Melting 50 pounds of lead with electric heat ???

[c1skout]

You are fortunate to have 220 available.

What you did not mentioned (for those considering trying to use elecricity for re-melting) is the time it takes to melt, say 50-80# of lead. Most any electric element will eventually get hot enough to melt some lead, if you wait long enough. My propane plumbers furnace (and most turkey and fish fryers) will melt that much lead in 8-9 minutes or less! Huge BTU concentration on the melting pot with flames lapping the bottom and sides melts lots of lead verily fast.

I haven't timed it. I use a 6qt (maybe 8) iron pot with a lid and filled with the indoor range scrap I've been processing (sand bullet trap so lots of sand mixed in) I'd guess 20-25 min from cold. Wheel weights seem to go in about half the time it takes for the range scrap. If I remember I'll time it and get some pics next time I'm processing.

[bangerjim]

Why does it always come down to how fast or how many someone can do in an hour?


I smelt with electric and would not do it any other way.......unless the power grid went down.

3.0 kw 220 volts and

4.5 kw 220 volts works just fine for me.

Agree 100%.........IF........you have the time. And there is 220V readily available. I personally do not. I am NOT retired, own and operate my own engineering company, and my professional time is billed out at $135/hour to customers. So my personal time, what little of it there is, becomes valuable to me. I like to get menial tasks, like the re-melting of bulk lead for ingots, done properly and effeciently in as short a time as possible, alowing me more time to cast, load, and shoot!

If you have all the time in the world, electric melting may be for you. Glad it works for your lifestyle.

banger

[c1skout]

I haven't timed it. I use a 6qt (maybe 8) iron pot with a lid and filled with the indoor range scrap I've been processing (sand bullet trap so lots of sand mixed in) I'd guess 20-25 min from cold. Wheel weights seem to go in about half the time it takes for the range scrap. If I remember I'll time it and get some pics next time I'm processing.

[bangerjim]

I haven't timed it. I use a 6qt (maybe 8) iron pot with a lid and filled with the indoor range scrap I've been processing (sand bullet trap so lots of sand mixed in) I'd guess 20-25 min from cold. Wheel weights seem to go in about half the time it takes for the range scrap. If I remember I'll time it and get some pics next time I'm processing.

Excellent! I, and I am sure others on here, would be interested in your processing time. Who knows, if I ever run across some high BTU concentration industrial heating elements in my travels, I might consider whipping something up!

thanks!

banger

[el34]

Folks use gas burners because of its higher heat output than normal electric elements. Your standard home 15 amp circuit can supply 1650 watts = 5626 BTU/hr. A turkey fryer propane burner is typically 35000 to 50000 BTU/hr. You can melt your lead about 10 times faster with gas. If time is no problem electric works fine as long as things are insulated well enough.

Numbers rock when trying to compare thing A to thing B. Possibly a significant efficiency factor is how many of those BTUs/hr get conducted to the lead instead of the surrounding air.

[Buck Neck It]

I get the same results as C1skout. 30# pounds melted in 20-25 mins on a 6" stove top burner hooked to 220v, 20 amp. I cobbled together a homemade hot plate from parts scrounged at the dump, it works like Godzilla. The post from 454PB was my inspiration, thank you very much! If the parts burn out, well, there are more where these came from.

I use a Reil burner and a half propane tank for serious smelting.

Do yourself a favor and wire in a 220v, 20 amp circuit in your garage. Convert your table saw and other big tools over, you will be very happy with the increased efficiency. While you are at it, wire in a 50 amp circuit for a welder. Then you can really get down to business

[RogerDat]

If you want a really reliable and reasonably priced long term set up, just get a fish fryer:
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...duct/10205245/

Let your wife have the aluminum pot (do NOT try to melt lead in an aluminum pot). Get a cast iron 12" dutch oven from Harbor Freight (working capacity is about 120 lbs of molten metal):

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...duct/10205245/

It'll last nearly forever if you don't beat on the cast iron pot (if you can find a steel pot, then it would be even better) and will give you great returns for the time and money spent.

FWIW
Dale53

Exactly! I have a couple of hot plates for small batches or ladle casting, but if your time spent making ingots is worth anything that propane fish fryer will save you lots of that time.

[mold maker]

Why does it always come down to how fast or how many someone can do in an hour?


I smelt with electric and would not do it any other way.......unless the power grid went down.

3.0 kw 220 volts and

4.5 kw 220 volts works just fine for me.

To many of us time is a valuable commodity. Spending time waiting for lead to melt is time wasted. To others, melting a large volume of lead is a luxury that can only be done at certain specific times. In both cases doing it fast is important.
Feel blessed if time is something you have plenty of.

[Bonz]

A lot of great feedback, big thanks to everyone !

[Springfield]

Electric might be fine for smaller batches but I like to save up my scrap and melt all 1500 lbs in one session. Besides being too slow, I melt on a friends property so I don't have to worry about any smoke and smells annoying my neighbors, and there is no electricity, so 2 turkey fryers gets the job done as fast as possible.

[fredj338]

Electric might be fine for smaller batches but I like to save up my scrap and melt all 1500 lbs in one session. Besides being too slow, I melt on a friends property so I don't have to worry about any smoke and smells annoying my neighbors, and there is no electricity, so 2 turkey fryers gets the job done as fast as possible.

Especially in Commifornia. I have to smelt in my back yard. I like cold days when everyone is indoors & try to keep smoke at a min. Propane & a turkey fryer.

[Springfield]

I also smelt in my yard but not anything messy, mostly just alloying different things to get usable ingots. Cold cloudy days when everyone else is at work works best! Using wood shavings for flux also helps, everyone thinks someone has their fireplace going.

[dragonrider]

If you Google "Band heaters" you might find something you can wrap around your pot for a very reasonable price.

[scottfire1957]

If you Google "Band heaters" you might find something you can wrap around your pot for a very reasonable price.

Nice, thanks for the tip.

[c1skout]

Here's my homemade electric melter





I timed a melt today for the curious. The temp was 28 outside so that's what my melter, pot, and scrap would have been too. I left the melter in the barn, but I opened the big door for ventilation. I normally leave an inch or so of melt in the pot when I shut it down to help speed the next melt. I filled the pot with range scrap, put the lid on and cranked it up. 34 minutes later I came back to the pot and started stirring and skimming. This range scrap is almost 1/4 sand when I put it in the pot so it seems to take a lot longer to heat up than wheel weights do.

[fragman]

I went for gas as my burner. But I reckon a cheap hotplate on the side may be a good idea for making sure there is not residual moisture on your lead before adding it to the pot, or to heat your mold. So, if you got a hotplate and it isn't panning out, it still has a use I think.

[NavyVet1959]

Is it possible to buy a hotplate/electric burner that can melt 50 pounds of lead in a heavy cast iron pot ?

You don't have natural gas in your neighborhood?