Pop can ingot molds

[Johnch]

I was helping a freind make up a batch of WW ingots tonight .
Got the pot of WW cleaned and fluxed .
I ask him for his ingot mold , he didn't have one , he thought I was going to bring mine .

So we looked around .

His kids DRY empty pop cans were all we could find , with out raiding his wifes kit. for a muffin pan .

He started cutting tops off as I filled them .
A can will hold about 4 - 5 lb .

When cool we peeled the can off the lead .
The resulting ingot will fit into my Lee 20 lb pot .

Boy dose a ingot that size take a long time to cool . [smilie=l:

Johnch

[SharpsShooter]

As the say…necessity is the mother of invention. I bet they did take a while to cool off.

[shooter575]

Gee-wiz,them soda cans are worth a dime apiece here in Mi. Stores have a automatic can counter that reads the UPC code.I t will even take out of state cans.Canook can will not pay though.I know a couple retired guys that hit all the rest areas,truck stops etc and he claimes to make 20K a year?
Anyway Im just too cheep to waste that dime!

[sundog]

John, yea, takes a long time to heat, too! I use Coors Light (Silver Boolits, doncha know), 1) because that's what I drink, and b) they're a little skinnier around. Last big melt I finished up with the flat stickons done separately and put them in the can so I know they are different. They work okay as long as they are dry. Don't ask me how I know.... sundog

[eka]

I used the cans also, because I don't have but one real ingot pan. I cut the cans in half and made the ingots the size of 1/3 of a can so they would be more managable. I put the clean cut cans in the oven on the lowest setting for about fifteen minutes just to make sure there wasn't any moisture in them. I'm not sure I will continue using this once I get some muffin pans in my collection. The cans are a nice free alternative for now though.

Keith

[sundog]

You can also float them on the melt for a few seconds to dry them out. sundog

[Maxthompson]

I like to fill them about half full through the spout. I then keep one in the fridge to hand to my son in laws. Do it outside because they will crack tile.

Mike

[slughammer]

Fulls cans do NOT fit in a 10lb pot. Don't ask me how I know....

[jsm02f]

I always use soda cans for ingots, but differently than you guys. I rip off the tab from the top of the can and flip then over, mouth down. I then pour into the little cavity on top. While the ingots are small, if you have just a few cans you can cast a bunch of ingots fast. The trick is to make a line of coke cans and pour into the base from a large ladle. As soon as it is solidified, just tap the can with a gloved finger or the ladle, and the top heavy can will flip over, seperating the ingot from the can. Since the can is hollow you can grab the can at the base almost immediatly, even without gloves, and set them back up ready for the next round!

[boogerred]

now that is an idea!small enough to get a good bit of weight into a lee 10# bot pour to start and add 1 or2 to keep the pot level up without lowering the melt temp too much.im gonna have to try that!

[anachronism]

You can still recycle the alumimum from the cans, after you peel it off your ingot. Lead ingoted this way stacks very neatly.

[ewlyon]

I just got started in casting and based on this thread and my own cheapness i used the bottom of the soda can idea. So far it has worked very well. I have about 10 cans that I have cut up so only the bottom is left and I can fill all of them with about two large ladle fulls. The resulting ingots cool quickly because they are so small and and store very easily in mason jars. Also they melt very quickly in the pot and allow selecting the proper weight of alloys for mixing by adding or subtracting one or two small ingots.

[catskinner]

My brother and I made duck decoy anchors using the bottom of the pop can. Bent a piece of baling wire into a U and then bent the legs 90 degrees. Set the wire on the bottom of the can and poured the lead on.

[ubetcha]

Not to change the subject, but my wife just gave me a nice Christmas gift. 5 Lee ingot molds that they used at her job. She works at a company that make LED lighting for vehicle ranging from HD motorcycles to the expensive McClaren cars. She used to run the electric's department were they made the circuit board and they had a" through hole wave machine " where the circuit boards would run above a vat of lead and the tips of the electronic components would get soldered to the circuit board. now the use surface mount boards. when the machine was not used, they would put the lead in ingots. She said she might be able to get more ingot. Now I should ask her about the lead solder

[Hardcast416taylor]

Virginia uses NO DEPOSIT cans, Michigan has a dime refund deposit on our cans. Have to keep an eye on my Daughter and her family when they visit us from Virginia as they will toss the empty cans in the waste basket.Robert

[ioon44]

One other way is to use aluminum 3 oz cat food cans, only down side to this is you have to have a cat to have the cans.

[MBTcustom]

I like the soda can idea. I wouldn't think it was even necessary to peel the can off the ingot would it be? I mean, you could just put the can and the ingot in your lead pot and let the lead melt out of the can. Then the can could be reused? Recycling at its best.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I like the soda can idea. I wouldn't think it was even necessary to peel the can off the ingot would it be? I mean, you could just put the can and the ingot in your lead pot and let the lead melt out of the can. Then the can could be reused? Recycling at its best.

Kinda sounds like a recipe for slopping molten lead when picking the can of lead out of the melt pot. Just my .02 cents.Robert

[2wheelDuke]

I've been saving little 8oz cans to use as ingots. There's no deposit on cans here.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

An alternate way to use the pop cans is to cut them lengthwise. At least one side of the can can make a much more manageable mold in terms of size and weight. Filling a full can makes an ingot that is too heavy and it takes a long time to melt. LLS

[leeggen]

I use the cans from sardines. When filled full it will weigh about 2.5 lb. No chance of falling over and easy to stack. Takes just a few minutes and you can dump the ingot out. Wife likes the dead fish and I get the best part the can.
CD

[vzerone]

I like Goodsteel's idea.