New Old Ladle

[jimkim]

My eBay ladle came in today. This thing is huge. It is a little rusted and seems to have been repaired at some point, but I think I got a pretty good deal. It sure is handy. Jim

[KCSO]

Does it have a 4 foot handle? Mine does. I may offer it on a benefit here as it is so heavy full of lead that i can barely use it.

[scrapcan]

that looks like the plumbers ladle that I got some time ago, in about the same condition. It also feel stoo heavy for anything except making large ingots.

[mold maker]

It works really well to fil the 4X1lb ingot molds.

[Dale53]

I use the #3 Rowell ladle for my smelting operations. I bought it from Bill Ferguson, the Antimony Man. It IS a bit expensive, but it is sure first class. I value the "bottom draw" feature of the Rowell ladles.

FWIW
Dale53

[jimkim]

It has a 21" handle. The bowl(?) is about the size of a good sized soup-bowl. I guess it is just small enough so it isn't unwieldy. It fits perfectly in my 8.5quart kettle. It is also big enough I can empty the kettle into it when I can't dip anymore lead out. I really lucked up on this.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

You have a good ladle and should keep it (oiled when not in use so that it doesn't rust) as it will do a good job as it can dip , stir and pour a fair amount of melt. I use this same one for faster work in cleaning range lead and WW's. I also use it, although not often anymore, for feeding multi-cavity (H&G gangmolds) out of an old Saeco 20# melting furnace. The trick there is to pour/feed going uphill. The sprues are kind of sloppy and grotesque, but the bullet castings are excellent. I turned a large handle (about 1'" in diameter X 9 inces long) and drilled a hole in it on my lathe out of some scrap pine and use it for a handle. The wood stays cool and gives it more leverage for lifting when melt is in it. A similar length of fat(ter) dowel will also do the job. Doesn't eliminate the need for gloves which should be used anyway because of spashes and spatters even though the lengrh of the handle and the stem will keep you pretty far away from the pot/kettle. Enjoy casting. LLS