"On da road again...................."

[Mitch]

The muffin pand I got stuck like glue.There are some threads here about the nonstick coating I am happy yopu had no coating on most and had no problem.
For safety eye protection.long sleves and pants,a hat.gloves,workboots.

[Chris C]

For safety eye protection.long sleves and pants,a hat.gloves,workboots.

Oh, I wear all of that stuff even when I'm casting bullets. Think of it as "my lead uniform" more than safety equipment.

[LenH]

I suggest you get a set of letter stamps to mark ingots. Harbor freight has sets for about $15. Marking with sharpie is a **** shoot.

[spfd1903]

Ready to render!
Only have three Lee ingot molds, but by keeping the towels underneath wet, by the time the muffin tins are poured, the three ingot molds are cool and ready to pop out. Keeps the cadence moving .

[OS OK]

I like the idea of using a propane bottle bottom for a big and easy pot to use, loading all sorts of odd shape lead that we reclaim...but...I have reservations as to just how much weight these cheap little propane burner stands will hold.
I imagine that you could get more than a 100 lbs. of lead into one...if that burner collapses the 'tinsel fairies' will just hang back and watch the 'tinsel tsunami' in delight. If it collapses in your direction as you stir and flux, pulling the dross out...all the protective clothing and boots are not going to make much of a difference then!

That gives me a 'chill' just to contemplate...'Just a little food for thought'...OS OK

[mold maker]

????????????

Your original post listed all the hardware you have assembled for your first melt, but didn't include long sleeve cotton shirt and pant. You'll also need eye protection and leather boots. Welders gauntlet gloves and a nearby bucket of water just in case.
Before beginning, plan an exit path clear of obstructions.
Expect the worst and plan for it.
We come into life with what will have to last until the end. Taking care of it is dependent on the content between the ears.

[spfd1903]

I like the idea of using a propane bottle bottom for a big and easy pot to use, loading all sorts of odd shape lead that we reclaim...but...I have reservations as to just how much weight these cheap little propane burner stands will hold.
I imagine that you could get more than a 100 lbs. of lead into one...if that burner collapses the 'tinsel fairies' will just hang back and watch the 'tinsel tsunami' in delight. If it collapses in your direction as you stir and flux, pulling the dross out...all the protective clothing and boots are not going to make much of a difference then!

That gives me a 'chill' just to contemplate...'Just a little food for thought'...OS OK

Agree with that thought. I know the cast iron pot I use has about 50 lbs of molten alloy with a couple inches of free board when everything is melted. If I used a larger pot from a propane bottle, I would fabricate a heavier frame. Would not want to trust the turkey fryer frame with any more weight.

[Chris C]

Your original post listed all the hardware you have assembled for your first melt, but didn't include long sleeve cotton shirt and pant. You'll also need eye protection and leather boots. Welders gauntlet gloves and a nearby bucket of water just in case.
Before beginning, plan an exit path clear of obstructions.
Expect the worst and plan for it.
We come into life with what will have to last until the end. Taking care of it is dependent on the content between the ears.

As I stated in post #22, that's standard procedure for me. I just call it my casting uniform. But thanks for the heads up.

[popper]

I melt 35# isocores in a large SS mixing bowel on the turkey fryer stand. With what I leave in the pot, ~10#, that's 45# max on the fryer stand and IMHO that's about max. Actually I've got my lifetime supply so the fryer goes to the kids.

[Chris C]

The turkey fryer I purchased must be more sturdy than some others. I weigh 183 pounds and I got up on it and twisted around, put my weight out on the edge (one of the legs) and did everything but jump up and down on it and it seemed pretty darned sturdy to me. I'm not too worried about it at this point.

[mold maker]

At the time you were testing it, it was cold. It's not uncommon for the pot supports to be yellow hot with the pot on top and the flame surrounding them. It's not just the legs that must have a safety factor built in.
After some accidents with a pot of oil and a turkey, most Mfg added some strength to their frames. I've also seen some pretty skimpy jigs.
Glad to hear you have already checked it.

[Chris C]

Thanks, moldmaker, I'll keep a close eye on it at any rate.

[Chris C]

Finally got "the little woman" to go to town long enough for me to render the clip-on wheel weights I'd collected over the past couple of weeks. (she complains about odors and doesn't like me messin' with molten lead) So anyway, this was my first rendering. Brand new everything, from the burner to the pot, ladle, skimmer, clip removing basket, mini-loaf pans, etc., etc., etc. Talk about a neophyte!!!!! I was disappointed that even though I was very careful (I thought) to sort out all the Zinc weights that I still had about 10 or so end up in the clip bucket. Glad I followed you guys advice and kept the temp below 700*. I thought I had more, but ended up with 160 pounds of COWW. But I've still got a full 5 gal bucket stick on wheel weights for the next rendering day. Bet there's more than 160 pounds in that bucket since they lay tighter in there and won't have the clips. Oh well, all went well. Didn't burn or asphyxiate myself. I didn't wear a breathing mask......but did have my full face shield on. I had an 18" squirrel cage fan keeping the smoke and fumes going away from me, but I think I'd be happier with a safe mask. What kind of filters do I need for my mask? The stand for my burner was rock solid, which was something mold maker had warned me about. That was a relief. All in all, I'm very happy with the whole project. Thanks for all the help and suggestions from you guys. Forums sure come in handy when one doesn't know what one is doing!

[WRideout]

Finally got "the little woman" to go to town long enough for me to render the clip-on wheel weights I'd collected over the past couple of weeks. (she complains about odors and doesn't like me messin' with molten lead) So anyway, this was my first rendering. Brand new everything, from the burner to the pot, ladle, skimmer, clip removing basket, mini-loaf pans, etc., etc., etc. Talk about a neophyte!!!!! I was disappointed that even though I was very careful (I thought) to sort out all the Zinc weights that I still had about 10 or so end up in the clip bucket. Glad I followed you guys advice and kept the temp below 700*. I thought I had more, but ended up with 160 pounds of COWW. But I've still got a full 5 gal bucket stick on wheel weights for the next rendering day. Bet there's more than 160 pounds in that bucket since they lay tighter in there and won't have the clips. Oh well, all went well. Didn't burn or asphyxiate myself. I didn't wear a breathing mask......but did have my full face shield on. I had an 18" squirrel cage fan keeping the smoke and fumes going away from me, but I think I'd be happier with a safe mask. What kind of filters do I need for my mask? The stand for my burner was rock solid, which was something mold maker had warned me about. That was a relief. All in all, I'm very happy with the whole project. Thanks for all the help and suggestions from you guys. Forums sure come in handy when one doesn't know what one is doing!

Women can be so unreasonable. Why can't they think logically, like guys do? But then they wouldn't be as endearing.

To answer your last question, most likely the stuff you want to avoid is the particulate smoke. For that, you would need a respirator with a HEPA filter. A nuisance dust mask will not work, if you are trying to avoid particulates altogether. When using a respirator, there are some rules you have to follow for it to work right. Chiefly, you need to be clean shaven. The manufacturer can give you the rest of the details. Ventilation is usually the industrial hygiene fix for bad air; outside with a fan blowing the bad stuff away is probably good enough.

Wayne

[DerekP Houston]

The turkey fryer I purchased must be more sturdy than some others. I weigh 183 pounds and I got up on it and twisted around, put my weight out on the edge (one of the legs) and did everything but jump up and down on it and it seemed pretty darned sturdy to me. I'm not too worried about it at this point.

YES! there are much different versions. My father purchased his from academy and it appears to barely support the hot oil when we fry turkeys. I spent a bit more and mine is made of thicker metal and has cross bars welded in. Same exact turkey setup doesn't even wobble. I've loaded it up with ~200lbs of lead (separate pot of course) and feel quite comfortable ladling that back out into ingots.

I see mold maker below mentions the MFG added strength, that sounds pretty accurate as I recall many more stories of "fried turkey flare ups" growing up than I have seen in the news these days. Heat it up to full working temp and toss a solid weight on it. If it bows or flexes at all I would consider reinforcing it yourself or just using a separate stand and the propane for the heat source.

I see my beard defeats the safety equipment recommended. I don't have WW or anything too nasty, most of my "smelting" is rendering larger ingots purchased off the net or my factory 55kg ingots into smaller size pucks for use in my bottom pour. Worst smoke I get is from adding my dross pile back in and lighting up the saw dust. I use a trigger type lighter, ignite, and step back inside the house till the smoke is gone. As I work in my front drive way I can monitor the progress from the window. No I wouldn't recommend this to everyone but it works well enough for me.

[Chris C]

Thanks guys. Helpful info. I've still got the bucket of stick-on WW to render. Not sure when I'll do that. Gotta wait to get the little lady situated away for a few hours.

[DerekP Houston]

I'd put a large fan behind it to blow the smoke away from you and stand upwind =). I use a fan in my casting area for similar use, but mainly to help keep it reasonably cool or at least for a breeze.

And yes, standard practice is to wait until the lil lady leaves and then haul butt getting stuff done! I can't get anything done with a 2 yr old boy under foot anyways, he wants to help too much.

[Chris C]

Got'er done. Ended up with 160# out of the bucket of SOWW. Exactly what I needed to balance out a load of lead I have that wasn't quite right. Used the fan again and all was well. Also, Mamma went to town to the book store. All is well in the woods of Central Oklahoma.

[PBaholic]

Got'er done. Ended up with 160# out of the bucket of SOWW.

SOWW cast into boolits is fine for most handgun loads. 160 lbs will make a lot of boolits!!

Let's see:

9000 - 125 grain
7000 - 158 grain
4800 - 230 grain

Did I mention I shoot about 200, .45-230 grain a week. 160 lbs would last me over 5 months

[DerekP Houston]

Mine standard range trip is usually around 200-300 rounds once or twice a week. Even buying retail price lead I'm still way ahead than paying for bulk ammo. I'm just a bulk shopper in general though for my hobbies.