electric burner?

[Greg_R]

Searched here and found a bit about electric hot plates for smelting. Mixed reviews. I bought one to try, hoping to be able to do 20 to 30 pounds of wheel weights at a time. Dissapointed to see that it cycles on and off to regulate temperature. I bought it because one reviewer commented he used it to melt zinc. So it should easily get hot enough to melt wheel weights.

Normally use a 2 burner propane stove with the bottles. It has worked fine for me, but expensive to keep replacing the bottles. I should just get an adapter. Hoping that the hot plate will be cheaper and more convenient.

Also wondering about just using the side burner on my outside grill, just don't know if I want to melt lead on what I cook with.

[kentuckyshooter]

I thought about a hot plate but didnt know for shure it would work so went with the 2 burner camp stove. Do your self a favor and buy the adaptor. The cost and inconveince of the small bottles got old fast. Or if u have a bunch of bottles saved up they also make an adaptor that lets u refill them your self at home from one of the gas grill tanks. Dont have one and caint say one way outher as to how well thoes work but i love my adaptor hose.

If u use the grill witch is not advisiable done ever cook on that burner again for obvious reasons and keep the lid down on your main grill to keep down any cross contamination. I dont go crazy with it but i belive all your lead melting should be done with dedicated equipment that should never find its way into use for cooking again.

[minmax]

Usually after Thanksgiving and Christmas there are alot of turkey fryers on Craigslist. So there probably someone still trying to sell one. Go with an adapter, don't try to refill the small bottles.

[6bg6ga]

Tried an electric burner and found out in my case the cycles were varied and the temp not consistent enough to give me good results. Not saying you couldn't add PID control to it and obtain better results but at that rate I believe a person would be better purchasing a simple melting type pot with a pour control.

[6bg6ga]

Usually after Thanksgiving and Christmas there are alot of turkey fryers on Craigslist. So there probably someone still trying to sell one. Go with an adapter, don't try to refill the small bottles.

Actually I'm going to disagree with the don't refill the small bottle comment. I refill small bottles on my case annealer and it works fine. It would probably be better and more efficient to purchase a different adapter to allow the use of a 20 or 30 lb tank with your propane stove.

[jmorris]

I made mine, 3/8" steel pipe with a bottom welded on and a 3500 watt oven element wrapped around it. Controlled by a solid state relay and PID. Will hold 60lbs of lead.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/caster5.jpg

[bangerjim]

Standard kitchen hotplates will not have the heat concentration you want to re-melt many pounds of lead. It could take all day to melt 20#.

Best bet is a turkey fryer on propane! High BTU concentration (what you want) and large area. Use a CI or steel pot to melt in.

I use a plumber's furnace. Roars like a jet afterburner but can melt 70-80# of lead in a matter lf a couple minutes in a CI pot. NO PID needed!!!!!!!!

Forget the electric hotplate except for preheating your molds and feed ingots.

bangerjim

[Idz]

the conversion is 1000 watts = 3414 btu/hr

your typical USA hotplate is around maximum 1500 watts = 5121 btu/hr
a gas grill burner is around 12000 btu/hr
a turkey fryer is about 35000 btu/hr
a Harbor Freight weed burner can output 500000 btu/hr

unless you have commercial electrical service you aren't going to get anywhere near the power from an electric heater as you can get from gas.

[Retumbo]

I started with a hot plate and a stainless steal bowl...no issues did 300-400lbs that way.

Move up as cash allows.

[taco650]

The very first time I smelted ww's I used a propane camp stove. Worked fine & also used it to dip-cast my first 44 slugs. But then we moved cross country and my wife sold it in a garage sale after I had left town for the new job. [smilie=b:

I then used to use a 900wt single burner hot plate and cheap stainless 1.5 quart pan to smelt with. It worked but was slow and could only do about half a pan full at a time. I also used my propane torch to "help" it along. This burner is now worn out and doesn't get as hot so will have to get another camp stove. I think its the best compromise for my situation.

[gwpercle]

Same experience with the "new" hot plates....just about the time it got hot enough to begin melting the sucker cycled off , worthless for melting lead.
Now if you can find one of the old, dangerous, exposed coils, non lawyered , have to protect the public ones, they will melt lead...I've done it , back in the day. A little cast iron pot on top of those coils , turned on high, it would melt the lead in just a few minutes.
Don't bother with the new ones...I brought mine back and told them it wouldn't get hot and got my money back.

[Greg_R]

It actually worked ok. Filled the pot with wheel weights and it melted it well, added more still did well, pot was about 1/2 full of melt, skimmed it and added more is when it started having problems. Melted it, but just barely.

It worked as well as my propane stove. I want to be able to melt the pot full, so I'm going to get a propane burner. The pot probably will hold about a gallon of liquid. I started another thread here to try and pick a good burner without breaking the bank.

I appreciate all the help!