Equipment recommendations for recycling range lead?

[kappy]

I'm free to go digging in the berms at my range. Any other source of lead costs and wheel weights pretty much don't exist here (everyone around here has a "guy" who recycles their lead). So my best source is range lead.

I've been using my Lee production pot, and it hasn't been going well. I can pick up 40lbs of range scrap in less than five minutes. It is full of rocks, twigs, the odd piece of twine, etc. Even after sifting it (I made a sturdy frame with wire across it for the purpose), most of it is trash. So with this little ten-lb pot, I'm tossing the sifted scrap in, waiting a few minutes, then using a spoon to pull out the aforementioned trash. Bottom line: in order to get even two ingots, it takes a half hour or more. I don't have that much time, truth be told. I want to be casting and reloading, not messing with dirt.

My plan is to purchase some type of gas heater and a large pot in which I can melt down range scrap. I saw this item in a local used tool store:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33937&stc=1&d=1310266965
It's cheap ($20), which is ideal for me. That's most of the reason I cast boolits in the first place. It burns butane.

So my questions are: is this what I want in order to process range lead? Is there something else which is ideal? Will butane burn hot enough? Will the fuel be too expensive to make this a worthwhile exercise?

And does anyone have a recommendation for a big pot?

Incidentally, if this question has been asked, I tried using the search function, but it doesn't seem to work? Thanks in advance!

[mooman76]

Turkey frier setup works great. Just get or make a big pot for it. You need lots of room for range scrap.

[kappy]

Recommendation on a pot?

[Mk42gunner]

Find an old Stainless steel sauce pan two or three quart size or bigger. Many people use a cast iron dutch oven made in China or Taiwan, which works until it cracks.

If you can weld, a short section of 8" steel pipe with a base welded on is pretty much indestructable.

Robert

[tomme boy]

Clean out all of the junk before you melt. It makes things go much smoother. For ME anyway.

I sell all the copper jackets to the scrap yard, so I do not want anything stuck to them. The clay birds that everyone uses for targets are a mess in the pot. It turns everything to a rock solid chunk. It also smokes really bad and stinks just as bad.

What are you using to sift the dirt?

The cast iron Dutch oven pot at Harbor Frieght is a good pot to use. Just don't tap or beat on it. It is cast iron. That is why people break them. They think they are the same thing as steel. It is NOT the same for strength. If you know cast iron then you know what I am saying.

Get a turkey fryer. Look at garage sales. Thats where I got 3 of them for me. Never know when one will go bad.

[kappy]

Clean out all of the junk before you melt. It makes things go much smoother. For ME anyway. I try to do that, but it isn't terribly easy.


The clay birds that everyone uses for targets are a mess in the pot. It turns everything to a rock solid chunk. It also smokes really bad and stinks just as bad. I rarely see those at our range. We pretty much just shoot paper and the odd steel target. Thanks, though. I'll make sure to avoid them when I see them.


What are you using to sift the dirt?
I've got a 2x4 frame I made to which I screwed a metal screen. I'll take a pic tomorrow before I head to the range.


The cast iron Dutch oven pot at Harbor Frieght is a good pot to use. Just don't tap or beat on it. It is cast iron. That is why people break them. They think they are the same thing as steel. It is NOT the same for strength. If you know cast iron then you know what I am saying.
Think this might work? http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-7406-6-Qt-Cast/dp/B000VXKJSY/ref=sr_1_33?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1310278358&sr=1-33
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ym4AdpvCL._SS500_.jpg


Get a turkey fryer. Look at garage sales. Thats where I got 3 of them for me. Never know when one will go bad.

I guess that's the plan at this point. The shame of it is that I had one about two years ago which I tossed out when we were cleaning the back yard. Darnit all.

[kappy]

Find an old Stainless steel sauce pan two or three quart size or bigger. Many people use a cast iron dutch oven made in China or Taiwan, which works until it cracks.

If you can weld, a short section of 8" steel pipe with a base welded on is pretty much indestructable.

Robert

I wish I could weld. Maybe once school starts again, I can get one made at the shop.

Would a bigger pot be a problem? Would it not heat enough?

[bumpo628]

Think this might work? http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-7406-6-Qt-Cast/dp/B000VXKJSY/ref=sr_1_33?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1310278358&sr=1-33
I guess that's the plan at this point. The shame of it is that I had one about two years ago which I tossed out when we were cleaning the back yard. Darnit all.

You can get one at Bass Pro for either $40 or $80.

The $80 model comes with a cast iron dutch oven.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Cast-Iron-Fish-Fryer/product/10215772/-1688344
http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/thumbs/1688344_10215772-t.jpg

The $40 comes with an aluminum pot that is not suitable for smelting.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Propane-Cooker-with-Aluminum-Pot/product/10205245/-1631022
http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/thumbs/1631022_10205245-t.jpg

You can also use the strainer that comes with either unit as a media separator for you tumbler.

[maglvr]

"Will the fuel be too expensive to make this a worthwhile exercise?"

Most likely.
Go with propane, or electric hot plate(now called a 5th burner in most places).

maglvr

[rnelson11]

I bought a propane burner with stand at Academy Sports for $19.95. I connect my grill tank to it. I also bought a cast iron dutch oven there for about $10.00.

[mooman76]

I haven't done it in awhile but it is difficult and time consuming to clean out everything. You have tiny pieces of lead from bullets and usually little rocks and dirt. Clean out the easy obvious stuff like big rocks and junk. Then throw the rest in to melt. The junk will quickly seperate from the melt. Always leave some lead melt in the bottom. It helps to start the next batch separating. quicker

[tomme boy]

I use the screen and wood frame also. But I also use this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/tommeboy/100_0769.jpg

Most people that reload have one of these to sift the media out of their cases. I have a couple of them. Depending on how the dirt is in your area, they work real well. What I usually do is sift the dirt with the wire mesh first. Then bring all of that scrap home and sift it again threw the pan. It has a little bigger holes than the 1/4" mesh. Then I pll out all of the shotgun slugs, then go after the pistol and rifle bullets. After everything is melted, I go threw all of the jackets with a magnet. Seems about 1/3-1/2 of the jackets are steel.

[matsu]

Emerilware works

[Jal5]

Definitely use propane and a cast iron pot. My range scrap with all the crud on it heats up and melts in no time, with a lid on the pot. Then just skim off the crud and flux flux flux and you are good to pour ingots. might check on craigslist for a turkey fryer rig, I got for $20 incuding two nice aluminum pots I will use for cooking.

Joe

[Tarkid]

I don't know if anybody is watching this thread any longer, but if so, I use an old stainless steel soup pot to smelt range lead. It holds about 8 quarts, and when it is half full contains about 30# of lead. I heat it up on a turkey fryer burner and patiently scoop off the dirt and copper jackes with an old stainless steel gravy ladle. Time-consuming, but it works. I've always used a mini-muffin tin to make ingots. They drop right into my 11# Lee electric furnace. I never smelt in my furnace. The only thing that goes into it is nice shiny ingots.

[shadowcaster]

Go with a cast iron dutch oven or steel pot. Do NOT use aluminum.. It will fail. The BTU's and efficiency of a turkey fryer is hard to beat. Later on you can upgrade to a welded steel pot. Bottom pour feature makes it super easy.

Shad