Lyman 20lb. furnace

[DLCTEX]

I finally got time and weather to work on the Lyman 20lb. pot I bought on Ebay more than a year ago. It wasn't working, so I got it cheap. Two crimp connectors later it was working. I decided to test it out by smelting 5 gal. of wheel weights before giving it a good cleaning. It worked flawlessly, including the temp. control. The 10+ lbs. of bullet alloy in it was a bonus that made the deal even better, the thumbnail scratch test indicates it's probably #2 or something similar. The forecast for tomorrow indicates even better weather, so I'm hoping to get to smelting the other eight buckets of wheel weights and the pile of lead pipe and plumbers lead that are waiting. Dale

[cabezaverde]

In the long run, you will be happier with a turkey fryer for smelting, that pot will get dirty in a hurry. If you have the budget, get a cheap burner and keep the pot cleaner for casting.

[mtgrs737]

I must take a long time to smelt a bucket of weights in a 20 pound pot?

[DLCTEX]

I normally smelt in a cast iron pot on a gas burner made from an old water heater burner, I just wanted to run the old lyman before getting into a casting session with it. I spent about 3 hours smelting the bucket of weights, so I feel that I can clean it up and cast with it without fear of it quitting on me. Once clean it will probably only be fed clean metal. It is too windy today (30+) for outside smelting, so I'll just work on my new casting reloading room, unless I get called out again. Dale

[Ken]

How do you plan to clean it?

[DLCTEX]

I use a wire brush in a drill after removing the spout rod. Most of the crud that was on the walls of the pot came off while I was smelting. Some rust is all that seems to be left. The rod sticks a little and jumps when it comes loose, I'll have to fix that. I will wear a good dust mask while brushing, to screen out any lead oxide that may be present. Dale