(S)melting raw material

[BZimm]

Good Morning, I have been accumulating raw material toward someday casting projectiles, probably for handgun loading. I was in a second-hand store yesterday and brought home two "cornbread" molds that are cast from what appears to be aluminum.

For the price I paid, I'm not obligating myself to use these, but my question is will they work? I understand the difference between melting temperatures of lead and aluminum, but practically speaking will an aluminum mold be ok?

Thanks in advance,

BZimm

[country gent]

Lees ingot moulds are an aluminum casting. Their moulds are aluminum also a lot of makers are making aluminum moulds now. They should work okay if handled a little carefully. Where aluminum gets into problems is when used for a casting pot with a lot of weight in it. The bottoms surface temp may be high enough to reach the yield point with 20+ lbs in the pot. For ingots your alloy will be 700* or there abouts, and cooling in temp quickly. It wont be the higher temps the bottom of a pot reaches to transfer the heat to the contents. Another little thing to do is to set the pans on a wet towel when filling as this helps pull heat out faster, a fan blowing on them when filling and cooling speeds things up and pulls a lot of heat also.

[ReloaderFred]

The aluminum will work fine for ingot molds, providing the walls are thick, similar to cast iron's thickness. I have several 8 pound ingot molds made from aluminum channel that work great.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[DerekP Houston]

I use aluminum muffin tins for ingot and they work fine too

[BZimm]

Very Much Thank You All.

Instinctively, I knew it was ok to use. But I wanted some knowledge from the field.

They are (in my opinion) a very thick casting. I think they'll be fine.

[William Yanda]

I have seen such forms, both stamped aluminum and cast aluminum. Either will work as ingot molds, but the cast will be more rigid.
A damp towel will hasten cooling in either case.

[OS OK]

Those cornbread ingots look cute enough but if I were faced with the ingot mould choice, I'd consider a few things first...

As my Pb stash grows in the future, how well are those cornbread going to stack and stay put in stacks?

How many will fit in my pot when I want a full pot to work with? If by their shape they won't fill that pot at least by 2/3'rds or so by volume, then you stretch the time it takes to get ready to cast with a full pot.

[BZimm]

It seems to me that muffin tins are the way to go. Having never done this before that is my outside-in assessment.

But for a buck apiece I had to have them. Thanks again.

BZimm

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

BZimm,
welcome to the forum.

I know you didn't ask this, but since you mention smelting and aluminum, I think it should be mentioned that using a pot made of cast Iron, or Stainless steel, or plain steel would be a wise choice over aluminum. Depending on what heat source you use, and BTU rating, the bottom of the pot can reach near aluminum melt temps before enough of the alloy melts to conduct the excess heat away from the pot.

[Springfield]

The aluminum cornbread moulds work great for smelting. I switched over to them from cast iron because the work exactly the same but don't rust. As for stacking in a pile, no they don't work as well as the traditional ingot, but if you don't have a few thousand pounds, then storing them in milk crates works great. And it doesn't hurt to have different moulds for different alloys.

[Jack Stanley]

Press on without fear , as an ingot mold they will work fine . I've melted a lot of lead and never had aluminum used as a mold let go .

Jack

[lightman]

Your aluminum cornbread molds will work fine for making ingots. They will also fit in your casting pot ok. They will not stack as well as another type with flat sides of square edges but they should serve you well. And for $1 each, you can't beat the price. Milk crates and 5 gallon buckets will make storage easier. Congratulations on a nice find!

[D-RIG]

The aluminum works great and seams to cool off a little faster
that the cast iron does , use a wet towel and try not to let it sit
in the mold to long sometimes they do not want to come out if
the mold is thin . Good luck .

[D Crockett]

I know all you guys say aluminum is fine to use but I wish I could post a picture of a lee ingot mold that I have that did let go it happened about 10 years ago and I still have it on a shelf I went to steel molds and have never looked back as far as rust goes once the hot lead hits it it is not a problem after that D Crockett

[imashooter2]

I know all you guys say aluminum is fine to use but I wish I could post a picture of a lee ingot mold that I have that did let go it happened about 10 years ago and I still have it on a shelf I went to steel molds and have never looked back as far as rust goes once the hot lead hits it it is not a problem after that D Crockett

Please define "let go." I'm interested to know how the ingot mold failed.

[Rcmaveric]

I have had problems with the cheap flimsy aluminum muffin tins. The cups just fell out when I flipped them over. Got some thick and sturdy ones from the flea market and never had a problem even after a few ears. Let them get corroded, that layer of corrosion helps act like a mold release.

[D Crockett]

my define of let go is when the mold came apart when my brother in law get back I will get him to post some pictures of it was it my fault when it came apart might of been might not of been I do not know all I know is it in more than one piece D Crockett

[imashooter2]

Came apart how? Cracked? Melted? What was the method and location of failure? About the only thing I can picture failing in normal use is the handle snapping off.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I'm genuinely curious. I only have 1 Lee ingot mold and although it is clearly thinner than the aluminum Lyman molds, it seemed adequate to the task. But I don't use it much and when I do it is usually only the 2 big cavities...

[lightman]

I'm curious about this failure too. I don't have any Lee ingot molds but sometimes when I have a group smelt one friend will bring his. I've seen the thread about the handle breaking but that does not bother me much. When I smelt, the mold sits on a steel plate. We don't hold the mold under a spout. Now, I would be concerned about the mold itself failing when full of melted lead!