Smelting skimmer

[Beesdad]

i use this http://www.amazon.com/Typhoon-Profes.../dp/B0009XHERK

Purchased the same skimmer at the local resturant supply store... Works great

[Chill Wills]

Even with a bottom pour pot (I built a 400 pounder) you are still going to have skim and flux.
I found that a metal ice fishing ladle for clearing the ice works excellent.
My ladle has 1/4 inch holes, is 4 inches across and about 1 inch deep. Shad

Bingo! Those of you from the Southern states may not be as familiar with them. And they are inexpensive.
I got my Ice Fishing Laddle when I lived in Leadville, Colo on sale for about $3. (long winters) It has a very long strong handle with about a 5 inch scoop and maybe 1/4" holes. Works well for WW clips and range lead with lots of jackets. After removing the gross size trash you can flux and then fine tune the pot with a regular large spoon (with holes).

[truckerdave397]

I was at Sam's Club today and picked up a three spoon package for about $5. Stainless Steel. One has round holes. One has slotted holes. One has no holes. About 14 inches long.

[jeepyj]

I just wish I had a few hunderd pound of lead clip on wheel weights to use my spoon on!!!!
mostly zinc around these parts nowj-a-days. I also use a large SS spoon with holes in it that I picked up somewhere along the way. I usually put in twenty pounds or so skim out the steel clips then carefully keep adding. Once the melt is rolling I'll add a few pounds then pour off some ingots then repeat. If you have some lead in the pot it quite easy to skim. If you melt all at once it get a bit more difficult and clogs op the pot at least in my experience.
jeepyj

[10x]

I use the top half of a 20 lb propane tank with a 3/4" black pipe draining the lead alloy into the bottom half of the tank located below as a catch basin. Most of the dross and all of the clips stay in the top tank - the bottom fills with lead alloy and just a little garbage floats to the top.

I let the captured alloy go solid, and cool then dump it and wash the dross of with soap and water, Do a second melt and I have very little, if any dirt and foreign bits coming to the surface taht are easily cleaned off during fluxing.
This method is a lot less effort, takes about the same time, and I end up with much cleaner alloy in my ingot molds.

[crawfobj]

I use the top half of a 20 lb propane tank with a 3/4" black pipe draining the lead alloy into the bottom half of the tank located below as a catch basin. Most of the dross and all of the clips stay in the top tank - the bottom fills with lead alloy and just a little garbage floats to the top.

I let the captured alloy go solid, and cool then dump it and wash the dross of with soap and water, Do a second melt and I have very little, if any dirt and foreign bits coming to the surface taht are easily cleaned off during fluxing.
This method is a lot less effort, takes about the same time, and I end up with much cleaner alloy in my ingot molds.

Can you share pictures of this setup? Do you have a burner under each half of the tank?

[10x]

Can you share pictures of this setup? Do you have a burner under each half of the tank?

Just a rebar frame to hold the pot with the 3/4 pipe drain, and a weed burner (also known as a tiger torch). The bottom tank has no heat at all. Lead drops into it and turns solid.
No photos as I am on a time lag internet connection - There are photos of the setup posted in other threads but the search function does not work well on my ipad.
The drain pipe must drop to at least 1/2 way down the bottom tank and be at the edge or lead will splash out. A pizza pan cover with a 1" hole in it for the drain sometimes serves as a lid on the bottom tank.
One last note, the 3/4" drain will "freeze" and needs to be kept warm for a few minutes before lead will flow freely through it without freezing solid. If it does, just apply heat from the torch.

Sorry but I can't seem to post photos now...

[40-82 hiker]

I made this skimmer out of the top part of the 20lb. propane tank I made my smelting pot from. I just welded the square rod on, drilled the holes, and welded a slag hammer handle onto the end. Bad back so I can't bend over and needed something with some reach to it. I angled the spoon so I could stand out of the fumes a little. I had just used it a couple of times when I took the photo, but it has now been used to smelt a lot of lead.

I find it works very well with COWWs, and I smelt 150lbs. at a time.

Edit: I saw a number of "attached thumbnails" but don't know what I did to get them "attached"?

Attachment 127055

Angle of spoon:
Attachment 127058

[10x]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/atta...5&d=1413043814

The lazy man's setup to take out wheel weight clips

[crawfobj]

That's pretty slick. I'm envisioning something similar with a second burner under the catch pot to allow continuously filling of ingot molds.

[10x]

That's pretty slick. I'm envisioning something similar with a second burner under the catch pot to allow continuously filling of ingot molds.

It takes about 15 to 25 minutes to do a melt down of 150 lb of wheel weights in the upper pot, if that long. The metal in the lower pot does need fluxing and some cleaning. The lower pot also needs high sides to catch any splash. I have found that keeping the lower pot molten untill all of the alloy is out of the upper pot,then removing the upper pot, fluxing the lower pot, letting it harden and then brushing and washing the dross off the large ingot leaves exceptionally clean lead on the second melt with very little dross and dirt on the surface.

This method leaves about 1/8 lb of lead around the drain in the upper pot. Some one who is more ambitious than me could grind a couple of slots in the fitting to ensure it all drains, I just toss the ring into the next melt.
I have done up to 5 pails of wheel weights in a couple of hours this way - making big ingots that are very clean, then on the remelt they get fluxed, what ever cleaning is needed (very small) and then turned into ingots.
This method beats scooping out the clips and trying to keep the lead from coming out with the clips.

[chambers]

I use a ice fishing metal hole skimmer, works great. If interested I have a bunch of the skimmer metal bottoms that were a production run but never were made into skimmers, have to add handle. I think they are 6" round and have 1/4" holes but have to confirm.