Or rather "scrap reclaiming pot" if you don't like the term "smelting".
I've been accumulating a lot of range scrap in my garage over the last couple years, picking up ten or fifteen pounds at a time here and there off the berms. The last time I melted it down was with a borrowed turkey fryer propane cooker and a fairly small cast iron pot. It was a lot of work and took way too long.
Recently a friend gave me a rusty old propane tank he was throwing out, and I remember reading numerous threads on here as to what they're good for, so here's what I came up with:
Attachment 207752Attachment 207753
The handles were salvaged from a work project about five years ago. I helped design and build a small industrial chemical packaging system that we ultimately installed in a plant in Taiwan. I removed the handles from an aluminum pot we used and instead of throwing them away I kept them (I know, I'm a packrat). They fit perfectly. I bolted them on so that they stuck over the top slightly to make a lip so I can use the top of the cylinder for a lid.
Then I ordered this from Amazon Warehouse for $42 shipped, 200k btu. I'm thinking it should heat the pot a little faster than the average turkey fryer?
Attachment 207754
I'm wondering how it will hold up to the weight of a melting pot with 100+lbs of lead scrap in it. Anyone have any advice?