Pewter melting

[Crazyrcflier]

I picked up an old lee lead casting pot today. It is full of lead right now. I was wondering if I could empty and clean it really good and then make it a dedicated pewter melter. I'm only going to be doing small scale melts.

I also picked up a fishing weight mold ranging from 1/8 to 1 1/2 ounces. I am going to use this for the pewter.

All this plus more lead only cost me time to help move 3 pieces of furniture across town. It helps it's my step moms deceased husbands stuff.

[lightman]

The Lee pot will do fine for melting your pewter. Lots of casters use small molds for their pewter and a sinker mole would work. Some make large bullets, like for a 45-70 to make adding pewter easier. Good score on the pot!

[JD74]

nice score there I would say clean the pot good and go for it. Pewter already has some lead in it so as long as theres not a lot of dirt or slag on the sides should be fine

[bangerjim]

I use a Lee 10# electric pot to melt alloys all the time. Since you are not melting 100# of it (unless you are trying to peddle it!) the smaller the better. Leave you big CI re-melting pot for WW's.

I just pick up the small pot with leather golves and pour in the ingot molds I have. No need to mess with a stinking ladel!

banger

[RogerDat]

I use hot plate and stainless steel cook pot. Seems to me an electric casting pot is same thing just built into one unit.

[Crazyrcflier]

I casted all the lead in the pot into the sinker mold for practice. I also melted the lead head fishing jigs I got today into the pot just to get the lead off of them. This was my first time casting anything, it's addicting. Can't wait to get a boolit mold.

I didn't know how I would like the pot. I have had my sights on a lee 4-20 pot cause of the mold rest and capacity. I ended up really liking the pot. I think I can make a mold rest if I deem it necessary later. I may just use it for lead and find a small pot to melt the pewter into and ladle dip it into the sinker mold.

I took a snapshot of the pot and mold. I think I'm going to put a PID on it before I cast anything serious. If I end up getting a bigger one, then I can transfer the PID to the other pot (although I would probably just get another one).
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