finished my smelting pot

[shaper]

I found a propane tank at the recycle center that had been cut in half. I added some handles by drilling holes through the sides, made the handles, then pushed them through the holes and welded on both sides of the pot. I bought a turkey cooker burner for $15. at a flea market and put a heavy grill on it. Then I built two ingot moldes out of some heavy L angles. the new ingots will be 5 1/8 inches long each so I can put some in a box and send to some new friends. So for less than $25. I'm ready to melt some heavy blocks of lead. In the picture everything on and around is soft lead. The roll on top of the pot is 40 pounds of sheet lead.
This is my first attempt at uploading a picture so if it dosen't come up I'll get some help later.

[Echo]

Good looking rig.

[shadowcaster]

HAPPY SMELTING! :awesome:

Shad

[Springfield]

Now you just need to put an auto oil drip pan underneath it all to catch the drips and keep your concrete clean. The lead just falls off the pan, unlike using plywood.

[BK7saum]

One thing that will help you heat quicker and conserve propane is to construct a shield around the pot that all extends below the pot. The shield will catch the heat and keep it next to the pot, also heating the sides.

[shaper]

I do some sheet metal work, so I have a lot of it laying around. I have three smaller pieces that I put around the set up to help in diverting the wind as I do my smelting out doors

[detox]

I do some sheet metal work, so I have a lot of it laying around. I have three smaller pieces that I put around the set up to help in diverting the wind as I do my smelting out doors

You can cut shroud from other half of pot...if you know where it is?

[Vinne]

You're with the big boys now!!!

[shaper]

I've been colecting all kinds of lead for several months now and it's starting to pile up. I needed something that would hold a lot of lead in one smelting. I think I'm ready to make some ingots that I can stack. Here is a question... do you guys use different kinds of ingot moulds to identify the different types of lead you have smelted? Like one for soft, another for linotype, another for wheel weight?

[country gent]

Harbor freight has sets of number punches and letter punches pretty reasonably prices. since lead is soft they will last forever. Buy a set of 3/8" or 1/2" and a 2 lb ball peen hammer. Ingots can then be stamped with a numer for a code you use or with composition wwc for wheel weghts clip on, wws fopr wheel weights stick on, P for pure lead ect ect. If a blend then 20-1 30-1 ect. Or a BHN/hardness number could be used. Then mold can be used to hold the ingots for stamping

[Tarkid]

Nice setup. Where are you finding the lead?

[geargnasher]

Good looking rig and excellent go with your first pic!

Blammer's advice on the drip pan is worth heeding too, it really controls the mess. You'll see what he's talking about after your first big smelting session, little drips and splashes get everywhere.

Gear

[shaper]

I get all of my lead from two metal recycle yards for .50 lb. I have a powder coating shop and do some restorations. I restored a safe for the man that owns the recycle yard. For payment he gave me 440 pounds of linotype and about 30 pounds of babbit in bars. Right now I have another much larger safe in the shop that I'm restoreing for the same man.

[Vinne]

Sharper, great swap. I leave all my metals in their own form until ready to mix. When I do make a large batch, I will mark it with a black marker and store it all in one pile. The only thing I try not to let get too large a pile is my WWs. They can take up a lot of space and become a mess if a bucket were to bust.

[a.squibload]

Nice work, and good looking handles but hope they don't tempt you
to move the pot around while the lead is molten!

[fryboy]

watch the plumbing pipe for condensation !! always set it in a cold pot to start with a vent at the top so as it warms up any moisture will simply vent ( as opposed to coming in like the tin fairy at the least unsuspecting moment ...other that that looking good amigo !

[HighHook]

+1 on some plywood underneath. Your area is so clean for the moment.

[shaper]

79458794597946179462I ran a test on the smelting today. I'm not totaly happy with it. Turns out the ring on the bottom of the propane tank will concentraqte all of the heat to the bottom center of the pot. I used my inferred heat gun and found the lead in the center was at 511 deg., going out towards the side of the pot it went to 405, 340, and 283 deg. In the picture you can see the flames having to come out from the bottom of the ring then up to effect the side of the pot. When I shut it down I drilled several 5/16 inch holes in the ring about every 2 inches apart. I may do more tomorrow. These holes will allow the flames and heat to flow to the sides of the pot and distribute the heat better.
I had a lawn mower battery that shorted and melted a post so I made a litle metal form and poured lead in it. I need to drill a hole in it and I can still use it.