begineers furnace

[wjhendo]

How much do your ingots weigh?

As pointed out, what you have should fit into a 4-20, but I also second considering other ingot molds of a shape and size that might work better, depending on your casting style.

A big mold casts a big ingot, sometimes so big that only a few will fit into the pot. You may find smaller ingots allow you to load the pot with much more alloy. A big ingot will also lower the melt temp a lot more than smaller ingots, sometimes to the point of freezing up the melt (which can be an option for dealing with a jammed open valve dumping molten metal).

If you don't want to wait to get started from an empty pot, sequentially melting big bulky ingots until full, or if you don't want to wait a long time for the alloy to get back to casting temp after replenishing the melt with a big ingot, long thin ingots of 1.5 to 2.5# may help. Angle iron, C channel or similar molds like Lakehouse's will load well, stack and store compactly, are stable on top of the pot for preheating, and even not preheated have lower mass and don't drop the melt temp as much as a heavier ingot.

Using ingots this way is good for casting sessions meant to produce large amounts (a few pots worth of alloy) of bullets. If you are casting in small volumes, investing in new ingot molds may not be worth it.

I just got my pot the other day. My ingots weigh around 2+ lbs. they fit fine but my future ingots will be smaller. I paid about $77 for the Lee 4-20 pot. I haven't had time yet but am looking forward to trying it.

[44magLeo]

The Lee's ingot mold is ok. It molds two 1 lb. ingots and two 1/2 lb ingots. It can take a long time to empty a pot that way. The Lyman and RCBS make four 1 lb ingots.
It's nice to have several ingot molds. This lets you make more ingots in the same amount of time.
I have four of the ingot molds from this sight. Two the Cast Boolit version and two of the Red Neck Gold version. I can empty a pot a lot quicker with theses than I can with the others.
I make the large ingots when I run the big pot, outdoor propane burner with a cut off propane tank, This is a quick way to get lots of lead clean and into ingots. I use the smaller ingots for blended alloys. I mix this in my Lee 4-20 and run them into the small ingots.
Leo

[artu44]

Maybe I had no luck but Lee issued thermostat are real crap. I've replaced them a couple of times and now I dont want buy the third one but I'll search for one with external bulb.

[Petrol & Powder]

I just got my pot the other day. My ingots weigh around 2+ lbs. they fit fine but my future ingots will be smaller. I paid about $77 for the Lee 4-20 pot. I haven't had time yet but am looking forward to trying it.

Outstanding !

Good Luck !

[All Kinds]

How much ventilation do you need when using a 4-20, or other electric pot? I have been making ingots out in the garage with a coleman stove, just inside the open door. With the electric, would it be safe to do with the garage door down, since you aren't burning propane?

[frkelly74]

I have found that working in an enclosed garage is not desirable when casting. There will be small amounts of smoke even with an electric pot when you add flux, even if you light it it is still better to have open ventilation. My setup in Florida was in front of a window in a garage building with a fan which I had salvaged from an AC condensing unit mounted so it blew out. It moved a lot of air toward the outside, away from me.

[All Kinds]

I have found that working in an enclosed garage is not desirable when casting. There will be small amounts of smoke even with an electric pot when you add flux, even if you light it it is still better to have open ventilation. My setup in Florida was in front of a window in a garage building with a fan which I had salvaged from an AC condensing unit mounted so it blew out. It moved a lot of air toward the outside, away from me.

Good to know - Thanks!

[cstrickland]

I first off apologize for this question as I'm sure ya'll have answered it many times. I'm just getting into casting. I have been collecting lead (wheel weights) for some time now. Using a Coleman stove I melted them into muffin pan sized ingots. I'm now getting close to purchasing a pot and that's where I have a question.The ingots I made are 2-3/4" in diameter and it's only now that I can see some pots may not have a large enough diameter for the ingots to fit. I've seen a few videos on the Lee 4-20 pot and it looks like my ingots will be a tight fit? Is there another bottom pour pot that I should be looking at without spending 3 times the price? All the Lyman pots I found are not bottom pour but maybe they make one I haven't seen yet. Or someone else makes one? Thanks.

Agreed with others. when I started I had muffin pan ingots left over from my melting wheel weights. all fit just fine in both my pots . Lyman Big dipper, and a lee 4-20 pro. I believe I can load four or five into my Lee if the pot it totally empty. Takes longer to melt this way. I leave my pot at least half full, and just add one or two at a time until up to temp.

[greenjoytj]

How much ventilation do you need when using a 4-20, or other electric pot? I have been making ingots out in the garage with a coleman stove, just inside the open door. With the electric, would it be safe to do with the garage door down, since you aren't burning propane?

I live in a suburban home with an attached 2 car garage. I do my casting in the garage with the big door open. A big fan off to the side that I turn when I add my ground corncob flux. I used to cast out side in the backyard but a rainy forecast too often ruined the day for casting. The garage proved to be a much much better option so can easily start up again next day.

I describe my temporary garage set up below. I cast once a year for a week or two, I’ll make enough bullets to last me the year. I don’t yet smelt range lead I’ve been purchasing Rotometals alloys 20:1 and Lyman #2.
My table is a Black and Decker Work Mate with the top open to maximum and back tighten onto two pieces of wood. On top of the B&D I clamp on a 2’ x 4’ sheet of plywood to enlarge the table top surface working area.

The electric bottom pour furnace (2 year old RCBS) sits at the front left side on top of a turned over plastic milk crate to elevate the furnace so the valve is more easily viewable while casting from the bottom.

The furnace sits in oblong steel baking tray 15”x10”x.75” that could retain most of a full pot of lead if the bottom pour valve got stuck open.
I have a small ~6” low sided non stick frying pan placed under the bottom pour valve as a drip catcher. There’s always dips to catch.
A 9”x9”x2” steel cake baking pan sits to the right of the furnace as a sprue catcher.
To the right of the sprue catcher tray is two cotton towel lined baking trays 17”x11”x1” for the hot bullets to drop onto.
A single element electric hot plate for preheating the molds sits behind the sprue catcher tray.
I use a small 8 ounce plastic dead blow hammer to knock open the sprue cutter. I found this hammer worked better than the piece of hardwood or the nylon rod that I used in the past.
My furnace is PID controlled but I also use a Lyman digital casting thermometer for verification of the furnace PID setting. You can’t leave the Lyman thermometer probe in the lead as heat migrates up and will soften the plastic connection between probe and the wire from the probe.
I lube the mold with synthetic Red Line brand Two-Stroke Racing Oil on a Q-Tip. It works great.
Wear a shop apron, that’s a must do, as tiny specks of lead seems to magically appear on the apron.
Welders gloves are also mandatory.

The best tips I can past along is to keep pot temperature stable and cast with a steady rhythm to keep the mold at a constant temperature.

Do not toss sprue cuttings back into the furnace until it’s time to take a rest break, toss in the sprues then take the rest break.
Get and use an electric hot plate to preheat your mold. It keeps the mold hot while you taking a rest from casting.

[artu44]

Cause poor quality of Lee thermostat I put on a decent one to be used with dial bulb thermometer inside the bath

[Jackpine]

Slightly off original posting, but previous post mentioned the Lee ingot molds being small and slow, which has been mentioned in other threads. I like the two sizes, as I pack ingots in two sized boxes for storage, one size about 30 pounds and the other 60 pounds. Initially found took too long to cool, so took cover for old cake pan, with about 3/8 high sides, put in folded hand towel, and heavily saturated with water. I use a bottom pour smelting pot, with 50 plus pounds of lead at a time, and two ingot molds. I fill the first and place on wet towel. (lots of steam) By the time I fill the second, the ingots in the first mold are firm. I dump them onto a 1/8 inch thick steel plate, elevated off ground by scrap wood, (this faciiltates cooling and makes it easy to pick up entire plate and dump into five gallon buckets) and refill the mold. Not time waiting for ingots to harden.

[alamogunr]

About 10-15 years ago, wife and I were driving to Yellowstone. Occurred on the way that we probably weren't equipped for cold weather in Wyoming, being from Tennessee. We stopped at a Cabela's outlet in Nebraska. Got some warm coats and I ran across a closeout table with a bunch of cast iron muffin molds for about $5 ea. I bought five of them. Took a lot of guff from SWMBO but they have been one of the best money spent on casting.

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/produc...n-pan?sku=L5P3

I couldn't buy 2 now for what I paid for the five. The ingots are only about 2+ inches diameter.

[44magLeo]

In a garage or a spare room inside set up your equipment in front of a window. With window open put a 20 " box fan in the widow blowing out. Any smoke will be sucked out the window.
If no window in the garage set up by the door with the fan blowing out.
Leo

[Bucko]

I’m collecting the tools I’ll need to begin casting when the weather warms back up in the spring. I just ordered a Lee 4 20 I should have welding gloves and a leather apron out in the garage. Need to decide which moulds to start with. I will be casting for 357 Mag, 41 Mag, and 44 Mag for starters.