Is a separate pot for smelting the way to go?

[vis35]

Is a separate pot for smelting the way to go?

I am getting back into casting after almost a twenty year absence. Before, I had a Lee bottom pour pot and the darned thing always leaked out the spout. I would pour the mould and then have to grab a screwdriver and give the stopper rod a twist to get it to stop leaking and then hit the sprue cutter. I think the problem with the leaking was that I melted down my wheelweights in that same pot and junk / crud / debris from the wheelweights prevented the rod from sealing the spout properly. I think the pot worked properly when it was new but as the spout became messed up with debris the leaking was a constant nuisance.

I just received my nice, new (and expensive!) RCBS Pro-Melt casting furnace and I do not want to mess it up like I did the old Lee pot. Should I use a separate pot to reduce my wheelweights to ingots, that way I will just be melting clean metal ingots in the RCBS pot? I am thinking of getting a cheap Lee electric pot (with no bottom pour spout to mess up) and ladle out the alloy into an ingot mould. I will be doing my smelting / casting on the wooden deck of my condo so an open flame heat source ist verboten due to fire codes, I will have to use some form of electric melter.

Any comments will be appreciated. Is my fear of messing up the RCBS pot groundless? Was my old lee pot just a piece of junk and they all do that? Any suggestions on some form of an electric melter?
Thanks!

[jnovotny]

Most definately! Use another pot to smelt the raw ww or anything else.that you may use. Keeps your pot that you cast out of cleaner and running smoothly. I use a cast iron pot from the antique store that holds about 50 lbs of melt. A propane fired turkey cooker for the heat source. Smelt outside and you won't smoke up your garage. John

[dragonrider]

Absolutely it is. Keeps your casting pot clean and sweet smelling.

[vis35]

Thanks guys, that is what I was thinking. I am sure a propane heat source would work well but that is out for me. Any suggestions on some sort of electric melter?

[mooman76]

Especially with a bottom pour. You want the lead to be clean as possible to keep the valve from gunking up and causing leaks.

[vis35]

Looks like there is going to be a Lee “Magnum Melter” in my future. I just called a few places around Anchorage and nobody has one, so I will try to order one from Midway tomorrow. Any suggestions about a ladle for ingots? Could I just use a large steel soup ladle with an insulated handle?

[monadnock#5]

I think you'd be happier with a stainless steel pot and a two burner hot plate. Stainless is much easier to keep clean, and hot plates should be available at the thrift or hardware store. A steel ladle will do a fine job for you. I like the wide, shallow style over the deep, narrow type, but either would work well.

[vis35]

I think you'd be happier with a stainless steel pot and a two burner hot plate.

Sounds good to me! :) But would a simple electric hotplate put out enough heat to melt a pot of lead, say 20 pounds? That is why I figured I would go with the Lee pot. Oh, why a two burner hotplate, would that be better than a single burner in some way?

[Storydude]

Lee pot is ~700 watts. Good old-school hotplate is 1200-1500.

2 burner because you can have your mould warming on one while melting lead in the other..:)

[shotman]

hey vis thanks for you honnest reply that is why most of these guys call a Lee a drip -o- matic because they keep them looking like a fire pit. I have one that is 20+yrs old and looks as good as a new one inside and out. dont drip and has only when I add bunch of trash to it.

[monadnock#5]

Lee pot is ~700 watts. Good old-school hotplate is 1200-1500.

2 burner because you can have your mould warming on one while melting lead in the other..:)

Yup, what he said! Couldn't have said it better myself. The last time I poured from from the stainless pot into an ingot mould, I was working on the fifth or sixth muffin when PHYFFFFFT......POP! Didn't quite have time to say "OH...Shi." If I'd had a second burner to warm the ingot mould I wouldn't have had to dodge hot lead.