Question about new smelting pot

[docslester]

Good morning all. Long time lurker/member, with a question I hope the community can help me with. Hunted and read to no avail. I have been casting on and off for 20+ years but never had a dedicated "smelting" setup. I've acquired a cast iron propane burner setup and ingot molds. My pot is a new Lodge four quart cast iron pot. My question is, it's pre-seasoned, do I need to try to strip it, de-grease it, or just start melting? Any help would be appreciated.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use a Stainless steel soup pot (4 qt). I found one that is thick SS at a thrift store of $1.

It's a shame to use a NEW Lodge cast iron pot for smelting...but that's your choice and money.
To answer your question...Seasoning, doesn't matter... just start melting.

Also, after you use a pot for Lead, don't ever use it for Food.

[Grmps]

↑↑↑ A heavy steel pot is best. Castiron can crack and aluminum can melt (I have pictures somewhere :shock:)

I always flux with BOTH sawdust and wax. I found that sawdust or wax alone just didn't do as good/complete a job

[country gent]

Harbor freight has cutch ovens and cast iron pots occasionally pretty reasonable. Lodge is a top name right now. A cut off propane cylinder, steel pot, or cast iron pot is go able and safe. I will give my opinions on each below.

1) Cut down propane tank
Can be larger capacity up to around 350-400lbs
large dia making ladling easier and allows a larger ladle to be used
concave bottom so ladling the lead out is easier
built right a larger base for stability will get into this below

2) Steel or stainless steel cooking pots.
Nice dia for ladling
handles for moving but they may not be up to task if any amount of lead is in it
Usually have a lid with them to cover pot
Flat bottom so decent foot print for stability, but harder to ladle down to empty
Can be made of thinner material than the propane cylinders are

3) Cast Iron pots
good solid pot that heats very evenly
Depending on pot can be flat bottomed or concave.
Most have 3 feet making them harder to sit flat on a grate.
Cast iron subjected to rapid high heat can crack from the rapid expansion. To allieviate this start witth burner low and "warm" cast iron and contents for 10-15 mins then increase burner. This brings it up to temp slower and lowers the chance of cracks

Aluminum and die cast pots melting temps are close to leads and may fail under the weight and temps.

If you decide on an propane tank several things need to be done.
Dish soap and water wash 3-4 times good rinse, then air hose purge for 5-10 mins. Make sure the tank is clean and no fumes remain. Secide where you want t cut the height and with a roll of masking tape put to wrinkle free wraps around tank with one edge where you want the cut. This gives a good line to follow. For safety use a non sparking method of cutting Hack saw, sawzsall, jig saw. Use a fine toothed metal cutting blade. With the sawsall and jig saw a hole needs to be drilled for the cut to start. I cut a 3-4" wide ring from the remainder ( left over) tank and weld this on for a full sized base much more stable and solid than the smaller dia base on the tank. lightly deburr edges and clean up cut.

To get an idea of how much lead a pot will hold lead is about 35lbs per quart

[jeepvet]

This is how I built my bottom pour smelting pot. You can leave it right side up for a ladle pot. Works great.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?266779-Building-Bottom-Pour-Smelting-Pot

[docslester]

Thanks guys. Knew I'd get some good answers. I ended up with a flat bottomed four quart pot for less than $15 due to the lid being rusty. (Left outside.) I'll go cautiously and slowly. Since fluxing has been brought up let me open a can of worms... What does the group think of Marvelux? Been using it happily for many years. Have seen both sides here.

[docslester]

Good looking setup jeep. I'm afraid it would cost me more to buy the tools and parts to do that than I care to afford at the moment.

[gwpercle]

Thanks guys. Knew I'd get some good answers. I ended up with a flat bottomed four quart pot for less than $15 due to the lid being rusty. (Left outside.) I'll go cautiously and slowly. Since fluxing has been brought up let me open a can of worms... What does the group think of Marvelux? Been using it happily for many years. Have seen both sides here.
Most around here will bad mouth it, But I have used it along with pencil sharpener wood shavings.
I find using both helps get a good flux in the smelting pot .
In the casting pot I use Marvelux , wood shavings and beeswax .
When using Marvelux just use a little , 1-2 teaspoons and then add some wood shavings , stiring well.
Best to do 2 small fluxings than one big one .
Gary

[docslester]

Thanks Gary. I've been happy with it. Pretty much always used reclaimed lead from our old range's backstops and wheel weights from a friends salvage yard and it worked well. Sadly I've no access to either now. (Moved from Florida after 34 years back to the family farm in Ohio.)

[jeepvet]

For just ladle smelting all you will need to do is cut the tank. I got mine at our local propane company for $free.99 because it was out of inspection date. They removed the old valve for me because I am such a good guy. I cut it with a sawsall just like Country Gent said. Just use the cut off top as a lid. If you get into it big time you might look think about it. Saves a lot of time heating small batches of lead.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am not a fan of Marvelux for bottom pour pots. But, I'm sure there are some good uses for Marvelux? I've never used it, but I cleaned up after it. I received a Lee bottom pour pot from a fellow caster that regularly used Marvelux (maybe he used too much?), with the spout plugged up good...The Pot side wall also had a hard yellow dross built up, adhered extremely well ! The spout had the same hard yellow dross in the spout. I had to drill out the spout to make the bottom pour functional.

I believe I've heard that Marvelux works well to blend pure antimony into bullet alloy.

[docslester]

I am not a fan of Marvelux for bottom pour pots. But, I'm sure there are some good uses for Marvelux? I've never used it, but I cleaned up after it. I received a Lee bottom pour pot from a fellow caster that regularly used Marvelux (maybe he used too much?), with the spout plugged up good...The Pot side wall also had a hard yellow dross built up, adhered extremely well ! The spout had the same hard yellow dross in the spout. I had to drill out the spout to make the bottom pour functional.

I believe I've heard that Marvelux works well to blend pure antimony into bullet alloy.

Thanks JonB. If I can develop a new source of cheap lead I'll certainly look into doing exactly that. My new range in Kentucky has announced members are free to remove lead from the backstops so perhaps soon....

I've used two Lee bottom pour pots for years and haven't had any real issues other than rust from this new damp climate.

[lightman]

Your new pot will work fine. The seasoning will quickly burn off but expect a little smoke or smell the first time. Just treat it gently. Bring it up to temp slowly and don't bang on it when its hot. I still have the Dutch oven that my Grandfather used for smelting. I use it for smaller batches of alloy or for melting solder/pewter. I prefer a larger pot, something that will hold a bucket of wheel weights or several buckets!

[docslester]

Your new pot will work fine. The seasoning will quickly burn off but expect a little smoke or smell the first time. Just treat it gently. Bring it up to temp slowly and don't bang on it when its hot. I still have the Dutch oven that my Grandfather used for smelting. I use it for smaller batches of alloy or for melting solder/pewter. I prefer a larger pot, something that will hold a bucket of wheel weights or several buckets!

Thanks. I wish I could find a few buckets of wheel weights! (That weren't priced like they were made of gold!)

[country gent]

Rendering / smelting range scrap and wheel weights I find easier to do in a big pot. more actual lead to dross making it easier to stir the first flux with them still in it. Just more room and more liquid to work with. I flux with wood chips and wax. First fluxing is as melted jackets, clops, and crud still on the pot. then skim everything off. This is a heavier fluxing probably twice the chips and wax as the next 2. Then 2 lighter fluxings right behind it . maybe another of a lot is still coming up. Rendering smelting is where you want to clean the material before its poured into ingots. If ingots are dirty then your introducing it to you casting pot also. Lead goes thru my smelting pot twice first when I clean it up and second time when I blend the desired alloy. This gives bigger consistant batches of alloy for the small pots keeping every thing consitant longer. A good investment is a set of cheap number letter stamps 3/8" to 1/2" size to ID ingots as to pot number and alloy. It PN 1 ( pot number 1) A WW (Alloy Wheel weights) this allows you to know what each ingot is. Then when casting you can use ingots evenly from each pot and maintain consistency for a long time. IE If you rendered 5 pots of wheel weights into 1 lb ingots you have pot number 1-5 2 ingots from each pot to fill you 10 lb pot makes the exact blend over the whole 5 pots of ingots. SO if yu second run thru you blend 96-2-2 your ID would be Pot number XX A 96 2 2. Markers are okay but tend to fade or wipe off over time.

[kevin c]

Harbor freight has cutch ovens and cast iron pots occasionally pretty reasonable. Lodge is a top name right now. A cut off propane cylinder, steel pot, or cast iron pot is go able and safe. I will give my opinions on each below.

1) Cut down propane tank
Can be larger capacity up to around 350-400lbs
large dia making ladling easier and allows a larger ladle to be used
concave bottom so ladling the lead out is easier
built right a larger base for stability will get into this below

2) Steel or stainless steel cooking pots.
Nice dia for ladling
handles for moving but they may not be up to task if any amount of lead is in it
Usually have a lid with them to cover pot
Flat bottom so decent foot print for stability, but harder to ladle down to empty
Can be made of thinner material than the propane cylinders are

3) Cast Iron pots
good solid pot that heats very evenly
Depending on pot can be flat bottomed or concave.
Most have 3 feet making them harder to sit flat on a grate.
Cast iron subjected to rapid high heat can crack from the rapid expansion. To allieviate this start witth burner low and "warm" cast iron and contents for 10-15 mins then increase burner. This brings it up to temp slower and lowers the chance of cracks

Aluminum and die cast pots melting temps are close to leads and may fail under the weight and temps.

If you decide on an propane tank several things need to be done.
Dish soap and water wash 3-4 times good rinse, then air hose purge for 5-10 mins. Make sure the tank is clean and no fumes remain. Secide where you want t cut the height and with a roll of masking tape put to wrinkle free wraps around tank with one edge where you want the cut. This gives a good line to follow. For safety use a non sparking method of cutting Hack saw, sawzsall, jig saw. Use a fine toothed metal cutting blade. With the sawsall and jig saw a hole needs to be drilled for the cut to start. I cut a 3-4" wide ring from the remainder ( left over) tank and weld this on for a full sized base much more stable and solid than the smaller dia base on the tank. lightly deburr edges and clean up cut.

To get an idea of how much lead a pot will hold lead is about 35lbs per quart
Great advice and nice descriptions there!

Maybe my calculations are off, but isn't pure liquid lead about 22 pounds a quart (0.38 pounds per cubic inch), and solid lead about 23 1/2 pounds a quart (0.41 pounds per cubic inch)?

[RED BEAR]

i threw away a whole set of cast iron cookware about a couple months before i started casting. got a glass top stove and had them around for a couple years thinking i might start casting again. finally said will never do it and threw them away. kick myself every time i make ingots.