Coleman stove white gas or propane or propane grill

[dj454]

I am gathering up materials and equipment to start casting bullets. I have a small propane grill that I no longer use since I bought a larger grill. It is one of the portable grills. Will it get hot enough to melt lead? If not I am looking at Coleman stoves used of course since it will never be used again for cooking I hate to buy new. There are several Coleman stoves on the local Craigslist right now. The white gas type, the propane type and the dual fuel versions. I already have 2 20# propane cylinders for my grill and a heater so no extra expense there. White gas is very expensive now but I have heard it puts out much more heat than propane but which is cheaper in the long haul. Thanks for the help.

[N4AUD]

I use an old Coleman stove that we bought decades ago, it works fine for me but I don't do near the volume that some of these guys do. Coleman fuel isn't very expensive here. I haven't tried a grill or used propane for casting so I can't speak about that. I do smelt wheel weights and cast both on my camp stove and have no complaints about it.

[jhansenjr]

Be careful with the weight! A good sized pot with a pile of wheel weights gets pretty heavy. I prefer to use my old turkey fryer base. Good heat with propane, very sturdy and up high enough I don't have to put it on top of something else combustible to keep from bending over!

[dj454]

I ended up buying a used Coleman propane stove from Craigslist. It was the best price and I bought an adaptor at Lowes so I can use my grill tanks. The propane melted the lead much faster than I expected and I was able to cut the heat way back so hopefully it won't be too hard on fuel.

[w5pv]

I started with a coleman set up but put to much weight in the melt pot and sagged things around pretty good.as long as you don't oeverload it will be fine.

[taco650]

Did my first batch of boolits on a propane Coleman camp stove. If anything, it got too hot if I wasn't careful. We moved a couple months later and it got sold in a garage sale because we didn't want to move it. That was over two years ago and still haven't cast a thing since because a $$$ shortage and can't decide if I want to bone up for a dedicated bottom pour or get an electric hot plate and cast iron or steel pan and dip cast for a while to see if this casting habit will stick.

[bangerjim]

Propane is cheaper and safer! Gas is dangerous to store and use. Coleman founded a company on burning pressurized gasoline......I could never understand why people use it!

Speed is a thing you want to consider. I am sure a camp stove will eventually get hot enough to melt smaller pots of lead. As stated above, it is VERY heavy and will collapse your stove if not careful. A turkey fryer is much better and stronger and hotter. I use a plumber's furnace which heats up VERY fast and can handle an 80+# pot easily......the amount I want to work with at a time.

But your time and $$ will determine that. Most normally do not smelt but a few times a year. You can cast almost every week....at least I do! So invest your $$ in some good bottom pour pots.

bangerjim