20 Pound lead pots for cheap

[JanZ]

http://www.maumeetackle.net/cast-iron-lead-melting-20lb-p-39.html

I just ordered this, came to just under $25 rasbucknicks delivered, not a bad deal.

[excess650]

I use a 5 qt dutch oven, but it takes a lot of heat. This is for smelting scrap into ingots, or larger batches of alloy only.

[Johnch]

LOL
That place is less than 20 miles from me

Small world


I have never bought casting stuff from them
But I have taken the owner fishing a time or 2

John

[JanZ]

I've been melting using a flat bottom stainless bowl but since it's thin it's hard to maintain an even stable pouring temperature with the alloy

[oscarflytyer]

Bought (nearly?) same pot from Buffalo Arms, $19 as I recall.

Bought one I like better for $16 from local HW store!

[lwknight]

If you use the turkey fryer burner you will use the same amount of fuel on a 20 pound pot as you will on a 100 pound pot and both will melt at the same time.
You get a lot more melted in the bigger pot because most of the heat is just waste on a small pot.

If you have a smaller buener then by all means , full speed ahead.

Almost forget , my whole point was to say that the 5 quart 100 something pound pot is $39.00 at tractor supply. Lodge brand.

[lylejb]

I started with a nearly identical pot.

On the turkey burner, much of the heat / fire goes up and around it. Not very efficient.

I also quickly found it's smaller than I want for smelting wheel weights.

On a smaller burner, you might be better able to keep the heat under it. Might work out ok.

Might be nice for ladle casting, I don't know, I use a bottom pour.

[davydtune]

I got lucky. A buddy of mine did an old remodel job back in the late 70's of an old doctors office. The walls in the xray room had sheets of soft lead in between the studs and the drywall. He cut it into 1' squares and still has a lot of it. He gave about 50 lbs and told me when I needed more I knew where to get it :D

[JanZ]

I started with a nearly identical pot.

On the turkey burner, much of the heat / fire goes up and around it. Not very efficient.

I also quickly found it's smaller than I want for smelting wheel weights.

On a smaller burner, you might be better able to keep the heat under it. Might work out ok.

Might be nice for ladle casting, I don't know, I use a bottom pour.

I use a large (14") stainless mixing bowl for rendering the WW's on a Coleman stove.