Melting 50 pounds of lead with electric heat ???

[Bonz]

Is it possible to buy a hotplate/electric burner that can melt 50 pounds of lead in a heavy cast iron pot ?

If so, where can I buy it ?

[sqlbullet]

Something like this is about as close as you are going to get in a 110 V appliance.

http://www.amazon.com/Cadco-KR-S2-Po.../dp/B00125PC5K

Here is the trick. Lots of these now have thermostats in them that prevent them from getting/staying in the liquid lead range temp wise. You may have to contact the mfg, or have the know-how to bypass the thermostat.

[scottfire1957]

The 50+ pounds is a BIG consideration. Might need a range/stove.

[flyingmonkey35]

Something like this is about as close as you are going to get in a 110 V appliance.

http://www.amazon.com/Cadco-KR-S2-Po.../dp/B00125PC5K

Here is the trick. Lots of these now have thermostats in them that prevent them from getting/staying in the liquid lead range temp wise. You may have to contact the mfg, or have the know-how to bypass the thermostat.

I want that for my shotgun dripper!!

[bangerjim]

I have a professional double burner one similar to that link above and it DOES NOT get near hot enough to melt your lead in a big rough CI pot. Get a turkey fryer at Bass Pro Shop and have at it. Forget hotplates due to thermostat limits and poor heat transfer to your rough CI pot. A flame lapping at the bottom & sides is what you are after!

Bypassing the t-stat will only lead to pre-mature element burn out.

There are a few on here that have made them from expensive 220v heating wrap-around elements on steel pots, but I would say a fryer is cheaper in the long run.

banger

[mozeppa]

http://www.magmaengineering.com/cast-master/

i just bought this ...and it does 90 lbs ...bottom pour...does mold AND ingots.

p.s. they only come as 240 volts now ...not 110

[454PB]

You might check here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...t=1%24+smelter

[jmorris]

I welded a plate to the bottom of a section of pipe and wrapped an oven element around it. Will melt over 60lbs and cost me $12.

[Buck Neck It]

Nice pot, Jmorris. How did you wrap the oven element around it? I really want to know!

[RogerDat]

I can tell the difference between my old style hot plate which allows me to set the temperature and it just stays there. The newer one goes on & off in order to maintain a temp. I think one is a rheostat with maybe a thermostat as a safety upper limit, and the newer is just a thermostat with +/- range that is pretty wide.

The older coil one can just barely do plain lead temps, struggles with larger chunks. The newer one can really only handle lead/tin alloys with sub 700* melt temps. I also wonder about the voltage drop, outlet is a long way from the load center.

[bangerjim]

There ARE electric hotplate out there that WILL melt Pb. I have an industrial labratory rectangular flat surface one that will reach over 850F! I have accidentally left some pure lead ingots on it preheating and had the knob set to over 8 (0-10 range) and had a beautiflu lead waterfall down the sides!!!!!! NOrmally set to 5.5 or 6 for mold and ingot heating.

But those kind of plates are rare to find. 1500 watts.

bangerjim

[62chevy]

There ARE electric hotplate out there that WILL melt Pb. I have an industrial labratory rectangular flat surface one that will reach over 850F! I have accidentally left some pure lead ingots on it preheating and had the knob set to over 8 (0-10 range) and had a beautiflu lead waterfall down the sides!!!!!! NOrmally set to 5.5 or 6 for mold and ingot heating.

But those kind of plates are rare to find. 1500 watts.

bangerjim

LOL I did the same thing this spring with an ingot on the hot plate. The nice part is once it cooled just picked it up dusted it off and put it in the pot.

[RogerDat]

LOL I did the same thing this spring with an ingot on the hot plate. The nice part is once it cooled just picked it up dusted it off and put it in the pot.

Nice thing about smelting and casting.... "Do Over" is generally an option for this sort of thing.
I am keeping my eye open for a higher wattage hot plate, but would like to find an older one as I'm pretty sure the newer ones cycle on and off. Suppose I could test for draw during use to see if that is correct.

I should add the results I mention are in an unheated garage in cold weather.

[Dale53]

If you want a really reliable and reasonably priced long term set up, just get a fish fryer:
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...duct/10205245/

Let your wife have the aluminum pot (do NOT try to melt lead in an aluminum pot). Get a cast iron 12" dutch oven from Harbor Freight (working capacity is about 120 lbs of molten metal):

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...duct/10205245/

I have done a thousand pounds in an afternoon with this set up. The largest ingot I have melted weighed 92 lbs.;


It'll last nearly forever if you don't beat on the cast iron pot (if you can find a steel pot, then it would be even better) and will give you great returns for the time and money spent.

FWIW
Dale53

[c1skout]

I mounted an old stove burner with its drip guard in a heavy old aluminum pot. bolted another piece of scrap onto the side to mount the burner control and knob. I power it from a 220 outlet in my barn. it will get hot enough to make my mix turn purple and gold if I forget to turn the temp down after it melts!

[Idz]

Folks use gas burners because of its higher heat output than normal electric elements. Your standard home 15 amp circuit can supply 1650 watts = 5626 BTU/hr. A turkey fryer propane burner is typically 35000 to 50000 BTU/hr. You can melt your lead about 10 times faster with gas. If time is no problem electric works fine as long as things are insulated well enough.

[bangerjim]

I mounted an old stove burner with its drip guard in a heavy old aluminum pot. bolted another piece of scrap onto the side to mount the burner control and knob. I power it from a 220 outlet in my barn. it will get hot enough to make my mix turn purple and gold if I forget to turn the temp down after it melts!

You are fortunate to have 220 available.

What you did not mentioned (for those considering trying to use elecricity for re-melting) is the time it takes to melt, say 50-80# of lead. Most any electric element will eventually get hot enough to melt some lead, if you wait long enough. My propane plumbers furnace (and most turkey and fish fryers) will melt that much lead in 8-9 minutes or less! Huge BTU concentration on the melting pot with flames lapping the bottom and sides melts lots of lead verily fast.

banger

[KohlerK91]

Why does it always come down to how fast or how many someone can do in an hour?


I smelt with electric and would not do it any other way.......unless the power grid went down.

3.0 kw 220 volts and

4.5 kw 220 volts works just fine for me.

[62chevy]

Taking a long time to melt Wheel Weights could be a good thing for catching zinc. But then some like to make the round of the house and come back some time later. Then it wouldn't make any difference.

[fredj338]

Is it possible to buy a hotplate/electric burner that can melt 50 pounds of lead in a heavy cast iron pot ?

If so, where can I buy it ?

You can, it will just take along time. For some of us, time matters. Put a lid on the pot or cover with heavy alum foil.