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Thread: Hot plate for melting?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Hot plate for melting?

    Hoping to get some insight on using a hot plate to try and get started in casting. I have a 2 burner hot plate that the product label states is 1500 watt and the burners are open and about 5.5" dia. Should or will this get hot enough to melt ingots to try and get started with? Thought is to try this with a 1qt. sauce pan.

    For the time being I am looking at ladle pouring just a small 102gr 2 cavity mold for a 380 auto bullet. Then once I get the hang of this and progress I can expand to something bigger and may try 45acp bullet.

    Suggestions on how to proceed to safely see if this will get hot enough?

  2. #2
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    The Lyman MiniMag furnace is 400 watts; a couple of Lyman and Saeco pots I have draw 1,000 watts -- so, theoretically, 1,500 watts should be sufficient. However, there are lots of other factors, not to exclude the size of the pot you're going to put on it, with my #1 concern (thinking SAFETY!!!) being the weight you're going to put on it. One gallon of water in a pot -- probably as big a (cooking) pot most home hot-plates are designed for approximates roughly ten pounds. Dump the water, and fill the pot with lead+ ingots... and I shudder to guess the weight. A real guess would be in the 50+ pound range. Again, to repeat, my #1 concern might be weight. The 1 quart sauce pan you're planning on to use is a smart option -- but, you still have a lot of poundage with a pot of liquid alloy in it. So: please keep this in the forefront of your mind. If your hot-plate is strong enough -- it should generate more than enough heat. You may wish to get some aluminum flashing at your local building supply and make a simple "baffle" about it -- in addition to slowing/stopping cooling wind, it also provides marginal protection for you.
    All this said... it should work. Good luck -- and I'll say it again: be safe!
    geo

  3. #3
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    I have had lead melted on my coil type hot plate burner before. Without going out to look, & share the rating for watts, it would be my guess that your hot plate should be able to heat up lead to melt temp, like was said by Geo. K. above, If you do not put too much lead in a pot to melt at one time & dependent on the composition of the pot itself.

    I would think that a medium to small size cast iron pan might get ya by for a time, but trying a small sauce pan may be worth a try.

    I suggest you put a old used 7-1/4" circular saw blade(s) down on top of the coil(s) if that is the type you have. It hepls hold the heat, spreads out some of the weight & keeps any lead splash from getting down below the coil itself.

    Another thing to consider along with the "wind shield" mentioned by Geo. K. is some sort of a cover for the pot when heating up is use like a metal coffee can or the like to help keep the heat in the thing. You can put a "bail" on the closed end with a metal coat hanger or the like for a handle to ease removal & placement.

    G'Luck!
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    I have an 1100 watt coil hot plate that got hot enough to melt the three pound ingots I was trying to preheat for my casting pot. Fortunately it was a slow process that I caught before I ended up with a mess.

    IIRC, at a medium high setting it took 20 or so minutes for two ingots (6#) to start melting. They were on top of half a film can (embossed steel so not really good contact with either the coil or the ingots) that didn't have a top or sides to hold the heat. So a flat bottomed container with a lid should speed up melting.

    I haven't experienced it myself, since I have Lee and RCBS pot with wrap around heating coils, but on other threads here on the same/similar subjects there was some thought on whether a small coil, high wattage or not, could heat and melt a lot of lead in a big pot.

  5. #5
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    Try it I don't see why it wouldn't work. George has a valid concern about weight, I'd stay under 50 pounds of alloy

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    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    After a quick search I couldn't locate the size of the pots used in the Lee or Lyman melters to use as a comparison but the measurements of the small sauce pan are 5.5"X3" so I don't know how much lead that will hold. 25lbs.? If so I may have to look for a used smaller cast iron melting pot. Like a 4" one. I'm just guessing but feel 10lbs. of melt would be more than enough to work with at one time.

  7. #7
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    Hot plate for melting?

    The 10lb quantity is a great place to start. My first Saeco was a 10lb unit and it was a very nice place to cut my teeth.

    To stress the notes above. Safety is key. Make sure you have a stable surface to work from and watch out for the tinsel fairy, she is a B*.

    Did a quick search and 10 lbs of lead is roughly 1.7 cups of volume (13.5 fluid oz). Figured that might help you determine what size pot to use.



  8. #8
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    One of the items on my list is a large cookie sheet to put under everything as a catch pan, even if I end up with a commercial melting pot.

  9. #9
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    The Lee Production IV is roughly 3.6" deep and 2.9" diameter. Filled clear to the top 25.97 cu. in. and about 10.6 pounds. Have a RCBS pot that holds (they say) 10 pounds and without looking would think the diameter on top might be a hair larger but of course on that one the sides taper down. With straight sides yours would be easy to figure the cu. in., then water weight, and then how much more that lead would weigh.

    .03606 lbs = 1 cu in water
    11.35 specific gravity lead
    Mike

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  10. #10
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    I have a 1500watt single burner that I use to preheat molds. After I pull the molds off, I turn down the heat to preheat 1 lb ingots. Forgot to turn down the heat once. No damage, but the melted lead poured through the "hanger hole" in the cast iron heat diffuser plate and right into the housing under the coils. It rattles now. But the lead is in the bottom of the base, two inches below the coils.

    I set the little cast iron RCBS 10lb pot that I bought about 44yrs ago or so on the burner. Filled it with reject bullets, turned the burner all the way up. 20 minutes later I had 675 degree lead, ready to pour.
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by kmw1954 View Post
    One of the items on my list is a large cookie sheet to put under everything as a catch pan, even if I end up with a commercial melting pot.
    I use one of those myself under my Lee pot. It is not a bad idea.
    2nd Amend./U.S. Const. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

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  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Once my first bottom pour pot jammed wide open with most of the alloy still inside. I was lucky to have enough ingot molds available to catch it all. Since then my rig has a half sized jelly roll pan (13"x18"X1") under it ready to catch any spill. The pan will hold over 80# of spill, enough for both the feeder and main pots.

  13. #13
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    I used a $10 walmart hot plate to start. Out of the box, it would melt lead but barely get to casting temperature on its highest setting. Opened it up, filed down the end stop on the temperature control, and now it gets plenty hot enough when turned one full revolution from OFF.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

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    A hot plate should melt smaller amounts of lead but there are better methods. Like Kevin C said, I've accidentally melted ingots while pre-heating them for casting. But, you are going to be restricted by weight limits.

    If finances allow, I suggest buying a Turkey Fryer and a Dutch oven and a half dozen ingot molds.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lightman View Post
    . But, you are going to be restricted by weight limits.

    If finances allow, I suggest buying a Turkey Fryer and a Dutch oven and a half dozen ingot molds.
    I think we have two differing visions of what I intend to do. I do not picture me here rendering down hundreds of pounds of reclaimed scrap. Most likely lead will be bought in precast ingots from members here on the forum in smaller quantities.

    I get in an argument with a friend constantly about buying primers and powder online. For some reason he thinks everyone buys hundreds of dollars worth of primers and powders every time they buy. I buy as needed. I am not going to sit on 10k primers or 20lbs of powder for 4 years just to save $20.00

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I use a single burner 1500 watt hot plate. Pair that up with an 8" cast iron skillet and you're good to go.

  17. #17
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    I have always used a hotplate....first on a wood stove,now electric......secret is to wrap your pot with some insulating material ,like rockwool,then put a shield around it ,mine is a coffee tin......and shut out draughts robbing your heat...Melts 20lb + at a time in about 15-20 minutes........I cant see any difference in the quarterly power bill,whereas,using LP gas is very expensive way to melt lead.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Well folks today I'll witness how well it works, I hope. Yesterday I scored a small bucket of wheel weights and got that sorted last night. Looks to be about an even volume of COWW, SOWW and scrap Zn/steel. I did separate the COWW from the SOWW.

    This afternoon when the wife gets home from work we will be heading to the Flea market to look for cooking materials like a nice small SS sauce pan and a few other things to aide this adventure. Now wish me luck!

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by kmw1954 View Post
    Well folks today I'll witness how well it works, I hope. Yesterday I scored a small bucket of wheel weights and got that sorted last night. Looks to be about an even volume of COWW, SOWW and scrap Zn/steel. I did separate the COWW from the SOWW.

    This afternoon when the wife gets home from work we will be heading to the Flea market to look for cooking materials like a nice small SS sauce pan and a few other things to aide this adventure. Now wish me luck!

    G'Luck!
    2nd Amend./U.S. Const. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    ~~ WWG1WGA ~~

    Restore the Republic!!!

    For the Fudds > "Those who appease a tiger, do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last." -Winston Churchill.

    President Reagan tells it like it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6MwPgPK7WQ

    Phil Robertson explains the Wall: https://youtu.be/f9d1Wof7S4o

  20. #20
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    I hope your hot plate works out better than mine , 1500 watt brand new from wally mart , just about the time the lead would begin to melt the unit would cycle off...it would not completely melt the wheel weights in a small Lyman 10 lb cast iron pot . Called Mfgr and was told this was a "safety" feature...it wouldn't let the pot overheat and start a fire ! This thing got returned and a Lee Magnum Melter was ordered , 20 lb. capacity completely melts a filled pot in a few minutes . I can adjust the heat all the way up to cast frosty boolits...best $60.00 melter I ever bought .
    Forget 10 lb. and 15 lb. sized melters , the small size will just hold you back .... that 20 lb. pot is so sweet , I wish I had bought one years ago !
    Gary
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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