Will this work?

[Chris C]

Been trying to put together a smelting setup. Have a pot on the way. Need ingot molds, ladle and turkey fryer base. I can use muffin pans for "on the cheap". I'd rather have Lyman ingots, but those durned molds aren't cheap! I think Home Depot has the fryer I want. But while I want a really nice ladle like this one: http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/ladle4.htm , I'm wondering if a 12 oz stainless steel soup ladle will do in the meantime. I have this one my wife won't use because it's "too large".

168699

Do you think the lead will be too heavy for the handle to support?

[WILCO]

Keep it simple. Make your muffin ingots the amount you can safely ladle out.
Not every system has to be high output. A simple fire and RCBS cast iron pot will suffice.

[twc1964]

I use a stainless soup ladle and have for a few yrs. I added a 10" wood extension to the handle to keep away from the heat. Works fine.

[twc1964]

Oneida makes one with a beefier handle. Get em at Wal-Mart for 6 or 7 bucks

[Chris C]

I use a stainless soup ladle and have for a few yrs. I added a 10" wood extension to the handle to keep away from the heat. Works fine.

I'm just worried about keeping the slag out of my ingots.........hence the bottom pour ladle from Rotometals.

[WILCO]

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HlgAAOSwv0tVNmf-/s-l300.jpg

[WILCO]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/Trails650/100_0426.jpg

[WILCO]

I'm just worried about keeping the slag out of my ingots.........hence the bottom pour ladle from Rotometals.

Fluxing and skimming will take care of that. Once you pour a few ingots, you'll see. Be safe.

[Chris C]

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HlgAAOSwv0tVNmf-/s-l300.jpg

I've already got a pot ordered, WILCO, but thanks for the pic. Nice pot.

[OS OK]

It'll work just fine…one full ladle and it will fill a single muffin tin complete with a 'tad-bit' left over…just rest the bottom of the ladle on the edge of the muffin tin and lean her over, no splatter and as you can see here…they pour clean, smooth tops on the ingots…makes them stack well as long as you pour into a level mold.




168702

[country gent]

A heavy stainless soup ladle works fine for pouring ingots. I made a bigger one from a 4" weld on pipe cap and 3/4 black iron tubeing for my ingot molds. ( 2X2 angle iron 10" long in groups of 5 ingots). This ladle moved alot of lead quick and poured very nice ingots for me. I would recomend scrimping on the smelting tools using what works and is easy to aquire. Then spending for the good stuff for actuall casting operation. Reasoning being that you wont be smelting as often as your casting, and the smelting process isnt near as precise as the actual casting is, igots that vary in weight arnt near as big an issue as bullets that do. A good rcbs or rowel #1 ladle for casting a well built pot with a domed bottom ( aides in ladling to lower levels) and a controlable heat source. My main casting pot is a turkey frier stand harbor frieght weed burner and a cut down propane tank. Pot holds 100+ lbs of lead alloy. This stays very consistant in temperature is easy to work with and dang handy for sessions casting 400+ grain bullets for long periods of time. A 10 or 20 lb pot dosnt last long casting these bullets.

[rancher1913]

I have a stainless ladle with a wood handle and a stainless dross skimmer with small holes in it, both came from goodwill and both work just fine, found my cast iron smelting pot at another thrift store.

muffin tins work great for molds, but I found that if you only fill them halfway they fit my casting pot better, the full just barely fit and it takes longer for them to melt in and get back to casting temp. when doing soft lead I fill the muffin tin full, this way I know if its a half puck its ww and if a full puck its soft.

[Tom W.]

I use an old institutional stainless steel soup ladle to dip with, and have another institutional spoon with holes in it ( I suppose it was made for skimming) to skim the junk off the top and to stir the mix.....

[MrWolf]

Got a ladle and large spoon for skimming from Amazon. Got one of the sets of like five utensils. Works great.

[CastingFool]

Long ago, I ingotized quite a bit of wheel weights by simply putting them in a coffee can over a bed of coals and piling the coals around it. Threw a chunk of candle wax to flux, skimmed the junk out, then simply decanted the molten lead into whatever container I was using for a mold. Sometimes, it was a tuna or juice can that I had to peel off afterwards. Made some boat anchors that way. Back then, the ww were all ww.

[Chris C]

Here's what I did to my stainless steel 12 oz soup ladle to make it better for pouring ingots.

168822

Made a spout on it and bent the handle so I wouldn't have to stand right above the hot pot to access lead. Will be putting a wooden extension on the handle so I can keep my person a little further back from that hot pot also. I think it's going to work just fine.

[gwpercle]

Excellent modification Chris....I like that little pouring spout ! I think I'm going to try one out , with the Chris C Modifications....been looking for a better mouse trap. The spoon I'm using now is really way too small and not near long enough .
Thanks for posting....by the way , how did you form the pouring spout ?

Gary

[OS OK]

You will notice in the picture I put up that my handle is bent straight up. That little dipper as small as it looks will hold about 2.5 pounds of lead, I can't control the weight of it stuck out there with the straight handle and it was hard to dip into the high walled pot I use and get a full scoop of lead. Remember, for clean looking ingots you need to make their pour in one continuous shot.

charlie

[merlin101]

Use what ya got, just make sure that the handle is riveted or welded and NOT SOLDERED! I never gave it a thought when I started out and on the second 'scoop' the ladle stayed in the pot while I had a dumb look on my face, that could've been disastrous had it separated while in the air!
My current ladle is stainless with the handle cut near the top by the hook, I then drilled two holes thru it and use a 1&1/2" wooden dowel to extend the handle about 10"

[DerekP Houston]

I use an old SS 8oz? ladle I had lying around. Works great one scoop per muffin.

[Chris C]

Use what ya got, just make sure that the handle is riveted or welded and NOT SOLDERED! I never gave it a thought when I started out and on the second 'scoop' the ladle stayed in the pot while I had a dumb look on my face, that could've been disastrous had it separated while in the air!
My current ladle is stainless with the handle cut near the top by the hook, I then drilled two holes thru it and use a 1&1/2" wooden dowel to extend the handle about 10"

Thanks for the "heads up".................it's spot welded in four places.

[MT Chambers]

A lot of flimsy stuff feels good until you put the weight of a full scoop of lead in it, I'd recommend the Rowell ladle or minimally the Lyman.

[dudel]

I'm just worried about keeping the slag out of my ingots.........hence the bottom pour ladle from Rotometals.

You're going to flux the smelt, then skim off the dross. Your smelt pot should be clean before you start pouring ingots.

I use a cheap ladle from Walmart. Has served me fine for many years. Plastic handle shows some wear from where it contacted the pot; but other than that, no complaints.

[OS OK]

Any slag that you dip out of the pot will stay on top as you pour the ingots, it won't remix into the ingot.
The lead is way more dense.

[tenx]

the ladle will bend and eventually break, most are just rivited on anyway, weld on a good sturdy handle or get a good one to start with. nothing good ever comes out of dropping a ladle full of molten lead. i use an old fire extinguisher bottle for a melt down rig, made a stand out of preforated steel and some scrap stainless for a heat deflector to keep the heat concetrated on the pot. it lays on its side, i cut part of the side of it that became the top or opening for the pot, the extinguisher valve handle is removed and threaded hole plugged, a rectangle burner from a junk yard, holds 85-90 pounds, with some supplemental heat when cold it will melt in about 14 - 15 minutes. my ingot mold is 10 small pieces of angle iron, lay them down with the V pointed up all side by side and weld a metal strip to both ends of the angle iron, flip it over and mine makes a 2.5 to 3 pound bar. the triangular bars stack real nice too and their length makes it easy to add to the pot. by accident mine turned out just long or short enough ( however you look at it ) to fit in a 20mm ammo can. it's tough to move but it stays put once you get it where you want it. just wanted to point out what has worked for me. i've allways thought that someone could turn a buck or two making the ingot mold. i left one side of the end plate on mine slightly long so it's easy to grab with a pair of pliers and flip over.