Ingot molds??

[geargnasher]

Here's what I use, just like the other angle-iron moulds but dimensioned for exactly one pound ingots. There is an included angle on the end pieces as has been mentioned.

Gear

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...5&d=1254796496

[Dale53]

There's a lot of fellers and gals here that quite obviously have their act together. It is good to see!

Dale53

[JesseCJC]

Here are old cast iron muffin pans that produce nice 1.5 pound ingots and welded steel moulds (from jawjaboy) that make 5 pound ingots.

Jerry

Anyone here a welder and can make me something like this? I have no access to anyone that welds

[GLL]

Jesse:

PM jawjaboy ! He made the moulds in my photos.

Jerry

[rb dave]

Lee ingot moulds are cheap. Buy several. I've always disliked the small ingots in the center, so I buy Lyman or RCBS

I always overfill the mold so that I get 1 large ingot to put in lee bottom pour when it gets about half empty. They store better in bigger pieces and this works very well for me

[Dale53]

I load for a number of different calibers (pistols and rifles) that require different mixes. I alloy when I load the pot. I have ingots that run from ½ lb - 5 lb. Having both large and small ingots make alloying a bit easier. I normally alloy 20 lbs at a time (that's a pot full). It only takes a minute or so to mix the alloy I want (using a kitchen scale and a postal scale next to my pot).

YMMV
Dale53

[Mntngoat]

i asked the dear wife for a muffin pan last night she gladly gave up 3 aluminum pans. one 24 hole and two 12 hole. Now i need to find a smelting pot that can hold 50 lbs.

ML

[Muddy Creek Sam]

i asked the dear wife for a muffin pan last night she gladly gave up 3 aluminum pans. one 24 hole and two 12 hole. Now i need to find a smelting pot that can hold 50 lbs.

ML

Get a 6 Qt. Dutch oven from Harbor Freight.

Sam

[Mntngoat]

Get a 6 Qt. Dutch oven from Harbor Freight.

Sam

Thanks Sam I stopped by the local HF store today with no luck. Will have to order it on line it appears.

ML

[JesseCJC]

For what it's worth, I got my 5qt at target tonight for 28.

For the muffin pans, does it matter aluminum or steel? Teflon make a difference? Thanks

[WHITETAIL]

BoonDocker, I like your set up!

[jlchucker]

Lee ingot moulds are cheap. Buy several. I've always disliked the small ingots in the center, so I buy Lyman or RCBS

I use those small ingots in the center to cast up tin or pure lead to use in making up alloys. Kind of handy for that.

[Dale53]

As I have said (a time or two) I like a mix of moulds:



The advantage of having some larger ingot moulds in the mix (like the angle iron moulds that will cast 3-5 lbs when made of 2"x6" angle iron) is it allows you to reduce the number of casts you pour. It really speeds up the process. When you are trying to process several hundred pounds of bullet metal, it REALLY helps. On the other hand, when it comes time to alloy bullet metals, the smaller ingots (including the small ½ pound Lee ingots) allows you to more easily "hit the mark" when weighing the different constituents (I may use soft scrap lead, WW's, Linotype, certified refinery products, and tin at any given casting pot full).

Smelting is a labor intensive process. It's the one thing related to bullet casting that I do not particularly enjoy. I try to do as much as possible when I am smelting to avoid having to do it very often. If you can get someone to help you when you smelt a large amount, it makes it much more fun as well as reduce the labor "per person".

My brother is a busy guy, but I have enticed him to help me on occasion by "paying" him in finished bullets. He is twelve years younger than me and a good worker - so his help is greatly appreciated. I go to the gym regularly and try to stay in "working shape" but at my age (74) every little bit of aid and increased efficiency is helpful.

FWIW
Dale53

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Dale,

Which of the Angle Iron molds do you like better, With or Without the wings?

Sam

[Recluse]

Lee ingot moulds are cheap. Buy several. I've always disliked the small ingots in the center, so I buy Lyman or RCBS

I have the ingot molds sold by the manufacturers, and I use different brands to keep my alloys separate/identified.

Wheelweight alloy goes in the Lyman ingot molds.

Pure lead goes in the Lee full-size ingot molds.

WW alloy with higher contents of linotype/monotype and tin go into the RCBS molds.

Pure linotype goes into the Lee 1/2 lb molds in the center of their ingot mold.

Yeah, it can take a while when smelting, but I smelt out on my back deck and keep several old beach type towels folded and soaked with a garden hose. I dump my ingots out on those wet towels and then set the mold down for a few seconds on the towel to cool it down some.

Makes my pouring and dumping of ingots go a lot faster.

[Dale53]

muddycreeksam;
I MUCH prefer the "wings" - but I call them "handles".

Seriously, they make handling the moulds, while hot, much easier. I wear welders gloves and if you work fast, you can pick the moulds up as soon as the ingots "set" and flip them over, dumping the ingots, and have them ready for another pour. Running over a hundred pounds of melt, takes a lot of pouring and flipping...

Earlier in this thread, someone had a set with an insulated handle. Other than requiring additional storage space, that seems like a good idea. When you have a bunch of moulds, then storage rears it's ugly head. I'm running out of places to put moulds, smelting pots, burners' etc. I actually have a lot of storage space but also have a lot of STUFF.

FWIW
Dale53

[joecool911]

You can get a big ladle from Rowell that holds 90# of lead and pour right into the ingot molds. They have smaller ones too. I have a friend who got a piece of steel pipe to fit over his cooker so that the ladle fits inside the pipe without falling in. Makes like a furnace to heat the ladle. Then pours right out of the ladle. No dipping to deal with.

[rszkutak]

for our smaller pots like the normal 10# and 20# pots we use the Walmart mini muffin pans, they server the purpose really well and allow us to get smaller ingot's to toss into the pot without worring about dropping the tempature of the mealted lead. When i'm using my Magma Master Caster I simply just toss in PIG ingot's and be done with it. I buy all my lead in the PIG form from a foundry, heck for $1.10 a pound and I don't have to blend the metal... ROCK ON! 22 BHN after it's cold quenched.

[10 ga]

I made some "green sand" and use it to supplement my muffin pans and "Cast Boolit" molds when I'm smelting a lot of raw stuff. With the green sand you can cast most any shape you can imprint in the sand. I also have molds for fishing sinkers 1/4 oz. to 20 oz. and decoy anchors so lotsa ways to put the lead into "ingots". Just google or go to one of the home foundry sites to learn how to make "green sand". 10 ga

[fishnbob]

Is it really better for the angle iron ingot molds to be rusty to drop the ingots? I made 3 of that type today and had to grind on the welds a lot due to rough welds creating little pockets that could affect drop out. How can I get them to rust quickly? I wet them and left them outdoors. Is there anything I can put on them to hurry the oxidizing along?