Duke's Foundry Part Deux

[Just Duke]

Well here is a pic of the whole shootin match. Just got to get the rest of the house painted then it's "Smelt City" for me woo hoo!!!! Might just wait until September which is a little cooler. Not in any hurry at all.

Here is the original thread;
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=27381&page=3

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/CAST11.jpg

They have them at Sports Authority $74.99

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=848738


Here are the Bottom Pour Rowell Ladles.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/ROWELLLADLES.jpg




Just wanted to thank all here that made this possible for me. :-D








.

[Bret4207]

Way to go Duke. With the smaller Rowell ladle, I shortened the handle on mine to about half length, much easir to use one handed that way. The Rowell works great with the larger 6 cavity moulds, like 44's and 45's , stuff over 200 gr.

[Just Duke]

Thanks Brett. The first thing I am going to do is fill these 20 pound ingot moulds with the Rowell ladles. lol
RCBS LUBESIZER, HEATER & CASTING SETUP


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/CASTINGGEAR.jpg

[Sprue]

Duke, just to remind you, you may already know, if your smelting and have a lid on your pot as in the the top picture, there is great tendency for a quick flash fire as you remove the lid.

Nice setup you have going there.

[Just Duke]

Duke, just to remind you, you may already know, if your smelting and have a lid on your pot as in the the top picture, there is great tendency for a quick flash fire as you remove the lid.

Nice setup you have going there.

Thanks for the heads up Sprue. Lid slightly ajar was what I was thinking unless I was cooking beans in one of my other ones. Cool?

[Just Duke]

The next thing I need to do is take the 4 extension legs and cut them to the right heigth and bolt all four of the around the burner frame. I am speculating the Lodge 10 quart "14 diameter dutch oven will hold around 250 pounds. I am not trusting those 4 legs after they get REAL HOT!!!

[copdills]

looks like your ready to go, congrats

[Dye]

Duke
Stop at Harbor Freight and buy a set of metal stamps and stamp your ignots. WW=wheel weights, ww1= wheel weigts+1%Sn and ect. Will save you a lot headaches down the road
when you get a ton of alloys.
Be carefull Dye

[Sprue]

Thanks for the heads up Sprue. Lid slightly ajar was what I was thinking unless I was cooking beans in one of my other ones. Cool?

I sometimes get a flash fire even when the lid is ajar, as I go to remove the lid. No biggy, but it does/can occur.

I had never had this experience until after I had read someone's comments here on this forum (Bret, Dale, someone) mention about - the flash.

Beans? you thinking of using beans for your heat source? Kuhl !

Let us know how that turns out :mrgreen:

[Texasflyboy]

Free advice freely given...worth what you paid for it:

Consider the original temperature range cast iron cookware is manufactured for today. Average cooking times, and temperature ranges, including rise to temperature are significantly different than when using a propane based heat source in lieu of a range top.

In other words, cooking beans and cooking lead have vastly different thermal properties and temperature ranges. Beans cook about ~150~F, lead is ~550~F or higher.

As many others have done, I started off my casting & smelting with cast iron cookware. Fortunately, my first disaster was small, it was with a Wagner Ware 1088 fryer that held about 15 pounds of lead over a turkey fryer stand. While smelting one day, I tapped the side of the pot with the ladle to dislodge a bit of dross and the pot immediately cracked. Hot molten lead flowed everywhere. color me surprised.

I was not injured. The mess took weeks to clean.

Not satisfied with this first disaster, I repeated my action by purchasing a large lodge pot. Same result. A crack and hot molten lead everywhere on the 9th or 10th use.

I wisely switched to a custom built steel pot made from 8" pipe and flat plate welded into a bowl.

However, I still had not learned my lesson. I used a small lodge pot for casting hollow points. It lasted about a year, and one day, I left the casting area for a short restroom break and returned to find my pure hot molten lead all over the concrete floor of my shed.

That was the last time I used cast iron cookware. The date was 1991 or so.

Since then, I have used steel pots, made from junkyard pipe and flat plate welded and have not had a single failure to date.

My experience, posted for the general knowledge of the group.

[zipdog]

.... and the pot immediately cracked. Hot molten lead flowed everywhere. color me surprised.

I

This type of problem has always been in the back of my mind. Now it's in the front. Guess I'll be looking for some scrap steel soon.

[KCSO]

Never used a lid on mine so I don't know. Yo should be able to do about 60 pounds and hour after the first melt. I do 5 gallons of wheel weights in an afternoon,

[GLL]

DUKE:

You sure went First Class with that LODGE pot and Camp Chef burner ! :) :)

I have changed over to welded square steel tubing. It allows me to weld on handles, hooks, etc. and was cheap at the metal salvage yard.

Since this photo was taken I have welded extensive bracing on my own Camp Chef High Pressure cooker as well.

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/884739BFB73F683/standard.jpg

[Just Duke]

The cooker worked fast. I mean fast fast. That beat the heck out of Coleman stove any day. I casted up 2200 255 grain 45 Long Colts with 2 Lee moulds later that night.

[dromia]

Looking good Duke, I like those Rowel ladles.

I smelt in the garage and never use the lid on my pot.

[Just Duke]

Looking good Duke, I like those Rowel ladles.

I smelt in the garage and never use the lid on my pot.


Thanks Dromia. I owe you guys! :drinks:

[hotwheelz]

HEre is my pot a 12" pipe with a flat steel plate on the bottom welded on some handles and made a small pour dent on one side works great. I lift it off the burner set it on the ground and tip it to pour out inot my ingots.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp28/HWFXSTS/Picture288.jpg

[Shiloh]

Nice Photos Fellas!!!

I love the homemade, "do it yourself with whats available" spirit.:-D
It has to be nice to have welding and metal cutting and fabrication knowledge and tools!!

Shiloh :castmine:

[Leadforbrains]

Nice setup Duke! There are some great photos of some really cool ideas here. Great picture thead!!!

[Just Duke]

HEre is my pot a 12" pipe with a flat steel plate on the bottom welded on some handles and made a small pour dent on one side works great. I lift it off the burner set it on the ground and tip it to pour out inot my ingots.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp28/HWFXSTS/Picture288.jpg


That's one bad boy!!!!
Did you make the burner assembly too?

[hotwheelz]

That's one bad boy!!!!
Did you make the burner assembly too?

No it came with a turkey cooker I got a while back but will hold the pott and about 100-150 of lead no problem

[Jim]

Hotwheelz,
Nice fillet pass. Looks like 1/8" 7018s. And an EXCELLENT job forming the spout!

[testhop]

i have and use both stanless steel pot and cast iron i like the stanless best as it heats up faster Butnow i start to worry is there any thing to sweat with stanless pots

[SciFiJim]

The handle burned off of my stainless sauce pot the second time I used it. My accident was about 10 lbs of hot metal spilled onto my work bench (I felt the handle start to give and set it down fast). Since then I have used vice grips to handle the pot with out any problems.

[Just Duke]

Bump for the new guys.

[Sasquatch-1]

HEre is my pot a 12" pipe with a flat steel plate on the bottom welded on some handles and made a small pour dent on one side works great. I lift it off the burner set it on the ground and tip it to pour out inot my ingots.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp28/HWFXSTS/Picture288.jpg

If you lift that off the burner, while filled with molten lead, I don't think I would want to run into you in a dark alley. When half full (unless my perspective is off) that would have to weigh at least 100 lbs.

[Hardcast416taylor]

My smelter is a steel 10" pipe with electric fry pan heat coils around it at different heights. I then put a 12" steel pipe over this 10" assembly for a safety factor. The base is a piece of 3/8" plate welded to both pipes. Capacity is about 80 lbs. of liquid lead that I use a soup kitchen stainless ladel to pour into the ingot molds.Robert

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Cast iron vessels; dutch ovens, kettles, bowls etc. , contrary to what is believed make poor choices for melting or smelting lead. Firstly they have to be heated slowly and cooled slowly as well. Trying to weld them (if cracked) involves special care as they are very prone to split/burst open completely. Ask any experienced welder. Lead does not stick to them-true, but that is not the issue here. If they are struck or hit sharply when hot they can and often do crack/split and what is in them is all over the place. These types of accidents do not occur with ingot molds as they are smaller in size and are not heated directly, have the alloy poured into them, and are not usually struck forcefully. The same applies to cast iron ingot molds such as corn cobs, bread-stick pans and the likes of such; they usually do not crack even when hot and tapped. (but they can) Older Lyman and RCBS pots used for casting were cast pretty thick and weren't beat on anyway so they stood up to long use. A large DO or kettle with a lot of molten lead in it is a risky setup to tap the ladle on so don't do it. Better safe than sorry. LLS

[Just Duke]

Cast iron vessels; dutch ovens, kettles, bowls etc. , contrary to what is believed make poor choices for melting or smelting lead. Firstly they have to be heated slowly and cooled slowly as well. Trying to weld them (if cracked) involves special care as they are very prone to split/burst open completely. Ask any experienced welder. Lead does not stick to them-true, but that is not the issue here. If they are struck or hit sharply when hot they can and often do crack/split and what is in them is all over the place. These types of accidents do not occur with ingot molds as they are smaller in size and are not heated directly, have the alloy poured into them, and are not usually struck forcefully. The same applies to cast iron ingot molds such as corn cobs, bread-stick pans and the likes of such; they usually do not crack even when hot and tapped. (but they can) Older Lyman and RCBS pots used for casting were cast pretty thick and weren't beat on anyway so they stood up to long use. A large DO or kettle with a lot of molten lead in it is a risky setup to tap the ladle on so don't do it. Better safe than sorry. LLS

Here is the foundry. All 70 pounds without the lid. :o


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/FOUNDRY.jpg

Burner modifications.
This burner is being structurally encased in steel plate with pipe holding the upper and lower plates apart.


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/009-3.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/008-1.jpg


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/DUKEFOUNDRY2.jpg

Here's a cardboard template I made for the burner re-enforcement. I had two plate cut out and the template was loaned out and never returned.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/DUKEFOUNDRY1.jpg

[Just Duke]

This mod works great for 225 pounds of lead but not 1400.



http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/014.jpg


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/016.jpg

[bronte454]

Hey duke love the new pot what diameter pipe did you use an how tall is it . That is what I've had in mind just haven't figured out what diameter. Thanks and looks great

[Just Duke]

Hey duke love the new pot what diameter pipe did you use an how tall is it . That is what I've had in mind just haven't figured out what diameter. Thanks and looks great

I have never used it.
Send me a PM if you want it.