Things I learned while smelting tonight

[ghh3rd]

Some things that I learned tonight while attempting to smelt some of the 180 lbs of lead that I've acquired in the last couple of days (130 lbs yesterday for $10 and 50 lbs today for free) :-)


It's a dirty mess sorting through wheel weights, but sure is nice looking at the clean lead after it's poured.

My old melting pot that's capable of melting 5 lbs is far from adequate to do much smelting at all.

A one burner Coleman stove with a 1 pt gas tank will only last for about 5 lbs - then everything cools down while waiting to refill the tank :-(

Smelt during the day - it's lots easier to see, and probably safer than trying to see under light bulbs. It's also probably warmer during the day (35 degrees outside tonight here in Florida).

Don't try to make ingots in an aluminum muffin tin. I bought one tonight and it made 12 nice ingots. Unfortunately they were permanently attached to the tin cups until I beat the cups off of the pan and loosened the ingots by dipping the bottom of each cup into the hot lead to free them.

I also learned that patience really is important - I must try to be patient until my Lee 20lb Pro 4 and ingot mold arrives.

Now to go over my list of places to call tomorrow for lead...

Randy

[35 Whelen]

I really kind of enjoy smelting WW's. Maybe my method will be easier.

I use a 3 burner, dual fuel Coleman stove, but of course I only use the center burner. I have an old cast iron pot that I'd guess has a 2 gallon capacity. I fill up the fuel tank with gasoline (I'd say it holds about a quart and it will brun for hours. Easily enough to melt and process around 80 lbs. of WW's), fill the pot up with WW's, then go off and load some shells or shoot for a while. When it's all melted, I fish the steel clips out with a steel, draining type serving spoon then I add more WW's, repeating this process until I have the pot 1/2 - 2/3 full of molten lead. I then toss a chunk of bullet lube or candle wax in the pot, light the fumes with a match abd stir the ever lovin' pi$$ out of the melt with my draining spoon. Next I scrape and scoop the trash off the top then use a steel ladle to dip the melted Ww's out and pour them into my ingot mould which consist of a Saeco, a no-name and two cast iron muffin tins. After I finish pouring up all the WW's, I then stamp each ingot "WW" followed by an arbitrary number that identifies that particular lot of lead.
35W

[ghh3rd]

I didn't know that a coleman stove would have enough heat to do a large batch. Interesting.


...go off and load some shells or shoot for a while.
I'm envious. It sounds like you can shoot in your back yard.

Randy

[snaggdit]

I have a 25 meter range in my back yard, but with respect for the neighbors try not to use it too often, myself. I am on the outskirts of town, and although it is outside of the city limits, I would rather not fire away daily. Why advertise the fact I am a gun nut. I do bow hunt in my back yard, though! I prefer to hit the range to set up and blast away for several hours :-)

[par0thead151]

I have a 25 meter range in my back yard, but with respect for the neighbors try not to use it too often, myself. I am on the outskirts of town, and although it is outside of the city limits, I would rather not fire away daily. Why advertise the fact I am a gun nut. I do bow hunt in my back yard, though! I prefer to hit the range to set up and blast away for several hours :-)

ever consider a suppressor?
22LR ones are dead quiet.
5.56 ones are still fairly quiet even with super sonic normal ammo.
9mm suppressors are also very quiet.
good ones allow you to not wear ear protection and not damage hearing...:Fire:

[snaggdit]

I have a 45 arriving beginning of next week. Any hints on suppression? My fav. is my 40 S&W. Hoping the 45 changes that...

[supv26]

I use an aluminum muffin pan and so far they have never gotten stuck. I pour them full and then let it set until the lead hardens. I then take a flat rack and lay over the top the the muffin pan and flip it. I kind of drop it on the table and they all fall out. They are still too hot to hold with bare hands so be sure to keep your gloves on. Maybe you are not letting them cool long enough.

[Whitespider]

Are you sure those muffin tins are aluminum? Could they be those cheap tin-plated ones you by at the dollar store?

When you pour molten lead into tin-plated cookware the ingots will quite literally solder themselves to the cookware. Just take a propane torch and heat the daylights out of the muffin holes, that will burn the plating off and "season" the metal, the ingots will fall right out. It doesn't hurt to smoke the muffin holes with an old candle either, after burning the plating off.

[Willbird]

Don't try to make ingots in an aluminum muffin tin. I bought one tonight and it made 12 nice ingots. Unfortunately they were permanently attached to the tin cups until I beat the cups off of the pan and loosened the ingots by dipping the bottom of each cup into the hot lead to free them.



Now to go over my list of places to call tomorrow for lead...

Randy

Don't ever try to tell anybody else how bad those aluminum multi piece construction muffin tins suck because they will absolutely refuse to listen. I swear that 1/2 of those things are sold to lead smelters who did not listen to the 10 guys who told them not to buy those multi piece construction muffin tins for smelting lead :-). Every person who tells somebody not to buy them was told not to buy them....but did anyway. The ones I had the ingots soldered right to the non stick coating, and the unit itself being made of multiple parts was not up to being used as an ingot mold anyway.

Bill

[Nate1778]

ever consider a suppressor?
22LR ones are dead quiet.
5.56 ones are still fairly quiet even with super sonic normal ammo.
9mm suppressors are also very quiet.
good ones allow you to not wear ear protection and not damage hearing...:Fire:





I like the idea, but not wanting to advertise your a gun nut doesn't help when your neighbors see you firing your gun with a suppressor on it. You would quickly go from "gun nut" to, "watch out for that guy" guy.

[snaggdit]

Good point. Although the only 2 houses within sight (100 and 200 meters each side, nothing behind but woods on a rising hill) are single older bachelors and aware of the range, my neighborly concern is for the several houses 1/2 mile each way along our dead end road. Still, a suppressor would make me "that guy" if a neighbor saw it.

[LarryM]

For your Coleman stove pick up a propane adapter and 20# BBQ tank and you'll give out before it does.

[sqlbullet]

The problem I have with the coleman stove is the way the grate bows down after I get it glowing and have a pot of hot lead on it. I upgraded to a camp chef that was on sale cheap.

[Dale53]

Coleman stoves are for "only temporary". The grills get hot (as stated above) bow down and dump the lead. Both the Coleman and the lead can be damaged.

Instead, get a fish cooker (turky cooker) with a high BTU burner and a cast iron dutch oven (my dutch oven came from Harbor Freight). You can easily melt 100-200 lbs at a time with zero worries and do it, and do it, and do it... I have done 1000 lbs in a day with help. Now, being a feeble old man, I only do several hundred lbs a day...

Make sure that your turkey cooker frame is up to supporting a couple of hundred lbs (if you can't stand on it, it's NOT sturdy enough).

Dale53

[garandsrus]

If the muffin tins are aluminum, the ingots will not stick, just like boolits will not stick in an aluminum mold :) What you are looking for are shiny silver muffin tins that are made from one piece of aluminum, with the cups punched in.

The multi piece non-shiny silver muffin tins will stick.

John

[2TN Mules]

Cornbread stick pans made of cast iron make a dandy ingot mold. Can be found at many garage sales or flea markets. They cast about a 16 to 10 oz ingot.

[ghh3rd]

I fed my new found lead addiction today.

I received my Lee ingot mold in the mail today. I searched Craigs List and found a brand new Lodge 5 qt. Dutch Oven for $19 and a propane tank for $10. I picked up the dutch oven and on the way back purchased a Bayou Classic SP10 fryer. I chose it becasue the frame is welded and strong, and the price was reasonable (about $50). It supported me when I stood on it for a few seconds, so I feel comfortable that it won't collapse while smelting a pot of lead.

All I have left is to pick up the tank tomorrow, fill it, and I'll be ready to smelt. One thing that I will do before using the ducth oven is to engrave "USE FOR LEAD MELTING ONLY" on a few prominent spots on it and the lid so it will never be used for food. The guy I got it from asked me what I was going to cook in it, and looked at me like I had two heads when I told him "lead".

I can't wait to try it out. I have about 200 lbs of lead to smelt -- I need to find more :-)

Randy

[2TN Mules]

Had a good day today smelted 110# of lead alloy and cast them into ingots. Followed that by 125# of pure lead into ingots. The cast iron cornbread sitck pan is doing a nice job. If this fills the boolit mold like it does the corn kernel divits in the pan then is should cast great.