How many ingot molds?

[crabo]

I am going to be rendering from a 12 quart pot. I have no idea how long it takes before I can dump the ingots and refill the mold. I don't want to be sitting around waiting for the ingots to cool so I can refill them.

I was planning to get the one pound Rowell bottom pour ladel. Would that be a good ladel for rendering? My thought was that since the ingots are one pound, the one pound ladel would be a good match.

Thanks,

Crabo

[Blammer]

yes, get a bucket of cool water, after lead ingots are dropped out, dip ingot mold into water to cool off.

Just be careful that it is dry before you add fresh lead.

[imashooter2]

A four pound ladle would be better, one dip and fill the whole mold. I used 6 molds and a 4 pound ladle to do this pile. By the time I had the 6th full, the first was ready to turn out and refill. I've used fewer, but there was time wasted waiting for the molds to cool before they could be refilled.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/imashooter2/pictures/smelt1.jpg

[ktw]

I have a pot which holds roughly 100lbs of alloy (7qt?). I used a 3lb Rowell ladle and angle iron ingot molds; ~3 lbs apiece and 12 cavities.

I like the 3lb Rowell. I do have to wait to dump the ingots between pours. More ingot molds would be nice, but I can live with what I have.

-ktw

[cohutt]

A four pound ladle would be better, one dip and fill the whole mold. I used 6 molds and a 4 pound ladle to do this pile. By the time I had the 6th full, the first was ready to turn out and refill. I've used fewer, but there was time wasted waiting for the molds to cool before they could be refilled.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/imashooter2/pictures/smelt1.jpg

I have a piece of plywood that looks remarkably similar to that- has basically turned to charcoal in several spots

i use the rowel 4 lb ladle now too- soooo much better than smaller kitchen type ladles, easier on hands, handle doesn't get uncomfortably hot

set up my "molds" all in a row- 1 lyman, 2 lee, 2 mini-muffin tins and then all the diet coke cans that were in the recycling bin when i decided to smelt (use a serrated knife to cut top off).

i keep a wet towel on the end of the table (keep hose handy for grass fires but away from molds and pot), fill all molds, empty first one, press it against towel briefly, refill, empty second one, press against towel, continue till out of lead.
coke cans just get peeled off the ingot with pliers. those ingots come out looking like a shallow 40,000 grain hollow point bullet for a 650mm gun

[JakeOz]

Double tap. See reply below.

[JakeOz]

Why not use a muffin pan. They have 12 nice little round pots and hold approx 2 lb each. Fill all 12, load up the pot again, by the time that has all melted and been cleaned up, tip the cakes out and start again. The mix will be relatively consistent as well as you are only removing about 24 lb at a time.Not as easy to store as the other ingots, but just as handy.

Regards

[Andy_P]

Muffin pans are great - come in 1 and 2 lb sizes. Get the coated steel, not the aluminum. They don't stack nicely, but I just store those ingots in the cleaned 5 gal container I picked up the wheelweights in. I also like the "mini-loaves" pans - about 4 lbs and stack nicely. It's nice to have the three sizes.

I use all three ingot molds at once - I can do over 70 lbs of ingots at once, and while I'm waiting for them to cool enough to tip, I am adding more wheelweight to the melt.

[wiljen]

I'll second the mini-muffin tins.

[44woody]

the best ingot moulds are the ones you make that work the way they are supposed to I make mine out of old bead frames cut them to the length I want them and on a angle weild a small piece on the end they dump out with out hanging up and are easy to use :castmine: 44Woody

[robertbank]

I have just gone to the rectangular muffin pan style and gives you a stackable ingot. Works great and emptes my rendering pot,

Take Care

Bob

[mtgrs737]

I now have five of the Lyman 4 ingot molds and one of the Lee ingot molds. I used to have one Lyman and one Lee but it took forever to smelt and pour an 80 pound pot of lead wheel weights. So I bought the four extra Lyman ingot molds, that I noticed are now made of aluminum instead of cast iron and they now have a handle like the Lee mold so I wont have to use pliers to flip it. I didn't like having to buy the molds but I will get the cost back in time saved and propane saved. I also found a skimmer at Sportsman's Wharehouse for removing the steel clips from the pot, it is a all steel and wire turkey fryer skimmer but looks heavy duty enough for smelting and at $6.99 will save me time making one.

[crabo]

Do you like the aluminum ingot molds better and why?

[imashooter2]

Do you like the aluminum ingot molds better and why?

The aluminum molds have a handle molded in. I use vise grip pliers for handles on the old iron molds. I see no difference in use at all.

[Texasflyboy]

I have no idea how long it takes before I can dump the ingots and refill the mold. I don't want to be sitting around waiting for the ingots to cool so I can refill them.

Get an old cotton bath towel or two and a 5 gallon bucket of water. Immerse the towels in the water. Take them out and neatly fold them into a square the approximate size of your ingot mould.

Cast your first ingots without the towel to ensure that the mould does not have any residual moisture in it. This is especially important if your ingot mould is made of cast iron, as high humidity parts of the country will cause moisture problems with cast iron.

Once the ingot mould is too hot to hold, then place it upon the folded wet towel. Then cast your ingots.

The wet towel will conduct more heat than any other method, and having more than one towel allows you to move the ingot mould from one towel to the next and keeping them nice and wet. The high heat of the lead will efficiently boil the water right out of the towel. If your towel starts to burn, then you aren't keeping it wet enough.

With a 4Lb. open ladle, two cast iron Linotype ingot moulds that each throw 9 3.5lb ingots, I can keep a constant pout going indefinitely without any problems waiting for the ingots to set up.

With the wet towels by the time I can finish filling the moulds, return the ladle to the pot, and bend over to pick up the first ingot mould with long pliers, the ingots are already solid.

[Springfield]

I have a 150 pound melting pot and 12 cornbread moulds. I can pour 85 ingots at a time, and by the time I have melted some more lead the ingots are cool enough to dump. Aluminum moulds tend to dump easier, but not a big difference. I use a 1 pound ladle, any more and I get tired after 1000 pounds of melting.

[mtgrs737]

It seems to me that the aluminum ingot molds cool a bit faster and can be refilled sooner than the cast iron mold I have. Now that I have 6 ingot molds I should be able to pour continously, I use a 2 pound ladle to pour with. I will find out after I find another five gallon bucket of WW's to smelt.

[zuke]

I go to the dollar store for my liquid lead issue's. I get one of the soup spoon's with hole's to get the clips out an a soup ladle to pour my ingot's.

Have to admit it's been a couple year's since I last poured, but I talked to the owner of a local garage and I might be able to get his WW's for free![smilie=w:

[imashooter2]

It seems to me that the aluminum ingot molds cool a bit faster and can be refilled sooner than the cast iron mold I have. Now that I have 6 ingot molds I should be able to pour continously, I use a 2 pound ladle to pour with. I will find out after I find another five gallon bucket of WW's to smelt.

You will be, unless you are much faster than I am. I use a four pound ladle and can fill a mold with one scoop. I pick up a mold from the line on the edge of the plywood, knock out the ingots, rest it on the edge of the Dutch oven and fill. Then I place it back on the plywood to cool and pick up the next in line. The ingots will still be hot when you turn them out, but they won't break. Note the light burn marks in the center of the plywood in the pic above.

[carpetman]

44 Woody--Get an old bead frame for an ingot mold. Waksupi has been telling us for years his name means bead worker and I'll bed he doesnt have one bead frame he could use for an ingot mold. I still think Waksupi really means something or the other to do with sheep specifically ewes.

[lurch]

Get an old cotton bath towel or two and a 5 gallon bucket of water. Immerse the towels in the water. Take them out and neatly fold them into a square the approximate size of your ingot mould.

Cast your first ingots without the towel to ensure that the mould does not have any residual moisture in it. This is especially important if your ingot mould is made of cast iron, as high humidity parts of the country will cause moisture problems with cast iron.

Once the ingot mould is too hot to hold, then place it upon the folded wet towel. Then cast your ingots.


That's the ticket. Works great. I don't use the bucket of water, just keep a pitcher of water nearby that I can pour a little cool water on the towel from time to time. Needless to say - keep the water and the hot lead separate...

[crabo]

When I started this thread, I didn't expect this much interest and all the good answers I got. I did realize that I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on ingot molds. I got a piece of 3" channel and some angle and built 3 ingot molds. They each have 5- 8" ingots. I saved enough money on ingot molds to pay for a boolit mold. (I forgot who posted the picture of their homade ingot molds, but I appreciate it)

I've collected three 5 gal pails of WWs and stick ons. I am finding out that most of the shops will not sell me any wheel weights. A few of the shops are recyling to a person that comes by and knows what a bucket is worth. The weights are costing me $25-30 a bucket.

I may have a salvage yard that will sell me WWs for $25. I gave them the price. They have been throwing all their WWs in 55 gal drums along with nuts and bolts. I hope it pans out. I told them I would buy all they would sell me. It looks like I would have no problem selling the WWs if I get too many.

I would also like to thank everyone on this forum, everyone has been really helpful and willing to help a newbie out.

[BluesBear]

A five gallon bucket of wheel weights now goes for $35 in my area.
A couple of years ago they were free.



I do have one silly question. What is a bead frame? Is it bead welded?
And what is it about one that makes it a good ingot mould?

[imashooter2]

Bead frame is a mis typing of BED frame. 7 foot pieces of free 2 or 3 inch angle iron, usually found on the curb on trash day. Chop it up into appropriately sized pieces and weld them together to form V shaped ingot molds. A brief search here would be sure to turn up a picture or two.

It makes great ingot molds because it's free.

[BluesBear]

AH-ha, BED frame. Now that makes sense.