High volume lead smelting advice wanted

[Polishmike]

Hello Gents -

I own an indoor range/gun store and am starting a reloading company.
I currently purchase bullets (have an ammoload machine for loading) but have a Ballisti-Cast Mark II and an NV Vortex sizer on the way.

I just got the range mined and am now the proud owner of 32,000lbs of fired bullets (do I have to say boolits here?)

I obviously want to smelt the lead down to useful ingots. I've used the classic fish fryer before but don't think that will be too feasible as this is 6 months worth of lead and it would take me more than 6 months to smelt that with a fish fryer. What would you guys recommend? I'm sure there are commercial size furnaces but I don't want to spend another $20k right now.

[osteodoc08]

Box it up and sell it here. Unless you want to get all the licensure to manufacture and sell boolits.

[Polishmike]

I already have the licenses/insurance/ect and use xtreme plated bullets in our reloads. I want to smelt it down and start using my own boolits.

[jcren]

There was a vendor here and on facebook that made slick bottom pour smelting furnaces "Satan's little Smelter" I believe. They even had custom rigs good for several hundred pounds.

[ashhoe]

Hello Gents -
I own an indoor range/gun store and am starting a reloading company.
I just got the range mined and am now the proud owner of 32,000lbs of fired bullets (do I have to say boolits here?)

I obviously want to smelt the lead down to useful ingots. I've used the classic fish fryer before but don't think that will be too feasible as this is 6 months worth of lead

That's one heck of an indoor range!
If I can still do math correctly, that's 284.1196347031963 180gr bullets per hour. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months.
That's a lot of bullets.

[Smoke4320]

Absolutely check out Satan's little smelters
The bigger for you the better with that much lead

[osteodoc08]

I already have the licenses/insurance/ect and use xtreme plated bullets in our reloads. I want to smelt it down and start using my own boolits.

In that case, if youre wanting to do it yourself. The advice for the Little Smelter is a good one. Get a very large propane tank. And be sure to use your PPE.

[Polishmike]

Thanks guys - Exactly what I was looking for

[mgread]

How much would you sell a full medium flat rate box

[Outer Rondacker]

I do not think you understand just how much work you have in front of you. Better hire four more guys. Good luck.

[flyingmonkey35]

I hate to say this but.

You may want to give roto metals a call and see what kind of trade you can do for clean lead.


But if your doing it your self Satan's little smelter is the way to go.

And get the largest ingot mold that can fit in your pot safely.

[country gent]

You might look into a 250 lb out of date propane tank. cut it in half or just over half way weld 4 very solid legs under it and supports to keep them from kicking out under the wieght.A grate and coal fire with a blower you should be able to smelt 500 -600 lbs at a crack 2 pots a day. The big thing will be having enough ingot moulds to pour continuous while others are cooling and a rack or stand to hold them while working. Pour as big of ingot as will fit into your pot comfortably. A piece of channel iron cut 10* on ends ( allows for easy release of ingot) and flat steel for ends welded on 2-3 channels wide and 8-10" long should pour 5 lb ingots or so. A small piece of angle welded acros at 1 -2 places would make chop spots. You will want 10-15 of these so pouring and dumping is continuous with out stopping to wait for cooling. The operation would be heat pot of lead to melting. Flux and skim several time. Pour some small ingots and cool to get hardness and add antimony til to get alloy to level desired. Flux again and pour ingots The propane tank Im taliking about is upright and 3 foot or so in dia. This is probably goping to be a 2 man operation at least.

[Outpost75]

AND don't forget to separate out the jacket material, pull out the clad steel with a couple cow magnets, then sell the copper to a scrap dealer, worth about $1 a pound, or check the American Metal Market current ISRI scrap prices.

[Pb Burner]

Man....I wish I had a problem like that!
Sorry, no good advice from me, just drooling looking at that pic of all that lead.

[Polishmike]

Got a Satan smelter coming. Thanks guys!

Smelting, casting, sizing, coating (hi-tek) should keep 2-3 guys employed full time.

[mgread]

Got a Satan smelter coming. Thanks guys!

Smelting, casting, sizing, coating (hi-tek) should keep 2-3 guys employed full time.

Also be a good boss you and get the guy blood test every 4-6 week.
Got some good 3 ft fans to move lots and lots of air.
And safely gear for everyone that will be around.
And for god sakes do not do this indoor where you have a water sprinkler system.

[Polishmike]

Also be a good boss you and get the guy blood test every 4-6 week.
Got some good 3 ft fans to move lots and lots of air.
And safely gear for everyone that will be around.
And for god sakes do not do this indoor where you have a water sprinkler system.

We are doing it outside. All PPE will be provided (we do full Tyvek suits, leather aprons, steel toe boots, respirators, hi temp gloves, face shields, ect)

I'm one of the better guys

[mgread]

I would still have a fans or 2. And get test because there be around it cold and have it on there skin. The range I go to make all employees get test every 2 month because they clean up the lean and all from the traps. Also just a better be safe then sorry later in life.
I smelt 3-400 lbs at a time and get test every 4-6 because I'm around it.

[maxreloader]

Hey Polishmike... would you mind PMing me the details on those bags you have the lead stored in? Those would work slick for a project I am working on. Thanks!

[ReloaderFred]

I'm not sure what size pot your Ballisti-Cast has, but for both my Master Caster and my Bullet Master, I smelt into 10 to 14 pound ingots and they're just the right size. By using the larger ingot molds, you'll be getting more ingots per hour of labor.

The last time I smelted down jacketed bullets, I got $2.25 a pound for #2 copper from my recycler for the copper jackets. I make sure to get all the lead out of the jackets, which is the hard part, and I use a large magnet to remove all the steel jackets, which I also recycle. The last price for steel jackets was .03 cents per pound, but I hate to see anything wasted, so it was worth it to haul them along.

A shaker table with a 1/4" wire mesh in it will get the excess lead out of the jackets when you skim them off the top of the melt. Just spread them over the mesh while still hot and give it a shake and all the molten lead will fall through the mesh (or stick to it). The resultant clean jackets more than pay for the labor of getting them clean.

Hope this helps.

Fred