Stacking muffin ingots for storage

[Bashby]

When I started casting I was trying to spend as little money as possible so instead of buying an ingot mold I bought a muffin pan that does 12 at a time. The best idea I’ve come up with For storage is putting 60 or so lbs in a 5 gallon bucket, then stacking the buckets 2-3 high to minimize floor space. I can see where an I got mold would be better for stacking, but I’m kinda committed now that I’ve invested in the $1.99 muffin pan and have 300+lbs if ingots.
What’s the better way, oh wise casters of lead?

[DAFzipper]

I tried plastic buckets and stacked them 2 high. Over time the bottom bucket cracked. When time allows I was going to try to make some sort of wooden crate out of old pallets.

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[kevin c]

If the ingots are close to one another in weight you could stack them alternating up and down on each level. They'll be closer together and save some space, and they tend to interlock, making the whole pile more stable. Still best to put them inside a container of some sort, I think. A rectilinear box like a crate or large ammo can works better than a bucket in terms of space saving, though it will be very hard to move once filled up (maybe maneuverable if stacked on a dolly on a concrete floor?).

ETA: I have too much to store in containers. Instead I have bar ingots stacked by alloy content in dedicated spots in my basement and in a storage container.

[Bashby]

I tried plastic buckets and stacked them 2 high. Over time the bottom bucket cracked. When time allows I was going to try to make some sort of wooden crate out of old pallets.

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I was worried about the bottom of the bucket cracking when stacking them. I thought about cutting a few circular pieces of plywood to set on top of the lead, then set a bucket on top of that so it distributes the weight evenly.

[blackthorn]

I store muffin ingots in large coffee tin cans. A coffee can full of lead is about all I care to lift and move around.

[gnappi]

At my house I enclosed my carport I made the footers of 8x8 pouted concrete and the sill and framing was 2x8. I stored all my lead on 2x8 "shelves" on the inside of the sides of the door.

2x8 shelves in 2x8 framing set on steel L brackets also screwed in from the framing held a LOT of weight. Even
2x4's would have kept a lot of ingots.

Food for thought to recover unused space.

[rancher1913]

by the time you get done modifying buckets and replacing buckets and so on and so on, you could have paid for an ingot mold many times over. I like to be cheep too, but am getting tired of it biting me in the butt.

[charlie b]

Why not just stack the 'muffin' ingots. Last time I tried it a stack of 10 was easy. It all comes down to having the muffin tin kinda level as the lead solidifies. Stacks of 10, and 10 rows of 10 stacks is 1000lb. You could even go higher if you put something like a 3/4 ply layer in between.

When I need to store some that will be moved regularly I use .50cal ammo cans. A can full of lead is enough that I have to watch how I lift it. If you can take a bit more than the newer 'fat' .50 cans will hold a bit more. The bonus is the handle won't break . If you don't need to move it but want it 'contained' use 20mm, 30mm or 40mm ammo cans.

I also use those ingots in other hobbies as weights for holding things down. 1lb or 2lb weights are really convenient.

[Conditor22]

but it sucks getting to the back of the bottom cubies

the ingots marked 3 were easily scratched with a 6B pencil

[dragon813gt]

Build a foot locker if you don’t plan on moving it all at once or often. You can pull out what you need and move the ingots in buckets. I have two different foot lockers.






In one I store them(muffin ingots) one up, one down so they lock together and there is no wasted space. It also helps prevent oxidization which I’m constantly fighting. In the other, the one closest to the casting pot, I store them all up to make grabbing them easy.

[Winger Ed.]

I do 5 gal. buckets about 1/3 full, and stack those 2 or 3 high.

If a bucket splits, I put them in another scrounged up bucket.

[Conditor22]

when HF has it's small ammo cans on sale I pick up a few.-- about all I want to lift full of ingots.

[CastingFool]

I use the plastic gallon paint cans, and mark the lids, to store my ingots. I think they hold about 45 lbs each. relatively easy to move if needed.

[Digger]

Milk cartons , but don't go overboard and crack the slab ....2 lb. ingots
you can see the muffin tray down in the corner that I use.
Guess that part of the shop won't blow away ..

Attachment 267698

[stinjie]

I've been muffin tins also.Dollar store 6 muffin tins make nice 2 pound ingots.Mine get stored in plastic coffee containers.The standard size containers hold about 2 lbs of ingots.The larger size from Costco or Sams hold about 35 lbs.

[farmbif]

y'all are really well organized. since mostly all I use are clip on wheel weights stored in buckets in the shed when. I start getting low on ingots I fill a big coffee can right from the buckets and pinch each piece with a pair of dikes as I fill the melting pot from the coffee can and make ingots in lee and Lyman ingot molds. each ingot is either a half pound or a pound so when I add tin in the lee bottom pour from either pewter or solder I have an idea of the ratio.

[hc18flyer]

I do the bucket thing too. My Fire Dept gets foam concentrate in square 5 gallon plastic 'cans' I power wash them out and cut an 8" square out of one side. They are square, stackable, and have a solid handle on top for handling. Tom

[Bashby]

I stacked them so I have a fairly flat surface to set another bucket on.

[NyFirefighter357]