Woops! Dodged a Bullet This Time

[omgb]

I've been smelting lead in the same heavy duty Aluminum sauce pan for 20 years. Everything from cable sheathing to wheel weights with nary a problem until Sunday. On Sunday I got a new regulator on my turkey fryer. This one goes from zero to 30 lbs. Sounds like a F104 Starfighter taking off (sorry youngsters but the gray hairs will get my reference). So, I loaded up the pot with maybe 30 pounds of scrap. I fluxed but failed to reduce the heat. I got a call (to nature actually) and when I returned the side of the pot had failed and there was lead all over the dirt. Dang! Now I have a new cast iron pot and will have to start it all over again. The new burner sure puts out the BTUs.

[pworley1]

Sounds like good news bad news good news.

[Mitch]

I got the same regulator with double burners but no aluminum pot.it will make the cast pot turn red in a hurry.so still be carefull with the new cast pot.an mlet 2 30lb iso cores in 15 min or less.i still worrie a bit about melting the cast.it seem a bit lower setting I can melt just as much lead with a lot less gas.might be a good thing nature called you may heve needed clen shorts. enjoy the new burner.

Bob

[omgb]

I'm an idiot. Like a kid with a hotrod I had to gun it and go super flame. I even thought about using the lead thermometer but blew it off. Now I'm gonna have a real smoking mess to clean up. I also have a bag of rubber coated diving weights. Tell me that ain't gonna smell!

[country gent]

One trick with the new cast iron pot is start at a low flame and warm the pot and contents slowly for 5-10 mins then open it up. This slows down the fast expansion rate that cracks the cast iron. You need to heat cast iron evenly around or expansion varies causing cracks. I used a cheap dutch oven for 20 years until I got a late start and pushed it to hard one cold winter morning, Heard a tink seen a few small sparks and then the burner filled with dripping lead. I now use a pot from an old propane tank. CAst iron is much better for casting or smelting than Aluminum and even better still is the formed high tensile steel pots made from tanks. Thankfully no one was hurt and your burner wasnt filled.

[Bzcraig]

If I could duplicate the sound of a Starfighter at will, I'd probably done the same thing. I live within a mile of an ANG Base who mission is West Coast protection from Mexico to Oregon. They recently switched from F16's to F15's and every time they take off I just smile. My wife on the other hand just gets annoyed.

[Yodogsandman]

I got a new 0-20 PSI regulator for my double burner stove prior to smelting a few weeks ago, it sure does makes all the difference! I used a 14" dia x 6" deep cast dutch oven for the first time and could get the flames to up over the side if I wanted to. It will hold about 125 lbs of lead and still have plenty of room for fluxing and such.

Glad you weren't hurt when it let go!

[62chevy]

Ouch that hurt, the pocket book that is.

[Hickory]

Murphy's law in action + one aluminum pot.

[Gtek]

And I TRY not to smack the edge of the iron pot after stirring like I am making sauce. I keep telling myself, one of these days!

[Jtarm]

But does it light up like an F104 afterburner?

The good ol Manned Missile.

[Skipper]

For the "kids"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DFSF_Byis6I
Fast forward to about 5:24