Is it wrong to use my lee 10 lb melting pot for range scrap?

[guy_with_boolits]

Will it gunk things up or ruin it? Should I reserve the pot just for clean lead?

Should I setup a separate range-scrap only melter (i.e. cast iron pot with flame source and what not) to make ingots out of which I then use in the lee pot?


Would be nice to just use the lee pot for everything....

[Carrier]

I use a Lee 10 lb pot as well. I also have a cast iron pot for smelting. If it’s all you got then do what you have to but a separate pot would be better.

[rancher1913]

the cleaner you keep your casting pot the cleaner your boolits will be.

[guy_with_boolits]

okay thanks guys I will make a separate smelter

[Bloodman14]

Yes, use a separate pot for smelting/recovery, and use the casting pot for just that; casting from clean lead alloy only. you will eliminate half the problems right off.

[dverna]

When I was young and poor, I used a 20 lb pot to melt range scrap. It worked but I would suggest a separate pot. They are not expensive and it keeps the crud out of your casting pot.

[charlie b]

I used to use an old propane camp stove and large pot for melting scrap and alloying large batches. It would hold more than 20lb and had a bail handle. I used a large muffin tin to make ingots.

When the pot was ready I'd pick it up and pour from the pot into the muffin tins Caution: make sure you are wearing long pants and shoes. You will 'splash' a little so make sure the surface you are on is appropriate.

[TjB101]

I thought of the same option but after coming home with 30 or 40 pounds of scrap the time to melt a few pounds at a time seemed problematic. Took the plunge and bought a $25 cast iron pot and propane base. Best investment I made. Oh, buy one with a lid or use anything you have to cover it up. Helps cooking time. Also, I learned the hard way, toss a sheet of plywood under your cooker. It will save you the time cleaning the drips off your driveway.


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[Garyshome]

Its a pita to clean it

[Rich/WIS]

Lee makes a 20# melter that is reasonably priced. Would work for small batches although not sure how hard it would be to ladle ingots from or clean. Have smelted with both Lee and Lyman 10# pots and as noted was a royal PITA. Went over to a cut-off propane tank and a heavy duty turkey fryer my buddy made, smelting may not be a pleasure but it was much less of a hassle. Definitely put something on the floor to make spatter clean up easier.

[onelight]

You can use it may not be the best idea but will work . Keep it well fluxed and the trash skimmed off , If it's a bottom spout pot don't empty the pot through the spout pour the last inch in the bottom over the side , all that said you can melt in a cast iron or stainless pot on most camp stoveS and not have to use your casting pot .

[Froogal]

An 8 inch cast iron skillet setting on an electric hotplate will get the job done.

[Thin Man]

Early in my casting activities (started 47 years ago) I had only a furnace for both casting boolits and making ingots. Pot cleaner projects arrived faster than I wanted. Then came a dedicated smelting arrangement for making ingots. The furnace remained cleaner for much longer but still now has the occasional need for cleaning (most recent - last week). One of my issues come from using other peoples ingots and the other is from using the furnace almost every week. The cost of happiness is the occasional price to pay.

[Bazoo]

Nice name, welcome to the forum. With a bottom drip pot you will crud up the spout. That said, I've done it a while until I came up with a smelting setup. With a ladle pot, it's less of an issue with crud as it is inconsistent alloy and time.

[guy_with_boolits]

I'm thinking of repurposing a portable camping bbq that I never use to make a smelting setup. It has an 11,000 btu burner. That seems to be higher than a typical range burner on a kitchen stove, and so I inductively reason its high enough to melt 10lbs lead or so? Does that sound right?

Otherwise I'm just going to get that propane burner and pot TJB101 posted

[country gent]

There are several things to consider here with the equipment.1) How much lead you will want to do in a batch? I prefer bigger batches for consistency. 2) room and work area, if you dont have room for a bigger set up its not as handy. 3) amount of lead you will have to clean render, doing 200 lbs in 10 lb batches is a long process. Doing 200 lbs in 50 lb batches is easier.

A smelter type set up can be made with simple garage sales purchases and hand tools. size is what you want. If you out in the country and a supply of fire wood you can use it to fire the smelter even.

As stated I prefer to work bigger batches of lead for the consistency. 200 lbs lasts longer and is the same thru or with your 10 lb pot for casting blend 2 lb ingots from 5 200lb pots this makes it an 1000 lb batch. :D If your making your own set up it can be just what you want.

The build up of dross in you casting pot smelting can cause leaks and excessive wear. The gas wood fired smelting pot has few parts to wear out. and using a ladle o spout to foul up. I also find it easier to flux and skim well in a ladle pot that is more open.

[guy_with_boolits]

There are several things to consider here with the equipment.1) How much lead you will want to do in a batch? I prefer bigger batches for consistency. 2) room and work area, if you dont have room for a bigger set up its not as handy. 3) amount of lead you will have to clean render, doing 200 lbs in 10 lb batches is a long process. Doing 200 lbs in 50 lb batches is easier.

A smelter type set up can be made with simple garage sales purchases and hand tools. size is what you want. If you out in the country and a supply of fire wood you can use it to fire the smelter even.

As stated I prefer to work bigger batches of lead for the consistency. 200 lbs lasts longer and is the same thru or with your 10 lb pot for casting blend 2 lb ingots from 5 200lb pots this makes it an 1000 lb batch. :D If your making your own set up it can be just what you want.

The build up of dross in you casting pot smelting can cause leaks and excessive wear. The gas wood fired smelting pot has few parts to wear out. and using a ladle o spout to foul up. I also find it easier to flux and skim well in a ladle pot that is more open.

Hmmmmm I think at least 20lbs is the smallest batch size, thats only about 600 230grain bullets. Seems like I should really do more like 5 times that to be efficient. But I will have to see how horrible a process this is, I've watched videos but until I do it on my own setup and see the reality, I wont know how much suffering is involved. If its actually enjoyable, then I wont mind doing small batches more frequently.

I'll take a pic of my proposed setup in a moment. Its very tempting to go garage sailing and find components, but I am trying to be budget minded. I do truly have (not just telling myself this) a little camping barbqecue that never gets used and seems like it would be good for this. So I'm going to try and find a steel tray or pot or something that fits on it nicely and maybe I am good to go

[bangerjim]

I have always for years used a little Lee 10# (not bottom pour) pot for re-melting (not smelting) small batches of "stuff". Hey....it's just a little steel pot! You are not going to mess anything up. Just clean it out with a rotary wire brush ever so often if gunk builds up on the sides. And I ALWAYS empty it and dump the gunk from the bottom. I leave nothing in it for next time like I do with my larger bottom pour casting pots.

But DO NOT use the above comments on your bottom pour pots!!!!!! Melt only good clean fluxed ingots in those.


banger

[elmacgyver0]

I use a cast iron skillet with a piece of conduit strapped to the handle to smelt my wheel weights on a Coleman gas burner.
You need to keep the crap out of your pot, Skillet makes it easy to pour into ingots, just don't use too big of skillet.

[robg]

ive used my 10lb pot for smelting but its not ideal as some crud always gets in the valve and has to be cleaned out

[Dapaki]

Will it gunk things up or ruin it? Should I reserve the pot just for clean lead?

Should I setup a separate range-scrap only melter (i.e. cast iron pot with flame source and what not) to make ingots out of which I then use in the lee pot?


Would be nice to just use the lee pot for everything....

I use a small cast iron pot on a propane stove for COWW, pour ingots and use them in my LEE bottom pour.

[blackthorn]

A pot can be made from an old 20-pound propane cylinder. Screw out the valve, fill the tank with water, and use a zip-cut tool to cut a larger hole in the top of the tank. Next, dump out the water, lay the tank on its side and cut around the circumference close to the "shoulder" on the tank. A makeshift burner for running the pot can be made using a Tiger torch, a 45-degree steel, galvanized or cast pluming elbow and 4 cement building blocks. Place the elbow on the ground, held in place by the 4 blocks. Set the tank over the hole in the middle of the blocks and place the tiger torch in the lower end of the elbow. Fill (or whatever) the pot with scrap, light the torch and away you go. Be prepared to dip the melted metal out of the tank---you for sure will not lift it to pour! Have fun!

[Alferd Packer]

Get a ten pound cast iron lead pot to render out trash lead.
Get one with a heavy duty wire handle attached.
It'll last forever and you can use it to cast dipped lead bullets too.
Well worth the price.
You can melt lead in a wood fire, charcoal grill, electric or gas stove or a gasoline or propane stove.
Not expensive, but tough and comes in handy..
Will outlast any number of electric pots.
And you can start heating lead to melt while you are cleaning out your electric bottom pour.You can start with melted lead, Less waiting.
Or melt lead ahead when you are pouring those 300 400 and 500 grain bullets.They can really drain a lead pot fast!

[guy_with_boolits]

thanks everyone

so what I am doing is:

I bought an 8" 2600 watt electric range heating element off amazon for $10, along with a PID controller

I will put that under a stainless steel pot I got at a garage sale for 1$

I will use a thermocouple probe in the pot with a PID controller and solid state relay to make things nice and precise

I will cobble together some kind of structure that insulates the pot somewhat and makes everything sturdy

I already have a nice 220V circuit where I want to use the pot so things should go swimmingly

[fredj338]

Wrong only if you want it to clog & drip. I only put clean alloy in my casting pots. I have 2 Lee & a Magma, they never drip because I never empty them or melt crap in them.