propane tank smelter question

[338RemUltraMag]

If I cut into a tank I will have it vaccuum purged and filled with water, hell I might even talk to someone who has done this before...

[warf73]

warf73,

I have some news for you, "The WORLD is FULL OF PEOPLE WITHOUT A LICK OF COMMON SENSE."

Guess if your that dam stupid then you shouldn't be reloading in the first place let alone playing with molten metal that is 700*.

You can't fix stupid no matter how hard you try.

[Longwood]

Never thought of it that way.
Couple of thoughts, if you're pouring out the top make the handle or handles
kinda long for lots of leverage, better control.
Maybe a rod welded at the bottom of the pot on the spout side, or angle iron,
crossways to the spout, sticking out a few inches left and right.
Would keep it straight, keep it from rolling to the side.

Now I'm seeing a chain hoist with hooks, and pipe welded to both sides of the pot
to hang it from, lead flowing and sparks flying...
naaah, you'd have to hire a couple of guys to keep moving the ingot molds, etc.
But it would be fast!

Thanks for the tips.
If I cam figure out a good balance point, I should be able to get by with a fairly short handle. I plan on filiing the pot with ingots for testing.
I will have to set the ingots on a stack of half-bricks so I can lower the molds as I have to tilt the pot farther.
I had started out planing to build a bottom pour so I made a valve and began modifying the bottom of the tank so I had a flat spot to put the valve.

Originally. my plan was for the hood to be a safety shield to stand behind when adding new junk to the pot. Then I got to thinking that it sure would make the pot easier to tilt without the danger of spilling lead.

Because of the junk that could end up in the valve, I may abandon that idea all together if my spout idea works.

I found an old primer in the bottom of a pan of scrap lead someone had recycled and I bought, pan and all.
Afer I got it, it had rained into the pot so the primer would never have gone off the day I discovered it, but I wonder if it would have before the rain.

[Oreo]

I think tipping a huge pot full of molten lead is an exceptionally bad idea. One wrong slip and you're potentially getting one or both feet amputated. Ladling ingots is more work but is inherently much safer.

[Longwood]

I think tipping a huge pot full of molten lead is an exceptionally bad idea. One wrong slip and you're potentially getting one or both feet amputated. Ladling ingots is more work but is inherently much safer.

Be cool, and watch!
It won't be any where near as dangerous or messy as a ladle if "I" build it.
The idea is an after thought on this tank. If I start over, it will be even more accident proof.
Plus, it will never get junk in the valve and leak all over the place if I don't put one in.

By the way, molten lead spills are only warm.

I used to work at a nickle smelter where the spills were 3100 degrees.

[Oreo]

Im not saying it can't be done, just that the price of failure is very high. If you're confident in your ability, your knowledge, and your design enough to put your flesh on the line then I wish you well. I'm interested to see what you come up with. Not so interested that I want to see it in person however.

[badbob454]

I cut mine ABOVE the weld seam, and then cut another two inch circle from the remaining top, and tack welded that ring to the bottom (outside of the existing bottom ring) to make a wider support. 150+ pounds of molten lead makes me nervous without proper support against tipping.

Should look like:
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbu...=1#post1492320

that is right purty looking , nice idea ..
and looks like it could hold plenty of weight .
thanks for sharing this pic

[badbob454]

how to safely cut a propane tank. 1. make sure its empty ,remove valve (outside )
2. fill with water let it sit for i day with water in it ,.3. pour out water , and immediatly cut in half with valve removed ....
. this is how i did it and it was safe for me

[milsurp mike]

The Safest way to cut is to remove the Valve.Put the tank on a fire pile before you light it.Then light the fire pile and watch the gas burn off.After it cools it is fume free with out a doubt.Mike

[wtfooptimax200]

Mine looks very similar to Duke's (probably because I stole the idea from him at the casting seminar that he hosted)! It works very well. I cut it with an angle grinder and it wasn't particularly difficult.

[DukeInFlorida]

And, here I was, thinking that most of the attendees to the casting workshop were napping most of the day. Glad you are enjoying the hobby!

I'd make mention that removing the valve to the tank is the first step in the process. Allow it to air for a few days, upside down. Propane is heavier than air.

When you get near the purged tank, you will still smell what you think is propane. However....

Propane doesn't naturally have any smell at all. The companies add an organic smell chemical to the propane, so that it's easily detectable. That chemical gets stuck to the insides of the very empty tank. So, don't be concerned in the least if the tank still SMELLS like there's propane in it. Two days of airing out upside down is enough to assure you that there's no explosive gas inside. The chemical smell will go away after the first time you use the smelting pot.

Also, I second the opinion expressed earlier about NOT tipping any of the smelting pots. Even only 50 pounds of lead, at 700 degrees can become very hard to handle. So, no pourin pout is needed. Use a ladle to remove the clean lead (after fluxing) from the pot.

And, leave the last inch or so of lead in the smelting pot, and allow that to cool when you are done. That will provide a 100% contact surface for the next time you fire up the pot. It will make the next melt go much faster, since the heat transfer will have 100% contact to the pot/lead. Even if changing alloys, the little amount of the 1" of leftover lead isn't going to dramatically change your chemistry.

Finally, I give all kudos for the smelting pot design to Patriot at NES. He's the one that came up with the ones that I have copied, and have been shown at the cast bullet workshops. That's actually Patriot's picture I referenced.

Post Script: My most recent smelting pots were the bottom end of some stainless steel beer kegs! The casters who got those are die hard smelters. They said that they had to do some welding on their smelting stand to provide a big enough and strong enough surface for the keg bottom to sit on. The MEGA KEG SMELTING POTS would hold about 500 pounds of 700 degree molten lead. Um,.... you're NOT gonna try and tip it... no sir.

[Daffy]

I thought I smelted a bunch of lead at a time...... 30# at a crack generally works for me. I try to do some shop cleaning between batches and pours! LOL

[JIMinPHX]

if you do not do this right you can get hurt or even killed cutting one open and cutting one open with it full of water using a power tool is not a good idea this is just a word of WARNING so I do not here about one of you getting hurt or worse D Crockett

What is wrong with cutting open a tank that has been filled with water? I understand that tanks with vapor inside are dangerous to cut. I understand that some tanks can give off additional vapors from the heat of being cut & that can cause a dangerous situation. I thought that filling a tank with water or purging it with an inert gas were two of the preferred methods of pre-cut preparation for most average fuel tanks. Please fill me in on what I am missing.

Thanks,
Jim

[Oreo]

You're not missing anything JiminPHX. The point is to purge the propane. There are several effective methods discussed here. The steel does not absorb the propane so once the tank is sufficiently purged heating the steel will not release any combustible vapors.

[JIMinPHX]

The steel does not absorb the propane so once the tank is sufficiently purged heating the steel will not release any combustible vapors.

How about the mercaptan? I think that usually leaves a residue in old propane tanks. I believe that it's one of the more common additives that is used to give propane it's smell.

[geargnasher]

The mercaptan can accumulate through numerous fillings in the form of a black goo on the bottom of the tank, and it makes a world of stink when it gets hot. I did the remove valve/water fill/drain and then cut mine with a plasma torch 'cause I have one and I'm too lazy to use a saw. Not sure I'll use the plasma torch on the next one, it's tough to hold your nose with one hand and cut a straight line with the other!

Gear

[rockrat]

LOL, glad to know "geargnasher" as I bought an 8 gallon propane tank at the salvage yard and was going to cut it with my cutting torch.

I will make sure the wind is blowing a bit, before I do it. Was going to do it in my barn, but not now!!!

[finishman2000]

here are pics of my new smelter. was a 10lb propane tank that was out of date.
i took the valve off and flipped upside down over night. this morning filled with water, flipped over and drained.....done. 10 minutes later i had the top cut off.

[a.squibload]

...it's tough to hold your nose with one hand and cut a straight line with the other!Gear

That's what those little vice-grips are for!

'Course a clothespin is gentler on the schnozz...

[Exclr8]

Have a used propane tank (properly purged).

How do you properly purge one?