High heat resistant material

[Sasquatch-1]

I recently started using a lodge cast iron tea kettle to melt my range scrap in when doing small batches (which is most of the time). I have found that in order to pour from the spout (which eliminates most of the dirt) I have to lift from the bottom. I used an old oven mitt my wife was throwing out and it charred very quickly. I tried an old leather work glove and when done it looked like it had been wet and then dried on a hot plate till there was no moister what so ever left in it.

Will a welding glove hold up to being place on the bottom of the pot for up to a minute or two? I don't mind spending $20.00 to $30.00 for something that is going to work but I don't want to throw the money down the toilet.

[fryboy]

a minute or two yes but fair warning - the leather will turn into your above described leather in short order , this is actually one time that makes sense for harbor freight , they sell a 3 pack of welding gloves for cheap , originally i bought a bag to have one for the BBQ ,one for welding and one for my casting hobby , the bbq ones are all that survive from that first bag and i'm now on my second bag of them ,but for around $10 ....[shrugz] i use an old pair of channel locks on the opposite side of my pour spout and a glove on the handle , one could fashion a handle much akin to an old wood stove handle i suppose if they're crafty or perhaps even adjust a old pipe wrench tight enough to work altho that goes against the way a pipe wrench was designed to work ( they grip best when pulling towards the lower jaw )

[detox]

Visegrip pliers work good as handles

[MUSTANG]

Visegrip pliers work good as handles

+1 on the vice grips as handles.

Make sure you adjust down to where they are fairly tight. Be cautious as all Cast Iron Pots/Pans are not uniform in thickness at the lip side areas, this could mean a dropped pot if you should size to a thick area for gripping and then place on a thin area to lift. Also, do not leave the vice grips attached to the pot, you would rapidly need those welding gloves because of heat transfer, and the springs in the vice grips would loose their temper also if left attached.

Mustang

[mfraser264]

Is it possible to pour with a ladle?

[runfiverun]

I ladle my pots down,, but when I want them empty I use the vice grips on the tab to pour them empty.
I set them each time I use them because they will slip if not set tight.

[dikman]

Any chance of drilling a hole somewhere in the back and using a large bolt, tightened up, as a handle? It will get hot, of course, but not as bad as holding the bottom!

[Sasquatch-1]

This is a picture from the internet but is almost a duplicate of the one I have including the rust. My problem is, when holding the bale, there is really no where to easily and SAFELY attach a pair of pliers of any kind.

The reason I do not want to ladle is that by pouring from the spout almost all of the dirt stays in the pot.

I am looking for the type gloves that would be used in a foundry where there may be sustain contact with extremely hot items. I have some material I picked up this weekend that is made for potholder and oven mitt type application. They have the silvery coating on one side and the thick rock wool type insulation. I haven't had the chance to try it.

86262

[Sasquatch-1]

Any chance of drilling a hole somewhere in the back and using a large bolt, tightened up, as a handle? It will get hot, of course, but not as bad as holding the bottom!

This may be a possible answer but slightly modified. The back of the lid that is under the bale appears to be attached with a bolt. If it is, I could remove this and add a handle of some sort.

[old cobra]

Amazon, search high temp gloves. Aramid as well as Kevlar & wool. No leather

[dikman]

Ok, how about removing the handle, drill out the mounting holes a bit bigger, fabricate a single mount handle using the front hole (or convert the existing handle to attach only to the front mounting - judicious bending thereof) and another handle for the rear hole? (Or screw a big bolt in the rear hole).

Or find a welder who knows what he's doing and can weld a handle to the back.

[jbelder]

I recently started using a lodge cast iron tea kettle to melt my range scrap in when doing small batches (which is most of the time). I have found that in order to pour from the spout (which eliminates most of the dirt) I have to lift from the bottom. I used an old oven mitt my wife was throwing out and it charred very quickly. I tried an old leather work glove and when done it looked like it had been wet and then dried on a hot plate till there was no moister what so ever left in it.

Will a welding glove hold up to being place on the bottom of the pot for up to a minute or two? I don't mind spending $20.00 to $30.00 for something that is going to work but I don't want to throw the money down the toilet.

I have a pair of high temp gloves that I use. I forget what I paid for them but well worth it. Good up to 1200° but only for minutes at a time but enough time.

[Sasquatch-1]

OK, any of you firemen out there know of Nomex-Kevlar gloves for firefighters?

[mold maker]

When any glove transfers TOO MUCH heat and you need to get rid of it in a hurry, you will decide the choice of melting pot is a mistake. While I fully understand the idea of pouring cleaner metal because of the spout, it's a dangerous practice. A regular cast iron pot like a dutch oven, and a ladle is much safer, and with careful use, produces the same clean pours.
The kettle was only made to handle the weight of water, not 12 times that weight in lead.
The attachment points for the handle, if drilled out, and used for the leverage of an extended handle, very likely may break off, splashing the contents in the most inapproprate places.
Even a dutch oven type pot, shouldn't be lifted with lead in it. The bale handle will allow the pot to become unbalanced and spill violently. much better to allow it to cool. and use the marked plate sized ingot for starting the next like melt.