Slotted casting spoon

[mjwcaster]

I want to start casting/smelting and have most of the equipment that I need.
What I am having trouble with is sourcing a slotted spoon that will hold up.
What I can find locally looks like junk that will melt or is $15 for something that still might not be the best and will need a handle of some sort.

Thrift stores aren't the best around here and I don't want to drive all over looking for something, wastes too much gas and time. And I just don't enjoy thrift store shopping, most around here seem to be clothes.

Any suggestions on where to find a good slotted spoon?
Online ordering is fine.

I think I have convinced my self to go with a rowell #1 ladle for now.
Is this a good starter for smelting and casting (2 cav for now, will move to 6 cav when I get the hang of it).
And I will get a thermometer, just need to order it.

I don't want to waste money on junk, but can't spend too much money right now.
And I just want to have my own equipment so I can work when I get the chance/urge.
I suck at scheduling things.
A big thanks to Bad Water Bill for his offer to help get me started, I just never got a chance to get over by him.

So far I have a turkey fryer, lodge 5 qt dutch oven, face shield, welding gloves and ~200 lbs of range scrap.
Planning on using cut down pop cans for molds for my first smelting session and fluxing with sawdust.
Not sure how much lead scrap I will have so no interest in spending money on ingot molds for now.

For casting I plan on starting with a Lee 2 cavity 452 230gr TC to feed my XD45.

My goal is to cast pistol round in volume and HiTek coat them.
I already reload HiTek coated boolits and like them. Since I am starting out I just want to jump straight into it, but I may tumble lube my first few batches until I get up to speed.
Baby steps for me.

Eventually I would like to feed my 380, 9mm, 40 and 38's, but I'm happy with the simple 45 for now. 38 will be the next round I work on, even though I don't shoot it much.
Do the simple rounds first and then work my way up.

And then get a Lee 4-20 dripomatic, hot plate, oven for Hi-Tek coating, Sizer, PID.

Man I am going to save so much money :-)

Thanks,
Matt

[Dan Cash]

I don't know what you will do with a slotted spoon but most any soup ladle on the house wares rack in the grocery store will work. Hacksaw a slot to suit your taste. If the plastic handle wont cut it, fit a wooden handle to please your self.

[mold maker]

Your logic is commendable.
I use kitchen spoons from Walmart. They are reasonably priced and made well enough to do the job. A while back they sold a screen dipper made like a sq point shovel. It is great to dip out WW clips before adding flux. Then a regular spoon shape ladle skims the dross.
Your choice of a Rowel ladle is spot on for ladle casting.

[mjwcaster]

I have range scrap and thought I would need something other than my ladle to scoop out the jactets/rocks and other junk.


I don't know what you will do with a slotted spoon but most any soup ladle on the house wares rack in the grocery store will work. Hacksaw a slot to suit your taste. If the plastic handle wont cut it, fit a wooden handle to please your self.

[mjwcaster]

I've looked at walmart, but didn't see any spoons that looked like they would survive.
Most things are plastic, or have plastic handles.

And I hate to say it, but I just for playing with molten lead I just want to buy something that will work and not fall apart, not a fan of splashing or falling molten lead.

Matt


Your logic is commendable.
I use kitchen spoons from Walmart. They are reasonably priced and made well enough to do the job. A while back they sold a screen dipper made like a sq point shovel. It is great to dip out WW clips before adding flux. Then a regular spoon shape ladle skims the dross.
Your choice of a Rowel ladle is spot on for ladle casting.

[country gent]

Wallmart miejers krogers most grocerie stores have a section with cooking utensils that are suitable. Stainless steel with a long metal handle will work. with the longer handles even plastic grips dont get the heat to bother them. Also look at barbeque accesories or utensils. I found a big grill brush at krogers all stainless 4 screws held the brush on was all. I use it as is for removing dross and clips. You could drill a pattern of small holes in it also.

[NavyVet1959]

The restaurant supply stores will have the solid stainless steel spoons. If they don't have the slotted / perforated ones, just drill out some holes or use a cutoff tool to cut some slots in it.

http://www.acemart.com/restaurant-kitchen-supplies/cooking-utensils/cooking-spoons/imported-economy-stainless-steel-commercial-perforated-spoon-aaabsh15p/prod6264.html

http://www.acemart.com/restaurant-kitchen-supplies/cooking-utensils/cooking-spoons/imported-economy-stainless-steel-commercial-slotted-spoon-aaabsh15l/prod4963.html

[mjwcaster]

Slaps head, why didn't I think of that.
Will stop in the local GFS as soon as I get a couple of ball joints replaced on the car.




The restaurant supply stores will have the solid stainless steel spoons. If they don't have the slotted / perforated ones, just drill out some holes or use a cutoff tool to cut some slots in it.

http://www.acemart.com/restaurant-kitchen-supplies/cooking-utensils/cooking-spoons/imported-economy-stainless-steel-commercial-perforated-spoon-aaabsh15p/prod6264.html

http://www.acemart.com/restaurant-kitchen-supplies/cooking-utensils/cooking-spoons/imported-economy-stainless-steel-commercial-slotted-spoon-aaabsh15l/prod4963.html

[gwpercle]

The perforated spoons, all stainless construction, long handle work great. Better than slotted. Wheel weight clips don't fall through , better for skimming. Got one and it's the best, found at hardware stores that sell outdoor cooking equiptment , fish fryers and crawfish boilers. Worked so much better than a slotted spoon I got another for cooking in the kitchen. Not expensive either and was U.S.A. made.

[jmort]

Here is a very nice dedicated tool from RotoMetals which I hope to own one day
http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/casting_skimmer6shal.htm

I am currently using a really nice one I got from member Ray In NH. Too bad he quit making/selling them.

[scarry scarney]

I would go with muffin pans rather than cut down soda cans. I got mine from the wife, when the teflon was a little scratched. Do Not Use the aluminum versions. Where I live is a store called WinCo, and they sell cast iron stuff cheap. I picked up a cast iron "corn" corn muffin pan and a "8 slice wedge" muffin pan for about $8 a piece. So, now when I "smelt", I use the different shapes for the different lead hardness: Pure, wheel weight, and hard.

[NavyVet1959]

Slaps head, why didn't I think of that.
Will stop in the local GFS as soon as I get a couple of ball joints replaced on the car.

I've also seen people use the wire skimmers with good results for the initial removal of the steel clips while smelting:

http://www.acemart.com/restaurant-equipment/equipment-accessories/fryer-accessories/wire-skimmer-jrc3158/prod8368.html

[mjwcaster]

I don't think I have any muffin pans left, got rid of a huge tote of pots and pans a year or two ago and switched to silicon muffin pans.

I also have a handful of condiment cups that I might use for ingots if I can steal them away from my daughter, she plays with them, or is it she just added them to her junk pile in her room?
I liked the post with the cups mounted to a board.

It is time to go garage saleing, just not my idea of fun. And I work most weekends so I miss out on a lot of them. We have a huge sale in town in the fall and I have managed the last few years to stay at our sale and get rid of junk, not roam around and come home with more.

[gtgeorge]

My supply came from the wife's kitchen. :evil: I got a regular large table spoon and then one a good bit larger. I picked cheapies from her stash and drilled little holes with the drill press and have used them for years. Unfortunately when caught using her spoons I had to pay for the replacements!

As for ingot molds, you may be surprised what is laying around that will work. With shelves full of transmission and engine hard parts I use anything that looks like it will work.

[John Boy]

Any suggestions on where to find a good slotted spoon?
mjw - forget about a slotted spoon. Here's what works best:
* Making ingots spoon & to remove the excess lead in the casting pot into your muffin tin ... a Chinese wok spoon ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eastman-Stainless-Steel-Wok-Spoon-/390707104893?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af7f54c7d

* Spoon for stirring the casting pot melt & removing the dross ... in your wife's kitchen drawer, pick the largest metal salad spoon. Then on both edges of the spoon, drill holes. The spoon more than amply stirs the flux into the melt. It also removes the dross and with the holes allows the melt to go back into the pot

[mjwcaster]

Wow this is the best type of reply.
Cheap and available in town.
I will check mine and see what they have, I think I looked there before, but didn't want plastic handles.

I just need to get started smelting down the range scrap without causing a disaster and then will buy more toys as I go along.

Then once I have melted lead I will then buy a mold and let my addiction flourish.

Matt


I use slotted spoons from Dollar General. Plastic handle and all. Haven't had one melt yet. Picks up jackets and ww clips and allows most lead to fall through.

OB

[NavyVet1959]

Wow this is the best type of reply.
Cheap and available in town.
I will check mine and see what they have, I think I looked there before, but didn't want plastic handles.

I just need to get started smelting down the range scrap without causing a disaster and then will buy more toys as I go along.

Then once I have melted lead I will then buy a mold and let my addiction flourish.


You might want to have some molds *before* you start smelting down the lead. Doesn't do that much good to smelt it down and then just leave it to harden in your smelting pot. Besides, depending upon how many wheelweights you have, your smelting pot might not be able to do it in a single load.

[SWANEEDB]

Goodwill---take your choice, .50cents to a buck, that's where all mine came from.

[mjwcaster]

I was talking about boolit mold.
At worst for ingot molds I will use pop can molds, but will try for something better. I have other things I can use.
I just want to melt lead down before purchasing a boolit mold.


You might want to have some molds *before* you start smelting down the lead. Doesn't do that much good to smelt it down and then just leave it to harden in your smelting pot. Besides, depending upon how many wheelweights you have, your smelting pot might not be able to do it in a single load.

[MrWolf]

I use the cast iron corn bread molds from lodge with the nine sections. Has handles on the sides making it easier to carry.

[ssnow]

RayinNH, a vendor sponsor here, makes some great skimmers. There is no comparison between his tools and the dollar store stuff. Good product, good price, fast shipping.

I'm pretty cheap, and can enjoy a .50 cent spoon as much as the next guy :) But I'm really glad I bought some tools from Ray, it was money well spent.

[dikman]

I bought a cheap largish plastic-handled spoon from a Thrift-type shop and drilled a series of holes in it. Works fine for skimming. Eventually I got worried about the plastic handle so broke it off and replaced it with a large wooden handle. I needn't have worried, the stuff was hard and showed no signs of having been affected by the heat.

We have markets that sell Asian cooking implements - cheap! They have an assortment of spoons, wire basket-type things, pots etc, many of which would be more than suitable for what we're doing.

[twc1964]

+1 on the dollar general slotted spoons. i use em a lot. also, walmart sells a really nice onida ss ladle. it holds about 1.85 lbs. i roughed up the first 3 inches of handle and affixed a 5" piece od pine with jb weld. makes the handle longer and keeps my hands cooler.

[BigEyeBob]

Look for the Arcosteel brand , they have a large perferated spoon and a normal large spoon in stainless steel , good and solid ,
I use one of each for smelting and casting .
The perforated spoon is good for getting clips and rubbish out of the smelt , the molten lead just runs through and leaves the junk behind.

[Airman Basic]

I was talking about boolit mold.
At worst for ingot molds I will use pop can molds, but will try for something better. I have other things I can use.
I just want to melt lead down before purchasing a boolit mold.
You'll cut the **** out of yourself with the pop cans. Ask me how I know.:cbpour:

[jayhkr]

I went to walmart and bought the stainless steel camping spoon. I didn't cut holes in it, just use it to remove the saw dust. To remove the WW clips and non-lead weights I use the fish fry strainer that came with my burner kit I got at Cabela's for like $50. Came with the burner, cast iron pot and strainer. Works like a charm. I've tried the cheap dollar store spoons and drilled holes in it, but the metal doesn't hold up very well. No issues with the plastic handle, just the metal itself gets all corroded and adds more gunk than it removes. Have fun and be sure there's no moisture ANYWHERE near where you smelt. Especially if you ever buy lead pipe.......bought a bit last year because I needed something softer and one pipe was bent. Didn't think anything of it and put it in a pot of already molten lead.....well lets just say that my day went to hell really quick. I got farily lucky, but the house, stairs, concrete looked pretty covered and it was a pain scraping it all off. Molten lead shot up around 8-10' onto the house. So needless to say IF I ever buy or get pipe again I will be cutting any pipe that is bent. Be safe.

[jmort]

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, RayinNH is out of business. Too busy with his day job. Fortunately, I was able to get one his skimmers which is very nice. We can hope that he will resume selling his tools.

[ssnow]

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, RayinNH is out of business. Too busy with his day job. Fortunately, I was able to get one his skimmers which is very nice. We can hope that he will resume selling his tools.

I guess it missed it, both your reply, and the fact that he had stopped selling the items. Too bad really, they are really nice tools for the job.

[ssnow]

Now I'm really, really glad I bought when I did :)

For Sale; Original RayinNH skimmer, well used, 1,000.00 bucks.

(With such a tidy profit, I'm sure I can work a deal with him to get another) :)

[jmort]

I believe I actually got two sets of his tools, one last set after he quit selling. So I am sitting on $2k. My wife said no more buying until I do an inventory. That will be an eye-opener as there will be quite a few forgotten treasures unearthed.

[Idz]

In my propane tank smelting pot I use a SS restaurant ladle with an 18" handle for skimming. I drilled a bunch of 1/8" holes in the ladle bowl to drain the lead out of the scrap. It works great and has a long enough handle that my hands aren't cooked inside my welding gloves.

[ssnow]

In my propane tank smelting pot I use a SS restaurant ladle with an 18" handle for skimming. I drilled a bunch of 1/8" holes in the ladle bowl to drain the lead out of the scrap. It works great and has a long enough handle that my hands aren't cooked inside my welding gloves.

Well, that's great!!!!

But you should check out the special deal I have on a Classic, Vintage, Original, Nostalgic, Retro, Handmade, Custom, As not seen on TV, RayinNH skimmer!!!! These are no longer in production, and its value can only increase in time. Better hurry, as this is a limited time offer and not sold in stores!!!

Offer subject to certain exclusions and limitations. Not sold in all 57 states. It is the buyers responsibility to determine if this product is legal in your state and local jurisdiction.

[OuchHot!]

I'm glad we have such a friendly community here, I just hate scalping.

[10x]

A timed out propane tank cut in half makes a great lead pot. Remove the valve from the top half, replace with a 3/4" to 1/4" black pipe bushing and 12" inches of 1/4" black pipe and you have a lead cleaning pot.



This is the setup I use to melt wheel weights. The frame is welded rebar.


109429 109430

[NavyVet1959]

A timed out propane tank cut in half makes a great lead pot. Remove the valve from the top half, replace with a 3/4" to 1/4" black pipe bushing and 12" inches of 1/4" black pipe and you have a lead cleaning pot.

This is the setup I use to melt wheel weights. The frame is welded rebar.

109429109430

The only potential problem that I see with that system is that you might end up with a temperature that would be hot enough to melt the zinc wheel weights whereas if you have a pot with a pool of molten lead in it, the temperature is going to be more stable.

[zuke]

dollar store's,value village,good will, garage sale's

[bannor]

better set up a fan to blow the fumes away from you. Lead is a skin absorber, so handle the bullets and ingots, etc, only with gloves on your hands. If you can arrange an old hotplate or turn on your stove and pre-heat the mold, so less time and lead is wasted on getting the mold up to temp. this is not as much of a problem with aluminum molds, tho. Personally, I think that Lee 2 cavity and single cavity molds are junk. their "alignment" pins are very, very poorly designed made.

If you don't switch (soon) to a propane fired plumber's furnace and 6 cavity mold(s) you'll sicken of casting in short order. The Star progressive sizer is the only machine to bother with (beyond the lee sizer die in your press and liquid/shaker lube. You're only saving 3-8c per bullet (depending upon your lead source) so 100 finished bullets an hour sux, frankly. Definitely don't waste the money on a new lyman or RCBS sizer-luber. if you are going that far,either get it for 1/4 of retail (on ebay) cost, or move all the way up to the Star sizer luber.

[ssnow]

better set up a fan to blow the fumes away from you. Lead is a skin absorber, so handle the bullets and ingots, etc, only with gloves on your hands.


Lead is not readily absorbed through the skin. While there may be certain lead compounds that can be absorbed dermally, they are not present in the elemental lead with which we are working. Here is an OSHA link on the subject, if you are interested;

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=10031&p_table=STANDARDS

There are four primary routes of exposure for a hazardous substance; Ingestion, Injection, Inhalation, and Dermal Absorption.

You either eat/drink it, inject it, breathe it, or absorb it through the skin. If you do none of these things, then it can't hurt you. Well, when dealing with lead, if you drop it on your toe it will hurt :)

Lead is not absorbed through the skin, so absorption is not an issue.

Injection is not an issue, unless you are shot. In which case, one has more pressing issues than just lead in the body.

Ingestion can be an issue, if one was to eat or drink after handling lead without first washing his hands, or if he smokes.

That leaves us with Inhalation. For shooters who develop lead poisoning, the reason is inhalation. But the source of the contaminate is not the lead bullet, it is the lead based compound used in the Primer, that causes the problem.

You will sometimes see the words, "smoke", "fumes", and "vapor" used to describe the smoke produced when smelting. That's fine for casual conversation, but they do have different meanings. Fumes are metal particulates in the air, and there is opportunity to produce them when casting, as in, it can be done.

We usually smelt at temperatures below the point where lead releases fumes. The smoke produced is from all the trash, paint, powdercoat, oil, etc........ None of this is good for you, and should be avoided. But that does not mean that we are creating lead fumes, and we cannot inhale them if we don't produce them.

The hazards of using lead should not be ignored, but they are easy to avoid with a basic understanding of the routes of exposure, and simply using basic hygiene in our process.

[10x]

The only potential problem that I see with that system is that you might end up with a temperature that would be hot enough to melt the zinc wheel weights whereas if you have a pot with a pool of molten lead in it, the temperature is going to be more stable.

That is why zinc wheel weights get sorted out carefully - I still have a couple of hundred pounds of sorted lead wheel weights from 30 years ago. Temperature of the pot does not get over 620F according to the thermocouple thermometer I use to melt the lead. in theory the lead wheel weights melts and runs out the bottom the zinc does not get hot enough to melt ( so long as I keep temperatures under 700F and stays in the pot as a solid wheel weight

[bannor]

I read an article, some years ago, in American Rifleman saying lead WAS a skin absorber, and since the potential bad effects are SO bad, and the remedy is so easy (ie, gloves) I'll go with the "extra' precaution.

[ssnow]

Perhaps the article was referring to lead compounds in the primers being used at that time.

Regardless, elemental lead will not be absorbed through the skin. Gloves are not a bad idea though, they certainly help guard against skin abrasion, and can help as an additional protection against accidental ingestion, as lead cannot be transferred from the hands to the mouth if it never touches the hands.

In that light, I would never fault wearing gloves. However, let's not say that lead is absorbed through the skin, as we want to provide the best information possible to the newbies who may be reading along with us.

[zuke]

I read an article, some years ago, in American Rifleman saying lead WAS a skin absorber, and since the potential bad effects are SO bad, and the remedy is so easy (ie, gloves) I'll go with the "extra' precaution.


If it bother's you so much maybe you should take up a "safer" sport.

[ssnow]

Bannor is right to suggest what he believes to be the best procedure, and lets face it, much misinformation abounds on the subject, and sometimes finds its way into print. His posts were made in a helpful spirit, and isn't that what we are supposed to be about? Although he was in error, the resulting conversation can be a positive, provided that we the members make it so.

There are many old-timers who have done this for years, without ever having high blood lead. Some of them, with that being the case, totally disregard any warnings about lead, and dismiss them as inconsequential or false. They never had an issue, so the issue must not exist.

But there is a reason they never had an issue. It is because the things they do to produce good bullets, along with common sense hygiene, is all that really needs to be done to avoid lead problems.

They may not have kept the smelting temperatures below the point where lead releases fumes for the purpose of avoiding fumes, but they did avoid fumes anyway. They did it to produce good bullets. They did it because it would have been wasteful and counterproductive to use more heat than they needed. Plain ole common sense dictates avoiding all the smoke.

They may not have washed before eating to avoid lead contamination specifically, they did it as a matter of good hygiene and common sense.

The fact that they avoided the hazards does not mean that the hazards don't exist. The danger is real, but it is also very easy to avoid, with just a little understanding of the issues involved, and good hygiene.

[NavyVet1959]

That is why zinc wheel weights get sorted out carefully - I still have a couple of hundred pounds of sorted lead wheel weights from 30 years ago. Temperature of the pot does not get over 620F according to the thermocouple thermometer I use to melt the lead. in theory the lead wheel weights melts and runs out the bottom the zinc does not get hot enough to melt ( so long as I keep temperatures under 700F and stays in the pot as a solid wheel weight

If you're absolutely positive that you will not have a zinc wheel weight in your pot, great. I'm not so confident that one won't slip in. It takes a lot more control to keep something of low mass and low surface contact at temperature below the melting point of zinc than it would to keep a molten pool at that temperature. I prefer to just dump the wheel weights in the pool and scoop out any that have not melted. I tried sorting them once, but it got boring rather quickly.

[dikman]

They may not have kept the smelting temperatures below the point where lead releases fumes for the purpose of avoiding fumes, but they did avoid fumes anyway. They did it to produce good bullets. They did it because it would have been wasteful and counterproductive to use more heat than they needed.

Actually, I would say the reason they didn't inhale any lead fumes is more due to the fact that they couldn't get the lead to the necessary temperature (3000 *F) - just as your average caster here, using propane, won't do it. Even if they over-heated the lead somewhat above that needed for a good pour it's still an awfully long way short of creating lead fumes.

[NavyVet1959]

Actually, I would say the reason they didn't inhale any lead fumes is more due to the fact that they couldn't get the lead to the necessary temperature (3000 *F) - just as your average caster here, using propane, won't do it. Even if they over-heated the lead somewhat above that needed for a good pour it's still an awfully long way short of creating lead fumes.

Interestingly, zinc (MP:787.2F) has a higher melting point than lead (MP:621.5F), but a significantly lower boiling point (i.e. 1665F vs 3182F).

[ssnow]

Actually, I would say the reason they didn't inhale any lead fumes is more due to the fact that they couldn't get the lead to the necessary temperature (3000 *F) - just as your average caster here, using propane, won't do it. Even if they over-heated the lead somewhat above that needed for a good pour it's still an awfully long way short of creating lead fumes.

Yes, of course. You are referring to the boiling point of lead, 3180. Violent decomposition and fume generation. I agree that it's not an issue for us, as we can not get there even if we wanted while using the typical smelting set-up.

However, the lead we place is the pot is often oxidized, and we constantly generate oxidization of the lead and other metals present, during the smelting process. We create the potential for particulates, dusts, and smoke to become airborne during the process. We cannot avoid the generation of these hazards and still get the lead melted. But, a little common sense goes a long ways towards avoiding them.

[dakotashooter2]

My spoon had a round shaft with a plastic handle. I busted off the plastic handle, cut a 18" (or whatever your desired length is) broom handle and drilled a hole in the end and inserted the shaft of the spoon. Then drilled holes in the spoon.

[dikman]

But, a little common sense goes a long ways towards avoiding them.

Quite right, Mr. Snow, and the dust and particulates do indeed have the potential to be a minor issue, but I suspect most (certainly those on this forum) will use sensible practices as regards ventilation.

Unfortunately, my experience, by the way, is that so-called common sense is somewhat uncommon in many people. I'm sure you have noticed the same thing?


Dakota, I did the same thing with my el-cheapo spoon. Works well.

[ssnow]

Yes, we should probably start referring to it as "uncommon sense" :)

I work in Hazardous Waste Remediation, mostly dealing with lead contamination. Every project is set up differently, but usually you have "Emergency Response" properties, where a resident has high blood lead, and these are given first priority, as they are identified. Those aside, the high access areas are usually scheduled first, schools, daycares, parks/play grounds, public housing, etc.....

Then properties with small children, and expectant mothers. Then you take care of the rest of the properties. Vacant lots and lots with empty building are usually saved for last.

I mention that to get to this; Of all the Emergency Response properties on which I have worked, the highest levels of contamination that I seen on the project was at the home of a caster. He made sinkers, and used an old plumbers pot for both smelting and casting.

He worked in a carport, built into what would have been the corner of his house. So he had a roof, two enclosed walls, and two open walls. A situation in which, if the wind was blowing the right direction he had at least some ventilation, but none when the wind was not cooperating.

Someone walking to front door would be passing his work area, and the side door was actually in this carport. His hygiene was very poor, and the whole area was a mess. (and that's being very nice about it :)) Lead and dross splatters all over the place, lead dusts covering everything.

And Grandchildren living in the house with high blood lead. A sad situation really, when it would not have required much effort to prevent it.

Sorry OP, I guess we are guilty of a hi-jack :) Slotted casting spoon. Yes indeed, get one. :) And let's not forget, I do have a special on the RayinNH skimmer :)

[Lead Bandit]

+1 on the rowel ladle. CHEAP CHEAP quality ladles!

[mjwcaster]

Thanks for all the great help.
I took a thrift shop trip over the weekend and found a decent shop or two (most in the area are clothing resale stores).
Managed to find thrift store mall (booths for different vendors).
Right by the front door was a booth with kitchen ware, all marked 75% off. Got several slotted spoons, 1 regular and 2 ladles for ~$2.
Also in the back of the store was a 4 quart cast iron dutch oven marked $10.
I have a brand new one still in the box at home so I didn't need it.
Walked away, came back for a second look and to make sure that it wasn't marked down, but walked away again.
Went to check out but the pot was calling me, went back for a third time and finally saw hidden sign saying half off for that booth.
So the pot came home with me, now I just need a turkey fryer. Sold mine off years ago and lost access to the one I was planning on borrowing.

Did my first smelt today and the spoons and ladle worked fine, may look for a smaller ladle for actually casting, not sure yet.

I do need to upgrade my pot, reinforce the grate on my coleman stove (stove help thread here) (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?249299-Reinforcing-coleman-stove-grate&highlight=), an find something better to place under my muffin tins (the plywood I used isn't going to last without catching fire I fear).

Thanks to all the great folks and their help here at CastBoolits. I have wanted to cast bullets since I was a kid, but never got around to it. If it hadn't been for CB forum I still wouldn't have started.

Thanks,

Matt