My reply was to the original question, not noticing that it was from 2014.
To kevin c--- I would think blocks or bricks, if stacked securely, would do to elevate your cooker. Most of the heat will be going up. I place a sheet of plywood under mine to protect the floor from spills and it never gets warm. I would not use them to hold the melting pot itself, but I understand raising your heat source. I have designed my set up so that the stooping over is kept at a minimum. I would think that 4 blocks with maybe a 2ft X 2ft piece of plywood on top would be plenty sturdy. Sorry for the confusion, I did not notice that the original post was 4 years old!
Thanks lightman!
I have decided to use two levels of cinder blocks. I leveled the ground, set three side by side, three more on top at right angles. I topped that with two plates of scrap steel that completely cover the top so any spills will not hit the concrete. With the burner and pot on top I will barely have to stoop to ladle out into ingots. I haven't used it yet, but the stand did get impromptu use as a brace to cut up some plate lead - a friend who weighs 250 plus stood on top of the plate that was on top of the stand so I cut pot size chunks off it: it was solid, if anything, more settled into the gravel and sand base than before with him getting up and down on it several times.
Hope to smelt later this week - will report back!
Last edited by kevin c; 01-16-2018 at 03:17 PM.
Sounds like a solid set up! Good Luck for later in the week. I'm planning a smelt later in the week myself, weather permitting.
This is how it ended up. I got a bigger pot that will hold over two hundred pounds and sits a lot higher, so I went with one layer of cinder block, covered with steel plate. There's a lot less bending over. Curved wind breaks from an old BBQ (and sheet metal to close off the front if need be). Insulated sheath around the pot. Plenty of work space. It does the job.
Last edited by kevin c; 10-08-2018 at 12:15 PM.
Nice looking set up! My set up was designed around reducing the stooping over too. The ole back just don't like it anymore.
When I was smelting I had a separate ladle made from a 4" weld on pipe cap. This had a 3/4" coupler welded on and a 4 foot pope handle. This did a couple things for me 1) it allowed me to "reach " into the pot with out bending and 2) allowed 2 hand operation. It held enough to fill my angle iron ingot moulds with one full ladle
I had a home made ladle that I planned on using for casting large ingots of source metals for storing prior to final alloy mixing, but it was a jury rigged affair that never worked well. I ended up shelling out for a Rowell #5, which was well worth the money. Ironically, my pot is the wrong size for dipping with this big boy, so I have to use a small ladle to fill the big one. Still, it's faster and less spill prone than ladling directly from the small ladle, produces better ingots from the one pour into the mold, and also gives me cleaner ingots since the Rowell is a bottom pour.
I really like my Rowell ladle. I use a lot of clip on weights and another time and labor saving tool is a large skimmer. I wish I had bought both of these tools sooner.
A local member Shaggy bull brought me a nice hunk of lead to figure out a while back. We have not messed with it yet. It is one piece weighing 3800 # with a steel casement around it. It was a forklift counter balance.
Next Shaggy bull shows up with a fair sized smelting pot. This thing came with likely 2 or 3 cwt. Of lead in it. It was a diesel truck brake drum in it’s former life. It is around 18” in diameter and perhaps 6” deep. It has steel pipe legs fastened to it and braced with a shelf under neath it where we can set a burner under it.
We unloaded the smelting pot with a front end loader. It stands waist high already. We might lower it just a smidge after we run it a time or two.
One member mentioned a jack hammer with a spade bit to break big lead down. I happen to own a HF electric hammer ...... I thank that member very much!
At my farm shop I have some pretty fair large angle iron to make some nice ingot molds from.
I think I see a project finally shaping into a viable plan!
Best regards
Three44s
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |