Smelting pot...???

[j23]

I have some extra pots... I think all are teflon coated. Can I use these to smelt wheel weights down???

[zxcvbob]

Stainless steel is best for a small melter, cast iron or thick steel is best for a big one. Aluminum loses most of it strength at lead-melting temps (you don't want it collapsing), and the teflon coating will give off toxic fumes above about 500°

[finishman2000]

I bought a cast iron pot from harbor freight and it cracked on the third use. I them went to the local flea market and bought 2 old and well used ones for $15 for both. No problems since.

[Echo]

The teflon will give off minute quantities of toxic gas for a while, until it quits. Use it and stand up-wind.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

+1 on you can use it, be careful and don't breath fumes. Burn the Teflon off before smelting.

You will be better served with #1 Cast Iron , #2 S S , #3 Alum. , I don't like aluminum it can fail and that is a big safety concern. If you buy a "Seasoned" cast Iron pot, you will need to clean it before use to remove the grease, then let it rust [surface] and go to it.

Be careful , you can over heat Cast Iron , and yes it will fail if abused, normally it is fine for years.

[geargnasher]

There are many options, for example Felix's MOAS. Or you could try this if you have a welder friend who knows how to cut into a propane tank. I just upgraded my smelting pot to a steel one made from the bottom half of an old 20# propane cylinder. I cut it as neatly and squarely as I could with my plasma torch and welded some loops to it for "handles", drilled 1/2" vent holes in the ring around the base. No worrys about my dutch oven cracking on the turkey fryer burner, plus I can weld a piece of 3/8" steel onto the bottom and drill and tap it for 1/8" npt, screw in a street ell and a 6" nipple, and make a fixture at the top to hold a rod and handle to make the thing a bottom-pour. My dutch oven developed a small crack from the bottom-pour hole I made in it. Probably overtighened the fitting.

I would stay away from aluminum, most teflon-coated stuff is cast aluminum and has been stated is potentially very dangerous to smelt with. Those pots were designed for cooking temps of 300* max and never for 7-800* we subject them to while smelting.

Gear

[JIMinPHX]

Stay away from Teflon. A buddy of mine used to heat treat that stuff (for clarity?) after machining it. Apparently, there is a temperature at which it changes state & a few degrees above that, it turns into a toxic gas. One day my buddy left a batch of Teflon parts in the muffle furnace when he went to lunch. When he came back, the parts had vanished & the shop cat was dead. The only up side was that the fleas were all dead too.

[ghh3rd]

Just a thought - permanently mark any foodware that is reassigned for lead melting so it will never accidently be used again for food.

Randy

[mtgrs737]

Get a Large cast iron dutch oven at Harbor Freight when they are on sale, best type of pot to smelt in. Cast iron holds the heat well and is strong at smelting temps. You will not be disapointed.

[Old Ironsights]

Stainless steel is best for a small melter, cast iron or thick steel is best for a big one. Aluminum loses most of it strength at lead-melting temps (you don't want it collapsing), and the teflon coating will give off toxic fumes above about 500°

+1

You can usually find a good 8qt-12qt Stainless Stock Pot with lid for less than $15 at your local Cheap Chinese Crap store.

While they don't hold heat, they heat up fast... i.e they aren't a heat sink... which is really important for low BTU setups.

[Jumping Frog]

You can usually find a good 8qt-12qt Stainless Stock Pot with lid for less than $15 at your local Cheap Chinese Crap store.
I have been using a 13 qt Stainless Steel mixing bowl from Sams Club that was about that price. Their "professional quality stainless steel mixing bowls are made for commercial use." They are made of "Heavy gauge 18/10 stainless steel
"

It has worked great.

[JIMinPHX]

While the cheap cast iron dutch oven type pots from Harbor Freight seem to have become the most commonly used pot for smelting, any strong metal pot without a bunch of fancy coatings will do. The Good Will Store is often a good place to shop for stuff like that.

[leadman]

An old enameled turkey roaster pan works well. If you use a campstove for a heat source this will usually fit across both burners.

[Sensai]

If you use a regular kitchen type pot, be careful of the black (baklite, I think) handles. They are not intended for the higher "smelting" temperatures, and become brittle. Experience[smilie=1:

[softpoint]

Or get a piece of 10" or larger steel pipe and weld, or have someone weld a plate cap on it. Stronger yet than cast iron (less brittle) I am a welder-fitter by trade, and I have thought about building some 12" bottom pour smelting pots to sell, since I have some 12" pipe. Shipping on the things probably would be more than they'd be worth,and most folks can get by nicely with a cast iron pot, unless they need the capacity. :castmine:

[zxcvbob]

Is a 3# coffee can (I know they barely put 2 pounds in them now) strong enough to use as a melter, or will the bottom seam come apart? It looks to be crimped rather than soldered.

[calaloo]

Buy an old cast iron pot from a flea market or fab one from pipe with a welded bottom. Do not use aluminum or anything teflon coated. To have many pounds of molten lead spill from a melted or burst container can be a catastrophy. It simply ain't worth it. Do it right or don't do it at all.

PS. My daughter killed her parrot by leaving a teflon skillet on a hot stove eye.

[mroliver77]

I use the bottom 1/3 or so of metal coffee cans as preheat vessel or for a small batch of alloy for ladle casting. Never had a problem. One conclusion about smelting I have come to is a wide bottom gets more heat on the contents quicker. Makes sense huh? I am using a propane tank set into a larger water tank with a gas water heater burner under it. It is important to have a jacket around your crucible if you want to do this as fast and economical as possible. I also use a lid to speed heating.
Jay