Stopped by the shop today and picked up some wheelweights. Attachment 278411
Been a while since I picked any up. Need to melt a bunch of these and some range scrap.
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Stopped by the shop today and picked up some wheelweights. Attachment 278411
Been a while since I picked any up. Need to melt a bunch of these and some range scrap.
One question though, to open a can of worms,, y'all have any preference on ingot sizes. I usually cast an 8 lb ingot out of c-channel, but they don't store well in my ammo cans. The size is just off a little to waste space on the sides. Of course, I don't/ can't move the cans due to the weight, anyway. I have some of the redneck gold/castboolit ingot molds that I am going to try out. 2lbs may be smaller than I want with my bottom pour melter/smelter.
I use the mini loaf baking pan. It's about 3x5x2 , stacks decent and fits in my pot.
I use two different molds. I like the 1 lb Lyman ingot and I have several of the cast corncob plates. I have my lead in wooden boxes that hold around 50-60lbs and each stacks perfectly. I use the Lyman for range lead and the corncob for the COWW. I need to find something about the same size, different look for soft lead then I don't need to label.
I use the Lodge mini-muffin cast iron. They are about 1# each and I can add them to the melting pot gradually and don't take too much heat from the pot, especially if I pre-heat them. Best part is they were only $6 each.
Congratulations on the score! I have mostly used the Lyman style ingot which is about 1 pound. They stack ok.
Nice score!
Decisions, decisions.
The one pound LYMAN/RCBS/SAECO and others are fine, for small batches or specialty alloys you want to keep track of. Such as Linotype or pure lead. The corn cob style cast irons are great as well and come out about 1 pound each. Storing the corn cob ones in coffee cans standing on their ends will hold 30+ pounds per can. The angle iron ones are 'okay', but they've never been my cup of tea even if I do have a few.
It will be a while before I need to render anymore raw wheel weights into ingots. I have 8 overflowing 5 gallon buckets (1,400 Lb's plus) that are taking up more space than they need to right now. They'll most likely wind up being ingots made using mini bread muffin' pans. They stack nicely and fit well in my 20 pound casting pots.
Another reason I have the many different options is fairly simple. Once an ingot mold is heated up, it takes a bit for the alloy to cool down enough to dump them them out and pour the next batch in. My smelting pot can render down about 60-70 pounds of liquid alloy ready to pour when smelted. I prefer to empty it out, then get the next batch started smelting.
And one more thing, I'm getting to the age playing with heavy things just isn't something I find any joy in these days.
Murphy
well, the bottom pour melting pot will hold better than 500 lbs of molten lead. I have a shelf below the spout where I place the ingot molds. An 8lb mold fills in just a few seconds. Takes a little while to cool, so I place a damp towel on the shelf under the mold. I have 8 of the 8lb molds and usually only rotate 5 or 6 through. Using a 1lb mold that I have to slide to get to next cavity is not the best option for the way I pour. I am hoping the 2lb x 4 cavity Redneck Gold and Cast bullet molds will fit into my pouring regimine. It will take longer to empty the pot with the smaller cavity molds.
I plan to just mark the wheelweights "WW" with a metal stamp as usual, but I may start giving my range lead a unique identifier so I can get it tested by BNE eventually. I currently mark the range lead "RL" with metal stamps, but may start using RL-1...or RL-A...to designate batches once ingotized.
There are about 600+lbs of wheelweights and maybe 1200 lbs of range scrap that is now pretty clean, and 200+lbs of stick on wheelweights and pipe.
I have some of each already in ingots, but really need to melt all this to clear up a bunch of room.
when I get a 50-100 lb batch I ask BNE to test.
And it all goes into a plastic 5 gal pail, yeah do not move after that with his lab test details on a paper in the pail.
Unfortunately most of what he has tested is pure not to good for pistol maybe need to take up black powder.
The redneck gold ingots stack really well. Are a nice compromise between large enough for volume storage of raw materials and pot size ingots of mixed alloys. When I'm just trying to get it melted in big batches I use bread loaf pans. They hold 12 pound in slabs. I will cross mix a bunch of "soft" lead. Or COWW slabs so that I end up with one consistent batch. If you have a 500 lb. pot I'm thinking maybe a bit less of an issue.
I stamp my own letter identifiers on those cast boolit / redneck gold ingots. And as you are considering add a letter designation to the batch. I have 26 letters before I have to worry about a second letter, with batch numbers one has to start using two digits after 9 batches. Again more of an issue with someone like me using a 100 lb. pot that will probably want to cross mix different batches for consistency. 25 lbs. from batch A, 25 from batch B, 25 from batch C, and 25 from batch D. Repeat 4 times in my 100 pound capacity dutch oven to have 400 lbs. of the same alloy poured into redneck gold ingots.
I also take and drill out shavings from several ingots that I melt in a spoon to mix in order to get a sample that won't be skewed due to a single ingot or spot having different makeup. COWW's are mostly close to the same but can vary from batch to batch and was it lead skimmed more from the top of a melt or scraping from the end of pot could influence a single point sample.
I have the cast boolits version of the redneck gold molds. Different design inside the mold, same mold. This is approx. 400 lbs. of COWW's from the buckets into ingots stacked on a Harbor Freight furniture dolly with a rope handle added. It can be moved. Not too bad to slip under the bottom shelf and pull out for access. The full bucket toward the rear is full of WW clips. I do so like all those buckets becoming that compact storable stack.
Attachment 278868
A forum member generously gave me his old set of welded channel ingots.
They drop about 3 lbs, which is perfect for keeping the pot fed.
I dont understand such heavy ingots unless you laddle cast in a large open lead pot. 2# ingots are actually just about max for a 20# pot. Pre heated they wont drop the temp much when adding them one at a time.Quote:
Originally Posted by BK7saum
You can also fill them half full, what I do with my channel molds that cast about 4#.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtarm
i like mini muffin pans 8oz can add to pot and run non stop all day
It seems no matter what size ingot i use, even small preheated ones drop the temp more than Id like when using a PID. Also it is much easier to pour larger ingots in single cavity molds from my 500lb capacity bottom pour melter. Small, multicavity ingot molds are a work in frustration.
I just stand up two preheated 7 or 8 pound ingots in my almost empty Lee 4-20 and heat a little with a propane to facilitate melting. Yes it takes a little bit of time, but after casting 15lbs, I am ready for a short break anyway.
I hope the redneck gold molds work well with my pouring process. I may need to adapt and ladle pout. sure hope not.