10 Inch Cast Iron pan

[Boolit_Head]

Anyone know how much lead can fit in a 10 inch cast iron pan? Trying to decide on one of those or a dutch oven for smelting.

[country gent]

Look into one of the cast iron pots at Buffalo arms or Trac of the wolf. The big draw back to frying pans and dutch ovens is the flat bottom, makes it hard to dip from with a ladle The pots at BAco and Trac of the wolf are radioused bottoms allowing you dip to a much lower level.

[country gent]

Another quick tip is if using cast iron start the heat slowly and work up to full temp over 20 mins or so. Some burners started wide open cause expansion that cast iron cant always handle.

[leebuilder]

I made a zinc anode in a ten inch pan, weighed out at 9.6#s.

[Yodogsandman]

A 10" cast iron fry pan will hold too much lead to handle. The molten lead moves from side to side and the weight tries to wrestle it from being held. I started with a 7" cast iron fry pan and it was all I wanted to handle. That got dangerous at times as I was using it to pour directly into the ingot mold. The molten lead would go to one side and I'd try to correct for it and all the weight would suddenly be all on the other side...back and forth. The handle got too hot real fast, too! I was lucky to not be burned.

Better to use a dutch oven for smelting.

[Lefty bullseye shooter]

I haven't done a lot of this but the first batch of range lead I did was with a dutch oven. It worked fine but I had to give it back. Looking at the prices of new cast iron dutch ovens caused me to start looking other directions. I bought the "kit" tha D Crocket sells here made out of an old propane tank. Works really really good. The only thing I would add to it would be to add some handles on the side to pour when the pot is getting low.

Scott

[62chevy]

I went with the dutch oven. I like the idea of it having a lid.

Bought this 2 QT one from Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/22578195?registryId=99570315493&listId=9e312f82-97b0-476a-ad8a-e6bf2b29bcce&listType=WL

[Boolit_Head]

I like the idea of the handle that the frying pan has for tipping it to get the last ladle full. Might even tip it when the burner is off to let all the remainder cool on one side.

Harbor freight has a 3 pan set with a 6, 8, and 10 inch pans for 19 bucks. I am tempted to try them. I just scrounged 2 50ish pound ballast plates to smelt down.

[R8ed]

Try a thrift shop you may be able to get them cheap enough to try various sizes.

[mold maker]

Pouring from a frying pan is just plain dangerous. First the handle design isn't good enough for the weight involved. Second the flowing weight is not near controllable enough. Ever notice that coffee pots are tall and have a small spout? Third the disc of lead, if left in the pot, will make the next melt easier.
A soup ladle from Wally World or the thrift store is a much safer and better choice.
Come on fellows, lets not take chances, that we don't have to.

[triggerhappy243]

To answer the question... About 20 pounds.

[Boolit_Head]

To answer the question... About 20 pounds.

Thanks, that is what I needed to know.

[triggerhappy243]

I, too use a dutch oven with the wire handle. Much more stable.

[NavyVet1959]

This is something that takes basic high school math. Telling you the answer does nothing for you. Telling you how to *get* the answer would actually be useful for you.

All you need is the capacity of the container and the density of what you want to put in the container.

Lead weighs about 708 lbs per cu-ft. There are 12*12*12 = 1728 cu-in in a cu-ft. Therefore, a cu-in of lead weighs about 0.4097 lbs. Thus the Lead Density is 0.4097 lbs per cu-in.

Most cast iron skillets that I have seen are slightly narrower at the bottom than at the top. As such, measure the diameter of the bottom and the diameter of the top. Add them together and divide by 2 to get the average diameter. Measure the inside Depth of the Skillet. You might want to subtract a bit off of this since you want room to be able to stir without spilling lead all over yourself.

Divide the Average Diameter by 2 to get the Average Radius.

Volume of Skillet = pi * Average Radius * Average Radius * Depth of the Skillet

Assuming you measured in inches, this will be in cu-in.

Multiply Volume of Skillet (in cu-in) by Lead Density (in lbs per cu-in) and you will get the weight of this particular volume of lead.

You can also attack this problem from a fluid oz volume point of view if you have an accurate way of measuring a liquid.

Put water into some sort of graduated measuring container. A liquid measuring cup could do, but it's not going to be all that accurate. Larger vessels tend to be more inaccurate, but for what you need to do here, a typical pyrex glass measuring cup will give you a ballpark figure that will probably be good enough.

The measuring cup that my wife has is a 2-cup unit, so I would fill it up to the 2-cup line and then pour that into the skillet. I would keep doing that until I got to the level that I was comfortable having molten lead, keeping track of exactly how much water I put in the skillet. The last measuring cup fill will probably not completely go into the skillet, so you'll have to make an adjustment by subtracting off what is left in the measuring cup.

There are 231 cu-in in a gallon and 128 fl-oz in a gallon. There are also 8 fl-oz in a cup.

Convert your cups measurement to fl-oz by multiplying by 8 and adding in an extra fl-oz you might have because the volume of the skillet was not an even multiple of cups.

Thus, there is 1.8046875 cu-in per fl-oz.

Take your liquid measurement in fl-oz and multiply by 1.8046875 and you will have the Volume in cu-in.

Take the Volume in cu-in and multiply by 0.4097 lbs per cu-in to get the Weight of that volume of lead.

Hope this helps you in the future...



Now, having said all of this, I would highly recommend something deeper than a skillet for smelting lead. You really don't have much room for stirring flux without spilling the lead on a container that shallow.

[jonp]

For smaller stuff I also have a Stainless Steel pot from Walmart. I've been using it for a year or so. Works just fine.

[jonp]

"This is something that takes basic high school math." What is the matter with you? We don't have time to learn math in high school anymore with the cultural sensitivity and gender equality classes :shock:

[Screwbolts]

NavyVet1959, you hit the nail right on the head, great Job, yes , very simple math. It is shocking to me that most don't do the math. In the time it takes to post, and then wait for the answer. The answer could already be working for you.

Some will say I forgot, others, well, others. With all the search engines available a continuing education is readily available.

NV59, thank you for taking the time to post it.

Ken

[leebuilder]

From one navy vet to another, thanks.
the answer i gave, was something i knew, made a few anodes

[Budzilla 19]

Dutch oven only way to go, if you have the lid also, the chances of the "Tinsel Fairy" happening will be diminished if you use the lid correctly!!! Wire handle, radiused inside corners and a tab on the one side opposite of pour spout, can't beat it!!!!! The on I have holds about 40 lbs of alloy safely. Good luck with your choice.

[JimA]

The new way to do math: http://www.custompartnet.com/quick-tool/weight-calculator :shock:

[Boolit_Head]

NavyVet Your are assuming one has the vessel in hand to measure.

[montana_charlie]

You don't seem to have picked up on the fact that a 'skillet'-shaped container is about the worst choice you could make for molten lead.
There actually IS a reason that pots sold for melting lead are not flat and wide.

The narrow handle does not allow control of the contents under such a heavy load of liquid, and it is too shallow to dip from with any efficiency.
On top of that, the 'wide open' aspect means that heat is escaping from the metal at an excessive rate.
You MAY not be able to keep it molten, and you will surely use more energy than a deeper container would require.

You are considering a 'set' of skillets that sell for twenty bucks.
That would be three unsuitable containers of varying sizes.

Are you about to get a clue ... ?

CM

[62chevy]

The new way to do math: http://www.custompartnet.com/quick-tool/weight-calculator :shock:


Thanks that helped me figure the weight of the pile of lead I have.

[62chevy]

Using that custom calculator it said my new cast iron dutch oven can hold 45# of lead. Awesome.

[Boolit_Head]

You don't seem to have picked up on the fact that a 'skillet'-shaped container is about the worst choice you could make for molten lead.
There actually IS a reason that pots sold for melting lead are not flat and wide.

The narrow handle does not allow control of the contents under such a heavy load of liquid, and it is too shallow to dip from with any efficiency.
On top of that, the 'wide open' aspect means that heat is escaping from the metal at an excessive rate.
You MAY not be able to keep it molten, and you will surely use more energy than a deeper container would require.

You are considering a 'set' of skillets that sell for twenty bucks.
That would be three unsuitable containers of varying sizes.

Are you about to get a clue ... ?

CM


Since my available choices are all about the same shape and depth is about the only difference I am working with what is available to me. Several of the so called pots with the round bottom are to small for what I want. The flat bottom will fit on the gas burner I have and be safer since it is made for flat bottom pots. Not everyone does things the way you do. I don't smelt raw enough to make a specialized set up worthwhile.

Got a clue yet?

[montana_charlie]

Since my available choices are all about the same shape and depth is about the only difference I am working with what is available to me. Several of the so called pots with the round bottom are to small for what I want. The flat bottom will fit on the gas burner I have and be safer since it is made for flat bottom pots. Not everyone does things the way you do. I don't smelt raw enough to make a specialized set up worthwhile.

Got a clue yet?
It's not the flat bottom.
It is the shallow profile.

Clue:
A 1-quart stainless steel saucepan would serve you better.
Just make a bail handle for it.

But, if you insist on castiron, check out eBay.

(example)
4-quart is bigger than you might need, but ...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cast-iron-4quart-black-pot-and-lid-/271798325086?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f48714f5e

Look at some of the iron 'saucepans' on this page ...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=iron+pot&_sop=1&_from=R40&_osacat=13905&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR3.TRC2.A0.H0.Xiron+s aucepan.TRS0&_nkw=iron+saucepan&ghostText=&_sacat=13905

[NavyVet1959]

Dutch oven only way to go, if you have the lid also, the chances of the "Tinsel Fairy" happening will be diminished if you use the lid correctly!!! Wire handle, radiused inside corners and a tab on the one side opposite of pour spout, can't beat it!!!!! The on I have holds about 40 lbs of alloy safely. Good luck with your choice.

If you hold the lid in one hand as a shield very close to the mouth of the pot and put the lead in the pot with the other hand, even if you have a visit from the tinsel fairie, you will be shielded from the majority of the lead splatter. And if it starts to splatter, just drop the lid on the pot and problem solved.

Molten lead oxidizes on the surface, so decreasing the surface area for the volume of lead that you are working with would be a good thing. Personally, I prefer a pot that is deeper than even the cast iron dutch ovens, but even the dutch ovens are better than a shallow skillet. If you look at the electric casting pots (e.g. Lee 20 lb unit), you will see that they are shaped so that the depth to diameter ratio is definitely greater than you will see with the dutch ovens. The optimal cylinder dimensions that minimizes total surface area for a given volume is one in which the height of the cylinder is equal to the diameter. But that is not necessarily the primary concern in a casting pot and one could argue that an even taller cylinder would be better for casting so as to further decrease the amount of lead exposed to the air.

Academy has some pretty inexpensive cast iron dutch ovens that would work. On the small side, they have a 10" one that is $18.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_27874_-1?ICID=CRT:200033901

They also have a 14" one for $40 and it supposedly holds 8 qts.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-gourmet-14-dutch-oven/pid-27869?N=395477678

Or a 12" one for $25.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-gourmet-12-dutch-oven/pid-27875?N=395477678

Academy has free shipping for orders over $39.

The OP didn't put his location in his user profile, otherwise I could have determined if there was a local Academy near him.

Harbor Freight has a 12" one for $30, but it has feet on it (which could easily be ground off).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-cast-iron-dutch-oven-44705.html

The HF one is slightly more expensive than Academy, but if you have one of their 20% coupons, it brings the price down to where it is about the same as the one at Academy.

[NavyVet1959]

NavyVet1959, you hit the nail right on the head, great Job, yes , very simple math. It is shocking to me that most don't do the math. In the time it takes to post, and then wait for the answer. The answer could already be working for you.

Some will say I forgot, others, well, others. With all the search engines available a continuing education is readily available.

NV59, thank you for taking the time to post it.


Goes back to the old saying:

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

It's not important to remember EVERYTHING, but you should remember basic conversion factors and formulas (area, volume, weight, etc) and know how to find the information that you don't know. Everything else is just unit conversion so that you are working in the correct units.

It's like when we want to calculate the energy of a particular round. We just need to realize that "energy" actually means "kinetic energy" and as such, the formula is "E = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2". We need to know that the end result is to be in "ft-lbs" and everything else is just unit conversion.

Conversion factors that you need to know (or lookup):
7000 gr = 1 lb
weight = mass / acceleration due to gravity
acceleration due to gravity = 32.1740 ft/sec2

At this point, it's easy to just plug the numbers in and get the final solution. Calculating the weight of a particular material that a simple container can hold is even easier.

[NavyVet1959]

Since my available choices are all about the same shape and depth is about the only difference I am working with what is available to me. Several of the so called pots with the round bottom are to small for what I want. The flat bottom will fit on the gas burner I have and be safer since it is made for flat bottom pots. Not everyone does things the way you do. I don't smelt raw enough to make a specialized set up worthwhile.

Got a clue yet?

In most cases, pots for smelting and casting need to be different. Depending upon your burner, you might not want to put that much weight on it. Having a separate (heavy duty) support mechanism for the pot and then sliding the burner under this might be necessary in some cases.

The people here are trying to give you the benefit of their experience. If you would like to make the same mistakes that many of us have previously made and not learn from their experience, so be it. Personally, I would not use a skillet for casting (much less smelting). The amount of surface exposed to the air will cause more oxidation than with a pot of the same volume that is of smaller diameter but deeper. From a safety aspect, having the higher walls of the dutch oven allows you to more easily stir the pot (fluxing or while smelting) than you could do with a skillet. Even with a dutch oven, I leave at least 1" between the top of the lead and the top of the pot. With a skillet, that doesn't leave you much room for lead.

If the dutch oven has legs and you don't want them, they can be ground off with an angle grinder fairly easily.

[NavyVet1959]

NavyVet Your are assuming one has the vessel in hand to measure.

OK... You might have a point there... :)

If you don't have the vessel, then you need to start making assumptions / estimates.



When it says "10 inches", is it *really* 10 inches?
Is that the outside diameter of the pot or the inside diameter?
If the outside diameter, what is the wall thickness? Probably somewhere around 1/8-1/4", so maybe use 1/4" as a worst case.
How high is the pot? Not all skillets are the same height and not all dutch ovens are either.
If it is a web site, they *might* list dimensions, but you have to subtract the thickness of the bottom of the pot. I would use an assumption of at least 1/4".
To be safe during stirring, you really shouldn't fill the pot all the way up, so subtract off a bit from the height to give you room to stir. Personally, I would not fill a pot to within an inch of the top, but if you want to live dangerously, maybe you might decrease that to 1/2". If the skillet is only 1-1/2" tall, you can see how that doesn't leave much room for lead and still have any sort of safety margin.



If you try to carry a skillet full of molten lead, you will probably spill some of it. I still have spots on the concrete of my patio where the lead dripped while I was taking a ladle from my smelting pot and pouring it in the ingot molds. My ladle has a 1/2" solid square steel bar as a handle, a 3" hemisphere as a bowl, and is about 36" long, so it's a lot easier to keep level than a short handled skillet. Just keep that in mind if you ever think about trying to move a skillet full of molten lead.

[RogerDat]

If you can't see yourself able to keep a 16 lb. bowling ball in the center of a 10 inch skillet then 20 lbs. of liquid lead will be even less controllable.

Stainless steel sauce pan pot from Salvation army is inexpensive and probably a better choice from a safety standpoint. No pot will let you get all your lead out with a ladle but one with a taller profile will allow you to get more out with a ladle before picking it up to pour the last of it into your final ingot. Lid will not only protect you but help keep heat in the pot for faster melting.

Same $20 at Salvation Army or other thrift store should yield 3 good usable stainless pots, with lids, oh and really useful insulated handles. I have one suitable for 25 lb. batches was $8. I picked up a couple of other pots, one for casting from, as opposed to smelting in, and one for making lube in. Oh yeah and a small very solid SS one for $4.95 I picked up for doing small batch alloy creation or just making up a small batch of bullets.

Typically I just tilt the pot when I finish, leave it like that by slipping something under one side of the pot, just tap the little chunk out of the pot once it cools.

As an ingot mold 10" disk from skillet won't fit in a casting pot.

[NavyVet1959]

If you know any HVAC guys, ask them if they have an empty freon tank. They throw those away since even as scrap steel, they're basically worth nothing. They can't be refilled and the valve that is on them is welded and has a check valve on it, so you can't make them into a portable air tank. On the other hand, using an abrasive blade, they can be cut off to whatever depth you might want and the ratio of height to width is better to minimize oxidation as compared to a skillet (or even a dutch oven). Depending upon what tools you have to work with, you can go with quite a few different solutions. Do you have a welder? How about an angle grinder? Air-compressor and air-powered cut-off tool? Circular saw and abrasive blade? Oxy-fuel cutting torch? Each of these give you different options on how to create a pot. Regardless, you can customize it to what you *think* you need and if that doesn't work, you have the ability to try again and see if v2 meets your needs better. :)

[mold maker]

Lots of well intended, and valuable advice, falls on deaf ears.
The wheel was invented a long time ago, but if you insist, have at it.

[waksupi]

Lots of well intended, and valuable advice, falls on deaf ears.
The wheel was invented a long time ago, but if you insist, have at it.

You know what they say, some people just have to pee on the electric fence their self.

[triggerhappy243]

I think he got the point by now.

[RogerDat]

You know the whole thing about math sort of misses the mark. It is not the volume of lead that is the question but the amount of lead that based on experience one can smelt/melt in a 10" skillet. The fact that the majority of experience says don't use the skillet. My Dutch Oven volume is certainly greater than what I'm willing to work with in it. What I consider "full" is not up to the brim by any means. I did use math to determine the weight that a given size of angle iron would hold when used as an ingot mold but I'm not sure that was exactly what the OP was asking.

[Yodogsandman]

If you can't see yourself able to keep a 16 lb. bowling ball in the center of a 10 inch skillet then 20 lbs. of liquid lead will be even less controllable


True! ^^^ Great analogy Roger!

[Boolit_Head]

Both the Dutch Oven and the skillet I am looking at are 10 inch so the only difference is the height of the walls. If you don't want to put that much in at a time the difference is negligible unless you plan on picking the thing up. I don't plan on doing that. The same arguments apply for depth when dipping a ladle so I am not seeing a advantage one way or the other.

[bangerjim]

Skillets are for bacon & eggs, not molten lead! Forget that idea and get something with a higher side and hopefully a round-ish bottom. I use the 50# (or so) curved bottom CI pot in my plumber's furnace. Has little legs on the bottom so it will set up, but has a cradle ring it fits in above the burner.

But never ever a skillet! And you WILL be tempted to pick it up with 20 or 30# of melted lead in it! Trust me. If there is a handle, it will be used.

banger-j

[RogerDat]

Both the Dutch Oven and the skillet I am looking at are 10 inch so the only difference is the height of the walls. If you don't want to put that much in at a time the difference is negligible unless you plan on picking the thing up. I don't plan on doing that. The same arguments apply for depth when dipping a ladle so I am not seeing a advantage one way or the other.

Sides are all good, no downside that I can think of. If there is something about having a pot with taller sides that is a problem it would be important to the discussion to have that information.

Less surface area = less oxidation of the melt (good stuff stays in your alloy better) it was sort of buried in one of the prior posts. Since you indicated you planned on doing smaller batches I suggested smaller stainless steel pot from thrift store. More effective and lower cost. I can do around 20-25 lbs. in a pot that is just a little bigger than a hot plate burner.

Something to consider is the idea of being future proof. Say you find yourself with a 5 gallon bucket of sheet lead or one full of WW's the sheet lead can be stood up in the taller pot, and the WW's will go a lot faster if you have a pot with sides so you can fill the pot up. Both options you say are 10" but the capacity of the Dutch oven is greater than the skillet, that capacity is available if or when you need it. Dental foil was another item that took up a lot of space, or pewter scrap.

As someone mentioned there is a little tab on the rim of the Dutch oven, nice for lifting one side of the pot to cause the last few ladles worth of lead to collect on the other side for easier dipping out. That requires a side deep enough that the lead can collect in the edge of bottom and side. One huge difference is what is between you and any lead that splashes or lead that sprays out explosively from moisture. Side of a Dutch oven or nothing. Those sides act as a protective shield between you and some very hot metal. Can not be too careful when it comes to the tinsel fairy.

[country gent]

Sides that are to tall for dia can make it harder to ladle from. Getting an appropriate sized ladle to the bottom of a small dia tall pot can become a real effort.

[NavyVet1959]

Sides that are to tall for dia can make it harder to ladle from. Getting an appropriate sized ladle to the bottom of a small dia tall pot can become a real effort.

I was wanting to experiment with ladle casting awhile back, so I bought a stainless steel condiment ladle and drilled a hole in the bottom of it. The ladle handle is more vertical, so it is easier to reach the bottom of my Lee 20 lb casting pot. It actually ended up working well enough that I decided not to buy a normal casting ladle. I mentioned this to a guy (FortuneCookie45LC (http://www.youtube.com/profile_redirector/104537089023515947283)) on YouTube and he thought it was worth giving a try and he even made a video of casting with it and his impressions. He used a larger ladle though. The one that I use is 1.5oz, IIRC.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2861068859&feature=iv&src_vid=Lpw6VibKR1w&v=-ZQQ159QJCo

[D Crockett]

bullet head just for the sake of you being safe in doing this hobby of ours I will make you a offer of a pot that I make for $20 plus shipping this thing you have in your head of using a frying pan to melt lead in is just plain foolish and dangerous I for one would not like to hear about you getting burned by doing something STUPID so please pm me and take me up on my offer I am not trying to offend you just saying the frying pan thing is a real bad idea like others have said D Crockett

[Doggonekid]

I probably will catch some slack for this but I use a 14" dutch oven for smelting. I will put 70 LBS of roof flashing and 30 LBS of linotype in my pot at once. I don't cast boolits from a 100 LBS of molten lead in the pot I cast 1 LB ingots. I use a small maybe 5 lbs rcbs pot for a ladle. I have securely attached a 12" wooden handle to hold when I poor my ingots. It takes both hands to hold 4 to 5 LBS of molten lead. Once I have my base I can add other alloys to the mix in my furness. I can add WW or lead shot to my mix depending on how hard I want the boolit to be. I started with a fry pan too. When the chance comes up you will upgrade to something better that works for you.

[62chevy]

I was wanting to experiment with ladle casting awhile back, so I bought a stainless steel condiment ladle and drilled a hole in the bottom of it. The ladle handle is more vertical, so it is easier to reach the bottom of my Lee 20 lb casting pot. It actually ended up working well enough that I decided not to buy a normal casting ladle. I mentioned this to a guy (FortuneCookie45LC (http://www.youtube.com/profile_redirector/104537089023515947283)) on YouTube and he thought it was worth giving a try and he even made a video of casting with it and his impressions. He used a larger ladle though. The one that I use is 1.5oz, IIRC.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2861068859&feature=iv&src_vid=Lpw6VibKR1w&v=-ZQQ159QJCo

I enjoy watching his videos too but the problem with him he uses a fry pan to melt his lead AND in this video he is using an aluminum sauce pan to melt lead. FC45LC was one of the first videos I watch for melting lead but that fry pan just looked like a bad idea so I went with the RCBS 10# pot.

[Sea Bear]

I was wanting a dutch oven for smelting, so I stopped by a garage sale. The lady asked what I was looking for, then she said, "I have a dutch oven in the house I only used once." She brought out a Stansport 4 qt. dutch oven with lid & said I could have it for $8. Looked in my wallet and that's exactly what I had on me. It worked great. The lid helps get a good melt going. I filled it all the way up and was concerned my crab cooker might not take the weight. I made up 95 lbs. of ingots in just a couple hours.

http://www.target.com/p/stansport-cast-iron-dutch-oven-with-legs-black-4-quart/-/A-13808905?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=13808905&CPNG=Sports&kpid=13808905&LID=14pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13808905&kpid=13808905&gclid=Cj0KEQjwrPqnBRD56dGe1o_WlZsBEiQAb5ugt56yJ4Qt xZY_ie_o6V8USaniOzE_2aW91NIONZL6NyAaAi1f8P8HAQ

133443

[RogerDat]

With the readily available 20% off coupon it is $25 and no reason you will ever have to get a different pot. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-cast-iron-dutch-oven-44705.html Notice in the video how as the ladle is dipping or during skimming how the liquid slops way up the side? I may have to give that 3/32 hole in the ladle a try. I also have some ladles from thrift store, including a condiment one. A couple of these I heated and bent the handle to get it set up more like a regular casting ladle. I can take my HF Dutch Oven down to about a shot glass worth of lead, no problem.

You might want a bigger one but won't need. And it will work fine for smaller batches.
The offer from D Crockett is both generous and as I think I mentioned before people who have bought stuff he makes say nice things about it.

[NavyVet1959]

I enjoy watching his videos too but the problem with him he uses a fry pan to melt his lead AND in this video he is using an aluminum sauce pan to melt lead. FC45LC was one of the first videos I watch for melting lead but that fry pan just looked like a bad idea so I went with the RCBS 10# pot.

Yeah, he wants to experiment to see how long that aluminum sauce pan will last. Plenty of people have told him that it is dangerous, but he thinks that he's taken enough safety precautions that when it does fail, he will not be in too much danger. Considering the small amount of lead that he is melting, he's probably not *that* much danger. The problem I see is that it might make someone think that they could take a large aluminum pot (like you see for outdoor turkey / fish fryers and seafood boils) and smelt a large quantity of lead in one of those. The heat weakened aluminum combined with the weight of that much lead could be enough for it to fail.

[62chevy]

The problem I see is that it might make someone think that they could take a large aluminum pot (like you see for outdoor turkey / fish fryers and seafood boils) and smelt a large quantity of lead in one of those. The heat weakened aluminum combined with the weight of that much lead could be enough for it to fail.

That is kinda the point I was trying to make. Plus him using the skillet to smelt with could make others think it is perfectly safe. FC45LC has cast for over 40 years and knows the risks but I worry about the monkey see monkey do syndrome.

[michiganmike]

Anyone know how much lead can fit in a 10 inch cast iron pan? Trying to decide on one of those or a dutch oven for smelting.

I have a 10" cast iron frying pan that I use for cooking. You may want something considerably deeper. The sides of my 10" Lodge fry pan can't be 3" high, maybe 2 1/2". That isn't deep enough to ladle out your lead, and too unwieldy to pour. I would not use the fry pan, were I you.

For now I am using a 5 gallon stainless steel stock pot that I bought used. It isn't as heavy as I want. But, It allows me to melt down in one batch a LOT of COWW. The more weights I can smelt down the more homogeneous the batch will be vs. 5 or six separate batches of smaller weight. I really like the looks of the propane tank conversion, large enough for lost of lead, and heavy duty. IMO, go with the propane tank conversion, or a really large cast iron pot.

MichiganMike

[JWFilips]

Anyone know how much lead can fit in a 10 inch cast iron pan? Trying to decide on one of those or a dutch oven for smelting.

No: but I Know 4 Man size patata pancakes fit in mine!!!:bigsmyl2:

[JimA]

If you must use a flat bottom pan, like a cast iron frying pan for smelting small amounts of lead, get one of these to fill your ingot molds. You can get almost to the bottom.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/attach/jpg.gif Flat Front Ladle.jpg (27.2 KB)

[62chevy]

If you must use a flat bottom pan, like a cast iron frying pan for smelting small amounts of lead, get one of these to fill your ingot molds. You can get almost to the bottom.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/attach/jpg.gif Flat Front Ladle.jpg (27.2 KB)



Holy Smokes I missed out on this one! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooking-with-Calphalon-Stainless-Steel-Ladle/33830883

133581

[Yodogsandman]

No: but I Know 4 Man size patata pancakes fit in mine!!!:bigsmyl2:

Then he'll need a spattoola, too

[ulav8r]

I picked up a dutch oven beside a dumpster a few years ago as I took out the trash. Had a turkey fryer that I made a sheet metal windscreen for. The dutch oven just fits inside the screen. It will hold about 50 pounds of lead. I was able to smelt about 200 lbs of lead in a couple of hours, the main issue was having enough moulds. Cooled ingots by pouring a little water over them after the tops had solidified, then letting them set and dry before refilling. No tinsel fairies involved. I used cornbread stick pans ground smooth for COWW and an aluminum muffin pan for SOWW and lead came scrap.

[white eagle]

A 10" cast iron fry pan will hold too much lead to handle. The molten lead moves from side to side and the weight tries to wrestle it from being held. I started with a 7" cast iron fry pan and it was all I wanted to handle. That got dangerous at times as I was using it to pour directly into the ingot mold. The molten lead would go to one side and I'd try to correct for it and all the weight would suddenly be all on the other side...back and forth. The handle got too hot real fast, too! I was lucky to not be burned.

Better to use a dutch oven for smelting.
I agree
a skillet over and open fire with molten lead gets pretty exciting