Getting ready to smelt

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Got 2 one dozen each ci muffin pans and a #4 ladle. Still looking for a 5 qt. dutch oven and have to order the burner. Going to melt and flux/clean the lead well and then add the pewter to come out with 16/1. I have linotype and plenty of pure lead to bump it up to Lyman #2 or down in tin to a 96/2/2 mix which I can do in my bottom pour. I figure about 74 lbs. in a batch which should not overfill the dutch oven. Does this sound like a good plan?

[D Crockett]

Dutch ovens can crack on you I had one crack on my one time when I went to knock out some junk out of my ladle and it cracked up the side your best bet is to get a steel pot that will not do that I know people have used them for years an years but me never again not for melting lead but cooking a good stew on the grill is another story D Crockett

[country gent]

If you go with the cast iron start the heat low and work up slowly warming it up as you go. cast iron dosnt take the fast expansion well. I had one crack on a cool spring morning. I was in a hurry and fired the burner up full bore right off, about the time I was seeing the molten around the edge I heard a tink and lead was running out the bottom. A steel pot handles the expansion better than the cast iron does.

[Lefty bullseye shooter]

buy one of D Crockets pots. They are cheaper and better than the dutch oven.

[Rcmaveric]

I like to smelt my various lead base in 2 pound ingots (Pure Lead, COWW, Range Scraps). Then my pot sweeteners into 2 ounce ingots ( pewter, pure tin). Cant find any type metals and i am too cheap to buy it but i would cast those into like half pound ingots and use sparingly. That way i can mix as i go in the lead pot. Different bullets and guns need different alloy properties. By pre mixing it all then your stuck with that till its gone. Keeping your base metals clean doesnt leave you stuck with an alloy that other guns dont need. Save you money latter when you realize you dont need fancy alloys and super hard bullets to break 2000fps.

I use an enameled stock pot i found at the dumpster on the way to the good will to get a soup pot to smelt in. Lol

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[lightman]

Your plan will work but, I'll second using a steel pot, like a cut off propane tank. I expect that you will eventually want to smelt in larger batches. If you are just starting out I suggest investing in a good burner and pot, early on. They will last your lifetime. Many of us with bigger smelting rigs started much smaller and eventually arrived at the larger stuff. This is just my opinion based on my experience, and having the space to store such equipment.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Well, 16/1 is a premium alloy. 96/2/2 casts and shoots great too. I may smelt up about 70 lbs. of that into muffin ingots and I can sweeten it further for my 30-30 and .308. Having a pile of clean pure pb ingots is not a bad idea though. I sent off the funds for some of Crocket's wares.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I like to smelt my various lead base in 2 pound ingots (Pure Lead, COWW, Range Scraps). Then my pot sweeteners into 2 ounce ingots ( pewter, pure tin). Cant find any type metals and i am too cheap to buy it but i would cast those into like half pound ingots and use sparingly. That way i can mix as i go in the lead pot. Different bullets and guns need different alloy properties. By pre mixing it all then your stuck with that till its gone. Keeping your base metals clean doesnt leave you stuck with an alloy that other guns dont need. Save you money latter when you realize you dont need fancy alloys and super hard bullets to break 2000fps.

I use an enameled stock pot i found at the dumpster on the way to the good will to get a soup pot to smelt in. Lol

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I should work hard to find some ww before they go the way of the dodo. Pretty handy having cheap alloy with antimony and arsenic built in.

[bangerjim]

You're kinda on the back end of the "free" COWW's.....depending on the area you live in. Round these parts all tire shops have contracts with recyclers. And last time I checked, the mix was at least 60% Zn.

A few are still lucky to find them.........but not like the good old days.

Best to find your COWW's from good people on here selling them already re-melted, fluxed, and cast into 1-2# ingots for you.

Good luck in you quest.

[glockfan]

You're kinda on the back end of the "free" COWW's.....depending on the area you live in. Round these parts all tire shops have contracts with recyclers. And last time I checked, the mix was at least 60% Zn.

A few are still lucky to find them.........but not like the good old days.

Best to find your COWW's from good people on here selling them already re-melted, fluxed, and cast into 1-2# ingots for you.

Good luck in you quest.



i discovered that mr muffler, midas....such corporated car repair shops won't sell their WW to individuals,they prefer using recycling services . i'm guessing recyclers pay a flat rate price for the scrap metal ...... i have much more success with local repair shops, in fact i have access to much more than what i need. started visiting various shops only couple months ago and i already have 500lbs of smelted ingots. i'm gonna proceed to another ''turn around''' in a week or so to add more to my stash.

[Rcmaveric]

I should work hard to find some ww before they go the way of the dodo. Pretty handy having cheap alloy with antimony and arsenic built in.Arsenic isnt the only thing that can be used as a grain refiner. There are other elemements that can be used. I cant find selenium. Havent been able to find a copper write up or thread that my attention span can handle. Sulfur is cheap, redily available and easy to alloy in. Just drop the temp of the alloy to barely molten. Flux with sulfur and mix followed by a flux with wax to scrape out the crud. Do that a couple times. It only takes less than a half percent. Dont breath the fumes though, you will have flash backs to the boot camp tear gas chamber. So when the COWW finnish drying up in your area, there is still a way. Just takes a bit of science... the smell of burning sulfur makes me miss building model rockets.

Not much antimony is needed either only 1 percent is needed to heat treat.

Not a high BHN is really needed either. I find 12BHN to be all i really need to do what ever i want.

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[Walks]

I've used an old, old Lodge 10" pot with a spout on one side & a tab on the other. I got it from the estate sale of an old reloader, along with a couple of ladies & 6 old ingot molds. My Dad told me to ALWAYS START THE POT AT A LOW FLAME WITH JUST ENOUGH LEAD TO COVER THE BOTTOM OF THE POT. WHEN THE LEAD STARTS TO MELT START TO TURN UP THE HEAT AND SLOWLY ADD LEAD TO FILL THE POT NO MORE THAN 3/4 FULL. Started with a COLEMAN Stove, switched to a big Turkey Fryer about 15yrs ago. Goes a lot faster.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I've used an old, old Lodge 10" pot with a spout on one side & a tab on the other. I got it from the estate sale of an old reloader, along with a couple of ladies & 6 old ingot molds. My Dad told me to ALWAYS START THE POT AT A LOW FLAME WITH JUST ENOUGH LEAD TO COVER THE BOTTOM OF THE POT. WHEN THE LEAD STARTS TO MELT START TO TURN UP THE HEAT AND SLOWLY ADD LEAD TO FILL THE POT NO MORE THAN 3/4 FULL. Started with a COLEMAN Stove, switched to a big Turkey Fryer about 15yrs ago. Goes a lot faster.

That type of pot was what I had been looking for. I would have given it a shot had I found one junking. Did score some pewter though!

[Springfield]

Nothing beats a good thicker steel pot from Goodwill. Won't melt like aluminum, won't crack like cast iron. And cheap, ya just gotta look and be patient.

[40sand9s]

I cast a couple hundreds of pure in a 5 quart dutch oven which took a while. I have a propane tank that I'm going to cut once I have more range scrap and think that should be much faster.