531 pounds

[Blammer]

Wheew I'm tired.

I dragged about 600lbs over to a freinds house (tycer) to use his smelter. Yancy was there too so a good time was surely to be had.

It was 25° this AM at about 9.

We fired up the furnace and proceeded to smelt.

Here is a video showing what it looked like, basically. This was taken in the spring, note the short sleeves...

http://s9.photobucket.com:80/albums/a88/theonet/?action=view&current=MVI_7123.flv

The smelter, we guess will hold 500 lbs at once....

I think the best part was when we put in the last 50lbs of lead to smelt, it had a "little" shredded tire rubber in it from the indoor range lead.... to say we smoked the neighborhood is an understatement.. :D

[Blammer]

Here is another.

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a88/theonet/?action=view&current=MVI_7119.flv

These are Tycer's video's.

[JeffinNZ]

FANTASTIC.

I have 'smelter envy' now.:mrgreen:

[hungryhuntergirl]

Nice set-up you have there!! Pretty cool design!!

[Trez Hensley]

Could you do a write up on your set-up. I'd like to make one. I'd make mine a bit smaller but aside from that it looks like it would be a great set up for me or anyone else for that matter. I don't smelt enough to want one quite that large. If I did make it that big, it would only get used once a year.

Very nice!!

[Blammer]

This smelter was purchased locally from a print shop that used it.

It's Tycer's so he'd be more qualified to do a write up.

I just get to borrow it for the price of a bucket of WW's.. :D

[dubber123]

Great set up, makes the turkey fryer/dutch oven look ridiculous! Thanks a bunch, something else I gotta build!

[Yance]

Yeah. LOTSA fun!!!!!

Tycer and I are "partners" on this "lead hog" and today was the first time I've had the chance to use "my half".:-D

The temp probe was broken when we bought it so Ty put together an electronicly controled regulator system that works like a dream.

That 500 lbs capacity is a bit "conservative". Belay that, it's a LOT conservative!!!

The "vessel" is a big round bowl, hemispherical having no "flat" at the bottom. It sits in cast refractory lined base and is fired by a double ring natural gas burner. Not your everyday bottom pour pot.:-D

We melted what alloy was left from the last firing then proceeded to melt Blammer's range scrap. Rough guess would be 35-40 lb, maybe a bit more alloy left in the pot after no more would come out via the valve.

After Blammer's run was finished I added the 294 lb of "pure" lead I'd just bought at the scrapyard less than a mile from Tycer's house. After all that melted there was still room for another 6" depth of lead. We haven't scrounged enough at one time to really "fill 'er up" but Ty and I figure more like 800 lb capacity. Had I thought I was going over for more than just a "Meet 'n' greet" with Blammer I'd have loaded up the close to 600 lb I have laying at the edge of my driveway.

Anyway, it was a fine, COLD day with LOTS 'o lead and great finally getting to meet Blammer and talk cast boolits!:coffee:

[Herb]

Where's your safety glasses?

[Blammer]

that no me in the pic/movie. I wear mine all the time....

[bradh]

Spray on alittle "top cover" next video......HA HA

[bishopgrandpa]

They are hard to find, but as these guys did, if you find a print shop no longer using linotype they may still have their burner. I found one and the owner said I could have it if I could move it. Took three of us. They are very heavy. Then like the fool I was I let someone talk me into selling it cuz "why do you need something that big"? Would love to have it back, but that was many years ago before I knew I would be doing this for so long. Still have about 400 pounds of the lino tho.