Smelting Ladle

[wtfooptimax200]

I have almost completed my angle iron ingot mold project. My "storage" ingot will be around 4.25 pounds and will be used to store raw wheelweights after I smelt and before I make boolit alloy. Once complete I will have at least 50 pounds worth of these ingot molds, I was thinking of buying a Rowell #5 to fill them. Do you think that this is the best size for the job?

Branden

[lwknight]

I have a 4 pound dipper 1 hand rig and its all the hot lead weight that I feel comfortable with .
The Rowell ladles have longer handles and if its a 2 handed setup the 5 or 6 pounder should be great IMHO.

Keep in mind that you will be using body extension so things will seem heavier that something that you could bring in close to your center of gravity.

[Southern Son]

I am too tight and just use a stainless ladle I got from Crazy Clarkes. I might fire up the blow torch and put a pouring lip on the front of the ladle.

[Oreo]

I just smelted 150 lbs and used a Rowell #5 ladle to cast Lyman sized ingots. The #5 worked fine & I can think of no way it was unsatisfactory. I didn't have to fill the ladle to fill all four cavities of the ingot mould which felt a little safer then using a smaller ladle filled to the brim. The #5 also comes with a nice 24" handle, a bit longer then the #4 handle.

The #4 may work just as well or better for you then the #5 but I wouldn't go any larger then #5.

I've used soup ladles too. The Rowell ladles are worth the price.

[mdi]

I think it would depend on the diameter of yer pot and the angle of the ladle "neck" or "stem" or "handle" or whatever you call the part that goes from the ladle bowl to the handle. If the diameter of the pot is small and the handle straight, the angle will be too steep to fill the ladle. I use a Navy surplus soup ladle that goes straight down into the melt...

[casterofboolits]

I use the #5 Rowell ladle to fill Cast iron muffin pans which produce a 2.2/2.3 pound ingot. I get 25 ingots from my smelting pot.

The Rowell ladeles make smelting and pouring ingots a breeze. And the best part? A friend gave it to me!

[mooman76]

I'm cheap to so I used a sm juice can and pliers.

[a.squibload]

Someone here uses a 4oz mushroom can on a rod, so I welded a bracket to a rebar
and used 2 short bolts to attach a similar can. Works pretty good for pouring ingots.
Also bought a stainless soup ladle for 50¢, haven't tried that yet.