My First Ingots!!

[sharpshooter81]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_226214f39964257895.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=3925)

Finally made my first ingots!! Used wheel weights FREE from a local tire shop, they were very happy to get rid of them, got a whole 5 gallon bucket full and the guy even carried them to my vehicle :D....I made a homemade mould using channel iron (welded on the outside) and then fashioned a handle using small round bar. It was an awesome experience and I cant wait to get my Lee mould and start casting some 459-405-HB's!!....So far I have kept my cost really low, got my coleman stove for free (I did have to buy some stove fuel).....got my wheel weights for free, $4 for steel to make my ingot mould, about 40 bux for my lee mould and some alox.....I must say, I was pretty impressed with the ingots!! I melted a bunch of WW down, scooped the **** off the top....put half a candle in the pot until it started smoking real good then it ignited....I just let the fire burn till it went out by itself, then scooped the gunk off the top again and poured into my ingot mould....pretty easy!!

[Virginian]

Congrats!

[williamwaco]

That ingot mold is really nice. How much do the ingots weigh?

Next time half a candle is way too much. Use a piece about the size of the last joint of your little finger. After you clean off the waste, then do it again and stir it vigorously. The second time, be sure to scrape the sides of your pot. You will be surprised how much additional dross will rise to the top. You will think this stuff can't possibly stay under the surface. Lead is way too heavy and anything in there will float. 'Taint so Shooter. Even wood ash can accumulate on the bottom of that pot.

Most of the users here scrape the sides but not the bottom of the pot with a stick - this acts as fluxing material too. I use an old long handled spoon ground off so it is flat on the tip and on one side so it makes good contact with the sides of the pot.

Last but not least. That candle is a perfectly adequate casting thermometer. As your pot is heating up, after the metal is melted. Flux it about every five minutes until the wax fumes self-ignite. That is when the casting temperature is just about perfect.

After your metal is cleaned and you are casting, the amount of flux needed is no more than an asprin tablet - or two.

All that said. Most here recommend using sawdust for flux. I have come to agree with that. It does a better job than wax but I have not figured out how to use it as a temperature gauge.

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[sharpshooter81]

havent got a weight on them yet, but they mesure 2 inches wide, six long, and an inch deep....just a good size i think.....guessing they weigh 2 lbs maybe