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Dipperman
05-06-2005, 02:37 AM
I picked up a used, 2 burner, Coleman camping stove to use for melting wheel weights, thought it would be a step up from my old electric hot plate.

Anyone here have any tips or thoughts they would care to share about keeping one of these things burning for an extended period of time, so I don't blow it up or burn down my garage?

Thanks in advance.

AL (aka Dipperman)

Wayne Smith
05-06-2005, 07:26 AM
White gas or propane?

imashooter2
05-06-2005, 07:37 AM
Burn time is limited by fuel reserve and flame height. Use a full tank. Crank it up to get your initial melt and then turn it down to maintain temperature while pouring.

Dipperman
05-06-2005, 11:14 AM
The stove I bought uses white gas or the Coleman liquid fuel.

Sorry I didn't think of that when I posted the original question.

Thanks,
AL (aka Dipperman)

wills
05-06-2005, 12:18 PM
You might be happier if you invest in a propane rig to use for your smelting.

beagle
05-06-2005, 01:18 PM
I've used a coleman stove for melting.

The fire hazard is there with the gassers.

The problem that I had was with a full pot of lead, it almost exceeds the weight limits of the stove grill which is designed for a griddle or at lease a fairly wide pan.

It will work and does pretty well. Just keep the garage door open and apair of leather gloves on so you can pick it up and toss it outside if you have a catastrophic failure. I've had that happen and don't trust Colamn stoves for this purpose./beagle

fourarmed
05-06-2005, 02:20 PM
I have one that I use for this purpose. I have been using regular unleaded gasoline in it, as I have plenty of it available for farm vehicles. It works fine, in fact I cooked on it in the house for a week following a big icestorm that took out power lines all over eastern Kansas right after Christmas. If your stove is in good shape - not rusted out, no leakage where the delivery tube fits, etc., it should be fine with 20 pounds or so on it. If in question about the strength, you could rig up a heavier grate and support it on bricks alongside the Coleman.

imashooter2
05-06-2005, 05:01 PM
I've used a coleman stove for melting.

The fire hazard is there with the gassers.

The problem that I had was with a full pot of lead, it almost exceeds the weight limits of the stove grill which is designed for a griddle or at lease a fairly wide pan.

It will work and does pretty well. Just keep the garage door open and apair of leather gloves on so you can pick it up and toss it outside if you have a catastrophic failure. I've had that happen and don't trust Colamn stoves for this purpose./beagle

I agree that grill strength is an issue when melting large pots of lead on a Coleman stove, but what is the fire hazard?

Ed Barrett
05-06-2005, 05:34 PM
I use a liquid gas colman stove for my smelting. with the price of LP gas around here I can't see how some guys can afford to smelt lead with it. I bought 6 one gallon cans of colman fuel two years ago on clearance at walmart. It never seems to go "old" like regular galoline. They must doctor it with something as a life extender.
Make sure it is on a ultra sturdy table. make sure you are outside with no pets or kids around. I use a garage sale cast iron dutch oven. I fill it up heaping with wheel weights when they melt down level I put the top on. come back in 10 minutes and skim off the clips. then put the flux in (wax) stir and let it get the scum on the top and skim that off, and repeat. Make sure your ingot molds are close to the pot and dry.

I usually put off smelting as long as possible since it's not my favorite chore. I was given 650 lbs of pure lead in ingots last year so I don't have to melt down any roofing lead for a few years.
Hope this helps.

Goatlips
05-07-2005, 10:22 PM
I do as the other posters with a camp stove and dutch oven on the sidewalk, but I add BTU's directly to the ww's with a propane weed burner. The flame quickly turns the clips cherry red and carries the heat into the weights. Speeds things up considerably and adds to the fun.

Goatlips

Wayne Smith
05-08-2005, 03:45 PM
For white gas fueled stoves keep the 'generator' clean. This is the tube that runs from the tank to the burner, and has a small hole and wire sticking out of it at the burner end. It atomizes the gas and is the critical component.

I use a 20 lb pot on the grill of a propane stove and it holds up well. I've been using it for a couple of years now. I'd be careful using a dutch oven, you can get a lot of weight in one of those. Make sure your base is stable and have at it. The advise to do it out of doors or with the garage door open is because of the lead, not necessarily the stove. You don't want to be in an enclosed area without ventilation because of breathing lead fumes.

I smelt ww in the 20 lb pot I got from Lyman and haven't had a problem. It's not fast, but it gets the job done.

waksupi
05-08-2005, 08:25 PM
"You don't want to be in an enclosed area without ventilation because of breathing lead fumes."

This is one of those old myths we'll try to kill right here. The crap that is on your wheelweights, such as dog pee, copenhagen, and tire stems will stink up the place. Unless you actually bring the lead to a boil, you will be producing no lead fumes. And if you aren't putting in on a forge, you aren't going to get anywhere near that heat. Lead contamination in the body comes from handling oxidized lead, and transferring it to your mouth. So, don't eat or smoke when you are casting and handling bullets, and wash your hands when you are done. There are quite a few here who have had thier levels checked, and lead in the blood is very low, usually lower than the general population, because of our awareness of the possibilities.

sundog
05-08-2005, 09:02 PM
Waksupi, purdy much right on. I just changed doctors, and the new one agreed a lead test was in order. Thirty years and still normal. The lead in the blood, that is. Anything else is open to conjecture. Ventilation is mostly to keep you from gaggin' on the burned dog pee.... sundog

StarMetal
05-08-2005, 09:10 PM
Boy you two, Sundog and Waksupi, about the dog pee. Man if that isn't the truth. Maybe you two know a tip on how to keep your male dog from pissing on your tires? The stuff is kinda hard on mag wheels ya know.

Joe

BD
05-08-2005, 09:26 PM
I used a Coleman stove exclusively for the first five years, and still use it for pre-melting ingots when casting with the Lyman bottom pour. The best money I ever spent on it was $15 for the propane adaptor, which I then cut and spliced into a bulk tank regulator so I can run it off a 100 lb. bottle. This same adaptor now can also run my home made 200 pound smelter on a turkey fryer. Insulate the pot with rock wool and keep the lid on. I drilled a hole in my lid so I can stick a thermometer in and watch the temp without removing the lid. BD

waksupi
05-08-2005, 10:58 PM
Joe, I did hear an urbN LEGEND YEARS AGO, ABOUT GUYS WIRING THIER WHEELS TO AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT FROM THE BATTery somehow. It apparently is one of those things that would knock a dogs' dick in the dirt, if true. I'm sure it would break them. I only had to pee on an electric fence once when I was a kid, to be broke of that habit.

StarMetal
05-08-2005, 11:01 PM
Ric

Hmmmmm...I suppose I'll have to ground my wheel then being it sets on rubber. Good idea, I'll get on it straight away.

Joe

Char-Gar
05-09-2005, 11:45 AM
I am scared to death of Coleman gasoline stove. I know there are many, many is use or many many years, but I know two that blew up. A friend of mine had on on the beach in Atacames Ecuador and it blew up and caught his wife's clothes on fire. They put the fire out by drenching her in the surf. There was so much bacteria in the water, she got massive infections in the burn wounds and died of the infections in utter misery. She was 33 years old.

That is the last Coleman gasoline stove or lamp I ever want to see. The other stove that blew up plus one lamp only caused minor injurys. I guess if they are maintained and use properly they are safe, but not none of me!

wills
05-09-2005, 12:17 PM
[QUOTE=Wayne Smith]For white gas fueled stoves keep the 'generator' clean. This is the tube that runs from the tank to the burner, and has a small hole and wire sticking out of it at the burner end. It atomizes the gas and is the critical component.

QUOTE]

If the generator clogs, you can take the lid off the tank, open the valve and blow through the generator to clear it. I have found it helps to let the thing cool first.

carpetman
05-09-2005, 05:06 PM
My dad had Coleman stoves and lanterns that he frequently used that he had as far as I remember back. I was 50 when he died. Yes,they can be missused. Stick your finger in a light socket and electricity becomes unsafe. Put the cap back on properly and wipe off any spillage before you light it. Have your match lit and in place before you turn the gas on. Turn it on first and fumble around a few seconds and then put the lit match in place,you might have a problem. Same with lighting gas applinces--have the ignition source ready. I found the generators last longer if you do use Coleman fuel,however,using unleaded gas is enough cheaper to offset the cost of replacing the generator from time to time. Some Coleman products have a gizzie(that means I dont know proper term) that you rotate a few times and leave at a certain posistion while lighting. What this is is a generator cleaning device. When you rotate it,it moves the cat whisker in the generator in and out of the tiny orifice to remove carbon. When using a Coleman lantern for example,the light will dim and rotate that cleaner and it brightens back up. In the wrong posistion your lantern will go out. But this is NOT how you turn them off. Many people make that mistake and you have a slow seepage of gas fumes. A very dangerous situation in an encosed area. There is an accessory item you can add to a lantern for lighting them. You push it up to where it is near the mantle,turn on the gas and twist the wheel on it and it makes a spark like a cigarette lighter works. When the lantern is lit you pull it back down away from the mantle. Now if you dont pull it back down,and leave it near the mantle. It will get hot. It will burn you. Duh. A guy used mine one time and didnt pay attention to the instuctions. He left it in posistion--near the mantle. Used it to turn it on,so that must be what to use to turn it off. He had ruined my starter. It was now melted aluminum on the business end. Played hell with his fingers when he grabbed it to turn it off a few hours later. Properly used,they are pretty safe. Get careless with them and a hazzard.

David R
05-09-2005, 06:32 PM
I used a coleman stove for years. When I lived in a trailer park, I would pour boolets sitting in a kitchen chair with the side doors of my van open and the stove insid the van. Neighbor hood kids would come along and ask me what I was doing, I told em I was making sinkers. They said "thats a lot of sinkers".

The stove worked great except the grate did get red hot and bend with a full pot of lead (20 lb). It got kind of harry for a minute there, but none spilled. It bends s l o w l y.

The fumes from the flame were terrible.

I now have a garage, a propane canning stove and Electric RCBS bottom pour 20 pounder. I also got rid of the old dodge van a long time ago :)

Locoweed
05-09-2005, 10:29 PM
I cut lengths of 1/4" diam stainless rod to reinforce the grill and bridge the belly of the stove and provide more weight bearing capacity. Watching the original grill rods get hot and warp was scary. I've always heard that the gasoline stoves have a higher BTU rating -- in other words they put out more heat than propane stoves. Don't tuck your pant-legs into your boots.

felix
05-09-2005, 10:55 PM
Gasoline has only 10-12 percent more heat than propane, and 100 percent more heat than methane (natural gas). ... felix

StarMetal
05-09-2005, 11:41 PM
Felix

That's probably the reason the good Lord designed our bodies to leave methane farts.

Joe

carpetman
05-10-2005, 01:50 AM
Felix--I had a van that would run on gasoline or on propane. On propane there was a marked decrease in performance and mileage. Gas mileage differences between various octane ratings is based on BTU'S produced. Many believe the higher octanes burn hotter thusly better mileage. Not so,the higher octane is from anti knock additives that dont burn and produce no BTU"S thus less gas mileage. Based on my experience with the one propane car,I dont think propane comes close to being within 10-12% of gasoline. Gas mileage wise it was closer to 50%.

Wayne Smith
05-10-2005, 11:04 AM
Waksupi, purdy much right on. I just changed doctors, and the new one agreed a lead test was in order. Thirty years and still normal. The lead in the blood, that is. Anything else is open to conjecture. Ventilation is mostly to keep you from gaggin' on the burned dog pee.... sundog

I don't know if this is true or not, but I've read that the lead only stays in the blood for a week or so, then is deposited in the bones.

So who's gonna get our bones when we die?

StarMetal
05-10-2005, 12:06 PM
Carpetman Ray

I'm impressed...you're right about the octane. It is an anti-knock thing. I can't get through alot of folks heads that high octane gas isn't the best to run in a car that is designed for a lower octane. You're wasting your money. I remember when we visited the experimenting lab at the Sunoco Oil refiner I worked at. They had an octane tester engine there. It was a giant one cylinder aircooled engine that looked like half a Harley V-Twin. They would run a fuel through it and be able to adjust the compression ratio as it run by turning the compression ration lower and lower until the engine started knocking or pinging, this arriving at the octane level of that fuel. I don't know if they have a more scientific method today or not.

Joe

azrednek
05-13-2005, 09:25 PM
What ruins allot of Coleman stoves and plugs the generator is old fuel. You don't want to leave the tank empty or you invite rust. Before you use it, make sure there is no pressure in the tank by slowly removing the cap. Tighten the filler cap and shake the manure out of it to loosen any crud and safely dump the old fuel. Don't use unleaded gasoline that is more than a few weeks old, Coleman fuel will last for a couple of months. Before you use it the first time remove the tank, pump in some pressure and put the tank under water and check for air bubbles. If the cap leaks, buy a new one where ever Coleman equipment is sold. The replacement caps are only a couple of bucks and will last for years. If you have an older two-piece cap get rid of it, Coleman no longer sells the gasket and the fuel will disolve most o-rings. After you dunk it, remove the pump by turning it to the left, remove the water and oil the cup. If the cup is the older leather type you might be able to salvage it by soaking it in oil (real oil not WD-40), if not get a new cup if you can find one, if not you will have to buy the entire pump assembly for about 5-6 bucks. The leather replacement cups are only available from Coleman in Canada, occasionally a US dealer may stock them. If there are no leaks and you use new clean fuel the stove will likley out last you. Do not under any circumstances use a stove with a leaky filler cap, try and seal it tight with pliers or use rubber o-rings or you will invite a flare up.

I made allot of money buying and selling Coleman goods on Ebay. The Japanese are big time Coleman collectors and have very deep pockets. If you come across an unusual old mint condition Coleman item look for a similiar model on Ebay, it may be worth some bucks. I've got as much as $765 for a lantern and seen some go for as much as 2,000. Unfortunalty there is now a glut of old Coleman goods on Ebay and you can hardly give them away. Five years ago there may have only been 25-50 Coleman lanterns and stoves total on Ebay and the Japanese collectors were happy to pay a hundred or more. Now there are a minimum of 500-800 and the prices have crashed.

Dipperman
05-17-2005, 09:25 PM
I would like to say THANK YOU!! to everyone who responded to my question. I really appreciate your input. I will proceed with caution.

Thanks again,
Dipperman

Wayne Smith
05-18-2005, 07:23 AM
Reading about old fuel and clean fuel reminded me that you need to get and use on of their very good filter funnels. It will clean the gunk out of the fuel before it gets into the tank. Filters out leaves and sticks, too!

kenjuudo
05-18-2005, 07:55 AM
Reading about old fuel and clean fuel reminded me that you need to get and use on of their very good filter funnels. It will clean the gunk out of the fuel before it gets into the tank. Filters out leaves and sticks, too!

They are right handy to strain beeswax too!

jim

carpetman
05-18-2005, 11:41 AM
Back in the 60's I bought a used Honda Trail 90 bike. It wasnt running so good,so I took it to the shop. When they finished with it,I picked it up,and was driving it home. About the only time I rode it on the street. It still wasn't running so good and it quit. I checked and it was out of gas. Pushed it to the station and filled it up. When I took off was I ever surprised. That thing came alive and almost threw me. Stale gas had been the culprit.

old gunner
05-22-2005, 08:21 PM
I use a homemade propane burner, something similar to the commercial "turkey cookers" only mine puts out more heat. For a pot I use an old deep cast iron skillet, holds almost 40 pounds. After cleaning the WWs, I pour into a mold that will cast nine three pound ingots. I can dispose of a five gallon can of WWs in a fairly short time. I do take the time to sort the WWs over some, I look for bright shiny ones (zink?) this works for Me a whole lot better than My old Coleman stove.
Bill