Commercial Ingot Casting Machine

[wcb_gabe]

Anyone know of a company that makes a ingot casting machine?

The ones I'm finding are HUGE. Wouldn't fit in 4 of my shops. I'm hoping to find a unit that's automated and will cast 10 lb bars. Something that could do 2000lbs in a day would be all the capacity I need. Have not had any luck so was hoping someone here might be able to point me in the right direction.

That or maybe one of you handy guys could build a rotating set of ingot molds that I could run under my current bottom pour smelter. More projects to add to the list.. egad.

Thanks, Gabe

[454PB]

2000 pounds a day? You are scaring me!

[wcb_gabe]

Well I don't need to do 2000 lbs every day but would like to be able to melt down a large amount very quickly.

Well if I've stumped this board they probably don't make one.

[mattc]

I was thinking about using one of the propane burners from a turkey roaster and a 5qt cast iron duch oven and a large ladle, it probably would not do 2000 lbs a day but it would do more than my little 20lb electric pot

[ANeat]

If you have a casting machine I dont see why ingot molds couldnt be made up to run thru it instead of bullet molds.

Seems like the problem would be keeping it fed, are we talking smelting WW here or doing something with a clean alloy?

I use a big cast iron dutch oven with a turkey fryer and have enough 5 lb ingot molds that I can just about empty it. 90 pounds at a time is about what I can ingot out. If a guy had several of those going doing 2000 pounds a day would be possible once you get used to all the heavy lifting

Adam

[Old Jim]

Look around some of the old print shops. Their linotype melters were large but they also had ingot melters that took the 27# linotype ingots and melted them down to produce 3-3# ingots webbed together. These were used in some of the smaller fancy type production machines (Ludlows). Shop near here sold 2 large gas operated melters and 3 or 4 of the small ones this spring. Got salvage metal price for them.

[KCSO]

I know just what you want, I have a line on one, but I have to wait till the owner closes shop. This is a lino melter from a print shop. It is gas fired and will cast 10 pound ingots as fast as you can feed it. I will be using it this fall to convert 1500 lbs of asst lead inot graded ingots, but I have to take the lead to his shop and then take the ingots home. If you visit the small town printers you might find one as all the old time print shos had one. This one will cost me $75.00 when he closes shop.

[LAH]

KCSO you did good..........Creeker

[wcb_gabe]

So are these linotype melting machines and the smaller versions automated?

I spent a few hours on the net trying to find a picture so I could get an idea how one worked but no luck.

How big a melting pot am I looking at on these machines?
Right now I'm melting down around 700lbs (wheelweights and linotype) at a time in a large bottom pour smelter and pouring into 15 pound ingots via bottom pour by hand into ingots. I can do this 2-3 times in a day. I'm wanting to eliminate the "by hand" pouring into ingots. Bottom pouring is definately easier than ladeling it out 10lbs at a time but it still does wear a guy out. I don't know if you guys realize it but lead is HEAVY.

KCSO or Old Jim or others do you have a photo you could send me or a link I could go to to look at one of these machines... I'd appreciate it very much. Thank you.
Gabe