Cooling Ingots

[wtfooptimax200]

Since I am totally new to casting and have done nothing but collect lead up until this point, I have been constantly thinking of potential roadblocks that I may run into and how I will avoid them. My latest questions are:

How long do I need to let 1# ingots cool (in a Lee mold) before popping them out of the mold? Also, how many molds will I need to maintain a decent pace while smelting wheelweights? Will 2 ingot molds be sufficient to keep a decent pace going?

Thanks for any help

[RayinNH]

wt, welcome aboard. Cooling time on the 1# ingots should only be minutes. You'll see when it solidifies, then give it another minute or so. If you drop just after they solidify they'll usually break. The number of ingot molds will depend on your smelting pot size and your pouring ladle. Add your ingot mold capacity versus your pot capacity. If you have about 2/3 ingot capacity to pot capacity you should be fine. That would be for maximum output...Ray

[kbstenberg]

I would try to get as meany ingot molds as what your smelter will fill without stopping. If your pot holds 25lbs of lead, try to get enough molds that will hold all 25lbs of lead.
So you wouldn't have to wait for your filled molds to cool an then be refilled.
Just my 2cents Kevin

[jsizemore]

I follow Kevin's plan. I've got enough muffin tins from the thrift store and flea market to do 150lbs though I've rarely ingotize that much in one pot. Never paid more then a buck for each. The nasty and rusty are best for ingot release. Good Luck

[shotman]

just let air cool dont try water hose if you get water and molten lead together you have a HOT bomb

[Bret4207]

My suggestion would be to stop over thinking the road blocks and just do it. All you're doing is melting lead alloys, trust me, it's not rocket science. Warm the ingot moulds a little and go to it.

[*Paladin*]

I pour into the molds and let it sit while I wait for another pot to melt. Once the WW's in the pot start to go molten, I drop the ingots out of the molds. Maybe 10-15 minutes time. This ensures the ingots are solid. If I'm not waiting on another pot, I just wait 10 minutes and then tap my pliers handle on the center of each ingot to make sure they are solidified.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Welcome to the site.

I think this is a fine question, but I'm sure you'd figure it out yourself
after your fiirst smelting session.
I use 2 molds.
I pour one mold, as soon as it solidifies, I move it to another table
and set it on a wet towel. It will steam...alot, when the steam quits,
I dump out the ingots, the amount of time that takes is about the same
as it takes to pour the other mold and for them to just barely solidify.
Jon

[bobthenailer]

When smelting my PB with a propane turkey frier and a cast iron pot that halds about 100 + pounds of alloy , i have 5 ingot moulds that make 4 -1 lb ingots each ,I fill all 5 and then add more alloy . I dont run into any problems untill im empeting the pot when im done then i use a fan and or water in a spray bottle after they have solidfied some to cool the ingot moulds faster .

[captaint]

max - More ingot molds is better (4 or 5 is good) BUT NOT NECESSARY). Just faster and more convenient, that's all. If you're filling 4, by the time you fill the last one, the first is about cool enough to dump. I keep my ingot molds on wet towels also. I think that helps them cool off. enjoy Mike

[Nrut]

I use a 5 gal. bucket full of water to cool my ingots...
No waiting..
Pretty simple set up ... :popcorn:

[fredj338]

As the ingot mold heats up, it takes longer to get them solid. I use a wet towel to cool the mold off between pours, gets them solid in a minute or two. I smelt in small 100# batches though, pouring 2#-3# ingots.

[casterofboolits]

I have a 65 pound plumbers pot and five four cavity one pound ingot molds I use for lino/tin mixes and use a heating duct in line fan to cool the molds quickly. I also have three eleven cavity cast iron muffin pans that make 2.2 pound ingots. These I use when making large batches of boolit alloy. They will be cool enough to dump when the pot is full again.

[plainsman456]

I have a piece of steel plate that I put the mold on when full.It helps take away some of the heat.

[imashooter2]

For me and my pace, 5 molds lets me fill continuously from an 8 quart Dutch oven. By the time the last is filled, the first is ready to dump.

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/break600.jpg

[jmsj]

Welcome to the site,
Like others here, When I do my big smelts I use multiple ingot molds. I have 4 of the Lee molds and 4 homemade ingot molds. Each homemade ingot molds hold 4 three pound ingots. Between all 8 molds one fill of all 8 molds comes out to 60 pounds.
I keep a big pan (12"X 18") with a damp towel, no standing water, nearby. I pour all 8 molds by the time I pour the last one the first ones have solidified on top. I then put the molds, in the order poured, onto the damp towel. Once they are all on the towel, I take them out in the order they were put. Once they are all off the towel they are ready to dump.
Sounds more complicated then it really is and it takes very little time.
Good luck, jmsj

[cbrick]

***ooptimax200, welcome to Castboolits.

I gotta go with Bret (post 6), no need to over think making ingots. Keep your melting pot at no more than 700 degrees, flux and scrape off the junk and pre-warm the ingot molds. Once the ingots are solid dump'em out and start over.

Over time you will develop the system that works best for you, that includes the number of and type of ingot molds. Probably everyone here has their own and slightly different method that works well for them, just as it should be. No need for a degree in metallurgy to make ingots.

Rick

[Gtek]

I started with two Lyman 4 ea. one pounders. Worked just fine, nice pace for me. I have 1" thick alum plate to flop on. Fan behind me and acroos dumped ingots. Beware - twenty minutes later sometimes they will still take the fingerorints off. I wear welding gloves cause sometimes my stupid valve opens. The past couple hundred I have switched to a new method, 12 oz. pop cans. Can opener the top off, make REAL sure nothing wet inside (TINSEL FAIRY VISIT). After they cool for a very long time. Pliers and roll off skin. Made 2"x4" racks laying them on there sides. One stick on, One wheel weight in my bottom pour and away I go. You will cut your own path thats best for you and your circumstances. Just be safe! Eyes/Gloves/Sleeves/Shoes. Gtek

[44fanatic]

Trial and error...great for learning. The great thing about smelting lead and casting boolits, when you screw em up, just drop it back in the pot. You will soon learn what the timing is for what you are doing whether it be making ingots, boolits or lubing boolits.

About the only mistakes that we can make that are intolerable are safety mistakes. Those that cause the Tinsel Fairy to come knocking on our door, failure to wear the proper safety gear or cause a gun to blow up.

[cbrick]

About the only mistakes that we can make that are intolerable are safety mistakes. Those that cause the Tinsel Fairy to come knocking on our door, failure to wear the proper safety gear or cause a gun to blow up.

Very wise and well said statement and one that I'm sure we don't hear often enough.

Pay attention, stay safe.

Rick

[Jim]

I found a one piece, press formed aluminum muffin pan at the thrift store. I set it in a shallow baking pan, fill the baking pan with water and cast my alloy in the muffin pan. The water in the baking pan absorbs the heat rapidly and the ingots solidify almost instantly.

The muffin pan and baking pan can be seen on the right in the photo below.

http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/photos-023-e1301853209458.jpg

[pls1911]

Four aluminum muffin pans, three iron Lyman ingot molds,
and four cast iron muffin pans.
I use an iron dutch oven over a turkey fryer burner to smelt and clean about 150 pounds per pour, which leaves me about 2" of "starter" lead after a pour seesion, with each pour yielding roughly 100-130 pounds of ingots.
By the time the next batch has been melted and cleaned, Just turn out the molds and repeat.
I wait untill I have 500 pounds or more of scrap before I set up, then don't quit 'till I'm finished

[JIMinPHX]

I usually try to run my smelting pot about 50-100 degrees F above the melting point of the mix. I smelt with a thermometer. I put down a piece of 1/8" steel plate under my ingot molds & run 4 of them at the same time. I ladle fill the molds from about a 8 pound ladle. By the time I have the 4th ingot mold full, the first one is about ready to dump out & use again. I dump the ingots on the plate to cool. After about 3 or 4 rounds of that, I stack the ingots up somewhere out of the way, then keep going.

[Ole]

I have a single 4 cavity angle iron mold that makes 4x3.7lb ingots when full.

I use a wet T shirt, tossed over the mold to shorten the cooling time. Just be careful that the mold is 100% dry before you fill it up again. I've never had a problem with the tinsel fairy and i've done at least half a ton of ingots this way.

When I used to use the muffin pans, I had 24 2# muffin cavities and I didn't need to use water with that method.

Muffin pan ingots don't store nearly as well as angle iron ingots so I quit using them.

[mold maker]

I have 8 dif styles of ingot molds so that each is used for a dif alloy, ie SWW, CWW, range lead, lead pipe.
Each type is stored stacked (nested) in a separate milk crate, with a ladle.
The # of molds used is determined by what I'm melting. WWs and range scrap produce a lot of crud to be skimmed off and thus the molds have more time to cool. Sheet lead or lead pipe have little crud other than the dirt left after fluxing, so more molds speed up process. Speed will come with experience not rushing it. Getting in too big a hurry is where most folks get into trouble. The tinsel fairy visits are usually the results of rushing with your hands faster than your mind can think to warn you.

[FISH4BUGS]

I use a 65,000 BTU burner from Buffalo Arms, and a cast iron cook pot. I can hold some 100+ lbs of lead in the smelting pot although I have never had it full to the top.
I get a full pot, skim and flux, then use some 14 ingot moulds (many of which were bought here) and fill them with a Rowell #3 ladle. When I fill all of them, I turn back to the pot and add WW's and skim and flux, and by the time the pot has come back up to full, the ingots are cooled. Dump them out and repeat.
If you have sizeable smelting pot, you need LOTS of ingot moulds. THAT is the secret to productivty.

[Lizard333]

I use a an old cast iron dutch oven over a turkey burner to melt down my WW's. I normally pour about 20 pounds of WW's at a time in the pot and pour the finished lead into one lyman mold and set it on a wet rag. Just be sure to be wearing gloves as the steam will be very hot and there will be a lot. I wait for the lead to change colors/harden, maybe 5 seconds and then dump the ingots onto the deck. I can do four batches of ingots in less than five minutes. I usually leave a little melted lead in the bottom of the pot to help the next batch along.

At any rate, just do it. You can read all the posts on the internet about making your own boolits, but the only real way you are going to learn is to just go out and do it!! Buy an ingot mould and try it!! I'm to cheap to buy more than one, but you may find that you want more. It's all in what you want. GOOD LUCK!!

[Echo]

I have, and use, a couple of different ingot molds. Muffin tins for WW & range scrap ingots, angle iron for WW+2%Sn, 4-bangers flooded to 5-lbs for other mixtures, and empty Coke cans for pure Pb. I label the 5-lb'ers as to mixture and date (7-1+ means 7 parts WW, 1 part Monotype, plus 1% Sn).
And I haven't had good luck water-cooling my ingot molds. Makes them cool too fast, and I don't get pretty ingots. I like pretty ingots...

[smithywess]

I notice some of the fellas here are into heavy duty production lines !! I'm pretty smalltime, and cheap too. I use a large coffee can pinched on one side as a pourer and filled with as many wheelweights as I can lift with a vicegrip clamped opposite the pourer side (about 7 or 8 lbs). I boil these up on a coleman stove, fluxing etc, etc and pour them into two Lee moulds I then set on the cold concrete of the garage floor. They set up very quickly this way. I like to have my ingots as close to one lb as I can which helps to get a more accurate alloy mix if adding tin later.

Not too keen on the idea of having any water at all even close to around my set up to cool my moulds down. Way too risky, especially pouring into muffin moulds sitting in water.

[Bomber]

I found a one piece, press formed aluminum muffin pan at the thrift store. I set it in a shallow baking pan, fill the baking pan with water and cast my alloy in the muffin pan. The water in the baking pan absorbs the heat rapidly and the ingots solidify almost instantly.

The muffin pan and baking pan can be seen on the right in the photo below.

http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/photos-023-e1301853209458.jpg

Jim
I am no expert on casting, but I see two problems here. One is having the muffin tin floating in water? Seems risky.
Also, you are using an LP fired burner on a wood deck attached to your house.
Wouldn't you be better off using the burner on that nice driveway next to your home?

[Doby45]

Nothing wrong at all with the pan sitting in water.

And all though I would use the turkey fryer out on the drive I would not say what he is doing is a "problem" or unsafe.

[btroj]

Biggest danger I see is getting lead on the deck. In my home this would lead to great physical harm being done to me by the Mrs.
I like the idea of floating the muffing pan in a little water. Looks good to me.

[imashooter2]

Jim
I am no expert on casting, but I see two problems here. One is having the muffin tin floating in water? Seems risky.
Also, you are using an LP fired burner on a wood deck attached to your house.
Wouldn't you be better off using the burner on that nice driveway next to your home?


The only thing unsafe there is no cover on the deck. When he spills lead on it, the wife is gonna kill him. [smilie=1:

[mold maker]

Where I used to work, I got quite a few 3/16", "cover sheets" off 60"sq plywood. I always cast and smelt over one of them. Spilled/dripped lead is easily recovered and the cement carport kept lead free.
No matter how careful you are, there will be drips. On even smooth finished concrete the splater is hard to remove and unsightly.