in a perfect world a smelting pot would be tall and narrow right?

[guy_with_boolits]

I understand the use of frying pans and what not because they are available, but wouldnt a tall narrow smelting pot make the separation of molten lead and everything else much more distinct and make it easier to skim off dross, dirt, etc..?

within reason of course...so lets say between an 8" dia 2" deep frying pan and a 4" diameter 8" deep cylindrical pot, the 4x8 would be superior for the actual smelting process right? (ignoring the practicality of heating it efficiently)

[robg]

i agree but heating efficiently would be a problem

[Froogal]

I have no problem at all skimming the dross and impurities from an 8 inch cast iron skillet.

[Bazoo]

Neither is ideal. I'd rather have the pan though. What works well is a pot about 8" diameter or larger and 6"-8" deep. Many of us including myself use half a propane tank as a pot. I have a couple small air compressors that the ends will make dandy smaller pots. One of them I found in the neighbors trash.

[Conditor22]

Love my propane tank smelting pot. Sturdy, stable, short enough to allow easy dipping and the rounded bottom make dipping and cleaning easier

[jsizemore]

Imagine trying to stir and scrape the sides of a 4" wide X 8"tall pot. Then trying to get the last of the lead from the lower third.

Dutch oven is about the best compromise I've found. I haven't tried a repurposed LP tank. Seems that curved bottom and flat sides would be a problem fitting a stirring/scraping utensil to fit.

I'm gonna stick with my 10 quart dutch oven.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Those side present no issue at all . You should try one there are plenty of those old tanks out there and they work great for mid to large size melts , I have 4 large ladles that were all for dipping lead and with the sides going down to a curve it is no problem to scrape and dip and get all but a small puddle out which when cool is a nice pot size ingot of its own.

I think a 4 inch diameter would be a issue unless it had a bottom pour valve , but heck make one and see how it does in comparison , I have used pans pots and cans over the years and for melting scrap the converted propane tank is tops.

[charlie b]

2qt or 4qt pots. And, yes, for more than those can handle a dutch oven works well too. It can get a bit heavy to pour from.

[jsizemore]

My smelting ladle can pour 4lbs. That's 2 cupcake muffins or 6 mini muffins.

The part about the tank being curved on the bottom and flat on the sides bothers me. My long handled BBQ spatula fits my flat bottom and flat sided dutch oven that holds 160lbs of cleaned alloy. Those tanks do look interesting and I have a couple hanging around without the safety valve. I keep them around in case my dutch oven gives up.

[gwpercle]

No ... You need room for stirring , fluxing and skimming .
If a pot is too narrow and really deep it will make it hard to stir and get the flux down into the bottom . After many years of melting wheel weights and all kinds of scrap lead I like a pot 16 " inches in diameter and about 12"- 16" deep . You need room at the top to stir in flux and skim off trash .
The diameter of the Propane Tank in post #5 seems just about right as does the rounded bottom .
For a stirring spoon I use an 18" stainless steel spoon that has 1/8" dia. holes in the bowl , this lets lead run out the holes and the bowl catches any trash and aids in stirring the melt .
Tag on it reads ... Winco, BSPT- 18 , perforated basting spoon... it's the absolute best thing to stir , flux and skim melting alloy with !
Gary

[Huskerguy]

I have a couple of round cast pots. Makes getting the lead out and scraping the top easier.

My question is what is the advantage of the metal propane tank versus a cast pots. Seems like the cast would heat slower but retain the heat longer. Is one better than the other?

[onelight]

It would seem the round bottom eliminates the corner at the bottom of the pot , seems that would be a good thing. , but apparently they all work cause we see success with all shapes.

[Mk42gunner]

After breaking a cast iron triangular corn bread mold trying to get lead ingots out of it, I don't trust a Chinese cast iron dutch oven with ~700 degree lead in it. I have a tendency to tap my stirring utensil on the side of the pot, and a sharp rap is supposed to be one of the things that easily cracks cast iron.

I made my smelting pot from 8" schedule 40 iron pipe with a ¼" bottom welded on. IIRC it is eight or nine inches high and will hold around 100 pounds of molten alloy. It works and isn't likely to let loose all at once.

If I were to do it again, I would cut an old propane tank and use a ring of it to make a heat directing collar, I didn't have one when I made my pot, I had a piece of pipe and some plate.

I wouldn't go any narrower than the 8" my pot is, ladling the last inch or so of alloy is pretty much a lost cause.

Robert

[jsizemore]

After breaking a cast iron triangular corn bread mold trying to get lead ingots out of it, I don't trust a Chinese cast iron dutch oven with ~700 degree lead in it. I have a tendency to tap my stirring utensil on the side of the pot, and a sharp rap is supposed to be one of the things that easily cracks cast iron.

I made my smelting pot from 8" schedule 40 iron pipe with a ¼" bottom welded on. IIRC it is eight or nine inches high and will hold around 100 pounds of molten alloy. It works and isn't likely to let loose all at once.

If I were to do it again, I would cut an old propane tank and use a ring of it to make a heat directing collar, I didn't have one when I made my pot, I had a piece of pipe and some plate.

I wouldn't go any narrower than the 8" my pot is, ladling the last inch or so of alloy is pretty much a lost cause.

Robert

I figure most folks don't realize the force generated when the thin edge of the utensil is rapped hard against the edge of the pot. Done enough times most any cast pot is gonna give.

[Gtek]

My iron pot set up which I believe was a plumbers set up holds a little over 40 pounds. It has a shield ring that gives about 1/2" gap from top edge to just below bottom parallel to flame. I have used nothing but so nothing to compare but it sure seems to work well.

[lightman]

In my opinion, short and fat is better than tall and narrow, in a smelting pot. You need room to scrape and stir but you also need room for the ladle to reach the bottom. I prefer them being twice as wide as tall. Wider is also more stable.

[redhawk0]

I've got no problem smelting/skimming with my 12" diameter 12" deep propane tank pot. I do use a 200K BTU burner so it's never been a problem.

redhawk

[ioon44]

I like my propane tank smelting pot, I have not seen any other pot that I would rather use.

[guy_with_boolits]

After breaking a cast iron triangular corn bread mold trying to get lead ingots out of it, I don't trust a Chinese cast iron dutch oven with ~700 degree lead in it. I have a tendency to tap my stirring utensil on the side of the pot, and a sharp rap is supposed to be one of the things that easily cracks cast iron.

I made my smelting pot from 8" schedule 40 iron pipe with a ¼" bottom welded on. IIRC it is eight or nine inches high and will hold around 100 pounds of molten alloy. It works and isn't likely to let loose all at once.

If I were to do it again, I would cut an old propane tank and use a ring of it to make a heat directing collar, I didn't have one when I made my pot, I had a piece of pipe and some plate.

I wouldn't go any narrower than the 8" my pot is, ladling the last inch or so of alloy is pretty much a lost cause.

Robert

so wouldnt a smelting pot that has a large opening bottom pour for when you are done skimming be the bees knees?

[country gent]

In a perfect world the smelting pots would be 600+ lbs and always full of the perfect alloy for what your doing.