Yard Sale Goodies

[Fugowii]

Today was a pretty good day locally for picking up a couple of items for my casting tools.

First, I have been looking for a scale to weigh my ingots that would weigh up to 50
pounds and I came across this beauty for $10. Not a precision scale but it is a vintage
scale built like a tank.



Then I hit another and came away with a five quart Wagner 1891 model five quart
dutch oven for $2. I'm not sure I'm going to use this smelting lead though as I have
been looking for one to cook. Only problem is no lid. For $2 I'm not going to complain!



Also picked up a couple of small pieces of pewter for $1 apiece.

[imashooter2]

Great find on the scale. I've been looking for something like that at a good price for years.

[Johnch]

The duch oven is a great find at that price and should work great for smelting

I have a Dutch oven almost exactly like that , that I use for cooking while hunting

Please do not try and lift a pot full of moltem lead with the handle

As I almost pulled mine out , but I only had it full of steaming hot camp fire chile

John

[a.squibload]

I saw a RCBS Reloader Special kit with everything in the box today, they wanted $200.
Did get a free raincoat, and a Dietz lantern for $4.
Nobody had pewter.

[Old Goat Keeper]

DON'T smelt lead in that Wagner Dutch Oven my friend. That one is old and worth way more as a cooking pot or to a collector than for smelting lead.

Tom

[WILCO]

DON'T smelt lead in that Wagner Dutch Oven my friend. That one is old and worth way more as a cooking pot or to a collector than for smelting lead.

+1! Use it for cooking. You never know, we all might be cooking over a wood fire someday........

[Mk42gunner]

I have a 25 lb capacity Hanson model 2000, (same basic design as yours) that I use. I have no idea how old it is, but I know it is older than I am.

Be assured it will still be working when the current crop of plastic chinese made scales are all recycled.

Robert

[Fugowii]

I have a 25 lb capacity Hanson model 2000, (same basic design as yours) that I use. I have no idea how old it is, but I know it is older than I am.

Be assured it will still be working when the current crop of plastic chinese made scales are all recycled.

Robert

I found this tidbit on the web (written in 2008):

Hanson Scale Company was established in Chicago in 1886 by Marius Hansen. it was
later run by his son Stan L. Hanssen and by Stan's son Stan B. Hanssen. The
company was later bought out by Sunbeam.

The 1935 Hanson Scale catalog describes your number 2060 model Hanson scale as
follows: Hanson utility or rechecking scales. For use in factories, warehouses, or
wherever an accurate heavy-duty scale is required. Made in extra heavy steel.
Equipped with a heavy cast iron upper link, Swedish steel spring and milled gravity
rack, insuring sensitiveness and hairline accuracy. Accurate machined parts, hand
assembled and tested with standard weights. Adjusted by set screw at the top so the
pointer may be set at zero to balance scoop or container. Finely finished and baked
green enamel. No. 2060 Capacity 60 pounds graduated by 2 ounces. Top, 7" square
reinforced steel. overall dimensions, 10 1/2" high x 7 1/4" x 8". 8" enameled dial. Black
figures on white. Packed one to a corrugated carton. Shipping weight 8 1/2 pounds.

The list price in 1935 was four dollars. You're scale should retail for $25-$75
depending on condition and amount of rust.

[jlchucker]

I had a Wagner dutch oven once--gave it to one of my brothers and he's still cooking with it. We were discussing various dutch ovens one day, when the subject of lids came up. It turns out, after checking, that a lid from one of my newer Lodge ovens fits just fine. Lodge sells lids for their pots. Measure yours and you probably can get one that would fit, either directly from Lodge or maybe from Amazon.com. I agree with everyone who says use it for cooking--especially if nobody ever smelted lead in it.

[Fugowii]

I had a Wagner dutch oven once--gave it to one of my brothers and he's still cooking with it. We were discussing various dutch ovens one day, when the subject of lids came up. It turns out, after checking, that a lid from one of my newer Lodge ovens fits just fine. Lodge sells lids for their pots. Measure yours and you probably can get one that would fit, either directly from Lodge or maybe from Amazon.com. I agree with everyone who says use it for cooking--especially if nobody ever smelted lead in it.

I picked up another Wagner dutch oven, complete with cover and grate, this past
weekend. It needed some cleaning up and so I cleaned and re-seasoned it. It cost
me $3! Where I buy them usually tells me a lot about what the use was. (I got
almost three pounds of pewter at the same yard sale for $3.) I'm going to keep both
pots for cooking as I used the covered one for making my marinara sauce and I thought
it was great.

[squirrellnuttz]

I found a next to brand new turkey cooker, really sturdy looking for $25. Good deal, those are usually $100 or better 'round here. And an awesome deep fryer sieve type pan with big drain holes and a good handle (new) for $2. Great for tumbler media separating.

[357maximum]

Good deal on the scale ...congrats


Whats the lip I.D measurement on your dutch oven? I may have a lid to fit.


the only "find" I came up with today was two old large steel coffee cans full of very hard as yet to be determined lead alloy with eyebolts sticking out of em......I paid $1 apiece for them boat anchors, and felt darn good about it.

I also saw a tang safety ruger in 7mag, but it had two very serious issues........ #1 the guy wanted what some think it is worth and #2 it was a 7mag.

[Mk42gunner]

Good deal on the scale ...congrats


Whats the lip I.D measurement on your dutch oven? I may have a lid to fit.


the only "find" I came up with today was two old large steel coffee cans full of very hard as yet to be determined lead alloy with eyebolts sticking out of em......I paid $1 apiece for them boat anchors, and felt darn good about it.

I also saw a tang safety ruger in 7mag, but it had two very serious issues........ #1 the guy wanted what some think it is worthYikes and #2 it was a 7mag.Double Yikes

The hardest kicking .30-06 I ever shot was a tang safety Ruger 77. The short eye relief scope that kept hitting me on the bridge of my nose could have had something to do with that perception though. The rifle was accurate when I didn't flinch.

Robert

[Fugowii]

Whats the lip I.D measurement on your dutch oven? I may have a lid to fit.

It looks like the ID is around eleven inches and the OD is around 11 3/8.

[357maximum]

It looks like the ID is around eleven inches and the OD is around 11 3/8.

I am about 40 minutes from the lid, but I will check for you later this week and if it is even close to a maybe fit you can have it. I had a hot smelt going and the pot let loose, but the lid never saw any melt so it is still good for food.

IMHO smelting with cast iron or aluminum pots is real close to a nice game of russian roulette. Use the cast iron for eating out of and keep the aluminum pots for making lube in..........then get a good steel smelting pot built out of steel pipe...........I trust my steel pots even when I am the welder on such 100 times farther than cast or aluminum.

[357maximum]

Sorry but the lid has been taken in with a load of scrap according to my F.I.L. I finally remembered to ask about it's location.

[Fugowii]

Sorry but the lid has been taken in with a load of scrap according to my F.I.L. I finally remembered to ask about it's location.

Thanks for trying!

Regards,

F

[smokemjoe]

I got a older turkey burner for $5.00 at a flea market, When I lite it up I about burned my head off, it put out so much heat, I was cooking liquids with a S. steel 5 gallon milk bucket and looks like I have cracked it with so much heat. Cant wait to cook down 3- 5 gallon buckets of WWs now, sure will faster then my Gross lead cooker,

[Jech]

I'm trying to put together a cost effective smelting setup and have heard all this good stuff about turkey burners...doesn't the cost of propane add up?

[Artful]

Jech if you want cheap fuel use a coleman camp stove - look for a used two burner at a garage sale / swap meet's. Propane at least around in AZ is way more than it used to be.
Now my Cousin in MT has gas well on his place can can use as much as he wants and sell the rest to the gas company. Too bad we can't get stable fuel from all the gas bags in Washington DC.