Melting pot

[JOptionPane]

What do you guys think it is cast AL. I getting ready to melt bunch of wheel weights and wanted a larger melting pot.

[357 Voodoo]

Aluminum is not a good metal to use it starts loosing strength and will fail at the temps required for lead. There have ben a few threads that have stated the results of a pot full on the ground. Cast iron, stainless steel, or plain steel are much better to use.

[Wayne Smith]

Aluminum is a big no-no when melting lead. The problem is that it's slump temp is very close to the temps we accomplish when melting lead. The last thing you want is a part of the pot to slump and create a hole for the molten lead leak out. Save it for dying yarn or some other such low temperature endeavor.

[357 Voodoo]

If and when you start making your own boolit lube it will be perfect

[JOptionPane]

I have a cast pot but is small I just wanted something bigger but wasn't sure if aluminum would work that's why I posted

[metweezer]

Aren't the Lee molds made of aluminum? Why should an aluminum pot not be used for melting lead?

[tryNto]

the flame on the Pot, is a lot hotter then the Lead...

[para45lda]

Mould temp below °600 F (for a very short time)
Pot temp above °700 F (for a very long time, at least on the bottom)

That would be my guess.

[JOptionPane]

i just looked up the melting points i don't think i would ever get close to 1200 deg anyone got pic of pot melting like that i use pots like it camping on the same burner with no problems. Please explain why would it fail the weight or what the time at that temp? i just want to melt wheel weights not cast from it?

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/melting-temperature-metals-d_860.html

Thanks
Kyle

[mold maker]

Your putting the pot in the flame to melt the lead. The flame temps are in the thousands. Your pouring a small amount of less than 750* lead into the mold, and heating it to much less than the melt temps. The lead is even transferred which cools it before it get to the mold.
When casting you have to cycle the mold 3-4 times a minute, to keep the molds hot enough, around 400*.
Most foods contain water after cooking. At smelting temps you would have only charcoal for dinner.

[para45lda]

Look up posts by D Crockett. It happened to him. Search his threads or search "aluminum pot fail". Plenty of first hand posts.

Wes

[357 Voodoo]

The Annealing temp of aluminum starts at 650f. As the temp climes the metal looses strength rapidly and at a point well below the melting point of 1220 it will no longer be able to hold together.

[JOptionPane]

now voodoo that's what i am talking about thanks for a good answer. that will keep me from doing something stupid

[lwknight]

You can and likely will melt the aluminum unless you heat it very slowly and gently.
Just because there is solid lead chunks or whatever in the pot does not mean that parts of the pot are not getting a lot hotter than 650-700 degrees.

I have had my cast iron pots near dull red before enough lead gets melted to make all the temperatures equal throughout.

[para45lda]

:kidding:

How about cause we said so

[David2011]

JOptionPane,

Just a fer-example, even steel loses strength as it gets hot. A class 150 flange is good for 285 psi at room temperature. At 600 degrees F, well below melting point, it's down to 140 psi. Aluminum is far more sensitive than steel to losing strength as it heats up.

David

[lwknight]

I just want to add that there are a lot of different aluminum alloys and grades. The cooking pot is probably a very low grade cheap casting. I would not trust it at all.

[D Crockett]

JOptionPane I will make you a pot that is safe to use and will not come apart on you I am here to tell you it is a real BIG MESS if a pot comes apary on you I was lucky and was not in the way when it happened the only thing I ask is you pay the postage give me a pm if you want to take me up on my offer D Crockett

[JOptionPane]

Thanks for your offer but i got a big dutch oven from harbor freight that works nicely. I can tell anyone that might not believe this, it will happen just from what happened to me. The muffin pans i was using to cast in were so hot then bent a little so i lightly steeped on on end to straighten it out a little bit and it crushed like a beer can. I have melted be for but in a smaller cast iron pot and just wasn't sure about the AL pot but i listened to everyone here and didn't use the AL pot. So thanks to all for the disaster avoided.

Thanks
Kyle

[D Crockett]

A word of warning DO NOT HIT THE SIDE OF THE CAST IRON POT WITH YOUR LADEL WHEN HOT IT CAN CRACK ON YOU that reason and the Aul pot coming apart on me are the reasons I use steel pots only D CROCKETT