Casting with Iron pot and Coleman Stove

[Paper Shredder]

I've never cast boolits before. I've gathered up a bunch of casting equipment - molds, a Lyman ladle, and some other stuff to include a small electric Lee pot that is said to hold 4 pounds of lead. The Lee pot is the ladle friendly type.

I've seen some pictures of ladle casting from an iron pot over a Coleman stove online. And it looks like a good way to go if one wants to melt more lead than the little Lee pot can hold - but I was wondering...

How does one use the Coleman stove with an iron pot for lead melting? Is it a white gas type stove? Are there time constraints? Do you fire it hot at first and then bring the melt down to a cooler temp to make castings? Is a RCBS thermometer a good thing to have on hand?

I guess I'm asking for any advice from veteran casters who use a Coleman type stove. Thanks for any attention to my questions.

[lightman]

Coleman stoves can either be the type to use white gas or propane. If it has a small tank with a cap on it and a pump it will use white gas. Many a good bullet has been cast on similar equipment. Temperature adjustment and control is hard to explain. Outside temperature, volume of lead, lots of other factors can affect it. A thermometer is not necessary but is nice to have. Basically, you fill the iron pot with lead and light the burner. When the lead melts, skim off any solid looking trash and then flux it. Be aware that ladles and spoons can build up moisture so you should lay them on top of the melt without submerging them for a minute or two.

Read the stickys about accidents, fluxing and mold lube. And feel free to ask questions. Oh yeah, welcome to the casting world.

[GhostHawk]

I cast for years with a cast iron pot on my natural gas kitchen stove.

Was not a fast process, but did not need to be.

I first went to a used 4 lb Lee dipper pot, bought here. Then a new 4 lb dipper pot with Thermostat. Then I discovered the Lee Magnum Melter! Wow, what a pot.

Coleman stove will work, but will be slow. Most cast fry pans are too shallow for really good dipper work.

A turkey/fish fryer and a bigger cast iron dutch oven would be much faster for smelting, fluxing, and making into ingots that will fit the dipper pot.

Something to think about for down the road.

I've tried electric hot plates, also not fast.

Good hot wood fire works but then you need long handled tools.

[Eddie2002]

I'm using a Coleman 2 burner camping stove fired off propane with a small cast iron pot for casting with no problems. I only have to use one burner and a small steel ladle for the lead. The second burner is covered with a piece of sheet metal which I've found is a good place to cool off the mold. A lot depends on how much you plan to cast and the size of your wallet.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks, lightman. I'll remember about moisture and the spoons.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks, Ghosthawk. If I use a stove I'll use a pot not a pan.

[Paper Shredder]

I'm using a Coleman 2 burner camping stove fired off propane with a small cast iron pot for casting with no problems. I only have to use one burner and a small steel ladle for the lead. The second burner is covered with a piece of sheet metal which I've found is a good place to cool off the mold. A lot depends on how much you plan to cast and the size of your wallet.

Eddie2002, I appreciate the response. I'm going to try your rig but with the white gas.

[kungfustyle]

Read: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
Don't use aluminum pots, they will melt over time. Look at Flee markets etc to find old cast iron stuff and buy it up the more rusty the lower the price you can talk the person into. I still use my Colman stove from time to time.

[Catshooter]

Remember: Lead is heavy.

I've read several stories over the years of people with ninety or more pounds on their Coleman, casting along only to have the stove collapse. Lead everywhere and no fun was had.

Since I wouldn't have a clue how much is too heavy, I'd just brace up the pot from the get go unless it was 20 pounds or less.

Welcome to the forum.


Cat

[Walks]

I learned to cast on an old COLEMAN white gas stove. Small iron pot, single cavity LYMAN RB mold, LYMAN dipper. I was 8 or 9yrs old. About 1962, My Dad fluxed the pot and adjusted the Temp. Then left me to it. I Don't know how many thousands of RB's before I got to move on to a single cav #356402. Cast thousands of them too.

[Dragonheart]

Coleman white gas stove and cast iron pot is the way I started back in the 1960's. Can't say I recommend it, as I am now a lot older and a lot less ignorant. Inexpensive as electric furnaces are now they are a much better way to go. The furnaces work better and are a whole lot safer. Working with an open flame also makes it more difficult to keep away from the vapors coming off the lead, not to mention this process should definitely not be done indoors in an enclosed space. If you have never done casting before I would strongly suggest you get with someone that is familial with casting for a trial run to learn the do's and don'ts. What part of the world are you in? Maybe you can find a mentor from this site?

[jaguarxk120]

I Coleman stove for casting and it will provide more than enough heat for casting and smelting wheel weights.

I also use plain regular gas, same stuff that go's in the lawnmower, you just have to clean the generator every so often.

Take the generator apart and wire brush the coil inside. Be careful of the tip, it is like a needle.

The wire brushing removes the carbon/additive deposits.

[BrassMagnet]

I learned to cast on an old COLEMAN white gas stove. Small iron pot, single cavity LYMAN RB mold, LYMAN dipper. I was 8yrs old. My Dad fluxes the pot and adjusted the Temp. Then left me to it. I Don't know how many thousands of RB's before I got to move on to a single cav #356402. Cast thousands of them too.

Same story, but 5 years old and always a Lyman 38 wadcutter.

[BrassMagnet]

A Lee 20# bottom pour pot purchased from Titan (one of the top banners) is a much better choice.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I started in the 60s with a white gas Coleman stove and a bottom pour, 20# capacity pot. I *wish* I remembered the brand as I'd like another one! Cast a lot with that before I bought an RCBS Pro Melt. It was a nice step up, definitely. It's very doable to cast on a white gas stove, a thermometer helps till youlearn to read the lead (and keeps helping after then.)

[Paper Shredder]

Read: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
Don't use aluminum pots, they will melt over time. Look at Flee markets etc to find old cast iron stuff and buy it up the more rusty the lower the price you can talk the person into. I still use my Colman stove from time to time.

I checked this out, Kungfustyle. Read the Bullet Casting 101 section and will probably read some more. Excellent.

[Paper Shredder]

Catshooter, it's funny, but this is the kind of advice I really appreciate. A reminder that I don't need a really big pot to hold 20 lbs of lead. I notice form the adverts that the Lee magnum pot isn't all that big. Just connected the dots with your remarks. Thanks.

[Paper Shredder]

I've been wondering, Walks, if the coleman stove keeps running after it is initially pressurized. Considering you post, is sounds like it must.

[Paper Shredder]

I think I can pull this off, Dragonheart - hopefully those aren't famous last words... Your post was interesting. Does lead give off more fume when melted at a hotter temp? Is this why the coleman stove may make more vapors?

I have the littlest Lee pot, new in a box, but I really wanted to ladle pour with more general purpose tools. Seems like it could be important someday.

[aws1963]

I started with a Coleman stove and it worked fine. However, for what it's worth, I kept watching Craigslist and found a single propane burner from a turkey fryer for $20. Connects to a 5 gallon propane tank and is way more sturdy with wider spread legs (much safer). Cut the heating time in half too.

[Paper Shredder]

Interesting, jaguar. I came across a camper web blog last night that said the same thing. Guy said he uses unleaded gas with a touch of fuel injector cleaner in it and that he cleans the "generator" with a .22 cal bore brush after soaking it in break cleaner. He also mentioned the fragile tip.

https://landcruisingadventure.com/the-gasoline-coleman-stove/

This is why the coleman stove is so appealing as a casting tool - many fuels can be burned in it. I also think I want an excuse to buy one.

Thanks for mentioning this.

[Paper Shredder]

aws1963, I hear this. I'm not currently using propane for anything, but with a big tank and burner like you describe, I bet I'd be ready for some heavy duty melting.

[Paper Shredder]

I'm going to get the thermometer, Mr Sheesh. There are any good user names on this site. Mr Sheesh is certainly among them. :)

[Mr_Sheesh]

Paper Shredder - Yes it does keep running after initial pressurization, because you the user, have a good arm and can pump the tank's pump to get it re-pressurized, "as needed". I'd suggest starting with a full fuel tank and pumping it up - Since the tank gets less fuel in it, you will need to pump it up once it gets some fuel burned so it'll KEEP the alloy melted - And again a couple times more as you keep casting. If the stove goes out because you didn't keep it pressurized, well, let's just say the lead doesn't fill out your mold well!

[Tripplebeards]

I started out last year myself and smelted the way you are doing it. Just leave the burner cranked all the way up and melt. After hours of smelting ive had the burner pulsate and then ill switch to the other side and turn it off. I only use the Coleman stove for smelting now and bought a lee 4/20 pot. Its quicker, more consistent, and way less of a mess.

[Paper Shredder]

AH HA! This is why the Coleman doesn't get the love. I'm still going to try it, Mr Sheesh, but now I've got another detail to keep mind of.

[Paper Shredder]

I started out last year myself and smelted the way you are doing it. Just leave the burner cranked all the way up and melt. After hours of smelting ive had the burner pulsate and then ill switch to the other side and turn it off. I only use the Coleman stove for smelting now and bought a lee 4/20 pot. Its quicker, more consistent, and way less of a mess.

Hello Tripplebeards, The Lee 4/20 is a bottom pour pot? When you say less of a mess - are you comparing ladle casting to bottom pour, or is there something inherently messy abut the Coleman stove?

[Tripplebeards]

Hello Tripplebeards, The Lee 4/20 is a bottom pour pot? When you say less of a mess - are you comparing ladle casting to bottom pour, or is there something inherently messy abut the Coleman stove?

No, it's just probably me. I pick up my cast iron pan to pour into ignots and normally have too much weight in my 12" pan and it ends up running over and or splattering into my stove and makes a mess.

[mjwcaster]

I have used a 2 burner Coleman stove for a few years now, older red tank(white fuel).
I have run probably 10 gallons of crappy alcohol unleaded through it so far.
As a $10 yard sale find it works. I sure wouldn’t pay for a new one. The pump seals went out in mine, so I got another brand new looking stove for another $10. About the same price as the replacement seals.
The stove works fine for casting, and will heat up enough to smelt larger batches. But i think it is an accident waiting to happen, the stove was not designed for the weight or heat of smelting.
The grate will turn bright red get soft and bend. As the grate is only held on the front edge by a fraction of an inch, and bending can cause it to come loose and slip from the front edge causing a catastrophic failure.
I have braced my grate up with another grate and have bent the front of the stove back to provide more area for the grate to rest on.
Mine is also getting rusty, the high heat of smelting takes it toll. We use a ton more heat to keep a much larger mass of lead several time hotter than boiling water.
Would anyone ever try to boil 5 gallons (40lbs) of water on a Coleman?
But it is too easy to get 50-60lbs if bullets in a Dutch oven, then heat it at full blast for half an hour to 700 F or more.
Mine has smelted and cast an easy 500-700lbs in the last few years, probably more, so they do work.
I cut my last smelting short, still have one bucket of bullets to smelt down.
After careful consideration I have decided that I have pushed my luck far enough and will not smelt (at least not with my large Dutch oven) on this stove any more, I will be getting a sturdy propane burner (not all our sturdy).
I will keep using it for casting using my smaller pots for now, but I might break out my newer stove and retire my old one. It sure doesn’t owe me anything.


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[mjwcaster]

I forgot to mention the 2 burner is nice as it comes with a built in mold warmer.
I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down. Place mold on it and top with another small pan.
Fire up both burners at the same time, the mold is ready when the lead is.


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[Dragonheart]

I think I can pull this off, Dragonheart - hopefully those aren't famous last words... Your post was interesting. Does lead give off more fume when melted at a hotter temp? Is this why the coleman stove may make more vapors?

I have the littlest Lee pot, new in a box, but I really wanted to ladle pour with more general purpose tools. Seems like it could be important someday.

It's not the heat when it come to vapors coming off the pot on the gas stove it is just harder to get away from them standing over a pot. On my bottom pour furnace I have a fan running blowing the vapors out and away, but a fan disturbs the open flame of a stove. Vapors are coming from contaminates and fluxing the pot. It is these vapors that carry molecules of lead.

Now that I am 70 I realize now that when I was a teenager I had a lot to learn. There are things I did back then I wouldn't do now, even if I could, and using a Coleman Stove to cast is one of them. I too remember the grate glowing red hot and bending under the weight of just a small cast iron casting pot. A big pot of molten lead is a terrible thing to waste and so are your hands and feet.

[country gent]

With some experience and a few casting session you will have an Idea by the pots visual condition when to start lowering the temp. A little trick is to put a mark on the control knob ( straight up for closed works) so you have an idea how far open it is, again after a few sessions you will have an idea where "temp" is on the dial and can set it very close to that point with the mark.
I cast with a propane burner under a pot ( 100lbs) and when starting out I open it up some. I watch the pot and when I see about 1/2" molten ring around the edge its time to turn back close to setting. Once molten I put the thermometer in and fine tune temp, flux and cast. Other than when fluxing my thermometer is in the pot so I can moniter temps.
Once set for a full pot the temp should remain constant with a full pot. But when casting the pot doesn't stay full yet your still putting the same basic BTUs into a smaller mass so as you cast burner will need turned down as the pot empties to maintain temps. The thermometer is a big plus here as it allows you to monitor the pots temp and a glance.

[Paper Shredder]

I forgot to mention the 2 burner is nice as it comes with a built in mold warmer.
I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down. Place mold on it and top with another small pan.
Fire up both burners at the same time, the mold is ready when the lead is.

Thanks for your remarks, mjw. I'll be keeping it under 10 pounds. I like the idea of warming the mold (I have lyman) on the second burner. I was thinking I might keep the flame low and put a small skillet or metal sheet over the flame. When you wrote "I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down." Is the "end cut" from the pan to let the mold handles protrude beyond the pan?

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks, Dragonheart. I get it, the fan disturbs the flame and makes it harder to control the fumes. I intend wear a respirator while I do the casting.

I'll keep an eye on the grate and look to reinforce the grate or stove body if things look sketchy.

[Paper Shredder]

Great advice, country gent. It would have been a few go-rounds with the whole process before I even began thinking this way. Thanks.

[mjwcaster]

When you wrote "I just set a pan on the second burner with the end cut and bent down." Is the "end cut" from the pan to let the mold handles protrude beyond the pan?
Exactly. Casters make all sorts of ‘mold ovens’ out of metal coffee cans, electrical junction boxes etc.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/844c70d3ea48a19e632bd0f6c6c26fab.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/bdeeb67e55127b0d700dba832ed11546.jpg
I just used a small cake pan that was in my collection, sliced the corners at one end and bent the end down. Place the mold on the pan and then cover with another piece (pan).
Almost all my casting equipment is thrift store/yard sale finds complimented by my kitchen castoffs.
So I have a collection of pots/pans/cookie sheets/muffin tins laying around and just used what was handy.

And if you stay with a small pot and keep it under 10 lbs, your stove should last a long time.
Even my normal casting pot will hold 30+ lbs, I just try not to fill it all the way.
I do like to be able to cast 15-20 lbs of boolits in a session, plus I don’t cast until the pot is empty.
Hard to ladle the last bit, plus that is where the trash ends up living.
I just smelted down several smaller batches of different alloys this morning, and no matter how clean I got the alloy and pot, by the time I got to end, there was more dross(trash) hiding.


Just keep an eye on how the grate sits on the front of the stove.




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[jonp]

I've never cast boolits before. I've gathered up a bunch of casting equipment - molds, a Lyman ladle, and some other stuff to include a small electric Lee pot that is said to hold 4 pounds of lead. The Lee pot is the ladle friendly type.

I've seen some pictures of ladle casting from an iron pot over a Coleman stove online. And it looks like a good way to go if one wants to melt more lead than the little Lee pot can hold - but I was wondering...

How does one use the Coleman stove with an iron pot for lead melting? Is it a white gas type stove? Are there time constraints? Do you fire it hot at first and then bring the melt down to a cooler temp to make castings? Is a RCBS thermometer a good thing to have on hand?

I guess I'm asking for any advice from veteran casters who use a Coleman type stove. Thanks for any attention to my questions.

I've got a propane Coleman that I use. I have found that a stainless pot from WalMart works better than my cast iron on this. If you are careful and never heat it empty the cheapo stainless will work quite well

[mjwcaster]

Things to watch out for in choice of pots, spoons and ladles-
Handles- one piece or riveted on are ok. Soldered on might get hot enough to melt and come loose.
Pans- make sure the whole pan is one piece stainless. Some pans have a false bottom or are not all stainless. Stay away from aluminum, it gets soft near the temps we are running at.
Use a magnet to verify if it is steel. Most cheaper versions of stainless are still magnetic.

One of the pots I started with had a false bottom. I didn’t realize this until it came off on the leaving just a thin bottom on the pot. Luckily nothing bad happened.
And I had thought I had a nice heavy duty pot for melting lead.

The handles have burnt/cracked off of my pots, but I would have never trusted them in the first place.
I never move a pot with molten lead unless it is almost empty and I want it completely emptied.
Then I use pliers/vise grips to hold the pot or to just tip it to one side to get the last of the lead out.


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[Wayne Smith]

I started with a Coleman stove and essentially wore it out - it was my Dad's camp stove and a two burner propane. I did go to a barbeque gas tank - more continuous flame. I got the single burner Coleman propane stove when that one died and am still using it. I picked up a 2 qt stainless pot from the thrift store and promptly burned off aluminium heat spreader bottom. Still left with a solid stainless pot, and I'm still using it. The handle came off years ago - I let it cool on the burner before I try to move it.

I also got the Lyman cast iron pot when I ordered their ladle and use that too. Pure in the stainless, ww+ in the Lyman.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks for the conformation and good pictures, mjw. And for the post on things to keep in mind. Have reread it a couple of times now.

[Paper Shredder]

Hello jonp. I've ordered two small cast iron pots. One is a sauce pot the other, about twice as big, is a one quart. If I had known I could use stainless I might have tried that. The stainless stuff is in all the thrift stores hereabouts but the cast iron is nowhere to be found - at least not used. New stuff is around though.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks for the input, Wayne. Another guy who has used stainless. Interesting. I like the idea of two pots for different alloys. Never need to clean one out to start a different mix.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm using that idea already (I plan to cast pewter on occasion, it has to be non lead pewter so I am quarantining it away from the lead alloys.) Not sure I'll get an electric pot for pewter, though there are some very inexpensive ones (2# capacity or so) on fleabay / Amazon which might do it. Could use a Lee cheaper pot though - have to see how much I keep casting in pewter.

[Paper Shredder]

I've gotten a lot of good info from this thread and I really appreciate it, gentlemen.

I got a Coleman Stove today, the biggest one, and it runs great - I tested it atop my kitchen stove. As I packed the Coleman up I realized that where I set the unit up might be an issue.

I know heat rises :), but metal does conduct heat. Question to the Coleman pros: Can I use the Coleman on a wooden tabletop?

[Mr_Sheesh]

Paper Shredder, I haven't seen problems from that on picnic tables, you definitely could put it on bricks or hotpads as an alternative. I always ran mine on the driveway while growing up, worked pretty well. In practice the stove's metal carries SOME heat to the bottom but it's thin enough and a long enough path that most all that heat gets conducted into the air and removed that way.

[Walks]

YEP,
I pumped up the stoves and lamps since I was 5yrs old. With a family of 6 we had 3 lanterns and 2 stoves.
Fill the tanks and pump them up 50-75 pumps and it'll run a couple three hours minimum.
The stove I used was the smaller of the 2 burner style. Never had it get red hot.

[Dragonheart]

As I remember my old stove had metal supports that folded so the body was reasonably insulated from the table. The big issue is making sure the lead pot is completely stable.

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks for the info. I may drive out into the desert and use bricks on the tailgate of my truck - it has a bed liner... might remove the tailgate liner. Or maybe I'll wait until the neighbors are gone and cast on a wooden board in the yard. mmmm

[Paper Shredder]

Hi Walks. So mine is a two burner. It's factory new. The three burner Colemans may not be in production anymore. Mine is called the Powerhouse 414 Dual Fuel and it's certainly bigger, both tank and stove body, than the Guide Series 424.

Appreciate the info regarding the Coleman on a wooden surface.

[Paper Shredder]

Stability... yes, I can see that is an issue right now. The Coleman grate was built with pans in mind and the grate rods are spaced far enough apart that a small pot would barely have two rods beneath it. Such a setup could be bumped and dumped pretty easily. Also, a slightly larger pot might not manage to cover three rods. This could also be a series stability problem.

I've recently seen a picture where the caster had placed an old circular saw blade over the grate and beneath the pot. I may try something like this. Or maybe two flat pieces of cheap steel perpendicular to the rods but close enough together to give the pot a more solid foundation.

Did you find a solution to the stability problem?

[country gent]

Several I know use ceramic floor tiles under their burners. One even used the thicker 4"X4" tiles glued to a piece of 1/4" plywood.

To stiffen the grate look around for some 1/4" diamond grating at hardware stores menards lowes and the likes. this is a heavier grating and diamond shaped cut a poece to set over existing grate and wire the two together.

[Paper Shredder]

Yes! Country Gent. This sounds perfect. Thank you.

[Dragonheart]

Heavy flat diamond grating I found at a scrap yard worked for me. I just cut it to size so it covered the wire grid, but after a period of time the grid metal still fatuges under the weight of the lead.

[Walks]

This may sound stupid, but I thought everybody knew about old circular saw blades as heat diffusers.


Paper Shredder,
I didn't even know COLEMAN still made white gas Stoves or Lanterns. Haven't seen one at any of the Local BIG 5 Sporting Goods stores in years. Though they & ACE hardware still carry COLEMAN fuel.

[Dragonheart]

[QUOTE=Walks;4434708]This may sound stupid, but I thought everybody knew about old circular saw blades as heat diffusers.
Paper Shredder,

Actually I didn't, my crews used the old blades on the stove to warm up their tortillas for lunch.

[Paper Shredder]

So, I found this for 7 dollars today. Checked it for pressure and then, in the parking lot, for good spray out of the nozzle. All good.

It looked like hell in the thrift store. I cleaned the tank and it looked almost new. I'll clean up the stove body a bit next week. Now, what to do with my big, expensive new one?

I think I like these old stoves.

225606

[BrassMagnet]

So, I found this for 7 dollars today. Checked it for pressure and then, in the parking lot, for good spray out of the nozzle. All good.

It looked like hell in the thrift store. I cleaned the tank and it looked almost new. I'll clean up the stove body a bit next week. Now, what to do with my big, expensive new one?

I think I like these old stoves.

225606

Have Two?

[sniper]

Read: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
Don't use aluminum pots, they will melt over time. Look at Flee markets etc to find old cast iron stuff and buy it up the more rusty the lower the price you can talk the person into. I still use my Colman stove from time to time.

Yes...my experience, too! :cast_boolits:

[sniper]

coleman white gas stove and cast iron pot is the way i started back in the 1960's. Can't say i recommend it, as i am now a lot older and a lot less ignorant. Inexpensive as electric furnaces are now they are a much better way to go. The furnaces work better and are a whole lot safer. Working with an open flame also makes it more difficult to keep away from the vapors coming off the lead, not to mention this process should definitely not be done indoors in an enclosed space. If you have never done casting before i would strongly suggest you get with someone that is familial with casting for a trial run to learn the do's and don'ts. What part of the world are you in? Maybe you can find a mentor from this site?


YESSSSS! :goodpost:

An experienced word of advice, if I may...SAFETY FIRST, Last and ALWAYS! I saw a fellow on YouTube, giving a casting "tutorial"...in shorts and athletic shoes!:shock: the gentleman probably has been casting for years, but he was a serious burn accident just waiting to happen!
LONG pants, all cotton, not like some of the "denim" you find at the "mart" stores, which can contain a significant amount of synthetic. They can catch fire, which my contractor nephew found out one day when grinder sparks ignited his. Synthetic material melts, and sticks to the skin, causing more serious burns. Long-sleeved cotton or wool shirt, for the same reason. Face shield or safety glasses...you only have one pair of eyes, and burn scars don't do a lot to enhnace a person's looks. Footwear? Again, most athletic shoes are all synthetic, so at the minimum,a double layer of cotton or wool socks. Better yet: leather shoes or boots, with wool or cotton socks under. Tucking pants legs into the socks closes one way hot lead can get at you. Excessive? Maybe, but I have never had an injury from molten lead, even when my pot exploded! Why? Who knows...a tiny drop of water or sweat? Malign spirit? My biggest concern was my wife with youngest daughter in the garage at the moment! Luckily, my body was between them and the pot!

Me? In this case, I was a belt-and -suspenders guy, having seen the burn scars my dad received from welding during WWII. I bought Harbor Freight's leather Welder's apron,and a pair of their welder's gauntlets. Reasonably priced, and before my size 11 feet grew to 15s, I wore my issue Brogans and wool socks.

It is a enjoyable pastime, sooo...like in Boxing...Protect yourself at all times! Good luck, and BE Safe! 8-)

[Paper Shredder]

Have Two?

Yes, BrassMagnet. You are correct. I can't return gasoline powered merchandise unless it's defective. And my factory new Coleman works great. I'll have to use it for cooking food. Not such a novel idea really... :)

[Paper Shredder]

I hear this, sniper. And I'm going to take precautions. I'll remember your advice regarding the natural fiber clothes and I've got some welding gloves somewhere.

[country gent]

I wear does skin leather gloves when casting they fit a little better and give a better feel than the welders gauntlets. Another often over looked piece of saftety gear is a hat. getting lead spatter in your hair can be really annoying. A base ball cap covers it and the bill helps shield.

[Walks]

I've actually worn cotton overalls when casting all my Life. MOM INSISTED. All her boys had to have PROTECTION when casting, our Cowboy boots too, with long sleeves too & leather gloves, ball caps & safety glasses.
Most of it was hand-me-downs from my older Brothers. MOM was real insistent. That's why we all had to wait until our 8th birthday. That just happened to be when my oldest Brother started.

BOY HOWDY ! That being able to cast bullets was more important then any party or gifts.
The only change since then is a pair of welding gloves and a full face shield when mixing alloy in the big cast iron pot over the big turkey fryer.
Since I got that turkey fryer 20yrs ago it's been a lot easier then the ancient plumbers pot. That 20lb propane tank is a whole lot better then buying white gas for that ****ed junk plumbers pot. Easier & Safer too.
I have an old style COLEMAN single burner stove that uses a 16.1lb Propane bottle. A RCBS cast iron 10lb pot is just the thing for casting pure lead balls & MAXI's for BP cap & ball sixguns and T/C HAWKENS & White MTN Carbines.

Satisfies my need for dipper casting too. After casting thousands of bullets from a bottom pour electric, it reminds me of how I started.

Although I'm thinking about one of those casting gloves that BUFFALO ARMS sells.

[Dragonheart]

Sniper I hear what you are saying, unfortunately for some they believe if they can't see it can't hurt them or it hasn't happened to them, yet, it can't happen.

But talking about a casting pot exploding I would like to tell my experience. This occurred 50 years ago in my college years when I was in an Industrial Engineering Lab. As part of the Engineering Department my University had a Foundry that could and did melt pretty much everything. Built like an industrial facility the cauldron was located in an underground gas fired pit and was utilized by chains and overhead crane/trolley system. This was housed along with other industry operations in a huge commercial like metallic building.

I was in a freshman class, which started out with aluminum casting processes. We had just finished a pour of a number of casting and had returned the partially filled cauldron back to its nest to melt down more metal. The professor went back to his office for something and instructed us to refill the pot. We had a large bins of mostly donated metals and my classmates and I were digging through the aluminum throwing small chunks of scrap aluminum into the pot. I was in the process of gathering a couple of handfuls of scrap when I turned to see one of our football players with a propeller blade from an airplane at the edge of the pit. For those that haven't guessed, the blade of a aircraft propeller is no small piece of aluminum and is several feet in length. The professor had already gone over safety issues and as a bullet caster I knew what could happen, or at least I thought I did. But at the same time I yelled "NO", our big football player heaved the prop into the pit and into the cauldron.

I have to say this was indeed a learning experience for me and something I will never forget. If you think dropping a cold bullet of drop of water in a little casting furnace make a pop you should have heard the boom when that propeller hit the molten metal. This huge cauldron literally emptied itself in an eruption like a volcano, blasting molten aluminum out of the pit hitting the top of the metal building then falling down like metal rain drops.

I had ducked behind a support beam at the time of the blast, but could hear our professor yelling, "What in the hell is going on here", as he ran from his office from the other end of the building with bits of metal still falling.

What was amazing was no one got a single burn, probably attributed to the commercial design of the facility and just plain dumb luck. Needless to say we got numerous lectures on safety and spent the remaining time and next two class periods cleaning the building.

Over the years I have often thought about that incident and seen many others where a laps of judgement or a moments carelessness has generated a life changing event.

[Paper Shredder]

This is what I've cobbled together so far. If anyone sees a major problem. Feel free to comment...

225763

[country gent]

I too have seen this in an industrial setting. Our main metal came into the plant molten and was pumped into 50,000 lb furnaces from the pot on the semi truck this always went smoothly and little problems. Also old or bad castings were added back in to the pot as they built up to be remelted and recast. One evening they had a bunch of castings and were adding them back to the furnace to remelt after the dump and filling of the casting machines. In this container was a water bottle with water in it. this all was dumped in the pot Ussually remelt was left to "warm on the shelf for 2-3 hours before actually being dumped in. Either someone cut corners or a mix up it was dumped in with out preheat time. The cold material and bottle encapsulated in the molten metal and the water turned to steam the resulting explosion shook the whole plant and blew several hundred pounds of molten metal out of the furnace. 4 people were seriously burnt (One lost an ear). Mish metal covered most of the ceiling above the pot. Shortly after this what we called the pizza oven was brought in remelt was put in it and brought up to slump point then added to the furnaces. This pre heat start very low and brought up to temp gradually any liquids or moisture was burned off here.

[Mr_Sheesh]

country gent - Dang. Glad they fixed their process to make it safer! The Tinsel Fairy's meaner big brother gets NASTY!

Paper Shredder - Well, the obvious only - Needs lots more fuel stockpiled, lots more lead and alloy stockpiled, and maybe some ingot molds :) You're heading there I'd imagine :) A pot to melt in would be nice too but I imagine that's coming :) Not a bad mold preheater there!

[Paper Shredder]

Thanks. Go the pot yesterday. I hope I can resist buying too much stuff. :)

[eck0313]

Looks like you’re ready to “cook with gas” (couldn’t resist). In the pre-zinc WW days, I melted many a hundred pound of WW on a plumber furnace that was gifted to me. Now I prefer to render in an electric pot where I can monitor the temperature, and weed out the “bad actors” that won’t melt at WW temps. I continue to be dismayed at the diminishing number of real lead WWs we find.

My suggestion is to keep the temp only as high as necessary, and cull any weights that don’t want to melt - you probably don’t want them in the mix.