Ladle

[Ben]

I needed a HEAVY DUTY ladle for pouring ingots.
I went to my welder friend today with a rough sketch
of what I wanted. This is what we ended up with.
I should be able to move some lead with this puppy ! !
The ladle is 2.25 " in dia. and 4" deep.

I'm pouring out of an 80 pound pot that is about 14" in dia.
at the top of the pot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/037.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/036.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/035.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/033.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/032.jpg

[slide]

Ben, we have the same first name but I don't have even 1/2 your brain power. You amaze me at what comes out of your mind. If you can figure out how to remove some of it send it to me,would you!

[Emil]

Ben,

Let us know how it works out for you. I like the long bowl and the long T handle. Should be easier to control the pour than a shallow ladle with a flat handle. Why don't you have Sandy catch some video of you using it in action.

BTW, what's the diameter of the bowl?

/Emil

[bmanis]

I guess it is about time for me to get your ingot moulds back to you.

[Ben]

Emil:

I'll do that.

The inside dia. of the bowl is 2.25 " , the depth of the bowl is 4 ".

I'm not certain how much lead that this ladle will hold, but it is about 5 X more
than the ladle that I've been using for the past 30 yrs. So, I've got
to declare this good progress.

Ben

[Ben]

slide :

The real truth is if someone really had my brain power they would probably be institutionalized.

Ben

[imashooter2]

Emil:

I'll do that.

The inside dia. of the bowl is 2.25 " , the depth of the bowl is 4 ".

I'm not certain how much lead that will hold, but it is about 5 X more
than the ladle that I've been using for the past 30 yrs. So, I've got
to declare this good progress.

Ben


About 6.5 pounds to the rim. Probably lose a pound to the spout.

[Ben]

imashooter2

I think you're right on it.

I use fairly small ingots, so this should allow me some good production.

Ben

[Ben]

I decided that I needed a small amount of " fine tuning " on the design of my lead pouring ladle.
If you look at the 1st photo ( from yesterday ) , when 6 lbs of molten lead attempts to be poured out of the ladle, I was concerned that some might run past the spout and pour out the end. Hopefully no real harm would occur if that happened, but I decided I wanted 100 % of the lead to flow out of the pouring spout.

So...........I did a little modification to the ladle. Tell me what you think ?

Ben


Here is yesterday's design which I felt needed a little " fine tuning ".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/0347865.jpg


Here is today's modification :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/021.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/019.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/018.jpg

[oneokie]

Nice addition to the ladle.

ETA, is the long part of the handle pipe or barstock? Are you going to put a slider on it to help with keeping the heat away from a gloved hand?

[Roger Ronas]

Like the splash guard idea and a slider would be cool too.

Rog

[Ben]

oneokie:

Interesting you asked about the " slider ". I was thinking of wood cylinder with a hole drilled through it that is the exact dia of the outside dia. of the pipe handle.

I'd cut it down the center with a band saw and put it on the handle ( in 2 halves ) with two screws that have counter - sunk heads to keep the heat from the screw heads away from your hands.

Like this :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/0194564.jpg

I'd like to maybe put a handle here on the pipe. The pipe handle is 24 " long.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/0327654376.jpg

[oneokie]

Personally, I would use a piece of pipe split to place on the handle, tack weld the halves together and then place the wood on that. Doing so would add an additonal heat sink to help prevent charing of the wood.

I would also leave the slider moveable so as to be able to move the fulcrum point to the best comfort/leverage point as the weight of the dipper changes. Maybe place a stop on the handle to limit rearward (to the T part) movement. My thinking is that with the slider not fixed to the handle, the T part could be used to rotate the dipper to pour ingots without having to change ones grip on the slider as the dipper is rotated to empty.

[Roger Ronas]

All good ideas right here.

Rog



Personally, I would use a piece of pipe split to place on the handle, tack weld the halves together and then place the wood on that. Doing so would add an additonal heat sink to help prevent charing of the wood.

I would also leave the slider moveable so as to be able to move the fulcrum point to the best comfort/leverage point as the weight of the dipper changes. Maybe place a stop on the handle to limit rearward (to the T part) movement. My thinking is that with the slider not fixed to the handle, the T part could be used to rotate the dipper to pour ingots without having to change ones grip on the slider as the dipper is rotated to empty.

[Ben]

Personally, I would use a piece of pipe split to place on the handle, tack weld the halves together and then place the wood on that. Doing so would add an additonal heat sink to help prevent charing of the wood.

I would also leave the slider moveable so as to be able to move the fulcrum point to the best comfort/leverage point as the weight of the dipper changes. Maybe place a stop on the handle to limit rearward (to the T part) movement. My thinking is that with the slider not fixed to the handle, the T part could be used to rotate the dipper to pour ingots without having to change ones grip on the slider as the dipper is rotated to empty.

Now you're thinking. These are some good ideas.

Ben

[oneokie]

Thank you.

[geargnasher]

Good addition, Ben. When I saw the first pics in your OP I was thinking "Why didn't he have them cut the "up" end of the pipe at a 45-degree angle, blow out a hole in the long side, and weld the spout into that so lead won't spill over the spout ?" But I think your half-cover is an even better idea.

Wood is one of the best insulators around, if you have an old broken hickory pick handle or similar hardwood scrap I'd say just cut a six-inch section, drill through it with a paddle bit, split it with a froe and club or bandsaw (thin blade), put it around the handle and wrap it with leather strips to keep it together. Also you might consider splitting a large washer and welding it on the ladle end of the slider handle to keep the slider from, well, sliding too far toward the hot end.

If you're like me, you probably leave an inch or so of alloy in your smelting pot to make the next session easier to get started, so no problem that you can't get that last little bit out with your ladle. Besides, if you really need to, I'm sure you have other tools for getting to the bottom of the smelting pot.

Gear

[Ben]

Yes, Gear.......I'm in full agreement with you.

Later today, I'll be visiting my welder friend for an " insulator " idea that I have for the handle.

Thanks,

Ben

[Ben]

The heat shield is on now.

I can't see why this won't work. I use welding gloves when I pour, I
can't see the outside shield getting that hot.

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/025.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/020.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lead%20Ladle/024.jpg

[Emil]

Ben,

Nice addition. Should dissipate a lot of heat. Let us know how it works!

If you decide that you'd like a wood handle to sheath the insulator pipe, the offer still stands to make one for you. Just send me the diameter and I'll turn it and split for you. Personally, I think it would make the ladle look "finished", but that's just me.

/Emil

[wills]

http://advancecarmover.thomasnet.com/Asset/Rowell-Ladle-_7-1-.jpg
Twenty five pound capacity
http://advancecarmover.thomasnet.com/Asset/Rowell-Ladle-_8-1-.jpg
Forty pound capacity

Hmmm. Pictures look about alike.

[Ben]

Thanks for the offer Emil,

You're right this " heat shield " should do the trick and it is near indestructible.
Like I said, I'll be using welding gloves, so.....I can't see the outer shell ( heat shield ) getting that hot.

Thanks,

Ben