Homemade smelting pot

[megasupermagnum]

I just finished building myself a nice bottom pour smelting pot. For the valve, I decided to use a block, and used a countersink bit to cut a valve seat. I then decided to use brass rod for the valve, which I cut to match, then lapped to the seat. I have it attached to threaded rod, and threaded a block to tighten the valve. I decided that would be more secure than the levers I've seen that rely on weight to seal. It seals water better than I hoped. My only concern is that brass might melt, or cause other problems in lead. Is there anything to be concerned about, or do others just use steel because it's cheap?

[ReloaderFred]

The melting point of brass is over twice the melting point of lead, so that shouldn't be a problem. After all, they make bullet molds from brass. My only concern would be wear, since brass is so soft, but soft may turn out to be good. You won't know until you try.

I'd like to see a picture of it, if you can.

Fred

[bullseye67]

Good evening,
I have a ladle made from brass that I was given.....30+ years ago that hasn’t melted. The lady that gave it to me used a gas torch to melt lead in it and then poured it into molds for ornaments. I have used it as my ladle for (S)melting scrap lead. It holds 3 pounds of liquid lead.
I wouldn’t be concerned about the melting.
Pictures would be nice.....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bangerjim]

Heat up the brass parts with a torch several times to well over lead melting temps. Let it cool and repeat. That will form an oxide on the brass similar to the many brass molds I use. Lead will not stick to the properly "seasoned" brass that way.

Melting point of brass in WAAAAAAY hotter than the simple 600-700F you use for Pb alloys.

Banger

[john.k]

Melting point of brass is way above lead,but many brasses become very soft at lead melt temp.So durability may be a problem.Stainless steel(31x or 41x) would be superior,as its resistant to abrasion at high temps.Experiment and improve.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm not too worried about durability, I made it so that with just a bolt I can pull out the brass rod, and either fix or replace. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't about to taint my pot with brass, although maybe it would toughen the bullets like copper?:Bright idea:

Anyway, I'll try smelting in it soon enough, I just got some lino type, and plan to hurt my stash of SOWW with a simple 3:1 alloy. Up until now I've been using purchased alloys. Now if I can just score some free lead...


Here is the valve, I didn't want to take it out as I had it adjusted perfectly. In the next picture you can see its a threaded block, with two bolts holding it in making it easy to adjust or fix. I thought about adding some kind of guide near the bottom, but it just works great when you get it lined up straight. The turkey fryer is nice and stout, I've never fried a turkey on it, but I've been using it for smoking meat for years. It looks like all I need is an elbow down and out. The bottom of the pot is 1/2", so I'm hoping the mass will keep the pot temp consistent, and with a little luck, the valve block shouldn't freeze. I don't know what the capacity is, probably about 2.5 gallons. It is a 6" diameter pipe that I cut in half, and extended with flat stock.

http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/donkeycondon/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0257.jpg (http://s617.photobucket.com/user/donkeycondon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0257.jpg.html)

http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/donkeycondon/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0260.jpg (http://s617.photobucket.com/user/donkeycondon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0260.jpg.html)

http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/donkeycondon/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0259.jpg (http://s617.photobucket.com/user/donkeycondon/media/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0259.jpg.html)

[megasupermagnum]

Can you guys see those pictures? I forgot photobucket went down the toilet.

[ReloaderFred]

I can see two of them. Looks good, and it's going to hold a lot of lead. Did you make a tray to hold your ingot molds while filling them?

Fred

[megasupermagnum]

I did not make a tray, I have plenty of junk laying around I'll have something that I can set them on. I have considered making some ingot molds, but the 1 pound LEE ingots are so convenient for the casting pot, I'll probably just use that for a while. I don't plan on doing a ton of smelting now, but the pot is plenty big that it can handle it.

[Dragonheart]

Sorry can't see the photos, nor have I been able to post photos. I don't have a clue to what has changed but it would appear there are problems within the site as others are having the same problem.

To answer your question; I used brass for my bottom pour pot I made out of a propane tank several years ago. It worked then and it works now. I have poured about 2K pounds of lead, so I think you can safely worry about something else. I would post you a photo, but..............

[Retumbo]

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