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

[MT Gianni]

10" diameter weld cap and 12" high piece of pipe welded together look great. Weld three pieces of angle iron for legs and mine has only lasted 20+ years with no wear. I worry about an LP tank melting through.

Fred, the bottom melts first and the heat of the melt adds to the alloy as it slowly melt down. It is like standing a large ingot in a pot of alloy. Once you get 3-4 inches deep it really moves.

[Jtarm]

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

Sweet!

How do you cut them?

[blackthorn]

I; fill the tank with water (extra safety), Cut a bout a 4" hole around the valve, Dump the water, lay the tank on its side and cut it wherever I want. All cuts are made with a hand-held zip-cut.

[RogerDat]

Harbor Freight Dutch oven has lasted through at least a couple of tons of lead. Yes one doesn't want to whack stuff against the rim.

I use a 9# bottom pour ladle and I can't get the last few inches from the pot with it. I end up using a soup ladle with the handle bent to quickly fill the big ladle with a few scoops of the soup ladle then pour. The angle to scoop to the bottom doesn't allow for getting much in a ladle that large. By bending the Salvation Army soup ladle handle I'm able to get it pretty far down.

Steel pipe would be stronger, and could be sized to the burner. The collar ring on the bottom to catch heat instead of letting it flow up the pot on the propane tank pots is a nice feature. Now ideal would be....

The steel pot with side collar and 3/4 inch threaded rod pin for the bottom pour valve. That there would be the smelting pot to have. Member made one and posted pictures and details. Was pretty sweet. Well over 100# capacity and big bottom pour spout made from black pipe. If I ever happen to get a ships keel ballast to melt....

[HogRider666]

Not keen on cutting propane tanks, so I cut an old air compressor tank, it holds about 50 kg (110lbs) I haven’t smelted in it yet-but if things work out tomorrow I’ll give it a try.
My cousin has a tire company, so I get a few hundred kilograms a year of WW.

[kevin c]

For me, capacity matters in a processing pot, along with free access for scraping down the sides of the pot and a wide enough surface to the melt to make fluxing and skimming easy. The wide rather than tall approach of a Dutch oven or propane tank pot works for that, and I current ladle out of a half propane tank pot that has a spout to pour out the last of the alloy (light enough by then to lift with a pair of vise grips).

A big steel serving spoon or a round tip spring steel icing spatula deals with the curved bottom pretty well.

[HawgBonz]

Is that a Calphalon Aluminum pot yer using? Reason I ask, I picked up a couple a few days ago at the metal recycler and they look a lot like that. But then when I got back I read a lotta posts about not using aluminum pots. Izzit safe to use them if they're thick like that? Cause the two I got are pretty thick.
Thanks.. d:^)

not a problem, these are the tools I use

[greenjoytj]

Don’t use an aluminum pot no mater how thick it is. The temperature from the propane flame is hot enough to soften the aluminum pot to the point where weight of the lead in the pot will burst the weakened aluminum pot.

I even cringe at seeing cast iron pots of any size being use for smelting or casting. Their too easily cracked.

A cut up and modified 20 pound propane tank is probably the cheapest entry point to a large safe smelting pot. Custom made stainless steel pot is the more expensive route.

[Conditor22]

Is that a Calphalon Aluminum pot yer using? Reason I ask, I picked up a couple a few days ago at the metal recycler and they look a lot like that. But then when I got back I read a lotta posts about not using aluminum pots. Izzit safe to use them if they're thick like that? Cause the two I got are pretty thick.
Thanks.. d:^)

I rarely use this aluminum pot almost all my smelting is in my cut propane tank. but for small batches ------

[guy_with_boolits]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfk1vL9JWk4

[HawgBonz]

I put the Calphalon pots from the other day to use elsewhere. Found a SS pot in the downstairs kitchen for my really small batches.
It does fine on the hot plate. Thanks.. d:^)

I rarely use this aluminum pot almost all my smelting is in my cut propane tank. but for small batches ------

[WRideout]

I have been using a smallish cast iron pot for at least twenty years now. A while ago, in an effort to get a hardened chunk of lead out, I rapped the pot a little too hard, causing a crack on the side. Oddly, I can fill it with lead to the top of the crack without leaking, due to the surface tension of the molten lead. I thought about brazing the crack, but never really had the need to do it.

Wayne

[HawgBonz]

I was wondering if cast iron could be welded. Was thinkin bout MIGing "LEAD" on the side so it wouldn't get into someone's hands later down the line for cooking. Plus, when I cut the legs off there was a void in one of them.
..Anybody welded on these cheap CI pots before? d:^)

I thought about brazing the crack, but never really had the need to do it. Wayne

[mattw]

I use a half propane tank, works great! I would not want something that was dimensionaly taller than wider... I would worry about it tipping over and that is a situation I would never want to be in.

[shootinfox2]

Best efficiency is a cylinder with equal height to width ratio.Too tall ypu can’t get in it, too wide you lose heat.

[mac1911]

Ideally we all want something like this but that fits out personal space
https://youtu.be/pgsWq-NTDGk

[WRideout]

I was wondering if cast iron could be welded. Was thinkin bout MIGing "LEAD" on the side so it wouldn't get into someone's hands later down the line for cooking. Plus, when I cut the legs off there was a void in one of them.
..Anybody welded on these cheap CI pots before? d:^)

This may be a little late, but I thought I would answer anyway. I have not personally tried it, but in my reading it seems that welding cast iron is a bit tricky. It appears that brazing may be the way to go, but it can difficult to keep thermal stresses on the pot from creating another crack. When I lived with an old-time machinist, he would frequently braze large pieces together.

Wayne

[HawgBonz]

This may be a little late, but I thought I would answer anyway. Wayne

Not late a'tall.. Thankyasir! d:^)

[Conditor22]

When an aluminum pot gets too hot

[indian joe]

Don’t use an aluminum pot no mater how thick it is. The temperature from the propane flame is hot enough to soften the aluminum pot to the point where weight of the lead in the pot will burst the weakened aluminum pot.

I even cringe at seeing cast iron pots of any size being use for smelting or casting. Their too easily cracked.

A cut up and modified 20 pound propane tank is probably the cheapest entry point to a large safe smelting pot. Custom made stainless steel pot is the more expensive route.

I tried a stainless cooking pot (my son had "borrowed" my hand made steel pot) dont know what crazy chemistry happened in there but my boolit alloy did all sorts of strange things until I moved it back into a cast iron cooking pot where life returned to normal - of course there are many and varied stainless alloys but based on my limited experience - stainless is NOT the way to go!