Muffin Pan Ingots

[Halo_Ranger]

Well after lurking here for a short time I decided to register. I am just beginning to cast my own. I smelted several muffin pan ingots this weekend but had one problem. What is the best way to get them out of the pan? Should I smoke the pan prior to pouring them?

[Hafast]

If the pans are steel you don't stand much of a chance of getting the ingots out. They will be soldered in. You need to use aluminum pans to get the ingots out easily. If your pans are aluminum you might try turning them upside down and using a hammer to persuade them to release. I usually spray my pans with Pam before casting. Helps release a bunch.

Hope this is of some use to you.
Richard

[docone31]

Wow, I never ran into that. I always used old pans. They just popped out.
Is there a chance they are stuck on a lip in the pan?
Other than melting the lead out of the pans, if they are soldered into the set up, you are going to have to melt the lead out. If there was no flux involved, the lead should bead up.
If it were me, I would just torch the lead out, get some more pans, rust em, and cast away.
You won't have to worry about the next time, you will aready know.

[FN in MT]

I lucked into a CAST IRON muffin pan...works just great. Casts FIVE pound ingots that fall out easily. Did You try lubing the pan with a little candle wax prior to adding the alloy??

FN in MT

[jdgabbard]

I have thought about using muffin pans to pour ingots in, since I use the small Lee pot. However, the only ones I have found at the moment are the ones like at wal-mart that are powdercoated or something. I am just too lazy to burn it off. So I am adding WWs to the mix as I cast.

[GabbyM]

If your pan is hot from casting a set of ingots. Then you refil it and allow it to get to cold the ingots will stick from pan shrinkage. Trick is to dump the ingots before pan gets to cool. Plus let the pan cool off some between castings.

I had two pans at one time. Not much left of them but they've cast up a ton or so of ingots.
I"ve colleted up some steel and cast iron stuff and don't bother with the muffins much anymore.

[376Steyr]

Beware of those coated muffin tins. Apparently "Teflon" gives off poisonous fumes if it gets hot enough. I would only use them outdoors with a breeze carrying the fumes away from me.

[fourarmed]

The older lightweight steel pans were tin-coated to prevent rust. The tin coating solders those ingots in tight. I know - I used one exactly once. I wound up peeling the steel off the ingots with pliers.

[Calehedron]

I bought 2 aluminum muffin tins from Wally World and threw them in my oven during a clean cycle to oxidize them. Nothing sticks to them now.

[Wayne Smith]

If they are steel leave them outside and let them rust. Lead won't stick.

[Halo_Ranger]

Thanks for the many reply's. The pan was new from Wally World. After the first ones stuck I tapped them out from the back side which dented the pans up bad. The second batch I smoked the pan prior to pouring and had the same result. So I guess I will quit being cheap and get an ingot mold or use angle iron.

[bohokii]

i got a used one stamped echo they look like some kind of coating is on them though

never had anything stick just make sure you don't fill them all the way so you make nice looking lead hockey pucks

i never thought they would stick getting i had them sitting on the cement garage floor and poured the lead in

waited about 10 minutes and turned them upside down all the little lead biscuits fell out

another reason to not fill them completely is to give them room to fall out when flipped

they stay hot quite a while so just leave them be

[Cloudpeak]

My old, steel "Ovenex" muffin pan has dropped thousand of lead muffins and I've never had one stick. I think this is a pan I inherited from my mom years ago. No rust on it, either.

I did try a WalMart pan before finding this one at my house and the lead stuck--bad.

I think a cast iron pan would be ideal.

Cloudpeak

[targetshootr]

I got aluminum loaf pans from a craft shop and alum muffin pans from a restaurant supplier. Stay away from overhanging edges on the top though.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/IM005135.jpg

[GLL]

After much experimentation cast iron is the best way to go! Here are some "muffins" from a couple of very old cast iron pans and a few "bread sticks" from a modern cast iron pan.

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/3D9E4C790723581/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A03699502F8E69D/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/4BFECD999A11993/standard.jpg

[compass will]

I have already been down this road.

first, I used the cheapest cupcake pans from walmart, and like you stuck them real good!

next I bought shallow baking pans. I set the muffin pans on the baking pans and put water in the baking pans. This worked, but the bottom of the muffins were scary. The bottom of the ingots looked like I had water in the muffin pans!

next I bought a can of mold release spray and sprayed it in the muffin pans and they work great! only had to spray them once. They drop out so fast they are falling before the pan is all the way upside down.

[Ben]

GLL, ..............Cast iron......no truer words have been spoken................


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=38211

[targetshootr]

next I bought a can of mold release spray
I need some of that. Where do you get it?

[Goatlips]

Wayne's got 'er right, for steel leave them outside and let them rust, or use Midway mold release on aluminum. Have a look at these:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/smelting3.html

an additional tip, don't use Pam spray as a muffin mold release - there's water in it! D'OH! [smilie=1:

Goatlips

[compass will]

Makes those cheep metal muffin pans drop lead muffins quick.

http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/staticpages/highres/763758.jpg
http://www.midwayusa.com