My newly fabricated smelting pot.

[MOA]

I've been wanting to get this project done since the fall of last year when I came across an empty propane tank still with the old valve being thrown out by someone at the dump. I started with 20 feet of 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" angle iron. Cutting, wielding, took about 6 hours.cutting the tank about 10 minutes after filling it with water an dish soap and flushing it two or three times over the course of 2 to 3 days. Should hold well over 100 pounds. I'm looking forward to getting many 10 pound bricks out of this setup quickly and not having to be bent over either. Legs are 32 inches in height. Hope this project will be inspiring to many.

https://i.postimg.cc/8PpcxtdC/Screenshot-2021-10-30-15-03-22-1-1.png (https://postimg.cc/qgFp3c5f)


https://i.postimg.cc/DywfxmFJ/Screenshot-2021-10-30-15-03-33-1-1.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/V6h0zMzh/20211107-135707-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/mzQgwPz3)

https://i.postimg.cc/xdtbFhhn/20211107-152428-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/QBKtF4jy)

https://i.postimg.cc/ZqTdH4fw/20211107-152451-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/xX48TDVm)

https://i.postimg.cc/kgNSWByV/20211107-162204-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/CR1dgMXY)

https://i.postimg.cc/kGkSvSZS/20211107-180856-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tnN7Xs9R)

https://i.postimg.cc/qRDygSxj/20211107-180910-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/KkLRH9VM)

[Sasquatch-1]

Really nice. That looks like it will save a lot of back pain. Have you made a table for the molds to go with it?

I have always wished I had learned how to weld.

[Biggin]

Nice rig!

[MOA]

Really nice. That looks like it will save a lot of back pain. Have you made a table for the molds to go with it?

I have always wished I had learned how to weld.

I've got a big work table that's 3x6 feet made out of old 2x6's that I'll cover with this 2x4 foot sheet of bullet proof fiberglass resin that was used in a check cashing business to shield the employees from bullets from the counter down to the floor behind the drywall. The table is just about waist high too so should be perfect. My biggest question I have right now is should I worry about cleaning up the light rust covering the inside of the pot before melting my first batch of raw roofing lead???

https://i.postimg.cc/cLJhmpFM/Screenshot-2021-11-08-08-20-46-1.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Green Frog]

Looks good to me, MOE. That little bit of rust will probably have no effect during smelting. If you’re really worried about it, you could run a wire brush over it to knock off any loose stuff.

What is you heat source going to be? I would suggest that as tall as that framework is, putting some sheet metal sides around it will probably give notably faster heating in the pot. I see lots of clean, beautiful lead ingots in your future.

Froggie

[MOA]

Froggie, I chopped down my original turkey fryer stand which is propane fueled and fabricated it into the bottom of the framework on the stand. It's not visable from these images. I'll snap a few more without the pot in place so you can see how it's fastened and the shielding of flame with the built in windscreen from the bottom of the tank base. It fits just inside the ring of the burner wind shield of the fryer. Yes, I'll grab one of my wire brushes an scrub the surface rust before I crank her up. Hope to do some today if not tomorrow for sure. I'll be adding a few new image over the next day or so.

[pworley1]

Nice work thanks for posting.

[jeepyj]

Very nice Sir, It's always fun to make something to improve our hobbies. keep up the good work- jeepyj

[MOA]

Froggie, here's a few images of the burner setup and the windscreen at the bottom of the tank and the burner.

https://i.postimg.cc/SKhGj4Vm/20211108-121455-1-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tsB6mLLc)

https://i.postimg.cc/hthkMLqX/20211108-181604-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HrDvk7nm)

https://i.postimg.cc/2j7N5jwS/20211108-181710-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/grjTSWQC)

This last image shows one of the four flat welded plates that connect the burner unit to the underside of the top square that supports the tank. This was how we secured the burner unit close to the tank bottom ring that we are using as an additional wind screen. Should provide quick heating of tank and material. This is a closeup of the top image where the connecting strap is welded onto a section of the burner windscreen and the other end of the plate is welded to the underside of the tank support square.

https://i.postimg.cc/ZnC8X5Yx/20211108-121455-1-1-1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[fivegunner]

Very nice, well down .

[MOA]

We'll today turned out to be not too windy. Still more than ideal but the trash can lid fit perfectly on the right side of the smelter frame so the on an off 10 to 15 mph gusts were mitigated. Ingots are around 10-12 pounds each. It was a nice 230 or so ingot day.

https://i.postimg.cc/rmyDrQKP/20211110-111113-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/VSTsy99q)

https://i.postimg.cc/d3LDW3RR/20211110-111127-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/XB6VqVzX)

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5k0cTW3/20211110-130542-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HV2pW14s)

https://i.postimg.cc/25r6s2FS/20211110-135455-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5XKbv5Rh)

https://i.postimg.cc/brDNxM83/20211110-141542-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dZFYv5hy)

https://i.postimg.cc/0NV8LxyV/20211110-152643-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/PL8swgZD)

https://i.postimg.cc/hjhSnwJc/20211110-153000-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/mzfxNmN5)

https://i.postimg.cc/PNnhm5S5/20211110-161653-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/GTKZRd0W)

https://i.postimg.cc/0jwPMwd4/20211110-164404-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/2LrPg3td)

[MOA]

We'll I finished off all the ingots of pure lead today. 470 pounds roughly. 47 ingots ready to be alloyed to whatever hardness I need. I've still got some wheel weights to finish off tomorrow an then I'm done until next spring. With the smaller pot I'd be working on this for a week instead of just two afternoons.
:bigsmyl2:
Well just finished the wheel weights. These squares are about 5 pounds. So another 120 pounds of 44 mag, 357 or 45acp ready to go.

https://i.postimg.cc/vmTVHYxg/20211111-171017-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bGXJmjTp)

https://i.postimg.cc/wB0KNbYZ/20211112-101245-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/yJgr4jdy)

[Rizzo]

Well done MOA....and thanks for taking the time to take step by step pics and posting them.
You have inspired me and probably others here.
Excellent post(s).

[MOA]

Thanks Rizzo. I enjoy prodding others to push themselves further in this endeavor. I just love this stuff.

[GregLaROCHE]

Nice job! As already said, much easier on the back not having to reach all the way down to ground level.

[MOA]

Nice job! As already said, much easier on the back not having to reach all the way down to ground level.

Now that's a fact. All that bending up an down especially when your doing 500 pounds one ladle at a time.

Here's the old setup.

https://i.postimg.cc/cHHygDZg/Photo0274.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ns6wNGXp)

Having legs that are 32" in height is great for saving a aging back.

[dverna]

Very nice job!!

Wish I could weld.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Nice work!

If you really want to save on the propane gas, you should make a dedicated wind shield/skirt - about an inch or two larger in diameter than the tank. It will isolate the tank from the wind and at the same time guide the heat flow alongside the tank. Make the shield deep enough to shield the burner as well. You'll be amazed how much faster you can melt a full load.

[Hossfly]

Very nice, your choice of tank excellent for melting pot will last many years. Mine is still going after 5+ years, just blow out the rust with air and wire brushing doesn’t seem to affect the ingots any even after a year of sitting in the shop.

[Pablo 5959]

Nice work!

If you really want to save on the propane gas, you should make a dedicated wind shield/skirt - about an inch or two larger in diameter than the tank. It will isolate the tank from the wind and at the same time guide the heat flow alongside the tank. Make the shield deep enough to shield the burner as well. You'll be amazed how much faster you can melt a full load.

I agree with this, cut off the bottom tank ring and use some flashing around the burner supports so the heat can travel up the side. Your pot will heat faster.
It will get a lot hotter up top so you need to be careful.
I cut mine at the ring so it’s shorter and use a rounded trench shovel instead of a serving spoon. This keeps face as far away as possible and saves my back.
Range scrap has a lot of junk.

[Idz]

I went a step further on the windscreen. My propane tank sits inside a 30 gal steel drum with a inner sheet metal liner giving about 1" of clearance around the tank. The drum to liner void space is filled with fiberglass insulation (paper removed). The tank sits on some bricks with a weedburner firing into them. The indoor range scrap we melt has bits of target cardboard and wood that acts as a reducing flux when heated in the covered tank. Its much nicer not being 'cooked' on the warm smelting day by an unshielded melting tank.

[MOA]

Nice work!

If you really want to save on the propane gas, you should make a dedicated wind shield/skirt - about an inch or two larger in diameter than the tank. It will isolate the tank from the wind and at the same time guide the heat flow alongside the tank. Make the shield deep enough to shield the burner as well. You'll be amazed how much faster you can melt a full load.

Cap, what we did when fabricating the burner support housing was to open up the round flange that surrounds the burner housing so the bottom ring on the tank will insert itself into the windscreen of the burner. It now seals the wind from any direction and draws all its oxygen from the bottom of the burner area. We took extra time in the built to spread the supports with two extra washers to promote an spread at the top so as to allow the tanks bottom ring to set inside the burners windscreen. I like the heat concentrated within the 8" center of the bottom area of the tank. When I add my lead I always drop it in dead center where I know the heat is at the maximum.

https://i.postimg.cc/SKhGj4Vm/20211108-121455-1-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tsB6mLLc)

https://i.postimg.cc/kGq78bLj/20211113-113605-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/sQHFCvjS)

I guess I should have included this important image along with the others. I kept the top to use in retaining heat while lead is in the process of liquification, I now just need to tack weld a T to the plug at the top of the cover.

https://i.postimg.cc/xTZWVmgW/20211110-150541-HDR-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/RNcPcNkR)

[JLF]

Very good work. Congratulations Sir ....

[JohnH]

Just curious what that white stuff is you appear to be using as flux.

[MOA]

Just curious what that white stuff is you appear to be using as flux.

That's shavings of a candle. Paraffin. I first use sawdust and then paraffin to flux.

[ChuckJaxFL]

For folks that are jealous of your ability to weld... buy a welder, watch some YouTube videos.

What I’m jealous of is that you have a supply of scrap lead that warrants such a smelter!

[MOA]

For folks that are jealous of your ability to weld... buy a welder, watch some YouTube videos.

What I’m jealous of is that you have a supply of scrap lead that warrants such a smelter!

I was just lucky back in 2013 while working with a roofer who was reroofing a home for my in-laws that I proposed a deal to purchase all the lead roofing boots he obtained from his roofing jobs. I did this for 7 years. The amount was substantial. The usual annual amount was 6 or 7 35 gallon galvanized trash containers like these with flattened boots. Had to be moved with a dolly. First attempt to move with the handles on the cans resulted in the handles breaking loose. About 6 tons of pure lead. [smilie=w:

https://i.postimg.cc/2SySZfQq/20190324-111403.jpg (https://postimg.cc/v4RsJkSM)

[deltaenterprizes]

Captn Morgan is giving you good advice about making a heat shield!
My first large pot build was a piece of 12” pipe 12” long and made with a valve set up like a RCBS Pro Melt.
Any slight breeze would only allow the center to melt. I had a meat smoker that was not being used and made a heat shield out of it and it made all the difference.
My next pot was big enough to hold 20 gallons of range scrap and I had the same problem so I used a 55 gallon drum as a heat shield and it worked wonders!
It only took half an hour to get 500 pounds of clean lead melted!
Insulation between the pot and the shield will reduce that time and save you fuel!

[Rayant]

MOA in your #12 post you show some smaller ingots. I already have some of the larger 5 lb molds. What brand are the smaller molds or how did you make them?

[MOA]

Rayant, the mold on the 5 pound ingots was just something I found on a shelf at goodwill. You can see some of it in the left upper corner of #12 post. Here's a better image with a pair of vice grips clamped to it.

https://i.postimg.cc/DfCW5tQQ/Screenshot-2021-11-26-19-12-54-1.png (https://postimages.org/)

[jednorris]

I buy regular roof flashings from my local junkyard for about $1.00 per pound. I melt them down as is and clean and flux them very well. I then add 1/2# of tin to every 15# of melted flashings and assume I have a 30:1 ratio. I would welcome opinions and comments.
Jed

[MOA]

I buy regular roof flashings from my local junkyard for about $1.00 per pound. I melt them down as is and clean and flux them very well. I then add 1/2# of tin to every 15# of melted flashings and assume I have a 30:1 ratio. I would welcome opinions and comments.
Jed

Looks like your on the right track. Having a good base of pure lead to make whatever alloy of a sufficient hardness for required velocity is nice to have.

[Jim22]

Yer braver than I storing a gallon of chainsaw gas next to your welding setup. Picture 5.

Jim

[MOA]

Yer braver than I storing a gallon of chainsaw gas next to your welding setup. Picture 5.

Jim

Thanks Jim22. Actually the two saw horses that the square frame is resting on is not the welding station used to do the welds. If you'll notice the flat table with the square sheet metal plate which the frame and tank are welded on are a good distance from the fuel can. See images 3 an 4 in the first and initial post on the thread. The saw horses were where I put the hot pieces to cool off and to keep them out an away from the welding work area. Saw horses were over by the roll up shop entrance.

But, your eyes are good and sharp. Had the fuel can been near the welding station I would be thanking you for noticing that safety issue and I'd be sure to correct it. Thanks for your observations. B.