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Thread: Wood for Melting Scrap Lead

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If you have a gas grill by a single or double burner gas stove and use the grills 25lb tank. You could repurpose a gas kitchen stoves set of 2 burners from an old stove

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master


    GregLaROCHE's Avatar
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    What kind of regulations are people using on propane bottles ? Normal or higher volume, or none at all. I took my regular one apart and fixed it at max flow, but could use more. Do I need a pricy high volume regulator or can I run without one?

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
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    My advice is to just use whatever is cheapest for the nasty initial big smelt process.

    If I have fairly decent incoming lead that's not full of trash and nasty - I just use my Lee pot. Range lead, old lead pipe, tobacco and trash filled wheel weights, and such get done over a wood fire because it takes much longer and way more heat to deal with all the trash...

    If you have to buy wood and don't have a convenient place "out back" to burn it - use propane, fuel oil, or whatever makes the most sense.

    For me personally - wood is my choice for this because I have a basically unlimited and free supply where I have to pay for propane. My last propane range lead smelt took about a full bottle of propane - so that's not cheap... Wood wise - it doesn't matter as I can just pull more deadfall branches out whenever I need them...

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Ive also thought with the popularity of the used oil heaters in a lot of shops and garages now ( most of these are 100,000+ btus so the heat is there) that a smelting pot made up to use old oil ( motor, lubricating, automatic transmission fluid, cooking) might be doable and cost efficient. I looked at a 50000 btu furnace on line that burnt 1/2 gallon an hour. Most of us have 2 cars, lawn mowers, rototillers, tractors, and change oil 3-4 times a year yielding a gallon to gallon and a half each change, a diesel can be 3 gallons a time. You could be saving this oil thats a pain to dispose of and putting it to good use.

    If your oil uses cant keep up then you can scavenge od oil while scavenging lead.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master

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    I smelted 1,300 lbs of WW and did not quite use a 20lb tank of propane I get mine refilled at Tractor Supply@$2.69 a gallon = $12.00 a 20lb tank.
    Using a turkey fryer burner, a large cast iron pot with a cast iron lid with heat shields/ rings to keep the heat around the pot.
    Ive done the wood fire and coal smelting thing. no thanks ! hard to control temp

  6. #26
    Boolit Master

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    My thought if you're using wood: look to blacksmith forge designs for inspiration. Maybe old locomotive fireboxes.
    WWJMBD?

    In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master kmw1954's Avatar
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    Well I don't get hundreds of pounds at a time so I guess I'm fine with my small setup and the 2qt ss pot to render down my scrap. The pan is still strong enough and the weight light enough that I can lift the pan and pour directly into my muffin molds to make ingots.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    Feb 2010
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    For me when I smelt my scrap lead if I have alot to do I had made a pot out of old freeon tank and I first get the fire going with hard wood on the bottom and then I put the pot on it since the tank dose not hold the heat long and put wood around the pot and let it melt and flux with the wood ashes and then pour into ingots ,If it is just a small amount I have a small cast pot that I had use for casting fishing sinkers and cast bullets before I went to electric pots. and just put the pot in the ashes and good to go. Also when you smelt WW if you miss some zinc ones with the wood they will float with the rest of the junk in the alloy. Since it is low heat with wood.
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

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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