Melting pot

[WRideout]

I think it would be well worth your while to spend some time finding a good old USA made cast iron pot or a stainless one.
50 years or so ago my late father and I were melting down a bunch of lead to cast some fishing sinkers in a typical aluminum pot.

The thing reached critical temperature and collapsed. What a mess!
It was luck neither of us got burns.

When I got back into casting, I had been using a dipper that was a coffee measuring scoop fastened to a handle. I thought it was Al, but didn't think it mattered. I never had a problem at the low temperatures I was using, but then I got a Lee four pound pot, which can get really hot. I made one dip, and came back with half a dipper! I didn't realize I could get it hot enough to melt aluminum. After that the melt in the pot was pretty but worthless; all kinds of different colors, and just big clumps that don't pour.

Wayne

[WVHunter129]

Here is a picture of my setup. It is a Coleman cook stove that uses Coleman fuel. Setting on top is a 4-1/2 quart dutch oven I found in my father-in-laws garage. Beside it I have muffin pans to cast ingots. In this pot I have indoor pistol range scrap lead. I use the muffin tins for it and when I have wheel weight lead I use a LEE ingot mold. That way I know what I have in storage later on.

[Christorbust]

Here is a picture of my setup. It is a Coleman cook stove that uses Coleman fuel.

WVHunter,

How long does it take to melt that entire pot on that Coleman?

I just bought a stove just like that from the 60's from goodwill for $4!

P.S. Excellent state your from btw.

[Lloyd Smale]

i bought a BIG stock pot at walmart. I think it was about 15 bucks. It holds enough ww to get you about 200lbs of ingots. Its been going for about 5 years now and its smelted tons of lead. Before that i went through 2 cast iron pots that were about half that size. they both eventualy cracked. Im sure the cast iron just isnt good for the extream heat cycles that smelting incures and eventualy get stressed. DONT use aluminum. I tried it once and came back to a pile of melted lead on the floor.