newbie questions

[witmen]

I'd like to say hello to everyone first. I've been lurking on this forum now for a few months and I've really learned alot.

I plan on doing a pretty small amount of casting, around 150 lbs a year tops. I only plan on doing cannon balls, .44 mags and some .45 acps. So my question is, would it be a bad idea to just use my Lee pro 4 20 as a smelter for making clean ingots? I ask cause I've never heard of any one else doing it. If it isn't a good idea could someone suggest a simple cheap set up? I heard of some guys that use a CI pot and a hot plate.

My source of wws is maybe 40 lbs every 3 months. So I really don't need the ability to melt down a major load of lead.

Thank you all very much for the great amount of info I've already gotten from you.

[carpetman]

witmen---Smelting wheelweights in your casting pot is a bad idea. The smelting is something you want to do outdoors---I know you can run an extension cord outdoors. Reason you do it outdoors is you will get a lot of smoke---all kinds of other stuff in wheelweights. All that other stuff will stop up your bottom pour. I would obtain a Coleman stove if you don't already have such. Here,and it seems pretty common most places,you can find them pretty cheap at garage sales. I think one of the reasons is a lot of folks don't know how to operate and maintain them. They will not support a very large amount of weight--but enough for your purposes. Get a small cast iron pot and you are good to go. I think mine is a ten pounder. I can use pliers and empty mine---if its much bigger you can't do that and would need a ladle to empty it. Oh and you need something for an ingot mold---maybe an ingot mold would work? This is not known as everyone seems to use muffin pans,angle iron,beer cans,and you name it. There may have been a post years ago about someone using an ingot mold???

[medic44]

I got a turkey deep fat fryer from Wally World for $30, use the propane bottle from the grill, and bought a 8 qt cast iron Dutch oven from Harbor Freight for $13. Don't use the aluminum deep fryer w/ lead. I can smelt 80 lb of WW fast and I still have a deep fryer. Told the wife we needed the fryer and it didn't come out of my gun budjet

[medic44]

PS ANY PAN OR POT once used for casting lead is unsafe for human use again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[witmen]

ok I went today and bought a fryer, I put it all together and was wondering about the stability with that much weight. maybe I just worry to much. and oh yea I'll prolly be doing alot more then I though I would atleast to start off. I'm getting 1400lbs of ww in a few days. so that blew my first idea way out of the water.

[TAWILDCATT]

Use A Dipper To Get The Lead Out Of Pot.yes You Can Lift Pot And Pour But Sometimes The Pot Flips And Then Your In Deep Do Do The Bigger The Pot The Mor Chance Of Fipping. Alum Pots Can Melt By Amalgamation Lyman Found That Out With Their First Alum Melter I Had One.i Would Be Interested To Know Who Makes Lyman/rcbs Pots
I Am Sure Lyman Saeco Pots Were Made By Saeco.i Have A Saeco Pot.

[Bigjohn]

Witmen;

Here 'downunder' I smelt any material I get in a special made pot.
To describe it; it is made from a 6" diam by 12" long by 1/4" thick walled pipe; on one end a 6.5" diam. piece of 1/4" plate has been weld on as a base.
A pouring lip has been pressed into the open end to aid the pouring process. To lift the pot off the heat source I use two detachable handles which hook into chain link loops welded to the outside of the pot; two at the top edge and one at the baselevel to the rear of the pouring spout.

One handle with two hooks is used to lift the pot and contents while the other is used to pour the metal by lifting the base. I have posted photos here and I will see if I can put a link to them in here.

This unit is capable of filling brim level eight sets of the lyman or rcbs ingot molds, with enough left to start the next batch and is within the limits of what I am able to lift.

For safety reasons, I work this unit at floor level so all lifting is straight up not in front of you.

John.

[Marshal Kane]

. . . Oh and you need something for an ingot mold---maybe an ingot mold would work? This is not known as everyone seems to use muffin pans,angle iron,beer cans,and you name it. There may have been a post years ago about someone using an ingot mold???

I never gave the "muffin pans, angle iron, beer cans and you name it" much thought when I was assembling my smelting equipment. I just ordered three ingot molds since they are made for that purpose. Have to admire the ingenuity of those of you who are successfully using a substitute.:-D

[Norton]

I got a large black cast iron stew pot at at yard sale and mated it up with a modifed propane constuction heater, or "Salamanders" as we used to call them. I use a ladle to dip them into Echo alumininum muffin tins. It makes perfectly shaped ingots. Of course I do this outside..