher.

Rick

[sagamore-one]

Hey Duke... fire up advancecarmover.com. Click on Rowell pot. Look closely. Eat your heart out. I began smelting with a coleman camp stove with cast iron skillets. When I found my first Rowell bottom pour pot ... I never looked back. I have 2 pots now.. just in case one ever breaks. Both are the # 8 which hold around 45 to 55 lbs . I think. Each pot has a generous handle with a sliding hand hold. Just melt down your raw material , flux and clean, and bottom pour into ingots. I don't think you want the bigger ones unless you have Arnold"s arms and a good back.

[Meatco1]

Sagamore:

Maybe I'm missing something, but when I went to Adavnce, I saw no pot listed.

Perhaps you would care to share the link to said pot?

Richard

[jhalcott]

http://www.advancecarmover.com/details.php?sku=03608&line=Ladles
I believe sagamore is talking about the #8 Ladle that holds 40 pounds of metal. Look in the LADLE column

[Just Duke]

Hey Duke... fire up advancecarmover.com. Click on Rowell pot. Look closely. Eat your heart out. I began smelting with a coleman camp stove with cast iron skillets. When I found my first Rowell bottom pour pot ... I never looked back. I have 2 pots now.. just in case one ever breaks. Both are the # 8 which hold around 45 to 55 lbs . I think. Each pot has a generous handle with a sliding hand hold. Just melt down your raw material , flux and clean, and bottom pour into ingots. I don't think you want the bigger ones unless you have Arnold"s arms and a good back.

Thanks Sagamore.
We went with the Rowell Bottom Pour Ladles for making ingots and pouring moulds. These are a cast iron ladle and very affordable. the large one has a flat bottom so it won't tip over when sat down. We went with the #3 and the #5 Rowell ladles which can be purchased at Advanced Car Movers (http://www.advancecarmover.com/ladle.html).com.


http://www.advancecarmover.com/details.php?sku=03602&line=Ladles
No. 2 Rowell Bottom-pouring ladle
2-1/2" bowl diameter
2 pounds lead capacity
10" wooden grip handle
Item #: 03602

$21.00



http://www.advancecarmover.com/details.php?sku=03605&line=Ladles&pname=Rowell_ladle_#5
No. 5 Rowell Bottom-pouring ladle
5" bowl diameter
9 pounds lead capacity
24" sliding sleeve handle
Item #: 03605

$36.00

Here are the Bottom Pour Rowell Ladles.


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/ROWELLLADLES.jpg

[jackie]

hi,
i have a skillet that had little teensy specks of silver on the cooking surface. not the whole bottom, just maybe a 2x2 space?
it scraped off easily.
no specks running up the side or anything, like something was poured out of it, just that one small part.
you said that lead will not stick to cast iron...
does this sound to you like lead was melted in this skillet?
if so, if the silver specks are now gone, would it be safe to cook in?
thanks in advance for your reply,
Jackie


While some folks have been smelting and casting with cast iron for short periods or many years; some successfully and some not. It is understandable since lead does not stick to it and the various vessels are of large sizes that will handle a lot of melt. Whatever works for you, do it. But as a collector of cast iron I am aware that cast iron whether hot or not, doesn't really like to be whacked or dropped and can/ will crack or shatter if subjected to either. In evaluating any piece of cast iron a knowledgeable buyer will tap a piece with a key or a knife blade and if the cast iron piece does not ring, then there is a crack in it. No maybe(s)! Once a crack gets going, then the risk of total breakage is increased. Another point to consider is that cast iron has certain properties in the heat department and welders know that repairing cast iron can be tricky; rapidly heating it and especially cooling it off too fast can be a disaster. Neither would be normally done in s/melting or casting but its good to be aware of a possible problem. Cast iron pots, molds, and dutch ovens of foreign maufacture such as "Hong Kong", "Made In USA", and other places that "knock off" various items in usually rough castings are not a great loss if they give up the ghost, but certain brands like Griswold, Wagner, Wapak and certain others are considered American heirlooms and are highly collectable...some being very much so and worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. So if you want to use a pice of cast iron for smelting, casting ingots or boolits, I would suggest that you first look at the underside/back of the piece and see what you have got and check it out at the library or at an antique store where they have reference books. You might be surprised. LLS

[shootingbuff]

Not worth the possible health issue.

sb


hi,
i have a skillet that had little teensy specks of silver on the cooking surface. not the whole bottom, just maybe a 2x2 space?
it scraped off easily.
no specks running up the side or anything, like something was poured out of it, just that one small part.
you said that lead will not stick to cast iron...
does this sound to you like lead was melted in this skillet?
if so, if the silver specks are now gone, would it be safe to cook in?
thanks in advance for your reply,
Jackie

[Lizard333]

Is it just me stating the obvious or does it seem that cast iron is fine as long as you don't beat on it when it's hot?? Why is that such a hard concepts to understand?? I've melted thousands of pounds now in a dutch oven, no beating on it, with no ill results.

[nanuk]

I was listening to an old fella who was a welder/machinist at a foundary.

he told me about the "New Hires" first job was using a 12lb sledge to bust apart engine blocks for Cast material.

he said you just keep hitting it, and eventually it will have a catastrophic failure and become small enough to put in the forge.

since then I have been very carefull about pounding/tapping on Cast Iron materials

I have some propane tanks I'm going to cut open soon

[nanuk]

20 Quart dutch oven that i use is roughly 17" diameter and 8" deep. It has very thick walls, empty it weighs close to 40 lbs.
.....
This was a modest 137 lb smelt, have had it much deeper before. check wall thickness-

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/bermining%202/misc015.jpg



it appears to have a lip on it, so the thickness is misleading. They do that to frying pans also!

[Muddy Creek Sam]

I have and use a 5 and a 6 qt dutch oven and a large frying pan with an opposing handle for small batches.

Sam :D

[firefly1957]

I found out the hard way not to arc weld cast iron it shattered. It was a old frying pan that was used in a pan toss not for cooking.

[tomf52]

Cast iron? Is that what you're supposed to use? No wonder the Tupperware containers I"ve been trying keep falling apart!

[Armorer]

I found out the hard way not to arc weld cast iron it shattered.

I have arc welded cast iron exhaust manifolds. Gotta heat it with a torch and use nickel rod. I'm not a pro or anything, just apprenticed under an old school South African when I was learning my trade.

YMMV
Armorer

[Reloader06]

"Cast iron? Is that what you're supposed to use? No wonder the Tupperware containers I"ve been trying keep falling apart! "

LMAO, did not see that one comming!

Matt

[nanuk]

I have arc welded cast iron exhaust manifolds. Gotta heat it with a torch and use nickel rod. I'm not a pro or anything, just apprenticed under an old school South African when I was learning my trade.

YMMV
Armorer


Armorer: I was told that a few years ago when I needed to fix some cast...

I hired a pro. but I do want to try on some "Test" material, just to try my hand at it

[plainsman456]

When welding cast iron pre-heat and when finished place in a hole in dry sand or dirt with NO moisture and let it set over night.
I have welded the wire needles for a New Holland baler and had just a few to re-weld due to failure.
I also welded the openers for a John Deere drill after they cooled it was used to drill beans on a 1/2 section and is still in use today.
If done right it can be as strong as a new part.

[firefly1957]

Or you can always gas weld cast iron and brazing and silver solder both work.

[DukeInFlorida]

Make yourself one of these:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/101136-The-Bullet-Casting-Info-Megathread?p=1492320&viewfull=1#post1492320

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i227/BP_2006/07_14_2010002a.jpg

[Reloader06]

Now thats an excellent modification to the plan. That 3" belt is a stroke of genius. Thanks for the link.

Matt

[Reloader06]

Whoops.... Wrong thread.

[milprileb]

Great thread and advice: you all have done a great service to novice guys like me.

I read this weeks after I got a dutch oven but have not used it yet so I will follow your advice and bang it about.

I was in great debate : pickup Harbor Freight dutch oven at store or a Lodge at Walmart. Internet searches found Lodge for same price as Walmart but had to pay freight costs to deliver.

Hmmmmmmmmm, about a 20 buck difference HF to Wally prices but my logic was Lodge has a demonstrated track record of excellence and HF import oven may (or may no)t be problematic). In the long haul in for a penny, in for a pound. Bought Lodge USA and not concerned about the cost difference.

If my chances of no drama from cast iron failure is buying USA, then money well spent.

[Down South]

I've smelted more than two tons of lead in a cast iron Dutch oven without problem. I was unaware of cracking problems unless someone introduced water to the melt which causes other problems too.
I have been planning on building a pot out of pipe and flat plate, not because of cracking problems but because I wanted a larger pot that would hold more.
when I get one of those Round tuit's, I'll build a new pot.

[michiganvet]

I started out casting with a cast iron fry pan on the kitchen stove before I learned better. Now I use Lee Pro bottom pour outside. I use my plumbers furnace for brewing batches of alloy and cleaning ww's.

[hydraulic]

We had a muzzle loader rendevous at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, back in the seventies, and they had a frying pan tossing contest for the ladies. The crowd was all gathered together in an arc around the contestants when one of the gals hauled off to throw the frying pan and held on too long and the pan went flying off to her left and hit a 10 year old boy in the head. Knocked him cold and BROKE THE CAST IRON FRYING PAN!!! There was a Dr. in the crowd who attended the boy and he come out of it OK. I'd say that if you're smelting with cast iron---don't hit yourself in the head with the dutch oven.

[kelbro]

I think it's the banging and not the temps that you need to avoid. Been using cast iron for cooking for many years. Each year we clean the seasoning off with a torch and the iron often glows red. No ill effects. Now this is mostly Wagner or Griswold stuff that is over 50 yrs old. Some is 20-30 yr old Lodge.

My dutch oven that i use for casting is most likely an import. It's big, heavy, and thick and I have never taken it up to red hot since we never cooked with it. Been using it for several thousand pounds of lead. Hope it holds out.

[waksupi]

We had a muzzle loader rendevous at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, back in the seventies, and they had a frying pan tossing contest for the ladies. The crowd was all gathered together in an arc around the contestants when one of the gals hauled off to throw the frying pan and held on too long and the pan went flying off to her left and hit a 10 year old boy in the head. Knocked him cold and BROKE THE CAST IRON FRYING PAN!!! There was a Dr. in the crowd who attended the boy and he come out of it OK. I'd say that if you're smelting with cast iron---don't hit yourself in the head with the dutch oven.

I do believe I was at that event.

[kenp1980m]

Another thing to NOT do with your cast iron pots. Do NOT grab the edge with a pair of vise grips to use as a make shift handle. This CAN cause a fracture of the pot metal. The fracture will spread rapidly,especially under the stress of the weight of the lead.

Good to know. I helped my indoor range clean the pit and got to take home some range scrap. Only 22 and handgun cartridges are allowed there. I'm going on my 5th day of casting and I've been using pliers to grab one edge. I'm using a 10.25" lodge plan I picked up at target for about $17.00. I have leather welding gloves, but the pan is too hot for them. Anyone have any idea on adding a handle to the side with a tab? http://www.target.com/p/lodge-cast-iron-pre-seasoned-skillet-10-25-inch/-/A-10291925#prodSlot=medium_1_2&term=lodge any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[John Allen]

I just had our cast iron plumbers lead pot crack. It was used regularly by my father for plumbing for 25 years and 15 years for boolits. I consider that a pretty good life span. I replaced it with one of the propane tanks one of our members makes.

[ShooterAZ]

I have been using a "Lodge" brand cast iron dutch oven for a while now. No problems here either, and no, I don't tap on it or strike it with anything.

[country gent]

Adding a handle would be tricky. Cast Iron can be welded but it has to be preheated evenly, welded and slowly cooled or it can crack. Maybe bend up fabricate a handle and bolt it on with a couple bolts washers and nuts. Most glues wont bond with the heat and seasoning. Maybe it would be just as easy to clip a pair of vise grips on the edge when its time to lift.

[Down South]

I've used big dutch ovens for a number of years without any problems. I have planned to build a larger pot out of pipe as soon as I find one of those round tuits. The round tuits are hard to come by as everyone always says that they will get someting done as soon as they can get a round tuit.

[383]

Anyone know the quality of Benjamin & Medwin? The local thrift has a dutch oven that's slightly larger than the no name one I'm using.

[Dale in Louisiana]

What?!?! You don't use the Tupperware bowl in the microwave like I do?

dale in Louisiana

[trixter]

We had a muzzle loader rendevous at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, back in the seventies, and they had a frying pan tossing contest for the ladies. The crowd was all gathered together in an arc around the contestants when one of the gals hauled off to throw the frying pan and held on too long and the pan went flying off to her left and hit a 10 year old boy in the head. Knocked him cold and BROKE THE CAST IRON FRYING PAN!!! There was a Dr. in the crowd who attended the boy and he come out of it OK. I'd say that if you're smelting with cast iron---don't hit yourself in the head with the dutch oven.

These are some of the things I really love about this great hobby.

[ghh3rd]

I wonder how much cast iron cookware that is used for years for melting lead winds up being used for cooking by future generations when a bullet caster passes on? One of these days (procrastinater) I am going to follow my own advice and use my engraver to mark my Dutch Oven with something like "Lead Melting Only!", or "Poison". One of these days...

[Big_Blue]

Five year old thread and still going strong. I wonder if cast iron will lose its attractiveness with the new generation of microwave kids.

[retread]

Smelting pots made out of propane tanks are available on this site from D Crockett. I bought one and it works great. Large capacity and heavy gauge steel. I was surprised at the wall thickness on those tanks when came.

[Bzcraig]

I have no problems with cast iron. I have an ingot mold made of cast iron that began life as a baking mold. Baking can routinely have sustained temps from 350 to 450 so I don't have a problem running my cast iron Dutch oven I use for smelting up to 600. I think it does point to maintaining vigilance while smelting but I wonder just how hot the cracked pot was run up to. I always smelt with a thermometer just in case I miss a zinc weight or two.

[DLCTEX]

Do not repair a cast iron pot by brazing or silver soldering. Neither will stand up to repeated heating. I have welded cast iron many times. Exhaust manifolds, bench vices, a cast iron kettle, etc. The cast has to be heated, I have used a rosebud torch and a forge, kept hot wile welding, and then cooled slowly. Some I put back in forge and then turned off forge (it was gas fired) and some were covered with a tub or pail and then a blanket thrown over it. I just used a mild steel rod. I had tried the nickle rod on engine blocks with varying success. I successfully welded steel to cast using this method making split exhaust manifolds for hot rods and altering manifolds for engine conversions in them.