Aluminum smelting pot???

[keebo52]

I need a bigger smelting pot so today I hit all the flea markets in my area looking for a big cast iron pot. No luck. All I could find is a large heavy aluminum pot. Will this work for smelting?

[fishhawk]

do not use alum. for a smelting or casting pot it will fail when your least expecting it and lead burns are down right nasty the melting temp of the alum is just to close to the lead melting temp. to be safe. steve k

[mrbill2]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96451

[mtgrs737]

Auminum = Unsafe! Trust us on this one!

[keebo52]

Thanks for the replies. I kinda thought that would be your answer. I'll keep looking for a bigger cast iron pot. Keith

[rebliss]

I got mine at Harbor Freight. Inexpensive, and gets the job done.

[Bret4207]

Every Walmart I've ever been in carries cast iron cookware in the camping section. A cast iron dutch oven is about perfect.

[mrbill2]

Sorry wrong link, try this one. Dutch Oven

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44705

[jonk]

I've used aluminum but did so over a camp fire. Figured if it let loose worst that would happen would be it would run out on the fire and I'd have to put it out and pick the lead out. I only did this 3 times until I got a proper smelting pot.

[S.R.Custom]

The melting point of Aluminum is 1,218°, a figure easily exceeded by just about any heat source sufficiently large enough to melt a pot full of lead.

[Psycho0124]

It's been a few years since I last casted and recently started up again. Unfortunately my cast-iron pot is now AWOL so I've been using an old aluminum cook pot. My heat source is a modified wallmart electric hot-plate (stripped the thermal-fuse and modified the thermostat). I did notice the alloy was very bright whiteish in color (some aluminum alloying into my lead maybe?) but didn't have any other problems with the pot (this time). It's good to know the hazards though, thanks!

P.s. It takes about 20 minutes for that little hot plate to get a pot of lead up to temp and the poor little burner never gets red hot. Do you think it could reach 1200°?
http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:-NdWojPjCIGUFM:http://imshopping.rediff.com/shopping/pixs/1022/h/HOTPLATE_HP01.JPG

[Beerd]

Your aluminum pot might not melt, but it will get soft and the weight of 20 or 30 pounds of lead in it can make it sag kind of ominously.

If you are looking for a cheap melting pot, cut the bottom off an old scrap propane tank.
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