LP Burner

[pistolman44]

I just stumbled onto a new portable camping stove last night for $14.95. It has a cast iron single burner and you have to use a seperate hose with a regulator to hook it up to a 20 lb LP tank. Same tank you use with your BBQ grill. It has a range of 11,000 to 13,000 BTU, Will this set up be hot enough to smelt small amounts of lead? I have a lot of WW and range lead I need to get into ingots.

[Dale53]

pistolman44;
If you indeed have a LOT of WW's, do yourself a favor and get a Turkey/Fish fryer along with a Harbor Freight Dutch oven. Your time is certainly worth SOMETHING and you can use the fryer set up for the rest of your natural life.

I just did over 300 lbs of scrap lead (requiring a lot of extra work) in a few hours (had a helper). I have done as much as 650 lbs in an afternoon (with help). In my view, when you figure cost and utility value the turkey/fish fryer has it all over most anything else out there. Here is what I use, from Bass Pro. It is often on sale for $29.95:

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Propane-Cooker-with-Aluminum-Pot/product/10205245/72596

Do NOT try to use the aluminum pot for melting lead. Give that to your wife for the kitchen. You need cast iron or steel for the lead pot (aluminum looses much of it's strength when heated to lead melting temperatures - there have been catastrophic failures).

Dale53

[cbrick]

I would heed Dale's advice about the turkey fryer, in fact I did but about 5 years before this forum started. You'll get far more BTU's than from a camp stove and the Chinese are selling turket fryers pretty cheap, way worth it if your going to continue casting and smelting. If this is a one time thing for you the camp stove will probably do it for you.

Also heed the advice about the aluminum pot, I'm sure your wife wuold be happy to get a new soup pot (they work great for that, not for lead).

Rick