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Thread: Casting with Iron pot and Coleman Stove

  1. #41
    Boolit Bub
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    Hello jonp. I've ordered two small cast iron pots. One is a sauce pot the other, about twice as big, is a one quart. If I had known I could use stainless I might have tried that. The stainless stuff is in all the thrift stores hereabouts but the cast iron is nowhere to be found - at least not used. New stuff is around though.

  2. #42
    Boolit Bub
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    Thanks for the input, Wayne. Another guy who has used stainless. Interesting. I like the idea of two pots for different alloys. Never need to clean one out to start a different mix.

  3. #43
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    I'm using that idea already (I plan to cast pewter on occasion, it has to be non lead pewter so I am quarantining it away from the lead alloys.) Not sure I'll get an electric pot for pewter, though there are some very inexpensive ones (2# capacity or so) on fleabay / Amazon which might do it. Could use a Lee cheaper pot though - have to see how much I keep casting in pewter.

  4. #44
    Boolit Bub
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    I've gotten a lot of good info from this thread and I really appreciate it, gentlemen.

    I got a Coleman Stove today, the biggest one, and it runs great - I tested it atop my kitchen stove. As I packed the Coleman up I realized that where I set the unit up might be an issue.

    I know heat rises , but metal does conduct heat. Question to the Coleman pros: Can I use the Coleman on a wooden tabletop?

  5. #45
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Paper Shredder, I haven't seen problems from that on picnic tables, you definitely could put it on bricks or hotpads as an alternative. I always ran mine on the driveway while growing up, worked pretty well. In practice the stove's metal carries SOME heat to the bottom but it's thin enough and a long enough path that most all that heat gets conducted into the air and removed that way.

  6. #46
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    YEP,
    I pumped up the stoves and lamps since I was 5yrs old. With a family of 6 we had 3 lanterns and 2 stoves.
    Fill the tanks and pump them up 50-75 pumps and it'll run a couple three hours minimum.
    The stove I used was the smaller of the 2 burner style. Never had it get red hot.
    Last edited by Walks; 08-14-2018 at 04:23 PM.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

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  7. #47
    Boolit Master
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    As I remember my old stove had metal supports that folded so the body was reasonably insulated from the table. The big issue is making sure the lead pot is completely stable.

  8. #48
    Boolit Bub
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    Thanks for the info. I may drive out into the desert and use bricks on the tailgate of my truck - it has a bed liner... might remove the tailgate liner. Or maybe I'll wait until the neighbors are gone and cast on a wooden board in the yard. mmmm

  9. #49
    Boolit Bub
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    Hi Walks. So mine is a two burner. It's factory new. The three burner Colemans may not be in production anymore. Mine is called the Powerhouse 414 Dual Fuel and it's certainly bigger, both tank and stove body, than the Guide Series 424.

    Appreciate the info regarding the Coleman on a wooden surface.

  10. #50
    Boolit Bub
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    Stability... yes, I can see that is an issue right now. The Coleman grate was built with pans in mind and the grate rods are spaced far enough apart that a small pot would barely have two rods beneath it. Such a setup could be bumped and dumped pretty easily. Also, a slightly larger pot might not manage to cover three rods. This could also be a series stability problem.

    I've recently seen a picture where the caster had placed an old circular saw blade over the grate and beneath the pot. I may try something like this. Or maybe two flat pieces of cheap steel perpendicular to the rods but close enough together to give the pot a more solid foundation.

    Did you find a solution to the stability problem?

  11. #51
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Several I know use ceramic floor tiles under their burners. One even used the thicker 4"X4" tiles glued to a piece of 1/4" plywood.

    To stiffen the grate look around for some 1/4" diamond grating at hardware stores menards lowes and the likes. this is a heavier grating and diamond shaped cut a poece to set over existing grate and wire the two together.
    Last edited by country gent; 08-14-2018 at 08:38 PM. Reason: oops

  12. #52
    Boolit Bub
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    Yes! Country Gent. This sounds perfect. Thank you.

  13. #53
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    Heavy flat diamond grating I found at a scrap yard worked for me. I just cut it to size so it covered the wire grid, but after a period of time the grid metal still fatuges under the weight of the lead.

  14. #54
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    This may sound stupid, but I thought everybody knew about old circular saw blades as heat diffusers.


    Paper Shredder,
    I didn't even know COLEMAN still made white gas Stoves or Lanterns. Haven't seen one at any of the Local BIG 5 Sporting Goods stores in years. Though they & ACE hardware still carry COLEMAN fuel.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

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  15. #55
    Boolit Master
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    [QUOTE=Walks;4434708]This may sound stupid, but I thought everybody knew about old circular saw blades as heat diffusers.
    Paper Shredder,

    Actually I didn't, my crews used the old blades on the stove to warm up their tortillas for lunch.

  16. #56
    Boolit Bub
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    Another one...

    So, I found this for 7 dollars today. Checked it for pressure and then, in the parking lot, for good spray out of the nozzle. All good.

    It looked like hell in the thrift store. I cleaned the tank and it looked almost new. I'll clean up the stove body a bit next week. Now, what to do with my big, expensive new one?

    I think I like these old stoves.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paper Shredder View Post
    So, I found this for 7 dollars today. Checked it for pressure and then, in the parking lot, for good spray out of the nozzle. All good.

    It looked like hell in the thrift store. I cleaned the tank and it looked almost new. I'll clean up the stove body a bit next week. Now, what to do with my big, expensive new one?

    I think I like these old stoves.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	coleman.jpg 
Views:	20 
Size:	53.6 KB 
ID:	225606
    Have Two?

  18. #58
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by kungfustyle View Post
    Read: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
    Don't use aluminum pots, they will melt over time. Look at Flee markets etc to find old cast iron stuff and buy it up the more rusty the lower the price you can talk the person into. I still use my Colman stove from time to time.
    Yes...my experience, too!

  19. #59
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dragonheart View Post
    coleman white gas stove and cast iron pot is the way i started back in the 1960's. Can't say i recommend it, as i am now a lot older and a lot less ignorant. Inexpensive as electric furnaces are now they are a much better way to go. The furnaces work better and are a whole lot safer. Working with an open flame also makes it more difficult to keep away from the vapors coming off the lead, not to mention this process should definitely not be done indoors in an enclosed space. If you have never done casting before i would strongly suggest you get with someone that is familial with casting for a trial run to learn the do's and don'ts. What part of the world are you in? Maybe you can find a mentor from this site?

    YESSSSS!

    An experienced word of advice, if I may...SAFETY FIRST, Last and ALWAYS! I saw a fellow on YouTube, giving a casting "tutorial"...in shorts and athletic shoes! the gentleman probably has been casting for years, but he was a serious burn accident just waiting to happen!
    LONG pants, all cotton, not like some of the "denim" you find at the "mart" stores, which can contain a significant amount of synthetic. They can catch fire, which my contractor nephew found out one day when grinder sparks ignited his. Synthetic material melts, and sticks to the skin, causing more serious burns. Long-sleeved cotton or wool shirt, for the same reason. Face shield or safety glasses...you only have one pair of eyes, and burn scars don't do a lot to enhnace a person's looks. Footwear? Again, most athletic shoes are all synthetic, so at the minimum,a double layer of cotton or wool socks. Better yet: leather shoes or boots, with wool or cotton socks under. Tucking pants legs into the socks closes one way hot lead can get at you. Excessive? Maybe, but I have never had an injury from molten lead, even when my pot exploded! Why? Who knows...a tiny drop of water or sweat? Malign spirit? My biggest concern was my wife with youngest daughter in the garage at the moment! Luckily, my body was between them and the pot!

    Me? In this case, I was a belt-and -suspenders guy, having seen the burn scars my dad received from welding during WWII. I bought Harbor Freight's leather Welder's apron,and a pair of their welder's gauntlets. Reasonably priced, and before my size 11 feet grew to 15s, I wore my issue Brogans and wool socks.

    It is a enjoyable pastime, sooo...like in Boxing...Protect yourself at all times! Good luck, and BE Safe!
    Last edited by sniper; 08-18-2018 at 11:17 AM.

  20. #60
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrassMagnet View Post
    Have Two?
    Yes, BrassMagnet. You are correct. I can't return gasoline powered merchandise unless it's defective. And my factory new Coleman works great. I'll have to use it for cooking food. Not such a novel idea really...

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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