Did my first smelting today(pics). Have a few questions.

[creature]

I did my first smelting today and it went pretty well. I did however catch some fumes and got a little wheezy. I was outside and the wind was blowing the fumes away from me but I still breathed some in. Any of you guys use a respirator? If so what kind?

I got one today that said it protects against lead but I'm not sure if it will make a difference. What do you guys think?
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u614/hellhound1983/Photo-0706_zps874cc28e.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/hellhound1983/media/Photo-0706_zps874cc28e.jpg.html)

I poured these ingots today. I think i plopped them out of the pan a little too soon.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u614/hellhound1983/Photo-0703_zps274028bc.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/hellhound1983/media/Photo-0703_zps274028bc.jpg.html)

Here's my setup:
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u614/hellhound1983/Photo-0702_zps9ad58069.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/hellhound1983/media/Photo-0702_zps9ad58069.jpg.html)

I'm trying to figure out a better way to fill the muffin pans. This time there wasn't that much lead so I was just able to pour directly from the pot but the handle was hot as hell. I had to wrap it with one glove and use another on my hand. Not only that but it was real awkward/heavy with all the lead in it. I'm thinking about rigging up some kind of handle for the other side or possibly just using a ladle. Any ideas?

[elginrunner]

I've just started as well, and now have aout 120 lbs of smelted lead in muffin ingots. I'm casting out of a dutch oven so it shouldn't be too different. I ladel my liquid lead out with stainless steel measuring spoons (1 cup size). It has a short handle and can get hot. I have cotton gloves inside leather work gloves, and never feel the heat now.

Some observations: youtube vids will tell you that you must get the muffins out or they will stick. Well my dollar store muffin pans must have been made better (dollar tree), because I let them set up hard to avoid the splash. No problems yet.

Tongue depressors aren't good to flux and stir the pot with, as they are "springy, or whipy" and will spash liquipd PB on ya. They also have some moister content and sometimes cause a flash bubble as it burns the moister off the wood.

Spend some coin on a good solid handled spoon, and slotted spoon. My dollar store spoon is just too flexible, and the slots too big.

hope some of this helped

[creature]

I'm thinking about just getting a ladle and being done with it. It would probably be safer as I wouldn't be lifting the pot and pouring without a spout. My only concern is that I wouldn't be able to fill all the molds in time for them all to be ready to be dumped. I'm thinking the first one would be close to being hard by the time the last one was being poured.

I didn't have and sawdust today so I just used ground walnut tumbling media and a small candle. It worked good as far as I can tell.

[btroj]

A ladle is what you want. Let the ingots sit longer. They will change in color a bit and sink in the center some when hard. The entire pan of ingots needs to be hard before tipping it.

I don't use a respirator or a face shield, I do wear boots, long pants, and glasses. I don't add cold, wet lead to a pot of hot lead either.

Biggest piece of safety equipment lies directly between your ears. Use that and it is pretty safe.

Looks like you did fine, just refine the technique some.

[Lefty SRH]

I smelted both friday and saturday. I don't wear a respirator, the fumes/smoke/smell doesn't bother me real bad and I don't seem to have any problems breathing afterwards.
Friday I melted down 404lb (estimated) of SOWW and saturdays session yielded about 500lbs of COWW. Needless to say I am rather tired and SORE today so I am taking the day off to rest.

[slim1836]

I would not pour directly from pot to ingot mold, too much chance for mistakes to happen. I use a workmate a bench to hold my molds and pour using a ladle just after skimming.

I use the stir sticks from Home Depot or Lowes for stirring the sides of the pot, seem to work well and cheap.

Everyone has their own method which works best for them, you just gotta find which one works for you.

Slim

[mold maker]

I always leave the last of the lead (1/2" or so), in the pot to cool. I write on it what alloy it is and It's ready to quick start the next time.
If you feel the need to use a respirator, just use a dust filter. Expensive units don't help. The harmful dust from un-reclaimed lead oxides are the issue. Often the trash among WWs and the calcium used for Ice will cause a bad taste, if breathed. Stay up wind, of the pot and use a fan for insurance.
we aren't dealing with temps anywhere close to vaporizing lead. There is far more danger from the dirt, and trash that comes with our scrap lead.
Tipping to pour from a pot or dutch oven is far too dangerous. Always use a ladle or dipper. Think things trough before hand to avoid safety issues.

[dbosman]

I cast just inside my garage, on a 6 foot table. There is a fan on low, blowing towards the back side of the pot. That carries most of smell away from me. Most of the smell -in my work area- is dirt being heated or burned.

[TXGunNut]

I like the face shield but doubt I'd wear it long. Had my first (hopefully only!) Tinsel Fairy visit last week but my beard and glasses did a good job of protecting me. Thinking about getting one to wear when I run my string trimmer tho. That sucker launches stuff pretty hard!
My first volume smelting session was last week and I used a stainless ladle, I think moving a big pot of molten lead is a bad idea. Also used heavy welding gloves, big improvement over regular work gloves. I also learned I need more ingot moulds, wasted lots of fuel waiting for them to cool. Netted somewhere around 300 #'s so it will be awhile before I get to play that game again.

[Bushwacker Berg]

Not to Hijack the thread but what's the average number of molds everyone is using? I have one RCBS ingot mold and 4 corncobs for a medium sized dutch oven. Thanks, Ryan

[Spawn-Inc]

I use 4x muffin tins with 12 cups each. But the biggest smelt I've done is maybe 200lbs.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I have 8 ingot molds, holds 3 ingots each. Works great with my bottom pour lead melter that holds about 120 pounds full.
I use a painter type respirator, has a chemical neutralizer which I don't think is needed or effective on lead, the big thing is catching dust.
I've melted a lot of indoor range lead recently and it is VERY dusty.
We generally, cant and dont get lead hot enough to gas off to fumes and be a danger, its the particulates and transfer from touching, that is important

[D Crockett]

here is a few thing that will help the new lead melters (1) clip on ww get a magnet to tack out the clips with eather put them in a metal bucket to cool or put in a bucket of water to cool (2) get a hack saw blade heat the last inch or so red hot and bend into a 90 degrese on it this will help to keep junk/dirt off the sides and bottom of the pot (3) get a tin can to put every thing you take out of the pot except steel ww clips save this the last time I remelted my scrap off stuff I got over 25 lbs of good usable lead from it I only had 5 large coffie cans full (4) flux here is a few of the thing that I have used in the past candle wax-bees wax-used moter oil-pine sap I gathered up a bunch of the balls of sap you see on yellow jack pine trees -a hand full of dried oak leaves -pine saw dust-a paint stir stick-that just a few things I have used over the years <<<< SAFTY >>>> is the most important thing when melting lead. never pick up a full pot of moltant lead to poure ingots with to many thing can go wrong fast that will land you in the hospital. always laydel you lead out of the pot the only time I pick up a pot with moltant lead in it is when I can not get much in my laydel and there is around a inch or less in the bottom of the pot. never use a wire handle like on a duch oven on a pot again it is dangerous to do if you have to use handles on a pot use 2 large c clamps so when you get done you can take them off the pot and they will not get real hot to handle and you will have more controle over the pot of moltant lead. never EAT DRINK OR SMOKE while melting lead. always keep your work area free of things you can trip over. and KEEP SMALL CHILDREN AND PETS AWAY FROM THE MOLTANT LEAD. and the most important thing if you think for one second that your lead might have any mosture or water in it start with a empty pot that way the mosture will steem off and that bitch of a tensel farry does not come and visit you D Crockett

[TXGunNut]

Not to Hijack the thread but what's the average number of molds everyone is using? I have one RCBS ingot mold and 4 corncobs for a medium sized dutch oven. Thanks, Ryan

Good question, I and the OP probably need more ingot moulds. I know I do. I have two Lyman moulds and like them but will have at least four before I do it again. I think ingots store better than muffin shapes but that's just the way I am. I use a 10-qt stock pot, I think more moulds and less heat would have saved me a lot of time & fuel.

[USMC87]

I'm going to my buddies shop tomorrow and make ingot molds out of angle iron. I have used the muffin pans and just want to make my storage a little easier.

[creature]

I did about 60lbs today and refined my setup a little bit. It went a lot smoother. I used a ladle until there was barely any in the pot and then poured off the rest. I did set one of my muffin pans on a plastic five gallon bucket and filled it, oops. Melted right through that bucket. No spilled lead though :).

I fluxed twice per pot, which I hope was enough. It seemed like I could always get more discolored material off the top. I scrapped the pot while fluxing and then skimmed off the top but the surface seemed to keep turning a little brownish tint. I'm not sure if that was just the lead reacting to the heat or not. Anyway, after sitting there and scraping stuff off for about 10mins straight I just said the hell with it and filled the molds. Hope this is alright. Could I just flux again in my Lee bottom pour pot before I fill bullet molds?

[detox]

My Walmart muffin pans feel apart after first pour. I had to use my RCBS ingot moulds to finish job. The RCBS mould has a rough casting surface. I am thinking the Lyman alluminum mould has smoother casting surface.

[mold maker]

You simply can't have too many ingot molds, especially if there are in groups of different brands
I usually use 6 alike for each single alloy. That way, when stored, I can tell at a glance what alloy the ingot is.
My 16"X36" HF cart has a whole shelf of ingot molds. The other shelves hold all my ladles and such. Makes it easy to keep all my smelting stuff together.
If you get an ingot mold that is too rough to release the ingot, use a Dremel tool to smooth things up a bit. Just don't create any undercuts.

[detox]

I have thought about polishing my RCBS cast iron moulds. I bet this will take awhile.

[383]

I plan on doing my first smelt this weekend. I don't have a respirator, but will use a face shield. The wife is willing to sacrifice some old non-stick muffin pans. Can anyone tell me if the remnants of the teflon coating will cause any issues?

[Inkman]

69579

[Inkman]

I know, old post but here's my stuff anyways.

Ladle on left fills about 1 muffin mold each time. The spoon with slots is used for getting all the **** out before fluxing. The flat bottom one is used for scraping the bottom of the pot. The one on the right is used for mixing while fluxing.

I also leave whatever is left in the pot to reheat at a later time if i'm done. Used to grab the pot and pour out whatever was left but just didn't feel safe or comfy (too easy to splash/spill).

69580

This is the result after several pots.

Everybody does things different. Hope this answers some questions.

Al