Well, finally melted lead for the first time today.
Windy, cool. Had a hard time getting the puddle to stay liquid. Don't think I have enough BTU to get it right.
Bought a cheap cast dutch oven to smelt the near 500 pounds I scored, sand blasted a mini loaf pan and borrowed a camp stove and gave it a shot.
Not enough heat I think. Started out with my SOWW to experiment. Learning curve after all, me being a noob and all.
I cooked off the the junk, did an okay skim, and dragged the whole setup to a sheltered area so I could get it hot enough to melt the whole pot. I had areas that were cooling off in the pot, while the center stayed molten.
Ladle was too big to get the 15 pounds or so I started off with. I had to tilt the pot over to get a reasonable fill on the ladle.
I will have to secure a better heat source and try again. Or maybe a smaller pot? *shrug*
I like the mold I got, perfect size for my needs. 1 scoop should be about a 2-2.5 pound ingot. After I sandblasted the coating off, I rinsed it in the sink, and there was rust within 2 hours! Ingots dropped with no trouble. I like it when a plan comes together! Kinda...