The cost, when you can't DIY

[BoolitSchuuter]

I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum and the one thing I've noted is that almost all of us are DIY'ers. Do any of us realize how much we really save by doing this? I suspect not.
Just to give you an idea, I have been looking for months for the things needed to build a simple smelting pot. I quit the idea of using a dutch oven, comes up as just too risky. i quit trying to scrounge materials, the stuff I was looking for just couldn't seem to be found - the closest scrap yard is 70 miles and I don't own a welder.
So I called a local fabrication shop and asked if they would consider doing a really small project. To my surprise the lady responded that yes they would! I told her what I wanted, an 8 inch long piece of 8 inch, schedule 40 pipe with a 1/4 inch plate welded on the bottom. She called me back later and said the cost would be $70 and did I want to do it? I jumped on it!
They are going to work me into their schedule and I will finally have a smelting pot next week. Some may think I'm nuts to pay that much for a pot. All I can say is, If you can't DIY and need it, it don't much matter what it costs.
It will beat smelting WW in a Lee 20 lb pot . . . which, by the way doesn't hold 20 lbs. Can you guess how long it took me to smelt 2 buckets of WW?

[steve in kc]

What is your percieved risk of using a dutch oven and a turkey fryer? Thousands of us do it all the time and safely to boot.

[Jim]

And a dutch oven(which comes with a handle!) will be a lot easier to get to the bottom of than a 8" section of 8" pipe.

Like Steve, I have to ask, what risk do you speak of?

[10 ga]

Dutch oven for castin. Cut down freon tank for smeltin, holds a lot more "ore". 10

[BoolitSchuuter]

Many folks have related horror stories of their dutch ovens cracking. I don't have a problem with a turkey fryer, that is what I'll use for my heat source.

[steve in kc]

Many folks have related horror stories of their dutch ovens cracking. I don't have a problem with a turkey fryer, that is what I'll use for my heat source.

I've never read of this. I've read of numerous issues with ALUMINUM pots giving way from the prolonged heat and weight, but never a cast iron dutch oven.

[waksupi]

I've never read of this. I've read of numerous issues with ALUMINUM pots giving way from the prolonged heat and weight, but never a cast iron dutch oven.

I agree. I believe you are operating with some faulty information.

[Doc Highwall]

The dutch oven is used for the first smelt to get as much **** out of the lead and then poured into ingots until you have no more scrap lead to melt. Now that your dutch oven is empty and clean you take your ingots of say wheel weights or pure lead and alloy it and pour it into a ingot size that will fit into you casting pot. It may seem like extra work melting it twice before you cast, but it makes for a cleaner alloy with less casting problems and better bullets and helps keep a bottom pour pot from clogging. I have a 11qt dutch oven for my first melt and pour my lead into 8" cast iron frying pans for ingots and a 8qt dutch oven for my second melt that the large 8" ingots fit into for alloying, and the alloy is poured into smaller ingots that fit into my LEE pot.

[Digger]

In the long run ... my vote is ....Attachment 29520...as shown in another thread.
8 inch pot , holds just under 200 lb's , six inch pot , around 30 lb's .
On a wally world four legged fryer , big pot is very simple .. big handles welded on so when it gets really low I pick it up and pour the rest but mostly leave a certain amount for next time so as to speed up the process .
The pipe walls hold the heat a little better than some thing thinner , any pot u use should also have a shield to retain as much heat as possible .
The six inch pot works great for mixing alloys or small melts of any nature , when it's on the fryer it really melts fast and with the handles sometimes I don't bother with a ladle , just pour direct into the ingot molds
Any how some day when I will have enough lead ( yeah , sure ! ) ... turn around and sell them to some deserving caster ....
Both being fabricated out of pipe have worked out to be very efficient for me and my needs so far , love the simplicity of it .
By the way there BoolitSchuuter , those open cockpits are a heck of a lot of fun aren't they !....

digger

[jcwit]

Cast Iron or steel pots should be fine. Stay away, far away from alu.

Myself I use a heavy steel pot from Good Will for a buck or two.

[Springfield]

Both my steel pots came from Goodwill. One of my turkey fryers came from a goodwill type store for 10.00. I took the big aluminum pot that came with it and made wind blockers for both pots. It came with an extra regulator and hose which I sold for more then the whole deal cost. Yes, I have Scottish blood in me! Clan Lamont.

[rodsvet]

I like the idea of a real heavy duty 8 inch smelter. I do have a welder and access to scrap pipe and plate. I think whatever suits your needs and budget and makes you feel good about your hobby is great!! Good Luck!! Rod

[cutter10]

call around and buy a weld cap for 8 in pipe should be way less than 70 dollars for a scd. 40 cap the last one i bought was less than 20 dollars but it been a while


i called the local redman supply store and they were 30.41

[BoolitSchuuter]

. . .By the way there BoolitSchuuter , those open cockpits are a heck of a lot of fun aren't they !....

digger

Oh Yeah. That picture is me ridin' back seat in a '42 Stearman somewhere over PennYann, New York. It IS flying.
BTW Digger, it was your picture that led me to the size pot I wanted for smelting/ alloying. Its a GITTERDUNN kinda thing.

[Doby45]

I use half of a propane tank as my smelting pot and the top half of it is for my clips and junk..

[Suo Gan]

Many folks have related horror stories of their dutch ovens cracking. I don't have a problem with a turkey fryer, that is what I'll use for my heat source.

I had this happen before I built my own steel pot...then it got contaminated with zinc and I decided to use an old dutch oven I had around while I waited to clean the steel pot, same thing happened again. I think you are wise to take the Boy Scout approach on this. I think it has something to do with the different expansion and contraction coefficients when you are smelting using higher heat, and much more weight than those cast iron pots were meant for. I have not had any problem with smaller pots of ten and twenty pound size though. Anyway, twice is enough for me.

[jixxerbill]

i use a wally-world 20 doller castiron frypan and a coleman stove for heat....works good for less imho.....bill

[alamogunr]

There are so many ways to outfit yourself for cleaning up scrap lead that no one way can be considered "best". I used a 6 quart dutch oven I found on sale when I started out. Then I found a larger dutch oven at a factory outlet. It had a rounded bottom with feet. It wasn't that much bigger but the round bottom let me get more of the melt out. I used these for about the first 1000 or so lbs I cleaned up. They would still work great for one bucket of WW or so.

Next I went the fabricated route. I found a piece of 12" steel pipe and a welder where I worked cut off the length I needed and welded a 3/8" bottom and angle iron legs. I've used this pot for about 3000 lbs of WW and range scrap. I agree with an earlier post that 8" diameter is not going to let you get to the bottom.

I said in a post in another thread that this big pot is too much trouble to set up unless you have a lot of scrap to clean up.

For an economical smelting pot, the propane tank cut in half is probably as good as it gets. Looking at Doby45's outfit, I think I would want a bigger ring for a base. But I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy anyway.

Now I have sort of passed all this equipment to the son of a friend who is interested in casting. I still have access to it but unless I get desperate, I'm going to buy what I need from now on.

John
W.TN

[Doby45]

Actually I will be making an expanded ring to go on that pot. It will serve dual purpose, support and heat collection.

[Frank]

Doby45:

Actually I will be making an expanded ring to go on that pot. It will serve dual purpose, support and heat collection.

Nice spot you have there for smelting. Looks like it keeps the weeds under control.