Got an old Coleman stove!

[jonk]

No sir, no more smelting wheelweights a handful at a time for me!

I was at a garage sale and the fella had 3 of them. I bought the best looking one at $10 for a 2 burner stove.

It doesn't hold pressure, but I bought the replacement gasket kit. I still need to drain the sludge out of the tank, clean it, and blast with compressed air, but should shortly be good to go; I figured, even if I need the seals AND generator, I'd still be ahead of buying it new.

Here's to smelting goodness.

:drinks:

[USARO4]

I use an old Coleman for smelting small batches of my precious hoard of linotype, works good. I use the turkey fryer/dutch oven for large batches of WW and pure.

[kodiak1]

Turkey Fryers revolutionized the lead smelting industry for casters.
Ken.

[nicholst55]

I smelted about 1/2 of a 5-gallon bucket on a Coleman stove Sunday night - what a PITA! I bought a 4-qt Dutch oven at Harbor Freight, and melted the WW in it. It took forever on the Coleman stove - I had to refuel twice! I would have gone through the entire bucket, but it got dark, and the heat/humidity left me feeling quite tired.

On top of that, I couldn't find my ingot mould, so I had to use my small muffin tin to cast all the ingots. I've got the cutest little silver muffins you ever saw!

I'm planning to buy a big propane burner from either Harbor Freight or Agri Supply before I smelt any more!

http://www.agri-supply.com/

[grumpy one]

I use a little round Coleman gasoline stove for smelting, with a home-made 12-15 pound pot that has lifting handles. I collect about 12 lb of WW each three weeks, and smelt when I have about 25 lb (2 pots). The stove holds enough fuel to do this twice, but I normally refuel each time I use it. I've been doing this for about 25 years, always using cheap gasoline - occasionally cut with kerosene to use up surplus material. It works much better with pure gasoline. Possibly because of the kero, or maybe because I use gasoline rather than Coleman fuel, I have to clean some of the carbon out of the gas generator once in a while. I'd say a 15 pound pot is about maximum for this size of stove. To get the job done it has to be absolutely flat out like a lizard drinking. Works for me because the old stove is so reliable and my smelting is very small-scale.

[Blammer]

speaking of coleman stove fuel, do you realize how FEW people KNOW that a coleman stove or lantern will run on gasoline?

It was hilarious when wally world sold out of "white gas" for the coleman stove during an emergency and so many thought their stuff was useless....

[imashooter2]

Good score on the Coleman. I smelted a pound or 2 on mine before I stepped up to the turkey fryer. Dipper cast off of it for a few years too. Get yourself a nice 2.5 to 3 quart pot and have at it!

[StrikeEagle]

I have one of those that I used to use for melting lead. Took it back out this year after out 7 years of letting it sit and it no longer works. :(

I replaced the pump stuff and seals, but it still doesn't fire up. I think that the generator is dead. I don't have any real idea of how this thing works... but where can I buy a new generator of an old two burner 'white gas' coleman stove?

[grumpy one]

If mine is typical, the problem is likely to be just a plugged jet in the vapour generator. There is a fine, hair-like wire projecting from the end of the control and reaching right through the jet. Each time you adjust the flame, the wire reams out the jet. When the generator is well gunked up, you need to cycle the control knob two or three times from all the way open, to all the way closed. This should punch the wad of carbon through the jet and leave it working again. Once you've got it burning, cycle the control knob whenever the roaring sound (or the amount of the grille that is red-hot) decreases. How often that happens depends on how old it is and how much low grade fuel has been used in it. However you can always get it going again by cycling the control. If it starts to need that treatment too often you can dismantle it and clean the parts, but they are a bit delicate and I don't recommend that unless it's necessary.

[jonk]

It was my understanding that only Colemans marked "dual fuel" could be used with gasoline?

[hydraulic]

I only smelt in the winter. I have a wood stove in the basement and about the time I get back from the coffee shop in the morning there is a good bed of coals, so I set my lead pot full of WWs in the fire box and about the time lunch is over it's melted so I take it out on the walk-in and pour it into my muffin pan. Next day same thing. 10 lbls. a day.

[USARO4]

hydraulic, life is good, you make me proud.

[axxman928]

Pump grade gasoline contains a lot of "additives". These "addies" will eventually plug
up and shortin the life of your Colman generator in either stoves or lanterns. The
best choice is either white gas or Coleman fuel. I've rebuilt enough of these stoves
to see the difference in the fuel that was used. Just my .02 cents worth.
axxman928

[mark348]

i have an old coleman that i use for smelting,,,,i threw away the gas setup when i found a propane conversion at farm and fleet,, it was to use small bottles,, but i also bought a adapter that lets me use a 20 lb tank,,,, works very well

[StrikeEagle]

i have an old coleman that i use for smelting,,,,i threw away the gas setup when i found a propane conversion at farm and fleet,, it was to use small bottles,, but i also bought a adapter that lets me use a 20 lb tank,,,, works very well

Interesting idea here. How much do you pay for 20 pound of propane, and how long does it last?

[carpetman]

Yes generators,especially on lanterns seem to go bad faster if you use gasoline vs Coleman fuel,however,I think the difference in price of the fuels easily offsets the cost of a new generator every now and then. The generators on my stoves seem to fare better and all they ever get is gasoline.

[nicholst55]

Yes generators,especially on lanterns seem to go bad faster if you use gasoline vs Coleman fuel,however,I think the difference in price of the fuels easily offsets the cost of a new generator every now and then. The generators on my stoves seem to fare better and all they ever get is gasoline.

You may well have a point - Coleman fuel is well over twice the price of premium gas here in Maryland! :groner:

[pdawg_shooter]

I built my burner from my idea for a mini forge. It uses LP and I inject shop air to speed things up. Works great. Made my pot from seamless tubing and 1/4" steel plate. Holds about 40 lbs and melts it in about 15 min. from a cold start. After everything is heated up I can smelt a pot full every 10 min.

[jonk]

Update: I used it to smelt for the first time today. I had an old iron pot, and smelted down about 30 pounds in 30 minutes, then used a ladle with a strainer built in (where dad got it I dunno but it is a great item) and away I went. Cut my smelting time in half, and for the amount of lead I go through, is the perfect solution- I don't shoot enough to need a turkey fryer.......yet.