Building a Better Smelting Pot

[308Jeff]

I have a few ideas, but no way of knowing if they're going to work. Both would speed things up and give better control, I believe.

The first is to construct a strainer basket insert for the pot to quickly remove COW clips. I'm thinking something like a carburetor cleaner type basket only using hardware cloth around a steel frame. I'm guessing it would need to be as porous as possible to allow the lead to drain quicker than it can stick to clips or the basket.


The second improvement would be to install a valve slightly above the bottom of the pot. I found a video on youtube of someone making it work.



An all metal constructed valve is obviously as must. You'd have to keep the valve and piping short to keep the lead from solidifying and clogging up the works. A ball valve would give much faster control, but I'm guessing you'd be looking at a very costly industrial valve.

Thoughts?

[Cowboy_Dan]

I've had the basket idea before, but have yet to build one myself. My thinking is that it would be hot enough from being in the melt that lead wouldn't solidify on it instantly, so a few taps on the side of the pot and you're large trash free.

[308Jeff]

I've had the basket idea before, but have yet to build one myself. My thinking is that it would be hot enough from being in the melt that lead wouldn't solidify on it instantly, so a few taps on the side of the pot and you're large trash free.

That's what I'm thinking as well. Might be crazy enough to work.

[country gent]

I would consider expanded metal or fine metal grates like what you show in the pics. Harware cloth at the heat and weight may not hold up. Another will be that there will be alotof airspace under the basket to slow melting down. You might have to leave enough starter in the pot to get past the bottom of the basket.

[LaPoint]

How about making a large 'dipper' out of expanded or perforated sheet metal? Once the lead is liquid you can slowly submerge the dipper and hold it under until it is up to temp. Then sift out the metal clips and large chunks of trash.

[lightman]

I've had better luck with a big slotted spoon than with a basket. The basket does not like the heat and the weight so well. Search the stickies for smelting pots. A couple of guys have designed pots that use a rod and linkage like your casting pot. Another member uses a threaded rod. If I were just starting out I would build a nice bottom pour smelting pot. I'm thinking that the end of something like a 500 gallon propane tank or an old 60-80 gallon air compressor tank would make a nice pot. Add 4 good sturdy angle iron legs, some bracing and a banjo jet burner and you would have a nice smelting set up. Maybe some sort of ledge for the ingot molds to slide across.

[BK7saum]

Here is the small one I built. It holds 100 lbs

[BK7saum]

Here is the large one. It'll hold a little over 500 lbs full.

[BK7saum]

Valve construction


Spout

[BK7saum]

A wind screen cuts propane use considerably, maybe almost half

[BK7saum]

Oh, and I use a slotted spoon or rather a spoon with numerous 1/4" holes in it. I scoop up clips or bullet jackets and lightly bump against the inside of the pot to release/shake the lead loose. Getting clips out is easy. Getting the bullet jackets clean enough to sell as #2 scrap is a whole lot tougher. The right flux procedure is necessary to help free the lead from the gilding metal jackets.

[BK7saum]

To keep the spout from freezing, I wrap or lay aluminum foil or flashing over the spout to channel heat along it from the burner. If it does freeze up, I have to heat the spout with my propane plumbers torch for about 30 seconds to a minute. Once hot enough to let the lead flow, I can pour all my ingots without it freezing back up.

[308Jeff]

The right flux procedure is necessary to help free the lead from the gilding metal jackets.

What method do you use for that?

To keep the spout from freezing, I wrap or lay aluminum foil or flashing over the spout to channel heat along it from the burner. If it does freeze up, I have to heat the spout with my propane plumbers torch for about 30 seconds to a minute. Once hot enough to let the lead flow, I can pour all my ingots without it freezing back up.

Great ideas.

[BK7saum]

I use pine sawdust and paraffin wax.

Sawdust alone doesn't release the lead from the jackets. So i usually flux twice with sawdust and the third time (sometimes 2ND and 3rd) use the sawdust with a good amount of paraffin or candle wax. Stir/ mix well, scoop up jackets and shake very well. Sometimes jackets with only small holes take a a lot of shaking to get the lead out. I have a significant amount of total metal jackets that I don't recover any lead from. And then there are sintered copper bullets as well.

[308Jeff]

I use pine sawdust and paraffin wax.

Sawdust alone doesn't release the lead from the jackets. So i usually flux twice with sawdust and the third time (sometimes 2ND and 3rd) use the sawdust with a good amount of paraffin or candle wax. Stir/ mix well, scoop up jackets and shake very well. Sometimes jackets with only small holes take a a lot of shaking to get the lead out. I have a significant amount of total metal jackets that I don't recover any lead from. And then there are sintered copper bullets as well.

Thank you!

Am I crazy for cutting TMJs in half with side cutters to get the lead out of those too?

[BK7saum]

Not sure I can answer that for you. Lol. After a few I decided that I could afford to let those go since I got my range scrap free. Never tried it, but some folks have said to flatten them with a hammer to rupture the jacket. I never bothered. Sold some on here pretty cheap with full knowledge of what buyer was getting. I think I had accumulated 50 lbs at that time.

I think I have about 400 lbs of scrap to smelt and maybe 500 or 600 lbs of wheelweights. I haven't smelted in a couple of years.

[triggerhappy243]

the hardware cloth is galvenized............... with zinc..................... i think

[Bookworm]

the hardware cloth is galvenized............... with zinc..................... i think

Exactly what I was going to say.

[lightman]

Oh, and I use a slotted spoon or rather a spoon with numerous 1/4" holes in it. I scoop up clips or bullet jackets and lightly bump against the inside of the pot to release/shake the lead loose. Getting clips out is easy. Getting the bullet jackets clean enough to sell as #2 scrap is a whole lot tougher. The right flux procedure is necessary to help free the lead from the gilding metal jackets.

This is about the way I do it too. Agree with the whole post, as my experience reflects about the same things. My whole process has evolved around trying methods and then improving on them! Its a never ending deal!

[308Jeff]

Exactly what I was going to say.

Yep! Country Gent pointed out that expanded metal would be a much better choice.