coleman camp stove good for smelting?

[Remiel]

Is a coleman cast stove and a small lee cast iron pot good for smelting? i found a camp stove for 20.00 in my area and wonder if I should jump on it?

[Sghinds]

Would an electric hotplate get hotter and cost less to run?

[GhostHawk]

If I remember correctly I've done it, but it seemed slow.

I've done it on a gas grill too but that was slower yet.

Nat Gas kitchen stove was my prefered choice for years although it does require some prep and cleanup.
I have to admit since picking up a small lee dipper pot here used, that it is much easier and convenient to setup and cast whenever I'm in the mood. I end up casting smaller batch's but more of them.

[Remiel]

Would an electric hotplate get hotter and cost less to run?

dont know thats why i am asking, as far as cheaper, depends weather or not nyseg hikes my rates again

[Remiel]

If I remember correctly I've done it, but it seemed slow.

I've done it on a gas grill too but that was slower yet.

Nat Gas kitchen stove was my prefered choice for years although it does require some prep and cleanup.
I have to admit since picking up a small lee dipper pot here used, that it is much easier and convenient to setup and cast whenever I'm in the mood. I end up casting smaller batch's but more of them.

no room for a seperate stove, mine is eletric and belongs to the mother in law(also my land lady)

[Sur-shot]

Back when I started I tried the camp stove. When the wire rack got read hot the weight of the lead pot bent the wire rack, it just was not stout enough. Now I use a heavy propane fish cooker from Wally World. With a hose and regulator seems like it was about $20. It holds a 100 pound plumbers pot easily and uses a 25 pound tank.
Ed

[Remiel]

i had planed to use a 10lb cast iron pot to start, I am still new to this, i was just given about 120lbs of wheel weights and still don't have a setup yet

[OuchHot!]

I used a "white" gas coleman camp stove many years ago and had no real trouble getting #25 melted. It was slow but the air temp was about 10F. I haven't done bigger batches on the coleman. The burner was easy to throttle.

[el34]

Smelting wheelweights (or whatever lead you find) and casting boolits are hardly ever done with the same pot. FWIW I use the side burner on my propane BBQ grill, it'll melt 40-50lbs in a 6qt stewpot in about 30 minutes. The Walmart $4 muffin pans for pouring ingots are laid out on the grill itself. But my casting is done with an electric Lee 4-20 casting pot with a spout on the bottom.

[Jungle867]

My father cast boolits on a Coleman white gas stove and nothing else. It took a while to heat up but once it was going he was able to keep everything adjusted well.

[dikman]

No reason it shouldn't work, just don't try and melt too big a lot in one go. Be warned, if you're successful the bug can bite and you'll want to "upgrade"! I wouldn't bother with electric hotplates as you'll be struggling to get the heat needed.

[Yodogsandman]

I've smelted down my lead COWW with a #25 capacity, cast iron pot on the same propane camp stove for about 25 years now. Prior to that, I used a white gas camp stove and a 10# cast iron pot that I also cast with using a Lyman ladle with the pour spout. Both handle the weight good.

[flyingmonkey35]

Done all the time.

Check out you tube link


Lead Ingot Casting from Range Scrap - Part 3 the …: http://youtu.be/pGXAJI0pdUk

[machanic]

Do it all the time, an old Coleman with pump gas 10 lbs lead, takes about 20 min to mid 600 deg F.

[JSnover]

I used a Coleman stove for about 6 months. They're ok for small batches but a bigger setup will make you a lot happier

[bangerjim]

Many out there use those stoves and have for generations! Lots of WW's and boolits made using them. Don't get in a rush. Just watch the weight! The racks were not built to support a HUGE CI pot full of lead. And large pots will take forever to melt.

Keep your melts small like said above.

If you eventually have lots of stuff to melt, you might want to save up for a turkey fryer which puts out 10's of thousands of BTU's and will melt a lot of lead much faster. I use a plumber's furnace that sounds like a jet afterburner but melts 70# in just a short time.

Get that stove fired up and start melting! [smilie=w:

banger

[marvelshooter]

I use a liquid fuel Coleman stove for everything. Perfect for casting but a little slow for smelting large batches.

[Remiel]

Ok good to know gonna call the guy back and buy the stove, he only wanted 20 bucks for it

[NY_Treeguy]

I use a propane camp stove and a 10 lb pot. I put a piece of expanded steel mesh over the burner to keep the pot centered.

[Remiel]

I use a propane camp stove and a 10 lb pot. I put a piece of expanded steel mesh over the burner to keep the pot centered.

That was kinda the idea i had, give the grille a little more support

[dualsport]

It will work fine. Don't load the pot up at first. Start out melting maybe 1/3 full pot, then add wheel weights. Once you have some molten lead started it goes faster. I have several options now but have used an old Coleman and a newer "Dual Fuel" type a lot. Have fun, wear some eye protection.

[Remiel]

well got a large coleman camp stove for the 20 bucks, he has a smaller one for 15. gonna clean it up a bit and find a pot

[jcwit]

I've used this setup for years and it does all the smelting and casting I need.

As far as the cost I'm able to buy white gas at the pump for about the same as reg. gas, white gas makes the generator last much longer IMO.