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Thread: Dagnabbit - ingots too big

  1. #1
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Dagnabbit - ingots too big

    Bought ingots from the Deo Run secondary smelter near by...and they are too wide to fit in the Lee production pot I own. I have an RCBS lead pot, new in box, and in desperation I put it on the stove top on high with one of the roughly 3 pound saw cut ingots in it....nothing.
    Ideas? It's certified bullet metal, 92/6/2, and I don't want to waste it. Hot plate do the trick, where, what size, etc.?
    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    Got a wood splitter?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Drew P's Avatar
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    What are the dimensions

  4. #4
    Boolit Master


    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    I've had good success cutting lead with a chop saw. Use wax on the blade to keep the lead from 'gumming' up.

    figure a way to catch the 'sawdust' as that's good lead, too.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    A sawzall with a demolition blade works well.

    Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Use a steel pot and camp stove or propane burner to melt and cast into smaller ingots. They can be cut several ways. A cold chisel and big hammer on a solid surface will do it, I have a section of oak tree trunk about 26" tall I use. You can saw them in several ways, sawsall, band saw, hacksaw, will strengthen your arms a lot. A big ingot in a pot with nothing else takes a lot to melt do to heat transfer. In a p[ot with a couple lbs already molten helps transfer heat a lot better.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    +1 on the camp stove. I have used mine many time for smelting. Works great.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master fastdadio's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    +1 on the camp stove. I have used mine many time for smelting. Works great.
    I use a propane burner originally sold as a turkey deep fryer. Cheap and effective. I went to the Salvation Army kitchen section with a small magnet and bought small, medium, and large pans that attracted the magnet. Total cost outlay for all items was under $50.00 bux.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master gnostic's Avatar
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    I use an ax and beat them into a suitable size with a hammer...

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Some stuff I can melt 'corners' off of until they fit....

  11. #11
    Banned

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    2/6 might break like lino-type does.
    I take a hatchet and hit both of the back edges on top of a 2x4 this makes a notch.
    then flip it over and put those notches between 2- 2x4's and hit it with the back edge of the hatchet.

    if that don't work I get out the porta-band and some cardboard.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub
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    I have sat mine with a corner in the pot and used an old channel lock pliers and a blow torch to melt it in

    Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk

  13. #13
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    RogerDat's Avatar
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    Steel pot from Salvation Army. Any electric hot plate of 750 watts or better, but frankly less than 950 will be slow and don't try it if it is cold. If you have a propane torch that can help. 10 minutes of torch time to get a puddle in the pot and maybe cut the block in half so more of it is in contact can help make a hot plate more effective.

    Best bet is the propane turkey/fish fryer. Around here can be had at garage sales for $10 and new from Wally Mart for $40, watch for sturdy legs. Do not use the cheap (or any) aluminum pot for lead, it gets weaker at lead melt temps and the weight can blow the bottom out, mess if you're lucky, burns on the legs or feet if you're not lucky.

    There are some threads about reinforcing camp stoves to handle the weight, they put out more heat than hot plate but less than the turkey/fish fryer.

    If you feel like going high end on the pot, Harbor Freight has cast iron dutch ovens for around $25 with the HF 20% off coupon that you can find online. Those can do better than 100# of lead at a time and cover the burner for the propane fryers. You can also use some scrap steel to make it so those big burners can handle smaller pots.

    See the angle iron pieces across the burner in picture below. I added that for smaller pots.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  14. #14
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the replies, but a buddy of mine suggested using my gas grill, and it worked. Now, I don't THINK there would be any contaminattion from melting lead on the burner....
    RogerDat, that is one cool setup, nice!
    DrewP, they are about 3 inches each direction, roughly. I was lucky that they cut them at all. Nice people at this smelter.
    Again, thank you all for the comments, I appreciate it very much.

  15. #15
    Boolit Bub
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    Doesn't sound like it's worth the effort and frustration. Better off to start fresh, get ingots that are a good fit for you. Then feel free to send those offensive fat ingots my way so you don't have to look at them anymore.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

  16. #16
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I like the way everyone on here is so helpful!

  18. #18
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    I take an ax and a sledge hammer. Drive the ax in one side with the hammer, flip it over drive the ax in. Pull the ax out and it will break at the ax mark "scores". Quickest and easiest way to cut lead.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
    Epd230's Avatar
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    I thought they closed that Doe Run foundry

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Skipper's Avatar
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    Trim 'em up with a propane torch.
    The strongest reason for the people to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against the tyranny of government.
    -- Thomas Jefferson

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check