homemade smelter question

[kendall yates]

I'm thinking about making a homemade bottom pour pot with a propane burner but a little confused by the whole "BTU" thing. How many are needed? Currently I use my turkey fryer and dutch oven but I want to make sure the new 1 I build will have a large enough burner. I am planning on using a piece of 12 inch pipe. Thanks.

[Willbird]

Many of the turkey dryer burners are 125,000 btu, and I just melted 180 lbs of lead in a single batch with one yesterday :-). Not bad for a $25 total cost turkey fryer kit and a dollar store stainless stock pot :-).

Bill

[Adk Mike]

I also use a turkey cooker. I don't care for the Dutch oven the bottom is too flat. I took a 20lb propane tank and cut it in half it makes a good pot. I use a laddle from an old forge in the family that will hold 9 lbs. I also manifold two propane tanks together that way the tank doesnt frost down from drawing so hard. I've smelted over one thousand pounds of scrap,range lead and wheel weights this winter. My system works good and is plenty fast.

[kendall yates]

Thats a good idea about the 2 propane tanks.

[Cowboy5780]

I just tried out my new Homeade bottom pour smelting pot yesterday i took a piece of 12 inch steel pipe by about 15 inch long and put a bottom in it took it a while to get hot as i expected.
I took a piece of 1/2 steel black pipe and welded it smooth with the bottom then reamed it good with a counterbore, then i found an old broken air chisel bit i had turned it upside down where the part that goes in the chisel was in the hole. Then i took some automotive valve lapping compound chucked the chisel in my drill coated the bit liberally and seated it to the pipe. I put 90 degree elbow under the pot and ran it along side the burner in hope it would keep the pipe warm enough, sighs but i still had to warm it with a propane torch to restart it flowing. I just used a regular propane fired turkey cooker for heat worked like a dream tho the 12 inch pipe fits pretty snug in the cooker (altho i warn you it takes a crapload of lead to get the volume up in the pot) Go for it tho works like a dream. the linkage for the lever is pretty self explainatory but i can try to post piccys if you want also theres a good description with pics already on the site. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=36203&highlight=melting+pot

[hornsurgeon]

where do you guys find turkey fryers so cheap. walmart here want $60 for theirs, and everyone else is higher yet!

[captain-03]

Got mine at bass Pro for about $29.00 .... with pot ...

[leftiye]

I thimk I'm gonna cut the bottom out of one of my 5 gallon propane tanks, and use the outlet hole for making a valve like cowboy done.

[jimkim]

I have a freon(R-22) tank that I'm planing on using. It has a hole punched through the top. I'm hoping to find another one with the top intact. The radius on the top seems to match better with a ladle.

[kendall yates]

I am going to try my ty turkeyfryer burner first since i own it but if it dosent heat it fast enough I found this place http://www.tejassmokers.com/castironburners.htm

They have 160,000 btu cast iron burners for $35 with free shipping or a MONSTER that is 225,000 btu for $165.

I am doing the "trial and error" to try and save money.