Casting with Iron pot and Coleman Stove

[Paper Shredder]

Interesting, jaguar. I came across a camper web blog last night that said the same thing. Guy said he uses unleaded gas with a touch of fuel injector cleaner in it and that he cleans the "generator" with a .22 cal bore brush after soaking it in break cleaner. He also mentioned the fragile tip.

https://landcruisingadventure.com/th...coleman-stove/

This is why the coleman stove is so appealing as a casting tool - many fuels can be burned in it. I also think I want an excuse to buy one.

Thanks for mentioning this.

[Paper Shredder]

aws1963, I hear this. I'm not currently using propane for anything, but with a big tank and burner like you describe, I bet I'd be ready for some heavy duty melting.

[Paper Shredder]

I'm going to get the thermometer, Mr Sheesh. There are any good user names on this site. Mr Sheesh is certainly among them.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Paper Shredder - Yes it does keep running after initial pressurization, because you the user, have a good arm and can pump the tank's pump to get it re-pressurized, "as needed". I'd suggest starting with a full fuel tank and pumping it up - Since the tank gets less fuel in it, you will need to pump it up once it gets some fuel burned so it'll KEEP the alloy melted - And again a couple times more as you keep casting. If the stove goes out because you didn't keep it pressurized, well, let's just say the lead doesn't fill out your mold well!

[Tripplebeards]

I started out last year myself and smelted the way you are doing it. Just leave the burner cranked all the way up and melt. After hours of smelting ive had the burner pulsate and then ill switch to the other side and turn it off. I only use the Coleman stove for smelting now and bought a lee 4/20 pot. Its quicker, more consistent, and way less of a mess.

[Paper Shredder]

AH HA! This is why the Coleman doesn't get the love. I'm still going to try it, Mr Sheesh, but now I've got another detail to keep mind of.

[Paper Shredder]

I started out last year myself and smelted the way you are doing it. Just leave the burner cranked all the way up and melt. After hours of smelting ive had the burner pulsate and then ill switch to the other side and turn it off. I only use the Coleman stove for smelting now and bought a lee 4/20 pot. Its quicker, more consistent, and way less of a mess.

Hello Tripplebeards, The Lee 4/20 is a bottom pour pot? When you say less of a mess - are you comparing ladle casting to bottom pour, or is there something inherently messy abut the Coleman stove?

[Tripplebeards]

Hello Tripplebeards, The Lee 4/20 is a bottom pour pot? When you say less of a mess - are you comparing ladle casting to bottom pour, or is there something inherently messy abut the Coleman stove?

No, it's just probably me. I pick up my cast iron pan to pour into ignots and normally have too much weight in my 12" pan and it ends up running over and or splattering into my stove and makes a mess.

[mjwcaster]

I have used a 2 burner Coleman stove for a few years now, older red tank(white fuel).
I have run probably 10 gallons of crappy alcohol unleaded through it so far.
As a $10 yard sale find it works. I sure wouldn’t pay for a new one. The pump seals went out in mine, so I got another brand new looking stove for another $10. About the same price as the replacement seals.
The stove works fine for casting, and will heat up enough to smelt larger batches. But i think it is an accident waiting to happen, the stove was not designed for the weight or heat of smelting.
The grate will turn bright red get soft and bend. As the grate is only held on the front edge by a fraction of an inch, and bending can cause it to come loose and slip from the front edge causing a catastrophic failure.
I have braced my grate up with another grate and have bent the front of the stove back to provide more area for the grate to rest on.
Mine is also getting rusty, the high heat of smelting takes it toll. We use a ton more heat to keep a much larger mass of lead several time hotter than boiling water.
Would anyone ever try to boil 5 gallons (40lbs) of water on a Coleman?
But it is too easy to get 50-60lbs if bullets in a Dutch oven, then heat it at full blast for half an hour to 700 F or more.
Mine has smelted and cast an easy 500-700lbs in the last few years, probably more, so they do work.
I cut my last smelting short, still have one bucket of bullets to smelt down.
After careful consideration I have decided that I have pushed my luck far enough and will not smelt (at least not with my large Dutch oven) on this stove any more, I will be getting a sturdy propane burner (not all our sturdy).
I will keep using it for casting using my smaller pots for now, but I might break out my newer stove and retire my old one. It sure doesn’t owe me anything.


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[mjwcaster]

I forgot to mention the 2 burner is nice as it comes with a built in mold warmer.
I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down. Place mold on it and top with another small pan.
Fire up both burners at the same time, the mold is ready when the lead is.


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[Dragonheart]

I think I can pull this off, Dragonheart - hopefully those aren't famous last words... Your post was interesting. Does lead give off more fume when melted at a hotter temp? Is this why the coleman stove may make more vapors?

I have the littlest Lee pot, new in a box, but I really wanted to ladle pour with more general purpose tools. Seems like it could be important someday.

It's not the heat when it come to vapors coming off the pot on the gas stove it is just harder to get away from them standing over a pot. On my bottom pour furnace I have a fan running blowing the vapors out and away, but a fan disturbs the open flame of a stove. Vapors are coming from contaminates and fluxing the pot. It is these vapors that carry molecules of lead.

Now that I am 70 I realize now that when I was a teenager I had a lot to learn. There are things I did back then I wouldn't do now, even if I could, and using a Coleman Stove to cast is one of them. I too remember the grate glowing red hot and bending under the weight of just a small cast iron casting pot. A big pot of molten lead is a terrible thing to waste and so are your hands and feet.

[country gent]

With some experience and a few casting session you will have an Idea by the pots visual condition when to start lowering the temp. A little trick is to put a mark on the control knob ( straight up for closed works) so you have an idea how far open it is, again after a few sessions you will have an idea where "temp" is on the dial and can set it very close to that point with the mark.
I cast with a propane burner under a pot ( 100lbs) and when starting out I open it up some. I watch the pot and when I see about 1/2" molten ring around the edge its time to turn back close to setting. Once molten I put the thermometer in and fine tune temp, flux and cast. Other than when fluxing my thermometer is in the pot so I can moniter temps.
Once set for a full pot the temp should remain constant with a full pot. But when casting the pot doesn't stay full yet your still putting the same basic BTUs into a smaller mass so as you cast burner will need turned down as the pot empties to maintain temps. The thermometer is a big plus here as it allows you to monitor the pots temp and a glance.

[Paper Shredder]

I forgot to mention the 2 burner is nice as it comes with a built in mold warmer.
I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down. Place mold on it and top with another small pan.
Fire up both burners at the same time, the mold is ready when the lead is.

Thanks for your remarks, mjw. I'll be keeping it under 10 pounds. I like the idea of warming the mold (I have lyman) on the second burner. I was thinking I might keep the flame low and put a small skillet or metal sheet over the flame. When you wrote "I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down." Is the "end cut" from the pan to let the mold handles protrude beyond the pan?

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks, Dragonheart. I get it, the fan disturbs the flame and makes it harder to control the fumes. I intend wear a respirator while I do the casting.

I'll keep an eye on the grate and look to reinforce the grate or stove body if things look sketchy.

[Paper Shredder]

Great advice, country gent. It would have been a few go-rounds with the whole process before I even began thinking this way. Thanks.

[mjwcaster]

When you wrote "I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down." Is the "end cut" from the pan to let the mold handles protrude beyond the pan?

Exactly. Casters make all sorts of ‘mold ovens’ out of metal coffee cans, electrical junction boxes etc.

I just used a small cake pan that was in my collection, sliced the corners at one end and bent the end down. Place the mold on the pan and then cover with another piece (pan).
Almost all my casting equipment is thrift store/yard sale finds complimented by my kitchen castoffs.
So I have a collection of pots/pans/cookie sheets/muffin tins laying around and just used what was handy.

And if you stay with a small pot and keep it under 10 lbs, your stove should last a long time.
Even my normal casting pot will hold 30+ lbs, I just try not to fill it all the way.
I do like to be able to cast 15-20 lbs of boolits in a session, plus I don’t cast until the pot is empty.
Hard to ladle the last bit, plus that is where the trash ends up living.
I just smelted down several smaller batches of different alloys this morning, and no matter how clean I got the alloy and pot, by the time I got to end, there was more dross(trash) hiding.


Just keep an eye on how the grate sits on the front of the stove.




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[jonp]

I've never cast boolits before. I've gathered up a bunch of casting equipment - molds, a Lyman ladle, and some other stuff to include a small electric Lee pot that is said to hold 4 pounds of lead. The Lee pot is the ladle friendly type.

I've seen some pictures of ladle casting from an iron pot over a Coleman stove online. And it looks like a good way to go if one wants to melt more lead than the little Lee pot can hold - but I was wondering...

How does one use the Coleman stove with an iron pot for lead melting? Is it a white gas type stove? Are there time constraints? Do you fire it hot at first and then bring the melt down to a cooler temp to make castings? Is a RCBS thermometer a good thing to have on hand?

I guess I'm asking for any advice from veteran casters who use a Coleman type stove. Thanks for any attention to my questions.

I've got a propane Coleman that I use. I have found that a stainless pot from WalMart works better than my cast iron on this. If you are careful and never heat it empty the cheapo stainless will work quite well

[mjwcaster]

Things to watch out for in choice of pots, spoons and ladles-
Handles- one piece or riveted on are ok. Soldered on might get hot enough to melt and come loose.
Pans- make sure the whole pan is one piece stainless. Some pans have a false bottom or are not all stainless. Stay away from aluminum, it gets soft near the temps we are running at.
Use a magnet to verify if it is steel. Most cheaper versions of stainless are still magnetic.

One of the pots I started with had a false bottom. I didn’t realize this until it came off on the leaving just a thin bottom on the pot. Luckily nothing bad happened.
And I had thought I had a nice heavy duty pot for melting lead.

The handles have burnt/cracked off of my pots, but I would have never trusted them in the first place.
I never move a pot with molten lead unless it is almost empty and I want it completely emptied.
Then I use pliers/vise grips to hold the pot or to just tip it to one side to get the last of the lead out.


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[Wayne Smith]

I started with a Coleman stove and essentially wore it out - it was my Dad's camp stove and a two burner propane. I did go to a barbeque gas tank - more continuous flame. I got the single burner Coleman propane stove when that one died and am still using it. I picked up a 2 qt stainless pot from the thrift store and promptly burned off aluminium heat spreader bottom. Still left with a solid stainless pot, and I'm still using it. The handle came off years ago - I let it cool on the burner before I try to move it.

I also got the Lyman cast iron pot when I ordered their ladle and use that too. Pure in the stainless, ww+ in the Lyman.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks for the conformation and good pictures, mjw. And for the post on things to keep in mind. Have reread it a couple of times now.