How about clay?

[jonk]

Been trying to think of something to use to make ingots...... and a no brainer. how about clay? I don't weld so the angle iron thing is out. I dont' want to buy a bunch of Lee or Lyman ingot molds at $18 a pop. Muffin tins are too big to fit in my pot. But I can buy a few pounds of clay cheap! Press the clay into a baking pan, use some already cast ingots to make impressions, let dry, voila! What say you?

[BABore]

Been trying to think of something to use to make ingots...... and a no brainer. how about clay? I don't weld so the angle iron thing is out. I dont' want to buy a bunch of Lee or Lyman ingot molds at $18 a pop. Muffin tins are too big to fit in my pot. But I can buy a few pounds of clay cheap! Press the clay into a baking pan, use some already cast ingots to make impressions, let dry, voila! What say you?

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen. [smilie=1:

Track down some of the cast iron corn bread pans. The ones that look like half ears of corn. They're small enough to stand up in your pot, or you can chop them in half with an axe. You can also check out baking and candy making shops. They make muffin pans down to about 1 inch in diameter. Hell you could get a dozen of them small stainless soup ladles fairly cheap. Just dip them full and leave them set up.

[jonk]

Why an accident waiting to happen? I do this outside and the clay would be in a steel pan. I'm not talking about pouring into WET clay.

I've seen the cast iron corn bread pans. For like $20-$30 each. More expensive than the ingot molds! Why would I want those? And when I have 50 pounds of lead I don't want to wait while everything cools in the tin and just use ONE mold- will waste fuel keeping my smelt molten in the meantime. Like all casters, I'm trying to be frugal.

[TC66]

How do you get the ingot out of the clay mold? If one sticks and you hit the clay mold you just broke your mold.

[waksupi]

If you have a router, or mill, you can cut channels in a piece of wood to make ingot molds. You can also nail together pieces in a V, with closed ends. They will work for quite awhile before the heat takes it's toll.

[BABore]

Why an accident waiting to happen? I do this outside and the clay would be in a steel pan. I'm not talking about pouring into WET clay.

I've seen the cast iron corn bread pans. For like $20-$30 each. More expensive than the ingot molds! Why would I want those? And when I have 50 pounds of lead I don't want to wait while everything cools in the tin and just use ONE mold- will waste fuel keeping my smelt molten in the meantime. Like all casters, I'm trying to be frugal.

I got my corn bread pans at Meijer's. I think they have them by you. They were $7 apiece. As the poster above stated, I to think the hard, dry clay would quickly break. I've also seen guys use the screw-on tops from 100 lb propane cylinders. They cut them down to a shorter height. If I had to have them a small size, and didn't have the fabricating means, I might even try hammering some impressions into sheet metal.

[Gerry N.]

Why an accident waiting to happen? I do this outside and the clay would be in a steel pan. I'm not talking about pouring into WET clay.

I've seen the cast iron corn bread pans. For like $20-$30 each. More expensive than the ingot molds! Why would I want those? And when I have 50 pounds of lead I don't want to wait while everything cools in the tin and just use ONE mold- will waste fuel keeping my smelt molten in the meantime. Like all casters, I'm trying to be frugal.

You are absolutely talking about wet clay. Unfired clay absorbs water from the air. Pour molten lead into an unfired, or even an unglazed clay mold and you will have some serious excitement. In order to have a dry clay mould, it would have to be thoroughly heated taking several hours in an oven to be relatively sure it was actually dry.

The corn fritter pan is an excellent and dirt cheap ingot mold. They are found in uncountable thousands in antique malls, second hand and thrift stores, usually for a dollar or two. Garage sales and flea markets are a good source as well. All you need to do is look around. If you're going to be "frugal" you are going to have to stop looking at store prices.

Have you ever cast ingots in a fritter pan? The alloy hardens enough to dump out in a minute or two. Another solution is to have two or even three, that way you can pour continuously.

Gerry N.

[sundog]

pop and beer cans, but be sure they are DRY! Big pair of scissors and cut in half, or top third off, round out a little, and voila. Pour to desired height. A little tough coming off at the botoom, but all you need to do is score the outside with a utility knife, and grab ahold with pliers and wrastle it off. With a little experience you can pour to about whatever weight ingot you want just by eyeballing it. And your supply is readily replenishable - drink mo beer.

[jonk]

A beer can would have the same problem as a muffin tin; too fat! Won't fit in the pot.

Gerry,

I've long been a fan of flea markets, antique stores, junk shops, goodwill, you name it. In that time I've seen exactly 2 corn muffin corn shaped pans- one for $45 and one for $30. They may be more prevalant where you live but I'm sure never going to get one for a buck or two where I am.

If they have them new at Meijer, which I doubt (and I HATE Meijer) that might be an option if reasonably priced. I haven't cast into such a pan before but I'll surely check soon.

Another member saw this and offered to make me an angle iron mold, we'll see how that works.

[mooman76]

How small is your pot? A beer can fits in the little Lee 4# pot.

[targetshootr]

That must be a teeny little pot. I just had a mold made by cutting a 3 3/4" pipe down the middle and it's 8" long. I figure one will hold about 16-18 lbs of molten goodness and fill up the ProMelt... since I leave a little in the bottom whenever I turn it off.

[hiram]

mini-muffin pan. mine makes an 8 oz ingot.

[sundog]

"A beer can would have the same problem as a muffin tin; too fat! Won't fit in the pot."

Then cut the can length ways. The half with the opening in the top goes in recycle, the other half goes in a rack made so it won't turn over. Now you have half or smaller diameter part round bars.

[oneokie]

5.5oz juice cans make an ingot that will fit in the older Saeco and Lyman bottom pour pots. About 3.5 lbs.

[Firebricker]

jonk,I dont know what part of Oh your in but if your close enough to me and need something welded up let me know. Or better yet if you have a big smelt session coming up I can lend you some of my cast iron ones. I'm hard to catch at home this time of year due to working out of town but would be happy to help if you need. FB

[Old Ironsights]

mini-muffin pan. mine makes an 8 oz ingot.

The Mini-muffin pans cost about $12 NEW at the local non-Wally grocery super store...

Not a bad choice if you don't know someone with a welder.

[leftiye]

It's simple. Buy ONE ingot mold, fill it, dump the ingots out, repeat. Right? Oh, it won't cool as fast as you want it to? Make a mold cooler, maybe? 1/2" thick sheet of aluminum sitting on 1/4" steel straps in water in cookie sheet, water in one end and out the other. Supply water with hose, expend water down drain, maybe. Ain't I a PITA? But the one lb. standard ingot is very convenient to use, FWIW.

I pour ingots out of a 100 lb bottom pour smelter. I use an air cooled (fan) ingot cooler to set my ingots. I can get by with two ingot molds easily. I started doing this to keep the bottoms of the ingots pretty, the lead got all jostled up when I held the molds with a pair of pliers, then set them down to cool. BTW, it's faster, too!

[mikenbarb]

Wal-Mart is selling mini muffin pans for under 4 bucks each and they make 24 mini ingots. Their a Mainstays brand P/N HG34WM.

[mtgrs737]

Second hand stores are a good place to find things for the caster!

[briang]

Clay is an insulator, it would take a real long time to cool.

[Old Ironsights]

I have ONE 10# angle-iron ingot pan (2#x5 ingots).

I have TWO Lyman 4# (1# x 4 ingots) pans.

I have ONE 12 hole, aluminium muffin pan... cost a quarter. Dunno the weight yet (haven't used it, but they are 2oz muffins.

If you don't have antique/junk/Salvation Army/Goodwill stores handy, the mini-muffin pans are cheap enough to get one or two new OEM.

You don't need a lot of ingot moulds. I only use one type at a time/per alloy blend.

[1stSkink]

I picked up, but haven't tried, the Wally World condiment containers. 4 for a buck. They hold, I think, 1oz of sauce. They are made of stainless steel.
skink

[hoosierlogger]

Make a mold cooler, maybe? 1/2" thick sheet of aluminum sitting on 1/4" steel straps in water in cookie sheet, water in one end and out the other. Supply water with hose, expend water down drain, maybe.


Disregard this advice, keep molten lead and water as far apart as you possibly can. This is a worse idea than using clay as a mold.


Leftiye, not trying to be negative towards you, but I wouldnt even do that.

[hoosierlogger]

I picked up, but haven't tried, the Wally World condiment containers. 4 for a buck. They hold, I think, 1oz of sauce. They are made of stainless steel.
skink

I used those too till I got my Lyman mold. they are a PITA to tip over and get the lead out of without good heavy welding gloves or a big pair of pliars. Really an aluminum mold will cool off pretty quick if you set it on the concrete garage floor in the winter. Thats when I do my smelting , so as I am not sweating while standing there hovering above the molten lead.

[mold maker]

Midway puts the Lee ingot mold on sale for less than $9. It has a wooden handle and cast 2 sizes of ingots. Their inexpensive, cool fast, fit every pot, and you don't handle with pliers.
But several and never look back.

[geargnasher]

FWIW, I use a 12-muffin tin to make perfect little 1/2 lb "pugs" that are really easy to add to the 20# pot in known amounts as I go, think I paid 2 bucks for it a few years ago and haven't seen need to improve it.

On the note of clay moulds and dampness, I almost had a major accident pouring lead anchors in a concrete slab (setting bolts in predrilled 3/4" holes) when I poured lead into a VERY SLIGHTLY damp hole the lead and the bolt shot out like dynamite and sprayed everything, including me, with molten lead. For some reason I was wearing a full face shield (think I was still wearing it from cutting bolts on the chop saw, apparently the only intelligent thing I did) and it saved my face and eyes. Do not underestimate the danger of moisture and where it hides!

[Cap'n Morgan]

With that many casters in the US, I'm surprised no one has suggested having a foundry making a series of ingot molds.

Small foundries will do one-off cast parts, and a group buy of perhaps fifty or more molds, should not be a problem. No doubt several of this boards members, would be able to make the wood or aluminum masters used in the casting process.

How cool would it be casting ingots with the "Cast Boolits" logo? :drinks:

BTW. Do you have these in the US?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_H70RUN_TQNw/SdcHoU4ahkI/AAAAAAAAAH0/1Z99a_gwKZw/aebleskivepande.JPG

This is known in Denmark as an "apple slice pan" and is/were used for baking ball shaped muffins from pancake dough. The old cast types work great for ingot molds.

[mooman76]

Try some thrift stores or garage sales. You should be able to come up with something cheap there. I was thinking of getting the Lee ingot mould. It has the smaller ingots too which would work well for my 4# pot.

[hiram]

My mini-muffin pans are aluminum--certainly not $12.

[Lead melter]

mini-muffin pan. mine makes an 8 oz ingot.


Been using one for 5 years, no problems yet. Wally World has a 24 count pan for about $8.

[Hang Fire]

Been trying to think of something to use to make ingots...... and a no brainer. how about clay? I don't weld so the angle iron thing is out. I dont' want to buy a bunch of Lee or Lyman ingot molds at $18 a pop. Muffin tins are too big to fit in my pot. But I can buy a few pounds of clay cheap! Press the clay into a baking pan, use some already cast ingots to make impressions, let dry, voila! What say you?


Clay from craft stores & etc is oil based, might want to do a test with safety glasses and a very long handled ladle.

[roysha]

I know you are going to laff your hinny off, but I have used the paper mache 18-pk egg cartons, certainly the dozen pack would work as well. They are only good for one, sometimes two pours, but they give an ingot of 8-9 ozs. and it doesn't get much cheaper than that since most people throw them away.

[Old Ironsights]

My mini-muffin pans are aluminum--certainly not $12.

Just saying/noting what a new one costs at my local Jewel/Osco. They are teflon coated aluminium.

I really haven't looked around too much because I have all the ingot moulds I need.

[geargnasher]

With that many casters in the US, I'm surprised no one has suggested having a foundry making a series of ingot molds.

Small foundries will do one-off cast parts, and a group buy of perhaps fifty or more molds, should not be a problem. No doubt several of this boards members, would be able to make the wood or aluminum masters used in the casting process.

How cool would it be casting ingots with the "Cast Boolits" logo? :drinks:

BTW. Do you have these in the US?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_H70RUN_TQNw/SdcHoU4ahkI/AAAAAAAAAH0/1Z99a_gwKZw/aebleskivepande.JPG

This is known in Denmark as an "apple slice pan" and is/were used for baking ball shaped muffins from pancake dough. The old cast types work great for ingot molds.


My interest is piqued. The logo would be too cool.8-) No one else??
Gear

[leftiye]

Hoosier,

The trick is = don't put WATER INTO (under the surface of) MOLTEN LEAD. Molten lead into water is a WHOLE NOTHER ISSUE ENTIRELY. It just steams. Don't knock it before you've figured out what you're talking about. Besides, no one suggested putting them together.

I HAVE used the method described, and others involving water with no misfortune (and I contend - danger) at all. You put the ingot mold on the dry aluminum plate, BTW.

[dakotashooter2]

I do my smelting in the winter. 2 ingot molds.. Fill Mold..set down in snow/ice repeat for second mold.. empty first mold and start over.

[runnin lead]

This has me thinking ,kinda scary, when casting a pewter nosepiece on a muzzle loader I used heavy paper about paper plate tkickness for a mold,the paper turned a little brown but didn't burn. I think a paper coffee cup would work ,just fill as high as you want for your ingot size & move to the next one ,you would have to build a simple rack to keep them from tipping over.
No dumpster diving at starbucks.

[Old Ironsights]

Hoosier,

The trick is = don't put WATER INTO (under the surface of) MOLTEN LEAD. Molten lead into water is a WHOLE NOTHER ISSUE ENTIRELY. It just steams. Don't knock it before you've figured out what you're talking about. Besides, no one suggested putting them together.

I HAVE used the method described, and others involving water with no misfortune (and I contend - danger) at all. You put the ingot mold on the dry aluminum plate, BTW.

When my ingot moulds get too hot and stop releasing well, I just carry the whole thing - full of ingots that won't fall out - and dunk it into a bucket of water well away from the melt.

The ingots pop out & fall into the bucket. The mould dries almost instantly, maintaining a temp significantly over 250deg, but a bunch less than the 500+ it was at...

Works really well. With only one mould, I have to dunk it about every 3rd to 5th pour depending on ambient air temp.

[hoosierlogger]

Hoosier,

The trick is = don't put WATER INTO (under the surface of) MOLTEN LEAD. Molten lead into water is a WHOLE NOTHER ISSUE ENTIRELY. It just steams. Don't knock it before you've figured out what you're talking about. Besides, no one suggested putting them together.

I HAVE used the method described, and others involving water with no misfortune (and I contend - danger) at all. You put the ingot mold on the dry aluminum plate, BTW.

I understand your set up that you are describing, however water is still involved.

With all due respect when I typed that I didnt look at how many posts he had made, and assumed that he was just getting into melting and casting, however I was wrong. I have not been at it as long as the majority of the folks on here and obviously dont know as much as you, so Ill keep my lead and water separate. I can still see bad things happening here though there is always a possibility of water finding its way onto the equipment and then into the lead pot.

I understand that you never suggested putting them together, but I have read several posts on here where people have had water in their lead cause an eruption, and I am pretty sure they didnt plan on it.

All I am saying is use your head and be 100% aware of what you are doing while casting.

You do it your way and Ill do it my way and keep the water far away from my lead.