Long Handled Dross Spoon

[1911KY]

What are you guys using for a dross spoon when casting ingots?

I have a slotted kitchen spoon with about a 10" handle and would like to have something longer that doesn't cost $25!

I may just end up tacking on a extension to the handle of my current spoon if I can't find anything better.

[country gent]

For casting U use a set of spoons long handles slotted and standard. the slotted pulls the most of wood shaving and dross off quickly and easily and the solid gets the last little bit. When smelting I made mu utensels from 3/4" pipe and cold rolled steel. The ladle has a 3 ft handle and a 4" weld on pipe cap for a ladle. The "spoon" is 1/4" and 1/2" 1/4" thk cold roll. 1/4 X 1/4 front and back 1/4 X1/2 runners spaced 1/4" apart 6" square with a 3/4 pipe handle 4ft long. This is bent to form a radious to help hold crud ( think slotted square nosed shovel). I smelt 100-400 lbs at a time so having specialized equipment wasnt an issue. Around here when I started casting equipment for large batches wasnt redily available, Even alot of the smaller foundries made thier own equipment.

[3006guns]

I found a 12" stainless steel spoon in Walmart's sporting goods/camping section for five bucks. Bought two and drilled one full of holes. Both come in really handy when smelting.

[pworley1]

I use the 12" slotted table spoon that I added a 10" wooden handle to.

[725]

I've got a slotted salad type spoon to which I've affixed a long wooden extension.

[dikman]

The kitchen-type slotted spoon is perfectly adequate for what most of us do (and cheap at thrift shops!). If it's got a plastic handle, just cut/grind/melt it off, get a piece of dowel/broom handle etc, drill a hole in it and knock it onto the spoon shaft.

I did the same thing with a soup ladle that I use when making ingots.

[1911KY]

I will just add a piece of 1x to the handle. I just need a little more extension to get my face away from the flames so I can stir the pot a little better when adding parrafin wax to re-incorporate my alloys after fluxing.

[BAGTIC]

I use a long handled stainless steel spoon pierced by round holes. I have a couple picked up dirt cheap at thrift stores

[Hardcast416taylor]

Find yourself a tablespoon or a soup spoon at a Salvation Army store. The spoon needs to have a wide, flat end on the handle. Next I take a broken hammer handle (broken at the head area) and make a saw cut down the middle of the break about 1 - 2" for the spoon handle. I fit the spoon in the saw cut and clamp it in place while I drill through for 1 or 2 small screws to hold it all together. Still using several spoons I made 5 years back.Robert

[edler7]

I used a kitchen spoon that I added about a foot of hand rail to. Cut a slot in the rail, insert spoon handle, drill a hole through the whole thing and ran a piece of bailing wire through it all and twisted the wire down. You can buy rail by the foot at Home Depot.

[gmsharps]

If you have an Army Surplus store in your area take a look at some of the Mess Hall spoons. They made a long handle one with slits in it that work just fine for skimming the dross and clips.

gmsharps

[cajun shooter]

Look for restaurant supply houses that sell used equipment and purchase the long handle spoons from them. I have one that is stamped with a US on it that has been in my casting equipment for about 30 years. Take Care David

[mazo kid]

I use a large slotted spoon (free at a garage sale, I didn't care if the paint was chipped on the handle!) for processing WWs and a modified table spoon for my melting pot.
Ground the handle down, drilled a hole in a dowel, set with epoxy.

[CGT80]

Walmart deep fryer spoon that I cut the plastic handle off of and added a longer section of round stock. I use this for 95% of the clean up and then a small soup spoon for the little that is left. I use the same soup spoon in my Lee pot when casting.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have used the same Iced Tea Spoon for my entire career as a boolit caster.

Randy

[rsrocket1]

Goodwill is your friend. $1-$2 should get you any sort of spoon you need and if you need to scoop out dross from cauldron size melters, you can simply nail or screw that spoon (with a thinner flat metal handle) onto a dowel.

[John Boy]

Holes drilled on edges of SS spoon - melt drops back into pot and dross goes into tin can