Lead pot suggestions

[milsurpaddict]

If you use a pot other than a lead melting pot what type is best recommended. Is is a cast iron pot or some other type of pot.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The older and some newer pots made and sold by Lyman and RCBS are made of cast iron. They usually hold around 10 pounds of alloy and are adequate for getting started with ladle casting. Generally their cost is $10-15 or so which isn't bad and they can be used for smelting as well. Some folks use cast iron vessels that are made for cooking/baking/ frying, and they will work ok although I believe that some of them chosen are somewhat oversize. A dutch oven is in that category unless you find a smaller one. Even those hold a lot of alloy and that's ok if you need a lot of it to do a lot of casting at one time. But that setup also needs a lot of heat/energy to operate and that costs extra. If you go that route just don't hit on/hit/tap strongly on the vessel when it is hot. Cast iron is susceptible to cracking under that stress and the resulting mess can be dangerous. Also avoid the use of aluminum as that has a history of problems/accidents due to metal failure. Stainless Steel has a better track record...also some casters have successfully used sections of propane gas tanks to smelt and cast from. Determine first your needs and your budget in making your choice and figure in how you are going to heat what you choose. Compare the cost to what an electric driven ladle pot such as the lee or Lyman will run you. Do some reading and ask more questions before making your choice. LLS

[milsurpaddict]

Thank you for your excellent information