smelting session

[c1skout]

Here's my new (only test fired) smelting pot. I made this one from a propane bottle with a weed burner for heat.


Ok, I give up on the pictures. Is the site having problems? I cant load them either from the computer or from a hosting site.

Anyways, I had a 30 gal grease drum full, and a 5gal bucket nearly full of the scrap I cleaned from an indoor range. This is mostly from 22's but a decent amount of centerfire pistol. The backstop is an angled steel plate dropping into a sand trap, so the lead is fused into a lot of sand. I weighed the bucket at 98lbs. While I was cleaning this bucketful I kept the garbage that I skimmed off in another tin bucket and weighed it when done......33lbs. So I'm getting almost 70% recovery by weight.

With my calculating done I just kept adding scrap and waiting, then mixing and skimming and fluxing. When my pot got relatively full I'd make ingots till the pot was mostly empty, then repeat.

I called it a day after about 4 hours. I ended with 102 new 2lb ingots. Gonna hafta go get some more propane.:-D

And a question.... how do you deal with the dirt on the inside walls of your pot? I'm constantly having to skim while I'm ladling, (2 scoops, skim, 2 scoops, skim) and it gets frustrating.

[rancher1913]

I have a wood slat that is about 3 foot long that I scrape the sides and bottom with, it gets burnt up as you do this hence the length to start with. it adds some wood flux and brings any "stuck" stuff to the top.

[fred2892]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170122/71dbefb3e9c5a1ab8212b27faf408fae.jpg

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[c1skout]

4th try on pics here's my big pot
185811

Bucket and drum of scrap
185812

Partial pot of once-fluxed melt and the tin bucket of junk that I weighed
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my assortment of ingot molds and processing tools, all from my scrap pile or the missus' cupboard. My stir stick is a chunk of oak.
185818

Some sawdust flux burning off. I use that piece of treadplate for a pot lid when melting. I set the molds on the grille where the spoons are for filling.
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and my pile of ingots
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[imashooter2]

Nice pot! I'd want a little wider base though... standing in a puddle of molten lead is no fun, and that would be a deep one!

[USMC87]

I like the monster smelter set up, How many pounds can you smelt at a time?

[lightman]

Nice work! I used a disc blade to make my base wider.

[c1skout]

imashooter, I didn't intend for it to end up that tall..... I had to extend the length of the legs after I bought the weed burner. I may change it up some more by installing new legs at an angle to increase the footprint. It isn't scary at all right now though, even when stirring a pretty full pot it sits solidly on the ground without any movement. The first time I used it it sunk an inch or so into the ground, that's why I set it on the plywood for this session.

USMC87, I don't know how much lead it will hold. I'd say it's about 5 gal. capacity. I've stood on top of it and jiggled myself around and nothing broke. I weigh about 220.:-) The first time I fired it up it was about 25deg and windy so I stood some tin around it for a wind-break. The weed burner still made enough heat to turn the whole bottom of the pot red, so I think there's enough heat for a full pot of lead.

I'll pay more attention to capacity next time I use it. I fluxed the melt and filled my ingots 3 separate times to get about 200 lbs total......so I suppose between 60-70lbs is what I removed each time while leaving the bottom of the pot full to help start the next melt.

[imashooter2]

For easy math, liquid lead is near enough 90 pounds a gallon.

[CastingFool]

Melter looks good, but the best pic is the last one.

[lightman]

Melter looks good, but the best pic is the last one.

For sure, thats what its all about! A big pile of ingots sure makes a sore back hurt less. :-)