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Thread: 28,000 lbs....yes 28,000

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
    lwknight's Avatar
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    There are several ways to purge a tank but here is the only one that regular guys cannot mess up.
    1. Take the tank to the local propane dealer and ask them to remove the valve.
    2. Fill the tank totally full with very hot water.
    This is because there are heavy distillates that hold propane like CO2 in a soda pop. You need to dislodge all the gas from the oils that could be left in the tank.
    3. Pour all the water out.
    4. Fill the tank again with any water (hot/cold no matter).
    This will be the final purge just to be extra safe.
    5. Pour off just enough water to expose about 2" air space and cut out a big hole or remove the very top completely.
    This will ensure that if any gas or flammable dregs possibly remaining will be ventilated to oblivion making it non flammable.
    6. Pour out water and cut away to your hearts content.
    After all that, there is no way any gas could still be in the tank unless you put it there by letting your torch pop out of something like that.
    Last edited by lwknight; 12-30-2017 at 01:44 AM.
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  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
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    When I melt range lead I use propane and just skim the rubber off top together with all other debis. The trick is to skim the rubber off before the melt gets real hot. If it gets too hot it smokes really bad and maybe also flames up. The fire can get really bad so a lid to cover the pot to suffocate the flame could come in handy.

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  3. #23
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    I had a bunch of dirty lead once to smelt and I took a steel water heater tank and cut a whole in the bottom and welded a pipe nipple on to it. they I screwed together pipe that would go for it to another pot. Lit a fire under it and filled it about half full of dirty lead and as it melted the dirt rises and the clean lead comes out of the pipe into the other container. Now you will probably need to resmelt it one more time to get all the contaminants out. Just don't overload the dirty pot. You don't want any more lead then the clean pot can handle. I used a pipe cap on the end that I would screw on (with gloves) when I wanted to swap clean lead pots. I could do about 500lbs like that before I had to stop and let it cool and dump the junk out of the dirty lead pot. I guess a guy could ladle it out as you go but after 500 lbs I was ready for a break anyway.

  4. #24
    Boolit Master


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    For this quantity dutch ovens and propane tank smelting pots are thinking inside the box. I like the water heater feeding melted lead to another pot. What about cutting the water heater in half lengthwise, mounting it at a slight angle so the melted lead would flow to the bottom. This would leave the top accessible to manage the trash. A cover would still be advisable, though a little more difficult than for a tank cut perpendicular to the long axis.
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  5. #25
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    thats some good thinking right there. you would just need a bit bigger fire or maybe two propane turkey fryers under it.
    Quote Originally Posted by William Yanda View Post
    For this quantity dutch ovens and propane tank smelting pots are thinking inside the box. I like the water heater feeding melted lead to another pot. What about cutting the water heater in half lengthwise, mounting it at a slight angle so the melted lead would flow to the bottom. This would leave the top accessible to manage the trash. A cover would still be advisable, though a little more difficult than for a tank cut perpendicular to the long axis.

  6. #26
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    There was an ad, and video, on this site for a production smelter for the hobbyist level. Had a spigot for filling molds. Price was very reasonable. The reactions from the readers was positive. Whatever happened to them?

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by deepwater View Post
    There was an ad, and video, on this site for a production smelter for the hobbyist level. Had a spigot for filling molds. Price was very reasonable. The reactions from the readers was positive. Whatever happened to them?
    Are you referring to Satan's Little Smelter? I've read somewhere on the forum, that they were built as a side gig in a machine shop with a lot of other things to do, so I don't think they are made anymore.

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  8. #28
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    I think you have scored the "life time supply!" You need the MOTHER OF ALL SMELTERS aka MOS as posted here a decade ago. Do a search, I believe Corky or Felix had pictures on here, looked like a monster.

    Sundog still posts here
    Last edited by swheeler; 12-30-2017 at 01:28 PM.
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  9. #29
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Last couple tanks I cut apart were flushed several times with hot water and dish soap. then left sit for several days both right side up and up side down then flushed again. I also don't cut with cutoff wheel or electric tool. I put a wrap of tape around the tank for a line to follow and cut it with a hack saw and fine blade. This reduces the risk of sparks to ignite anything. With the hacksaw you break thru and workaround the outside following the tape line. Electric tools have a spark in them hen running and grinding wheels produce sparks. I normally post this when I say about the propane tank, I simply slipped on it the other day. Ive also never recommended electric tools or grinders for this. The plain and simple hacksaw does a great job and only takes about 45 mins to an hour. I find it leaves a better edge also not as burred as the grinder or power saw.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    For cutting a propane tank, hook a hose to the truck exhaust and purge the tank while cutting. No O/2 , no fire or boom.

  11. #31
    Boolit Master pmer's Avatar
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    Man, that's a lot of lead. Could one just scrap it "as is" and take that cash and buy a couple thousand pounds of clean alloy?
    Oh great, another thread that makes me spend money.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by pmer View Post
    Man, that's a lot of lead. Could one just scrap it "as is" and take that cash and buy a couple thousand pounds of clean alloy?
    You must be joking.....

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by pmer View Post
    Man, that's a lot of lead. Could one just scrap it "as is" and take that cash and buy a couple thousand pounds of clean alloy?
    You'd have to separate it from the rubber to get any type of decent price. If you processed it yourself you'd have all the lead plus money from selling the jackets if you can find a yard that takes them. You'd be able to buy a lot more clean alloy w/ that money plus you have the lead from the range scrap.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by jsizemore View Post
    You must be joking.....
    What he said!

    Also I might build a smelter for the copper and ingotize that too, just for fun.

  15. #35
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    LOL Rubber usually floats & lead & copper do not. Get yourself a few five gallon buckets & just pour the contents from a lead/rubber filled one into a couple of buckets with some water in them skim the stuff off the top & then dump & dry to get at the stuff ya want. After drying smelt away. Then repeat as needed...

    You will likely end up a very busy feller with 2000- 2800 buckets to go thru, but hey... It was free, right?


    You do realize that if it was just lead & it was only 25,000 pounds after you took all the not useable stuff out that you were just given about $25,000+ for nothing... Add in the copper sales & it is likely over $30,000...

    for Free...

    You could spend a year cleaning it up & it would be like a $25-30,000 job if ya sold it all.

    Like someone said earlier, you could hire a couple of kids to do the cleaning/sorting for like $10.00 hr/cash a few hours a week... Smelt shoot or sell what they clean up & you would still likely have a lot of shootable material in the end + some $$ in your pocket for other things if ya wanted to do it...

    Anyway, I sure would like to see some pics, BTW. I just can't seem to get a mental picture of 14 tons of lead in 5 gallon buckets. It just boggles my mind I guess...

    G'Luck! with your windfall! I wish I had that sort of trouble... LOL
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  16. #36
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    Great score! Did quick math and that should yield about 850K 230gn CB's equivalent.
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  17. #37
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    rubber floats on top of salt water you need a 12-15% solution for that to happen.

    I would just go gold mining myself and build a riffle and a recirculating water system
    then feed the lead through that it will wash off everything but the heavy stuff.

    then I would build a fire tray to melt it all [and skim out the jackets] and just keep feeding the system.
    fire tray lets the melted lead through [but blocks everything not liquid] it just runs down hill.
    once that was done then I would smelt and clean the collected lead for casting purposes.

    if the scrap yard took dirty jackets then fine, if not then I'd re-clean those if there was enough of them to make it worth my time.

  18. #38
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    I also use a cut down propane tank, but that's just not enough for this job! I'd be looking for an air compressor tank, preferably a 100 gallon horizontal one and cut it in half add some bracing to the feet make a pour valve to fit in one of the holes in the bottom. I'd also make a shelf from expanded metal use that to help screen out debris. A set of roller conveyer under the spout to just slide your filled ingots out of the way to a cooling area would be very helpful. I could see a heat/lead splatter shield from plywood and Plexiglas coming in handy too. I'd heat it with an old oil burner from a furnace add in some fire brick and it would heat up quick and hold heat.
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  19. #39
    Boolit Master
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    is there anyone here that has successfully smelted and came away with clean enough copper to get top dollar? I would like to see the method. Im sitting on 4000 pounds that i need to work.............. no rubber in it.

  20. #40
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The air compressor tank is a good idea. Also, around here bulk propane tanks are not hard to find. Think 500 or 1000 gallon.

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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