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Buckshot
04-25-2005, 09:09 PM
This is Kenjudo's setup, and build info, PART 1:

http://www.fototime.com/D75199F69236ABA/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/CFBCD66D5603F42/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/632B7C0BBCD165D/standard.jpg]

http://www.fototime.com/DF8A60C5205E5AB/standard.jpg

Buckshot
04-25-2005, 09:15 PM
http://www.fototime.com/1C745CB0BD078C7/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/17491F14BA57CDA/standard.jpg

This one below, belongs to another poster, and I'm sorry but don't remember who it belonged to. If it's yours, PM me and I will credit you. Its a honker melter8)

http://www.fototime.com/35FE798D7E47E30/standard.jpg

Bad Ass Wallace
08-21-2005, 06:42 AM
I've always preferred to ladle from the pot, but use a similar setup.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Pot_2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Pot_1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/BPCartridges.jpg
Main cartridges I cast for

fiberoptik
10-03-2005, 06:03 PM
I got a backache just looking at those pix!!
[smilie=l:

Slamfire
10-08-2005, 11:30 PM
I'd think the Air Quality Management folks would frown on that first one.

charlie / sw mo
10-13-2005, 09:28 PM
i got a lot of flack from my family about lead poisining a while back so iv went to this system. i melt down all the material in a 40 lb electric plumbers pot and then i pour it into a 24 hole bakery cupcake pan or a lyman ingot mould. i then use a cabintree lead hardness tester and number each bar or cupcake with its hardness # with a marking pen. looking at the attached pic --iv mounted a range hood over the melting pots . you can see a piece of wood mounted under the hood and on the bottom of it a shiney piano hinge. theres a piece of 1/4 in thick plastic mounted on the hinge--its hard to see the plastic but right over the left pot you can see what looks like a line--thats the bottom of the plastic. all that keeps any fumes inside to be drawn off by the range hood.
charlie in sw mo

sorry cant send the picture--pic limited to 100 and the pic is 219

Ken O
10-21-2005, 09:52 PM
I see some post that they are thinking of using thiner pots for Kenjudo's set up. I've posted this elseware, but this should help if you are thinking of doing so:
I used a stainless steel stock pot I got from the dollar store, I got a real good seal in the bottom valve, it would hold water without leaking. The problem I had was when the stainless heats up, the bottom would warp and move around quite a bit leaking a lot. What I did was cut two small pieces of conduit and weld them to the lift arm and the valve rod top. This made sort of like a universal joint for the valve. Now the bottom moves around and the rod always finds and makes the seal. Here is a pic:
http://my.core.com/~kenelz/smeltpot.JPG

felix
04-19-2006, 06:41 PM
Folks, Sundog and I, plus children, have enough clean lead to last all of us for the rest of our lives. It is time to think about selling this gadget that will smelt 2000 pound easy. When a source of WW or other junk lead arrives in your neighborhood, even for a reasonable cash sale, this large mother will do justice in cleaning it up pronto. Here, pronto means one 8 hour day for 2000 pounds, provided there is enough BTU's around to melt the stuff in 4 hours or so. This thing is not for the faint of heart. ... felix (and Corky)

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/moas/moas.htm

largecaliberman
04-26-2006, 12:21 PM
Nice setup!

Jack Stanley
07-16-2006, 11:08 AM
Wow ! Those are all interesting ways of getting the job done . It looks like most of them are simpler than what I made up .
In addition to the normal sizes and shapes of lead that all of us come across . I came upon a couple of "ingots" of a rather interesting size . The mold that was used to make them was a steel five gallon bucket :roll: you know the fun that came after finding that .
Since I nedded a larger pot that the plumbers furnace I'd been renting from time to time . I went to the scrap yard and found a piece of steel pipe that would accept the dimensions of a five gallon pail . A friend at work welded a bottom and a couple of trunions onto it and made a cradle to hold it . We cut up a large water heater tank to use as a shield to keep the pot hot and my legs not . The burner came from the same water heater and was fed from a single stage regulator on a hundred pound propane cylinder .
After melting the "ingots" the rest of the stuff was rather easy . One time I filled the pot to within an inch or so of the lip and drew of the lead into ingot ( of a more managable size ) that was on a scale . If I remembar right , total weight that came out of that loading was about six hundred pounds ...... I still got ingots stacked everywhere .[smilie=1:

Jack

redneckdan
07-16-2006, 02:47 PM
I need to come up with a bigger smelter, I got 1600lbs to do and I can only do like 15lbs at a time with my little pot.

Lloyd Smale
07-16-2006, 04:47 PM
Id gladly do you the favor relieving you of the responsiblity of melting all those evil dirty wws. YOu know you can get lead poisoning doing that
I need to come up with a bigger smelter, I got 1600lbs to do and I can only do like 15lbs at a time with my little pot :).

redneckdan
07-17-2006, 12:05 AM
Not wheel weights, soft scrap from .22 rimfire range, BHN of 5.715

georgeld
07-27-2006, 03:52 AM
By golly I've been "Out Dun!!"

Some great looking set up's here.

Problem with mine was the flow was too much to fill the molds. Have to catch it in a ladle and pour them from there. But, the yeild is 1# ingots. For me these are much easier to feed the Lee ProPot IV with.
Only one melting before use needed.

I've acquired a couple large plastic milk baskets to stack them neatly in. Each one holds 728 1# ingots. Mighty handy under the bench.

I'd suggest from what was learned with mine. Anyone else making one with an outflow spout. Use a much smaller outlet than the half inch my pot has IF you intend to pour into the one pound molds. IF you're going to make big ingots like some of these guys, go for the flow. Just be mighty careful because all the weight is pushing it out very fast. It just sprays against the molds like high pressure water from mine, not a bit stays in it. But, again, my outlet tube is at an angle too.

I also lost a $12 drill bushing used for the bottom seat somehow. So far, that's the only problem or additional expense.

These are great to see for comparison.

George

Bubba w/a 45/70
08-12-2006, 07:22 AM
Thanks for the pics, which makes my brain work. The working produces ideas, which in turn, I turn into reality with the supplies on hand.

Just didn't have the initial "kick in the head" to start it off. Using the Lee pots to clean up WW's is never going to be the same again, until something is built.

Quality NUt
08-30-2006, 11:22 PM
After a year of "aging", those wheel weights behind the "shop" have finally been redeemed.... It also took me about that long to accumulate the materials to put the "smelter" together. (After seeing Felix and Sundog at work... Whew!) I did manage to get all melted, cleaned cooled and put away in 40 minutes. That was a drastic improvement to previous jobs. Best part is there is alot more room for further improvement.:mrgreen: Like a real "sieve ladle" for those clips, etc.
In the picture below are a home made "torch", (thing sounds like a hoovering jet when wide open) "ladle", 5 lb ingot mold (they slip into my Lyman melter just fine) and the "housing". The Pot is a rejected SS missile nose cone. It only holds ~ 10 gal WW (the 14 lb dipper is also SS missile nose cone) All in all, the only cash invested was for electricity to run the welder. (My financial manager frowns heavily when me spend MONEY):-D2039

Goatlips
09-07-2006, 12:06 AM
I still use the basic Dutch Oven / Turkey Fryer burner, but add heat from the top with a propane weed burner. Here's my "Beginner's" site cleverly designed to rope more suckers into this casting madness:

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

No welding capabilities necessary, just a lot of garage sale muffin ingot molds (which fit my casting pots nicely).

Goatlips

mattc
09-09-2006, 06:27 AM
Goatlips
I like your site it is informative
if you dont mind the sugestion you might stress the adding DRY wheel weights when smelting or mentioning what happens if you get water in the lead, I would hate to see someone drop some wet weights in and end up with 20 lbs of hot lead in their lap

Taylor
11-05-2006, 10:21 AM
I really like this rig (Kenjudo's),can anyone tell me what the thing is to the left of the T is?And how it is used? Thanks. Also how do you sharpen/taper the end of the "plug",caution,am not a machinist.

TAWILDCATT
04-07-2007, 03:30 PM
Folks, Sundog and I, plus children, have enough clean lead to last all of us for the rest of our lives. It is time to think about selling this gadget that will smelt 2000 pound easy. When a source of WW or other junk lead arrives in your neighborhood, even for a reasonable cash sale, this large mother will do justice in cleaning it up pronto. Here, pronto means one 8 hour day for 2000 pounds, provided there is enough BTU's around to melt the stuff in 4 hours or so. This thing is not for the faint of heart. ... felix (and Corky)

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/moas/moas.htm

my god that is an awsome pot.maybe you should go in business and go around the country collecting ww and melting and delivering to casters.
:castmine: ..........:coffee: ...........:drinks:

Marine Sgt 2111
06-27-2007, 10:12 AM
gotta love this mass production processing

9.3X62AL
06-27-2007, 10:24 AM
Welcome to the board, Marine Sergeant. Some of these smelting set-ups are monsters, and I'm in awe of the skill and ingenuity displayed by their makers and users.

snuffy
09-30-2007, 04:42 PM
Nuthin special, just another turkey fryer with a dutch oven.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P7210033.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P7210032.JPG

Fluxed, ready to pour ingots.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P7210031.JPG

Results! This set-up works well, I'm a little leary of filling the pot all the way up. I had 90 pounds in it without a wiggle.

Buckshot
10-04-2007, 01:23 AM
.........There ya go. That's what it's all about.

............Buckshot

TNsailorman
12-21-2007, 03:05 PM
Thanks for the tips. Still learning.

miestro_jerry
12-31-2007, 09:10 AM
I did about the same thing with the base from a turkey fryer and ducth oven. It may not be able to hold hundreds of pounds, it does about 100 pounds. I do like the tap idea to pouring the lead.

Great idea!

Jerry

Sam Carp
01-22-2008, 11:45 PM
I'm not new to casting been doing it for years on a small scale. These are some of the best ideas I've seen. This web site is the best.

Sam

hotwheelz
08-31-2008, 09:34 PM
Well here is my home made humble but useful set up. I cut a piece of 12" pipe about 14" deep and welded a flat plate on the botttom made a small pour spout on the top edge and put a couple apposing handles on it. Works well on the turkey cooker stand we melted down almost a 1000lbs today of WW my back is a little sore but Ill be in good shape for a few months...

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg177/hotwheelz-1/Picture287.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg177/hotwheelz-1/Picture288.jpg
This was most of the catch from the last 2 months
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg177/hotwheelz-1/Picture286.jpg

hotwheelz
11-25-2008, 02:45 PM
Had to reopen my account at photobucket here are the pics


http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo241/Hothweelzz/Picture288.jpg
http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo241/Hothweelzz/Picture287.jpg
http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo241/Hothweelzz/Picture291.jpg

gunarea
12-26-2008, 09:25 AM
Hey Guys
Nothing new for smelting down hundreds of pounds of WWs and other scrap but I can't be the only geezer who doesn't need to be constantly bending over. The picture shows my answer. Some blocks and a small gate puts the ingot moulds up to counter top level. Roofing steel has since been replaced with some diamond plate and a homless traffic sign. The gate and sheet metal act as a heat sink to cool things off more rapidly than dirt or wood and easy to keep free of debris. This rig also shortened the distance between hot alloy and waiting ingot mould. Spills aren't contaminated with dirt near as much and are easier to reclaim in just a few minutes. Been doin it this way since my early fifties. The waste cans are being used as a wind break only. Roy
10267[ATTACH]10269 HTH

sigbbred
01-06-2009, 02:33 PM
Here is my.http://kammeret.no/bilder/albums/userpics/10287/normal_div_009_%28Medium%29.jpg
http://kammeret.no/bilder/albums/userpics/10287/normal_div_057_%28Medium%29.jpg

yodar
02-08-2009, 09:44 PM
bayou classic burner for cooking lead and beer!

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/349433775.jpg

adding 2 oz 67/33 solder and when application demands, 1-2 lb magnum shot to alloy the wheelweights to a harder bullet

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/349433786.jpg

flux with sodium tetraborate octahydrate flux (do NOT stir)-it will crystallize as a glassy crust around contaminats-easy to remove- and flux when casting with beeswax/alox scraps

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/349433798.jpg

use rowell ladle from Antimonyman and cornbread stick ingot molds

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/349433806.jpg

50 lb of wheelweights makes a heckuva lotta these lil' 118 gr pills

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/349432650.jpg

add magnum shot to harden the rifle bullets

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1229/6309647/12253703/233048100.jpg

yodar

22lover
02-23-2009, 01:48 PM
Wow nice setup. I've got a cast iron dutch oven fired by charcoal in the bottom of a scrapped Weber smoker. Works very well but chews through charcoal at a fairly high rate. I've been dipping with an SS ladle and it works OK thus far. Just having trouble getting all of the trash out of the melt. It's mostly pure WW but there's always a few black dots on the top of the ingots.

Made about 50 lbs of ingots over the weekend and my back hurts like hell!

Jaybird62
02-24-2009, 11:59 PM
Nice setups. I've been going the Dutch oven and turkey fryer route, but I'd like something a little more "aggressive." I'm thinking about picking up linotype remelt unit that runs off of natural gas. If I can find a few other casters in the Middle Tennessee area it might be worth the expense.

ntodawind
03-01-2009, 04:53 PM
hi,
Goatlips You presented a very nice presentation, It would have suckered me in!
It all looks familiar and common to the low budget reloader/caster as myself, You use what is at hand to get the job done.
Thanks,
Tim

ntodawind
03-01-2009, 05:03 PM
hi,
Goatlips You presented a very nice presentation, It would have suckered me in!
It all looks familiar and common to the low budget reloader/caster as myself, You use what is at hand to get the job done.
Thanks,
Tim

Fan of the 1911
03-02-2009, 08:35 PM
I wish I had found this web sight about 2 years ago!!!! The ideas are racing through my head a modified goatlips setup.... now I need more ww.

3rptr
03-02-2009, 10:13 PM
All dandy and effective...

Goatlips gets the prize for a great presentation!

Thanks!

partsproduction
03-03-2009, 01:26 PM
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc225/partsproduction/batchpot.jpg

Finished this yesterday, holds 550 lbs of alloy. This is just a batch mixer, note 25 lbs of 50/50 solder melted in the bottom.

In the foreground are two wheel weight pigs 115 lbs each. I'm waiting for an ingot mold before I melt the whole soup up.

The valve is all 300 series stainless except for the ball on the handle and the hinge bolt. I'll use an infrared thermometer to know the temperature, any thoughts on the best temp? When I melted the WW they got pretty hot, I'm sure there is zinc sponge in the pigs, that's why I want to pour at low temp.

Note the bullet trap in the background, just finished it last week. I shoot in the shop.
parts

JIMinPHX
03-05-2009, 02:31 AM
The infrared thermometers are calibrated to read the temperature of a flat black surface. The readings that they give on liquid lead are pretty far off. You might get away with pointing one at your black pot. Otherwise, it's not that big of a deal to weld in a thermal well for a plain old mechanical thermometer.

Zinc is pretty hard to get out of a mix once it's in. I've been told stories by people that have claimed to reduce the zinc contamination by skimming off a soupy mess at a specific temperature, but I've never been told a story about anyone getting it all out.

You can see my boolit traps here - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=29648

Old Ironsights
03-22-2009, 08:58 PM
Partsproduction: I like the looks of that setup. Very clean. What are you using as the pot/valve?

Here's my current setup... I have to haul it out of the basement every time I want to smelt. PITA actually... makes it so I can only get about 2 buckets (about 250#) done a day...]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5879.jpghttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5881.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5883.jpghttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5882.jpghttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5886.jpg

The 12qt steel stock pot will hold (almost to the brim) 2 full 5gl buckets of melted WWs (weighed in at 260#).

I pulled 8qt (20#) of clips & 4 floaters off the melt.

Ended up with 105 2#+ (about 2-1/12# av) ingots for not qiote 220# total.

Total loss to Clips, Dirt & burnoff = 40#.

fastgun
04-01-2009, 04:35 PM
Thanks for the plans for the bottom pour design. It is much quicker then my soup ladle.

geargnasher
04-04-2009, 08:43 PM
Great setups! I have and idea to just tap the bottom of a dutch oven for 1/8" pipe thread instead of using a nut, that way the nipple will stay flush or below the bottom it I'm careful not to run the tap in too far. Now, just need a large quantity of something to smelt so as to have an excuse to make one!

imashooter2
04-04-2009, 11:11 PM
Great setups! I have and idea to just tap the bottom of a dutch oven for 1/8" pipe thread instead of using a nut, that way the nipple will stay flush or below the bottom it I'm careful not to run the tap in too far. Now, just need a large quantity of something to smelt so as to have an excuse to make one!

Not much thread engagement there. I think that joint would be very fragile.

Cheshire Dave
04-05-2009, 08:56 PM
Well I'm a little embaressed. I went the low tech route. Propane is too damn expensive and I'm lucky to find ww at all so I made up a simple wood fired set up. I was able to smelt 120 lbs. in 3 hours or so. I had done a much bigger batch using a propane burner but got some zinc in the batch and ruined about 120 lbs. Think I'll be able to make boat anchors out of it but I do much smaller batches now to be safe. I was able to use mostly bark and chips left over from splitting wood so the cost was pretty much zero. Threre is a box fan just outside the picture that controls the heat.
12723

12724

Cheshire Dave
04-05-2009, 10:05 PM
Kendall here's some pics of my home made ingot moulds. A friend at work made them and got more creative then I would have, The handles and feet make it nice to smelt with but are a pain in the #@$&% to use to drain your electric pot.They get in the way.
12727

missionary5155
04-06-2009, 06:15 AM
Good morning Cheshire Dave It all looks workable to me. Wood is cheap ! The ingot feet can be removed with some hacksaw work.. or what ever power tool is handy..
Mike in Peru

waco
04-06-2009, 09:14 PM
looks good dave!
waco

Boondocker
04-15-2009, 12:07 PM
Dave I am going to do the same thing, I have a turkey fryer but with the felled pine and softwood trees on the property I can kill to birds with one stone. I have 8 buckets of ww and about 600 pounds of phone sheathing and lead pipe to render. I am soon to be unemployed so after my knee surgery it will be render lead and garden maintenence. Oh yea she has me cooking cleaning washing painting and job hunting. :roll:

grumman581
04-15-2009, 04:46 PM
Zinc is pretty hard to get out of a mix once it's in. I've been told stories by people that have claimed to reduce the zinc contamination by skimming off a soupy mess at a specific temperature, but I've never been told a story about anyone getting it all out.

When I melted down my first batch of wheel weights, I ended up with some that didn't melt, so I suspect that they were zinc. As such, I don't think my pot was getting hot enough that I need to worry about zinc contamination. Perhaps if I had used the top flame via propane weed burner technique that some are using, I might have had to worry about it.

I've noticed that there are some manufacturers who are making zinc bullets due to requirements for some ranges to be lead-free. If so, then how does it act when mixed with lead in bullets so that most casters consider it a contamination?

softpoint
05-14-2009, 11:24 PM
I built a new small smelter today that I can use to ladle cast if Iwant/need to . Have several pots so I can do small batches of alloy, or pure lead for paper patch. I have a larger smelter ,too I am a fitter-welder by trade, so getting the materials comes pretty easily. ( I'm self employed, so always have leftover scraps:grin:)

Dale53
05-15-2009, 01:44 AM
Here's the set up that I and my brother (that's him in the picture) used the day we did 650 lbs. I have since added an additional 3 ingot mould (about 4.0 lbs per ingot) made from angle iron. This Dutch Oven/Turkey Fryer set up answers my needs. I have done 1000 lbs in a day (the 650 lbs took a half day) and I had help both days. I can set it up in thirty minutes and be ready to go. It breaks down a bit slower as I am ALWAYS a bit tired after smelting:mrgreen:.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QWinter2009andleadsmelting-1768.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QWinter2009andleadsmelting-1769.jpg

I noticed that Bass Pro was running a sale in my latest sale flyer (received yesterday) of $29.95 for the fryer (called it a fish fryer) and Harbor Freight has a 6 qt. Dutch Oven with Lid for about $20.00. That is the lowest priced GOOD set up that you will find, I believe. I find a barbecue grille propane tank (25 lb?) will last through several smeltings bringing the fuel cost to a rather inexpensive total. It sure is convenient.

Dale53

softpoint
05-15-2009, 08:53 AM
Being a welder by trade, I should have already made some of those angle iron ingot molds, but haven't. The big pot in my pics hols a couple hundred pounds. Are turkey fryers safe with a large dutch oven full of lead on them.? I probably overbuilt my burner supports, but that is the material I had on hand.
I guess all turkey fryers are not the same, and it'd be prudent to pick the stoutest looking one you could find?:drinks:
I've smelted about 300 lb in a day with my setup.

grumman581
05-15-2009, 09:04 AM
I guess all turkey fryers are not the same, and it'd be prudent to pick the stoutest looking one you could find?:drinks:
I've smelted about 300 lb in a day with my setup.

Anything worth engineering is worth over-engineering!

When you've got a hundred pounds of molten metal near your feet and legs, over-engineering is good...

Dale53
05-15-2009, 02:23 PM
>>>it'd be prudent to pick the stoutest looking one you could find?<<<

ABSOLUTELY ON POINT!! The standard to apply: If you would feel safe standing on the fryer then it is sturdy enough.

Dale53

grumman581
05-15-2009, 02:45 PM
The standard to apply: If you would feel safe standing on the fryer then it is sturdy enough.


Good starting point at least, but one must consider that nearly all of them have 3 legs... I'm not sure that I feel safe standing on any 3 legged stool though...

My current burner has three legs, but I welded some rebar around the bottom of it about 4" from the bottom of the legs and then do my smelting in a grass area so that I can step on the horizontal rebar sections and drive the bottom 4" of the legs into the ground... Kind of anchoring it there so it doesn't readily move...

Buckshot
05-16-2009, 02:48 AM
When I melted down my first batch of wheel weights, I ended up with some that didn't melt, so I suspect that they were zinc. As such, I don't think my pot was getting hot enough that I need to worry about zinc contamination. Perhaps if I had used the top flame via propane weed burner technique that some are using, I might have had to worry about it.

I've noticed that there are some manufacturers who are making zinc bullets due to requirements for some ranges to be lead-free. If so, then how does it act when mixed with lead in bullets so that most casters consider it a contamination?

............Zinc contamination causes the lead alloy to be slumpy, sludgy, and makes it flow (a crude comparison) like oatmeal :-) Small amounts of zinc cause fill out problems in the cavity, even though the molten alloy may appear to be normally 'pourable'. On a molecular level there is an outer skin in contact with the air, as it sluices into the cavity. The zinc oxidizes faster and the more liquid metal behind has to break through, only to oxidize itself. It repeats constantly.

Another crude but simple visualization is an oceanic subsurface volcanic eruption. The hot lava is under pressure and erupts into the water. The water vaporizes but also cools the immediate lava surface causeing a hard crust to form. The hot liquid lava under pressure behind it breaks through at some point almost immediately, and the process proceeds continually until the supply of lava or the pressure is removed.

Small zinc contamination causes poor 'Fine Detail' fill out, E.g. Rounded corners, edges, and blurred features.


...............Buckshot

.357
06-22-2009, 08:17 PM
That's buckshot that is really good to know, I"m getting ready to pick up a frier and do my first smelt i have about 30 pounds of WW that i've found (most stores have someone contracted to pick them up). I have a question how would a steel fry basket fair in the dutch oven during the smelt. i saw one at the thrift store and thought well if i put all the wheel weights in that and then put it in the dutch oven/stock pot after the lead was melted would that catch *most* of the clips and zinc/other nasties? I would assume ok given the melting point of steel but just wondering if anyone had tried it.

Dale53
06-22-2009, 11:37 PM
Most steel fry baskets are plated with something. That may or may not be a contaminant. The idea sounds good, but-t-t-t...

Dale53

evan price
08-23-2009, 11:23 PM
I'm using a Revere Ware 12-qt SS stockpot over a turkey burner. So far done 200# with it satisfactory. Did 60# of reclaimed range bullets (mostly FMJ but some cast) and tried to do it all at one lump with the regulator screwed wide open- and found that the bottom of my pot was laminated stainless with a 1/4" plate of aluminum in the middle, which melted. Ooops. This burner has enough BTU to melt zinc because I had one that turned to mush that was on the bottom of the empty pot on a new cold melt.

Now, I start a melt with hand-picked WW I know for sure is lead, not bulk dumped scoops.

Anyway, it still works OK...to dip I use a soup ladle ($.50 from the Goodwill) and to skim I use a Wal*Mart coarse strainer (square and about the size of a ladle) This works cats-behind to skim the clips, flux, and add more WW to the pot. Only problem is skimming out the powder dirt- need lots of flux to get it to clump- but that's where all those cheap-o crayons my kids get at restaurants come in. Add a half of a cheapo crayon- stir- great flux.

Had ONE visit from the tinsel fairy today- got distracted right as I was adding more WW to a half-full pot- added too much cold WW too quickly and it burped and spattered lead all over the patio. Yikes!

Still have about 500# to melt and getting more scrap soon.

Dale53
08-24-2009, 12:08 AM
evan price;
It can be dangerous adding WW's to molten metal. The steel clips can hide all kinds of moisture (even ice in the winter). When you drop water into molten metal you can get COVERED with molten lead. Bad JOO-JOO!!

Many years ago, I had a steam explosion in a small cast iron lead pot while casting and it filled my eyes with molten lead droplets. I had to peel the solidified droplets off the inside of my eyelids (just visualize someone pulling your lower eye lid open and dumping a teaspoon of sand in there. Now, visualize the sand to be 650 degrees!! Not fun. The good news is that I fully recovered. Keep in mind that I had glasses on (they helped, a LOT, but did not completely stop the molten lead).

I do NOT dump WW's into a pot of melted metal. I completely empty the pot and then start over. That way, any moisture is gradually driven off as the WW's heat and there will be NO problem. It's not worth it to save a little time. You were lucky! Consider it a warning!:twisted:

Stay SAFE!!

Dale53

ArmedMainer
12-25-2009, 12:05 PM
I do NOT dump WW's into a pot of melted metal. I completely empty the pot and then start over. That way, any moisture is gradually driven off as the WW's heat and there will be NO problem. It's not worth it to save a little time. You were lucky! Consider it a warning!:twisted:

Stay SAFE!!

Dale53This is the stuff us newbies need to know. I'm glad I read your post. Thanks.

Dale53
12-25-2009, 01:53 PM
ArmedMainer;
Glad to have been of some help.

Dale53

docone31
12-25-2009, 01:57 PM
I drop my wheel weights, and whatever I am melting into my pot, on top of Kitty Litter.
By the time is gets molten, all moisure is gone.
The lead drips through, leaving behind any non-lead items.
Have yet to have a "pop" since I started doing that.

MaxJon
02-02-2010, 07:35 AM
This is Kenjudo's setup, and build info, PART 1:

http://www.fototime.com/D75199F69236ABA/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/CFBCD66D5603F42/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/632B7C0BBCD165D/standard.jpg]

http://www.fototime.com/DF8A60C5205E5AB/standard.jpg

Gr8 stuff Buckshot! got me keen now! Gunna pass on the Baby Lee pots, think i could make one of those for just about nothing!!:lovebooli:lovebooli:lovebooli

pjh421
02-23-2010, 04:29 PM
When I registered on this forum one of the first things I checked out was the mother-of-all-smelters. I was awestruck. Today I thought I'd see what was happening on this thread and while I believe in "to each his own", I might be able to save someone a little time & effort.

When I get enough wheel weights that its obvious I need to smelt them I dump them into a pile on the driveway. As the dutch oven is heating up, I push the weights around with my feet so that the piles are about one piece high. After I remove the larger pieces of trash and tire stems (and I have used a leaf blower at times), out comes the garden hose.

Most of the dirt, brake dust and things lighter than lead can be washed down the driveway a bit so I don't have to remove them from the molten alloy later. By now the dutch oven is good and hot, so out comes the shovel.

The dripping-wet weights can now be shoveled into the pot all the way to the top with some heaped on for good measure.

Now is the time to set your pyrometer up to help monitor the heat. If the temp doesn't exceed 600 - 650 degrees there isn't any chance of melting zinc and later you can skim these along with the clips. By the time any lead melts the water will have long since evaporated. In my experience this will yield only a couple of inches of alloy in the bottom of the pot when its melted. As soon as the weights are liquified, turn off the gas. Let the contents solidify but not cool off. We're only talking a couple minutes. Shovel in as much wet ww as you can fit and then turn the heat on again. Believe me, the water will not stick around. Eventually I have to flux and skim just to make room for more ww.

I don't start pouring ingots until I have a dutch oven full to the top of clean alloy.

I see no reason to empty the pot until I'm done with that particular session. A near-full pot of hot alloy will melt fresh wheel weights faster than an empty one. Just ensure that the alloy in the pot has solidified before adding any more and the Tinsel Fairey will have to find a new boyfriend.

Paul

hammerhead357
03-03-2010, 09:06 PM
Well I will try to post these pictures. This is an old linotype melter that I purchased about 25 years ago for the some of 50.00 it was setup for natural gas . In these pictures I had modified the burners to run on propane and the smoke on the front of the furnace tells me it wasn't working correctlly. I have since added 3 turkey frier burners under it. I will try it out when on vacation next month if I have enough wheel weights to do a large melt.

hammerhead357
03-03-2010, 09:23 PM
This is just a typical turkey frier with a cast iron dutch oven. I think I am going to build a new pot for it out of some large steel pipe and steel plate after reading the threads about the cast iron cracking.

Dale53
03-03-2010, 10:05 PM
hammerhead357;
Now THAT is a smelting pot! I'll bet it runs through propane FAST!!

My set up is very close to your smaller smelter. Frankly, it is sized correctly for my use. My Dutch oven will hold about 120 lbs or so and that is enough to deal with for me.

FWIW
Dale53

hammerhead357
03-04-2010, 03:57 PM
Dale53 the big one doesn't get used unless I have around a 1000 lbs of metal to be melted down. I don't know how it will be on propane use with the new 3 burner set up.
The smaller one gets used most often and is less work...Except for having to ladel pour the ingots.....Wes

Nose Dive
06-18-2010, 11:58 PM
I'm so damx jealous of BUCKSHOTS and Hammerheads stuff...I wanna chew my foot off...

LeadThrower
07-14-2010, 12:05 PM
Here's a few photos of my bottom pour. It's a 12" cube made of 1/4" plate steel (700 lb capacity if filled). The solenoid is from a chevy starter motor. The spout is 1/4" NPT. The valve is a brass pin punch seated in a pipe cap which I drilled out. The punch is threaded onto 10-24 allthread. I cut the allthread and used a union to allow for some fine adjustments in travel. The allthread is connected to the solenoid by a union which I notched and drilled to receive the roll pin which connected the plunger to the shift lever.

The solenoid is actuated by energizing the pull-in coil. This draws too many amps and heats up the solenoid in a hurry so that's the first fix I need to make. I'm going to put a second circuit on it (unless I come up with something more clever -- ideas are already in mind). The second circuit will be a momentary switch to energize the pull-in coil and I'll move the toggle to the hold-in coil. Operation would then be 1) hold-in switched on, valve closed; 2) pull-in triggered, valve opens 3) hold-in switched off, valve closes.

I've posted a vid on youtube. It's still processing as I write this so I'll post the link to the vid when it's done, check back later. Nothing special in the vid, just some shots of lead pouring out of the spout.

23677The pot
23678The solenoid
23679Valve closed
23680Valve open... notice the pin which captures the punch in alignment with the hole.

LeadThrower
07-14-2010, 04:42 PM
Here's the link to the youtube vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyX9_svA9Io

Munkeyjoe
07-23-2010, 06:07 PM
Very cool Video.... How does the nozzel fair though?? Do you have to reheat often?

LeadThrower
07-25-2010, 10:03 AM
I only have to reheat for the first pour. The first stream of lead solidifies, unless I preheat the nozzle ahead of time. Once the session is going, I only need to reheat if I stop to add material to the kettle. I initially wired up the solenoid using the pull-in coil and that draws so much current that the solenoid heats up quickly. I've modified it so that I have two momentary switches: one energizes the pull-in coil, the other energizes the hold-in coil. So I hit both to open the valve and release the pull-in switch so only the hold-in coil is keeping the valve open.

It's still fail-safe in that if I let go of everything or if the current drops (dead battery, etc.) the valve will close under the solenoid's spring tension.

The two things I really wanted on this design were successes:
1) True linear action -- all lever-type systems involve some arc of travel and require floating linkages. This was only a conceptual desire and not a practical need. Just take a look at all the successes of other members using levers.
2) Electronic control with the switches at the same level as the ingot moulds. The one thing I did think was of practical significance for my situation was to make activation of the valve possible from down where my hands would be -- at the bottom of the pot. I didn't want to have to reach up to open the valve.

I use indoor range scrap for my lead. One very nice advantage of this (or any) bottom pour design is that I don't need to clean out the bullet jackets prior to casting (since the bullet jackets float). I can start casting much faster and I can scoop out the jackets when they're cold which is much more comfortable.

Munkeyjoe
07-25-2010, 12:49 PM
Well it sure is a very nice setup.

grumman581
07-25-2010, 01:30 PM
I only have to reheat for the first pour. The first stream of lead solidifies, unless I preheat the nozzle ahead of time. Once the session is going, I only need to reheat if I stop to add material to the kettle.

It probably wouldn't be too much trouble to add a small pilot light type burner along the spigot and nozzle to keep you from having to use a propane torch to re-liquefy the lead.

LeadThrower
07-25-2010, 11:09 PM
It probably wouldn't be too much trouble to add a small pilot light type burner along the spigot and nozzle to keep you from having to use a propane torch to re-liquefy the lead.

True, that. But... with the capacity of this thing, the need to reheat that nozzle is pretty minimal compared to the total casting time. I haven't filled it with scrap yet and I tire of making ingots before it's empty. That said, I'm busy enough that I haven't buckled down to an all day ingot casting enduro... "wecome race fans, to the 24 hours of Le Plumbum!" Such a day might convince me to add the pilot :D I'll let you know ;)

grumman581
07-26-2010, 12:29 AM
Such a day might convince me to add the pilot :D I'll let you know ;)

Just run a small diameter pipe along the length of the spigot and drill a couple of really small holes in the top side of the pipe. You might need an orifice on the pipe leading into this to fine tune your gas supply.

Are you running natural gas or propane (LPG) for your main burner?

LeadThrower
07-26-2010, 09:03 AM
LPG. It's the burner from a King Kooker. I think I have a bookmark to orifice sizes for lpg vs natural gas burners, but if you have a hole dia recommendation (for the pilot burner holes and the restrictor orifice) I'd love to hear it.

I've been amazed at how much heat that thing kicks out and how much lead I could go through using my old system (12 qt dutch oven) before needing to refill the 20-lb tank. I'm thinking I'll stretch the lpg a little farther by insulating the sides of the box since it's got quite a bit more surface to radiate heat. McMaster sells 2" thick mineral wool that is heat resistant to 1200°F. I think that will do the trick.

grumman581
07-26-2010, 11:15 AM
LPG. It's the burner from a King Kooker. I think I have a bookmark to orifice sizes for lpg vs natural gas burners, but if you have a hole dia recommendation (for the pilot burner holes and the restrictor orifice) I'd love to hear it.

I usually just start with the smallest drill bit that I have and work up from there... I run natural gas for my burner though, so the pressure is a bit less... If I'm using the burner to heat up a cast iron grill plate for blackening some steaks when I'm away from home though, I use LPG with it... Unregulated LPG, so I have to be very careful with how much I open the LPG tank's valve, otherwise, I can get a 6 ft column of flame...

jmsj
07-26-2010, 02:35 PM
LeadThrower,
That is really cool.
Have you thought about enclosing the bottom area a little and maybe shortening the spout a little? A short skirted area around the base will hold the heat a little better.
I did that when I built my bottom pour smelter. Most of the pipe going to the nozzle is in the heated space and I have not had a problem with the nozzle freezing,just a thought. Really awesome design. jmsj

LeadThrower
07-27-2010, 12:14 AM
LeadThrower,
Have you thought about enclosing the bottom area a little and maybe shortening the spout a little? A short skirted area around the base will hold the heat a little better.
I did that when I built my bottom pour smelter. Most of the pipe going to the nozzle is in the heated space and I have not had a problem with the nozzle freezing,just a thought. Really awesome design. jmsj

Shortening the nozzle is certainly on the "to do" list. I just grabbed a 4" pipe nipple thinking "that ought to do it..."

Adding a skirt is a good idea, too. A little sheet metal would go a long way to keep heat on the nozzle. Coupled with a little pilot-like flame from underneath and I'd likely not need the torch, ever.

Thanks for all the great ideas and feedback, gents!

LeadThrower
07-27-2010, 12:16 AM
... I can get a 6 ft column of flame...

I see no problem with that!!:twisted: [smilie=w:

grumman581
07-27-2010, 12:45 AM
I see no problem with that!!:twisted: [smilie=w:

Unregulated LPG will give you about 175 psi. The tanks themselves are rated for 300 psi. I actually melted a cast aluminum gas grill that I had converted to unregulated LPG. It sure could sear the steaks well... Worked well until I had large blobs of molten aluminum hitting the ground and splashing on me... That's 1220F... Not too bad for a grill, I guess... Like I always say, "Anything worth engineering is worth over-engineering..."

LeadThrower
08-17-2010, 03:52 PM
Well, I finally got around to making some necessary changes to the solenoid-actuated lead pot. Now it's fully functional and doesn't overheat. A single momentary push button fires the hold-in and pull-in coils, breaks the pull-in coil upon solenoid closure, and then breaks the hold-in when the button is released.

I've attached a schematic of the starter solenoid. The original solenoid is on top and my modified solenoid is on the bottom. The hold-in coil is solid, the pull-in is dashed. B is the battery positive terminal, M is the motor terminal, and S is the solenoid switch terminal. The "fix" looks pretty rough, so I'll spare you the pictures. I drilled a hole dead center in the solenoid cap and put a Chicago binding post through it to accept a dowel. I used a wood dowel (1/8") dropped through it and attached a metal post at 90° to make the electrical contact shown in the schematic. When the solenoid fires the copper disk pushes up on the dowel (wood to avoid conduction) and breaks the contact at M. The hold-in coil stays energized until the button is released.

Notice that I also ground down the motor terminal on the inside to avoid a dead short across the battery and motor terminals. That short across the solenoid is what allows current to flow to the starter motor and breaks the pull-in circuit when the solenoid is attached to a starter in a vehicle.

I also drilled out the restrictions in the street elbows. They were 1/4" and now are about 13/32" and are close to the ID of the 1/4NPT pipe. The lead really flows now, but thankfully not so fast that it splashes or causes problems.

I haven't added any burner under the pipe yet. It's just not worth the effort for me at this point. I only need to head the downspout once per casting session.

Next mod will be some heat shroud, akin to jmsj's thoughts (thanks!) and the addition of a chimney to vent the fumes and smoke during heating. I use used motor oil as my reducing agent ("flux") and it's gnarly!

[Thread hijack] BTW, starter problems are often simply the loss of electrical contact across the battery and motor terminals as they wear from use. If you hear click with no motor turning, simply pop apart your solenoid and inspect the terminals. Buy new posts, or add material by brazing. [/Thread hijack]

branfordjeff
08-27-2010, 03:48 PM
Great post, great website!

I like the animal ingots, that's cool.




I still use the basic Dutch Oven / Turkey Fryer burner, but add heat from the top with a propane weed burner. Here's my "Beginner's" site cleverly designed to rope more suckers into this casting madness:

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

No welding capabilities necessary, just a lot of garage sale muffin ingot molds (which fit my casting pots nicely).

Goatlips

MikeS
03-11-2011, 11:20 PM
Hi All.

I'm new to casting bullets, I've only cast a couple of hundred so far. I went and bought a 5 gallon container of used WWs from a local tire store today, paid $40.00 for what has to be well over 100lbs of stuff. I went to Home Depot, and bought an outdoor cooker (looks just like a turkey cooker, but with a smaller pot), and I was wondering, is there anything wrong with using the aluminium 10 quart pot that came with it? I notice that most people use a cast iron dutch oven, and I was just wondering if I could use the pot that came with this, for 2 reasons, 1 I'm cheap, and I've already paid for this pot, and 2 I was thinking that this pot is a lot lighter than a dutch oven would be, and after adding lots of lead it either, it's gotta weigh a bunch, and I wouldn't want the burner section to break! The one I bought is the Brinkmann Cooker Fryer model #815-4010 for anyone that's knows Home Depot's items. It also came with a strainer, and I know I can't use that, but I was kind of hoping I could use the pot itself. Any help would be appreciated.

Doc Highwall
03-11-2011, 11:30 PM
Aluminum pots are no good. Cast iron Dutch ovens or stainless steel are much better. I have an 11qt Dutch oven for melting into large ingots and a 8qt Dutch oven for alloying into smaller ingots for using in my LEE or Wage pots.

imashooter2
03-11-2011, 11:33 PM
Aluminum weakens considerably at elevated temperatures. Aluminum pots, especially the thin el cheapo pots that come with outdoor cookers, can fail without warning leaving you standing in a puddle of molten metal. This is generally regarded as a bad thing.

Iron or steel only for melting lead.

Make sure you test that cooker with considerably more weight than you intend to melt on it too. Lead weighs almost 24 pounds per quart.

grumman581
03-12-2011, 12:12 AM
Having MELTED a cast aluminum BBQ grill and had molten aluminum dripping and splashing on me after I re-engineered it to use unregulated propane, I would HIGHLY recommend that you spend a couple extra bucks and get a cast iron or steel pot. Keep the aluminum cooker for frying or making gumbo and use the right tool for the job.

MikeS
03-12-2011, 12:34 AM
Aluminum weakens considerably at elevated temperatures. Aluminum pots, especially the thin el cheapo pots that come with outdoor cookers, can fail without warning leaving you standing in a puddle of molten metal. This is generally regarded as a bad thing.

Iron or steel only for melting lead.

Make sure you test that cooker with considerably more weight than you intend to melt on it too. Lead weighs almost 24 pounds per quart.

Thanks. I thought I remembered seeing that aluminium wasn't good, but didn't recall the reason. I have no desire to see if I can outrun molten lead/aluminium as I know that answer, and it would be that I would lose!

The base can hold up to an 80 quart fryer, and says to never use a cooking vessel smaller than 12.5" in diameter, so what would be a good size dutch oven to get? Thanks again!

Dale53
03-12-2011, 01:22 AM
I use a Harbor Freight 12" Dutch Oven (six quart). It works just fine. I have smelted a couple of thousand pounds of scrap lead and wheel weights with my set up (Bass Pro Fish/Turkey Fryer and the HF Dutch oven).

Dale53

L1A1Rocker
03-12-2011, 02:05 AM
Thanks for resurecting this thread! Good info.

MikeS
03-12-2011, 05:09 PM
I use a Harbor Freight 12" Dutch Oven (six quart). It works just fine. I have smelted a couple of thousand pounds of scrap lead and wheel weights with my set up (Bass Pro Fish/Turkey Fryer and the HF Dutch oven).
Dale53

That is truly a great store! I looked up Dutch Ovens online, and found that new they're pretty expensive! Then after seeing your post I checked out HF, and they had it online for $29.95. I went over to one of their local stores today, and they're having a big sale, I bought it for $24.95! While there I looked around, and I've been meaning to buy a digital caliper to replace my 50 year old venier caliper that I can hardly read the lines on anymore, and they had one there for $11.00! Yes, it's plastic, and probably won't last 1/5th as long as my old caliper, but for that kind of money I can afford to replace it even every 5 years if I need to.

Also while there, I noticed an ultrasonic cleaner that looks suspiciously like the Lyman ultrasonic cleaner which sells for $135.00 and at HF it was only $80.00, so if/when I decide to get a cleaner, I'll get the cleaner from HF, then just buy the Lyman solutions for cleaning brass, or steel (to clean my handguns).

If the store hadn't been so packed, and if my daughter wasn't sleeping out in the car, I would have spent more time, and probably all of my money at that store!

Longwood
03-12-2011, 06:37 PM
I bought one of the calipers to give to a friend on ebay that was sold in china.
I think it came to around $9.00. I seem to remember payng $1.72 plus enough shipping to make it cost around $9.00 total. Made from stainless steel and it looks exactly like the one Home Depot sells for $38.00 but it did come without a case or box.
I also bought a 1.5 liter ultrasonic cleaner on ebay for $66 with shipping, (cheapo one similar to the one Harbor Freight sells) and am amazed at how fast and well it work. I needed some 44 brass for an experiment that will destroy them so I took some that I had tried to tumble clean a while back but were so cruddy and stained by rat piss that I gave up on them. Two four minute cycles in 50/50 Greased Lightening (from Home Depot) and water and they looked like new brass. Simply amazing. I have a strong feeling my vibrator cleaner is now a dust collector.

Dale53
03-12-2011, 08:43 PM
MIkeS;
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens work extremely well. However, you must NOT bang on it. There have been notable failures when someone habitually bangs on the pot with something metal. Crack-k-k, and there it goes. Take care of it and it will work for generations.

Harbor Freight does have many good buys. Most of the tools are from China, so quality is not always what we would wish. However, for most of us, they are certainly "good enough" and AFFORDABLE.

One of the lasting benefits of this forum is sharing ideas of "How" and "Where" - this is just another example.

Dale53

Jamesconn
04-30-2011, 12:52 AM
The link doesn't work for mentor some reason

Pigslayer
10-18-2011, 05:59 PM
I love all of those pics! Downhome technology!!! To heck with high tech!!! You guys got it goin on!!

grumman581
10-19-2011, 12:15 AM
Cast Iron Dutch Ovens work extremely well. However, you must NOT bang on it. There have been notable failures when someone habitually bangs on the pot with something metal. Crack-k-k, and there it goes. Take care of it and it will work for generations.

Given the choice, I would prefer to weld up my own pot out of some 1/2" wall thickness steel pipe and a bottom plate of the same (if not more) thickness. I'm still using a cast iron dutch oven for mine and it works well enough. Maybe I would like to be able to put a bit more wheel weights into the pot at one time, but having to add them in multiple stages is not too inconvenient for me given the amount of lead that I smelt.

Mal Paso
10-20-2011, 11:13 PM
My best find after a lot of looking was an 11" round heavy stainless steam table insert from Smart & Final. It has made such a difference getting smelting out of my casting pot. I wasn't doing wheel weights but some of my scrap was oxidized. I was dreaming of a welded bottom pour but the 4 1/2 oz stainless steel restaurant portion ladle I've been using doesn't pick up the crud on the bottom and holds about 3# of lead.

Idaho Sharpshooter
10-31-2011, 02:00 AM
Several years ago Cabela's had Turkey Cookers on a 50% off sale, just after Thanksgiving. 20lb tank included.

Simple is best, and a Dutch Oven will not have the leakage issues...

Rich

Bullet Caster
11-14-2011, 07:34 PM
Howdy,
I'm new to this forum as well as boolit casting. I started out with an 8 or so quart Dutch Oven with a lid and put it on my grill's side burner. After a lot of smoke and hardly no melted pb, I gave up. I have been searching all the forum sites and found out that my little Coleman camp stove would work for melting pb. Then I ordered a small melting pot from fleabay and it works great on my Coleman as long as I keep it pumped up. I was wondering what to do with the cast iron dutch oven now that I've ruined it for ever cooking again. As soon as I can find some WW, I'll give smelting a go. I see that you guys use a lot of muffin pans for moulds and that certainly looks like a viable method for making ingots. I don't use a thermometer since I can't afford those pricey ones--I tried to use a K-meter but the plastic melted off of the sensing rod and melted the solder holding the wire to the rod and I came up with a rod stuck in the pot and pulled out a wire. That idea got scrapped reallly quickly. If I could find a sensing rod that would not melt I probably could use the K-meter. I am a partially disabled Vietnam vet and just don't have the money to purchase all the extras. Anyone got any good ideas?
I've found the information here and other forums very, very helpfull. Since I don't have a job, I spend a good deal of time doing research by visiting these forums. Keep up the good work as I have learned more than I can put into practice. BC

Mal Paso
11-15-2011, 10:17 AM
Howdy,
I'm new to this forum as well as boolit casting. I started out with an 8 or so quart Dutch Oven with a lid and put it on my grill's side burner. After a lot of smoke and hardly no melted pb, I gave up. I have been searching all the forum sites and found out that my little Coleman camp stove would work for melting pb. Then I ordered a small melting pot from fleabay and it works great on my Coleman as long as I keep it pumped up. I was wondering what to do with the cast iron dutch oven now that I've ruined it for ever cooking again. As soon as I can find some WW, I'll give smelting a go. I see that you guys use a lot of muffin pans for moulds and that certainly looks like a viable method for making ingots. I don't use a thermometer since I can't afford those pricey ones--I tried to use a K-meter but the plastic melted off of the sensing rod and melted the solder holding the wire to the rod and I came up with a rod stuck in the pot and pulled out a wire. That idea got scrapped reallly quickly. If I could find a sensing rod that would not melt I probably could use the K-meter. I am a partially disabled Vietnam vet and just don't have the money to purchase all the extras. Anyone got any good ideas?
I've found the information here and other forums very, very helpfull. Since I don't have a job, I spend a good deal of time doing research by visiting these forums. Keep up the good work as I have learned more than I can put into practice. BC

Here is a link to a high temp K thermocouple, http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_3&products_id=22. They come in different heat ranges and connections. Your meter probably has some sort on plug you will want to match. Some people have had good luck on fleabay.

Mal Paso
11-15-2011, 10:45 AM
Finaly got roundtoit. I bought the 2" x 1/8 Angle Iron and 1 1/2 x 1/8 strap over a month ago. The ingots are 7" long, the ends are angled for easy release and they weigh 4 pounds. The metal was cut with a 14" abrasive chop saw and a homemade jig. I welded with a little Hobart 125 wire feed set on max, just took breaks to let the welder cool. I welded from the bottom. It cost about $20 for the steel and took a full Sunday afternoon. And of course I had to test them before posting. The ingot molds weigh about 7 lbs and hold 20 lbs of lead so those 1/4" rod handles were plenty big enough.

PatMarlin
11-15-2011, 10:56 AM
Nice- I'd be careful of showing those around here to much. You might have to start making more of them ...:mrgreen:

grumman581
11-18-2011, 04:06 PM
Personally, I like to use the 20 lb Lee melting pot for my actual casting of bullets and the cast iron dutch oven for the smelting. I have one of the propane "banjo" burners that I converted to use natural gas (just need a slightly larger orifice drilled out). I cast my bullets in my garage with the garage door open, but I smelt outside behind the garage late at night when the wind is blowing from a certain direction so that the fumes and smoke go away from the neighborhood (i.e. towards the greenspace behind my house) so that the neighbors don't notice.


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=302&pictureid=3963

Huck Berry
11-24-2011, 04:45 PM
This is what I use to melt down lead pipe and wheel weights, It's a diesel trucks air tank, I cut one end off for the pot and put a hole on the back top and welded the pot with a gap for flame heat to rise. I have an old garbage can cut to slide loosely around the bowl to hold heat in and around the bowl. I have about 100lbs lead melted in it in the pictures with cast iron corn bread molds to make my lead stick ingots.
http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/HuckleberryLarry/Lead%20smelting%20casting/

thtwit
11-26-2011, 03:29 AM
Well I'm finally back, shortly after making my initial purchases of boolit molding equipment and supplies, as recommended by my Gun Guru/Casting buddy in Georgia and getting ready to "CAST". Our home was hit with a Tornado and our lower floor the Ground floor/basement where my reloading/deer camp/gun room is. Had 8" of water in it. Fortunately the Fire seal around the Gun safe door rebuked the water and made it devide ashunder and all guns came thru dry as a tumble weed. The rest of the things on that floor were not so well off!
Everyting from the floor joist to the floor had to be torn out and rebuilt. As I worked to carry out and haul off to the dump nearly 25 years of Hoarding and 'saving' by my wife and I both. I kept telling myself that God had simply put a date on that 'round-to-it' of cleaning out and remodeling the basement that I had been dodging for 15 years! It took nearly two years to get it all done, but I'm finally back on track and trying to get started 'casting' For me it's almost a new start as I had nod done much before!
I BELIEVE I PICKED A GREAT THREAD TO START ON: Reading every post on this forum about smelting and casting has given me several good ideas. :) The first of which is to build my mega-pot out of a 20# prophane tank [I've saved two of them for years, just knowing not to throw them away] I'm figuring that by a little judicious red-nek enginearing of a set of sturdy legs for this thing that will allow it to sit right over a 'turkey fryer' burner on sturdy laigs and a good 'pour' spiggot. I should be well on my way to getting 1400# of WW smelted and about another 1000-1100# of 50-60# mega ingots melted down into more managable ingots. [How I ended up with nearly 3000# of WW lead is another story that will have to wait.]
I have my first ingot mold already built out of 3" channel Iron, I have a 15# ingot of pure lead that I found when we cleaned out my dad's workshop.
I used it as a pattern I set it in the channel iron and scribed a mark where the deviders were to be welded in. This gives me a total of 5 ingots in each pour. Since the channel Iron is approximately1/4 inch shorter in height than the ingot. I'm hoping for about a 10-12# ingot in each mold when it's poured, but for shure they will be more managable than these 50 pounders. I have ground small leveling slots in each partition of the mold to allow the molten lead to flow and fill all molds equally. I had previously intended to use a two Element 220V counter top stove to melt the lead in a smaller cast iron 'bean' pot. But with the ideas from these post for a melting pot. I can use that stove to keep the larger mold hot enough to allow the metal to flow properly!
I'm also a 'castiron cookware' collector and over the years I have accumulated several cheap corn stick pans that are of no collector value. I will use these to cast smaller ingots to use in my casting pot or for 'bartering' as they would be handier to ship.
That post about the 'air brake pot' gave me an idea for a WW clip scieve Also! With a little bit of junkyard scrounging I should be able to come up with a smaller tank that will fit closely inside my melting pot that can be drilled full of holes so that when it's slowly lifted out of the melted lead ureeeekee!! The clips are all out!! By using a air tank which will almost sure have a rounded bottom? Nearly all the molten lead should drain freely back into the pot to be fluxed? [Wonder if a freeon tank is smaller?]
If I pull this off, I'll try and post some pictures later, it's deer season right now:-)
BTW Ohio allows .410 ga. for deer hunting, I am working on a 'project' gun a 410ga. Rifled slug gun and need to test some .44cal. cast Hollow point boolits? [YES I know that .45 is more natural, but I'm using .44 cal.] I would like to test several but I don't want to have to buy but one .44 cal. hollow point mold. And need to determine which one is going to do the job best? [I have it shooting very well with factory jacketed bullits but want to shoot cast.]
If anyone has a .44 hollow point mold [s] and would be intrested in selling/trading me a few to work with? Please e-mail me, right now I am intrested in about any weight and would even try out a .44 round nose cast bullit? Gas checks are a must or If jacketed it could not be more than a 1/2 jacket, ending below the cannuler. If anyone has or is willing to make such a 1/2 jacketed bullet in .44cal? PLEASE E-mail me I'm bound to have something u want/need we can probably do some business:-):):grin::grin:
thtwit, binlookin@frontier.com

grumman581
01-29-2012, 06:09 PM
OK, I know this might sound a bit strange, but has anyone tried using a cast iron sink as a smelting pot? For some reason, I've seen a few cast iron sinks on CraigsList lately and they've been fairly cheap. I've even seen people giving them away. You would to weld a plug into the drain or convert that area into a smaller sized bottom pour spout and weld up a frame around it so that it could stand independently from your heat source. Might even be able to create two smelting pots out of it since they tend to be double sinks by cutting it in half with a circular say and an abrasive blade. The porcelain was put on the sink at a high enough temperature that there should not be a problem with it flaking off in the heat, but even if it did, you would skim it off with the dross...

So, has anyone tried it (and would be willing to admit it)?

bmac1949
01-29-2012, 09:11 PM
Leadthrower, that's a great job on that bottom pourer

Old Ironsights
01-29-2012, 09:24 PM
I'd be real concerned about using a CI sink. That iron is really thin & brittle compared to cookware...

Longwood
01-29-2012, 11:14 PM
OK, I know this might sound a bit strange, but has anyone tried using a cast iron sink as a smelting pot? For some reason, I've seen a few cast iron sinks on CraigsList lately and they've been fairly cheap. I've even seen people giving them away. You would to weld a plug into the drain or convert that area into a smaller sized bottom pour spout and weld up a frame around it so that it could stand independently from your heat source. Might even be able to create two smelting pots out of it since they tend to be double sinks by cutting it in half with a circular say and an abrasive blade. The porcelain was put on the sink at a high enough temperature that there should not be a problem with it flaking off in the heat, but even if it did, you would skim it off with the dross...

So, has anyone tried it (and would be willing to admit it)?

Cast iron usually breaks as soon as you finish welding it.
I would start with an old propane tank.
Cheap, often free, and made of steel which is so much easier to work with.

I started a combination bottom pour pot using both a valve and a bottom pour spout so I can also tip it like a smelting furnace for pouring.
It should be interesting to see which method I like best.
It would have been finished long ago if I could find a short piece of 1/4" pipe. Around here, it seems it is exttremely rare. Maybe i should hoard some if I can find it? :smile:
Summer came and it got hot out so it got set aside. It has been really nice out lately so I will finish it and show photos here.

I will probably sell it or give it away since I don't plan on doing any more smelting after how productive, lead scrounging wise, last year was.

shadowcaster
03-13-2012, 12:38 AM
If there is any welding to be done, stick with steel. Cast iron will break. Here is a link to a custom bottom pour smelting pot that I built.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=146065

Shad

ncbearman
10-01-2012, 08:28 PM
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc225/partsproduction/batchpot.jpg

Finished this yesterday, holds 550 lbs of alloy. This is just a batch mixer, note 25 lbs of 50/50 solder melted in the bottom.

In the foreground are two wheel weight pigs 115 lbs each. I'm waiting for an ingot mold before I melt the whole soup up.

The valve is all 300 series stainless except for the ball on the handle and the hinge bolt. I'll use an infrared thermometer to know the temperature, any thoughts on the best temp? When I melted the WW they got pretty hot, I'm sure there is zinc sponge in the pigs, that's why I want to pour at low temp.

Note the bullet trap in the background, just finished it last week. I shoot in the shop.
parts

Wow..........some awesome set ups here. Just now getting to the point where I am ready to do quantity ww. I have gotten about 750 collected. All for "free".

Partsproduction; I hope you moveed that propane tank that was in front of your trap BEFORE you started plinkin' Thanks guys for all the ideas. Awesome forum.

ftut
11-30-2012, 08:19 AM
After reading this entire post I'm thinking of a large bottom pour pot. I'm new to the casting hobby and been using a 8 qt pot for smelting but after reading and seeing all these nice pots I'm thinking maybe, just maybe. So here is my question. How tall should the pot be for smelting ww? I've got my hands on a failed high pressure gas cylinder. This is a steel cylinder like an oxygen tank on your torch set. It is about 1/2 inch thick, 9 inch diameter and 50 inch tall. I'm thinking if I cut off the bottom it will make a nice pot. So how high to make it? Would this work or is it a bad idea?

shadowcaster
12-04-2012, 03:28 PM
This pot that I built is only 4 1/2 inches deep, but it is 17 inches across. I think that there is a point to where you can be too wide or too narrow, or.. too tall or too short. I felt that I needed to have the ability and the room to add more lead, scoop, stir, flux, and flux again, and to accomplish this I needed a wider pot. I also made sure that I had a good heat source to handle this operation. I kept my depth at 4 1/2 inches so my thermometers would sit right and I would not exceed what my burner would hold weight wise (although I did beef up the burner). 1 gallon of molten lead weighs in at 95 pounds. My pot holds 4 gallons.

IMO.. 9 inches across is not very big (wider is more stable and easier to use) and may become top heavy if you make it too tall. The heavier your material is (you said 1/2 inch thick) the longer it will take to heat up because you have to bring the pot up to temp too. I would suggest using a rim or piece of well casing instead, and save the cylinder for other projects.

Good luck... :)


55291

M Hicks
12-29-2012, 04:26 PM
I am pretty envious of all of you guys. I just recently, last month, was able to get a little Lee 10 pound dripper and begin casting again. My ex sold a lot of my casting and reloading stuff when I was deployed before we got divorced. I had around 1300 pounds of pure lead and 500 pounds of WW that I had melted into ingots by the use of the fryer/dutch oven/muffin mold technique. She had her "friend" take them to a recycling center while I was gone. I was lucky I had about 30 pounds in my truck though. Been looking at tire shops for WW but they don't want to get rid of them for less than an arm and half leg. Be glad you have what you do. Nice looking set ups.

thegasharkman
01-06-2013, 11:48 PM
The Kenjudo's setup?
Is there a detailed set of instructions to duplicate this pot?


This is Kenjudo's setup, and build info, PART 1:

http://www.fototime.com/D75199F69236ABA/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/CFBCD66D5603F42/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/632B7C0BBCD165D/standard.jpg]

http://www.fototime.com/DF8A60C5205E5AB/standard.jpg

Willbird
05-27-2013, 04:30 PM
Wow, I just red on another we page that cast iron cookware has it's structure changed by smelting lead, and just tapping it with. Ladle will make it crack, that the turkey fryer burners are dangerous because the hose is not armored, and all kind of other "interesting" things.

Guess we all better hang up our outfits we use and have used for years ;-)

Bill

PatMarlin
05-28-2013, 10:24 AM
You can't buck modern trends and modern wisdom Bill, with all the high tech ways of thinking nowadays.

That's what ya call progress. A progressive kind of thing. Keeps us moving forward... :roll:

1bilmr59
09-14-2013, 01:39 AM
I like all the posts thanks for your time it helps.

Slow Elk 45/70
09-21-2013, 04:17 AM
With the price of fuel these days, one needs to watch his bottom line when venturing far and wide foe W/W....[smilie=1:

farmbif
10-23-2013, 12:07 AM
Well I'm a little embaressed. I went the low tech route. Propane is too damn expensive and I'm lucky to find ww at all so I made up a simple wood fired set up. I was able to smelt 120 lbs. in 3 hours or so. I had done a much bigger batch using a propane burner but got some zinc in the batch and ruined about 120 lbs. Think I'll be able to make boat anchors out of it but I do much smaller batches now to be safe. I was able to use mostly bark and chips left over from splitting wood so the cost was pretty much zero. Threre is a box fan just outside the picture that controls the heat.
12723

12724
If you ruined mix with zinc it might be possible that your local scrap yard will take your ruined mix as clean lead. Depending on the scrap yard you might be able to trade for other lead or wheel weights they have. Large blocks of clean material are worth much more to them then wheel weights with steel clips in them. Just a thought

douglasskid
11-05-2013, 06:09 PM
Great idea. Gives me something to play with during the upcoming winter days.

Mike0904
12-22-2013, 11:38 PM
Just finished my Kenjudo's bottom pour smelter, gotta try 'er out soon got 100lbs+ waiting.
no leaks testing with water.9134191342

USMC87
02-08-2014, 04:45 PM
I'm in the process of redoing my smelting set up, I was using a coleman stove which took forever to melt. I have a new burner that I am building the pot around, I'll post pictures when I get done.

Old School Big Bore
03-25-2014, 03:06 PM
A couple decades ago I built a burner stand out of a truck clutch spacer plate (a flywheel or brake disc/drum would've worked), some angle iron legs and a repurposed water heater burner, and used a cut-off Freon tank as a pot, with a pour spout heated/bent into the rim and a pair of rebar handles welded on. It worked fairly well. In the mayhem of four moves and a divorce/remarriage, it became lost, along with my six Lyman ingot molds, and now I'm using a scavenged steel pipe cap for a pot, heated on a storebought turkey fryer (AKA garage-fire-starter) and using a small wood-handled cast iron saucepan for a ladle, and two Lee ingot molds. With the Lyman or Lee ingot molds, I usually fill them up above the dividers to gang the ingots together. I find this takes about an extra pound of alloy. This makes them easier to count and stack. I use number/letter stamps to differentiate alloys/metals. When I need them for the production pot, I break them up with two big crescent wrenches. At present I have to bum cutting/welding capability, but I plan to make some angle or channel iron ingot molds so I can just use different shapes for different metals and no longer have to bother stamping them. I must say this thread makes me want to build a bottom pour smelter, but one thing at a time...

MRBACKHAND
05-04-2014, 02:47 AM
I've been reloading for 3-4 months now and get tired of paying 50$ or more for 500 boolits .I want to make my own lead boolits what's a fair price to offer the tire shops here in California for there wheel weight take offs? Is there a cheaper way to get lead ?Any info will be greatly appreciated.
Are the lyman smelting kits worth the 80$ ? No propane just plug into the wall and comes with ladle . I would appreciate your advice.. Thank you :)

grumman581
05-04-2014, 05:12 AM
I've been reloading for 3-4 months now and get tired of paying 50$ or more for 500 boolits .I want to make my own lead boolits what's a fair price to offer the tire shops here in California for there wheel weight take offs? Is there a cheaper way to get lead ?Any info will be greatly appreciated.
Are the lyman smelting kits worth the 80$ ? No propane just plug into the wall and comes with ladle . I would appreciate your advice.. Thank you :)

Call your local recycling place and find out how much they are offering to pay people for wheelweights. Probably around $0.50 per pound, but you need to remember that there will be a lot of non-lead scrap, clips, and such in there. I would not be surprised if there was a higher percentage of zinc and steel wheelweights in CA than in other areas. You can often get lead off of ebay that has already been smelted or in the for sale area of this site for around $1 per pound in 50 lb quantities.

And I don't particularly think that is a good price for a smelting setup. I prefer a gas burner anyway. I use natural gas, so I don't have to worry about my tank running out.

NavyVet1959
05-04-2014, 05:28 AM
Are the lyman smelting kits worth the 80$ ? No propane just plug into the wall and comes with ladle . I would appreciate your advice..

The cost of assembling your own kit is going to depend upon your resourcefulness and what you might already have that you can re-purpose. If you already have a gas burner from a fish fryer or whatever, you've just decreased the cost of your kit quite a bit. An old out of date propane tank can be acquired either for no or very little cost and it's easy to cut the top off of it and you'll have a nice size smelting pot. But then, it's going to depend upon whether you have access to a welder and a circular saw with an abrasive blade or maybe an angle grinder. An 8 qt cast iron dutch oven can be had for $40.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-gourmet-14-dutch-oven/pid-27869?N=395477678&Ntt=dutch+oven&Ntk=All

Or maybe $29 over at Harbor Freight. Plus you can often get a Harbor Freight coupon good for 20-25% off the listed price.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-cast-iron-dutch-oven-44705.html

MrWolf
05-04-2014, 10:32 AM
MRBACKHAND, check and see if you can repurpose items to make it cheaper. A few threads down I repurposed a Weber grill I found on the side if the road. I cut my own propane tank which I got from local hardware store who charged folks $5 to leave their old tanks - gave a few to me for free. Used a welding blanket as a wind screen. Works great and I can just leave it out with the grill cover.

Ficus
12-04-2014, 09:28 AM
Folks, Sundog and I, plus children, have enough clean lead to last all of us for the rest of our lives. It is time to think about selling this gadget that will smelt 2000 pound easy. When a source of WW or other junk lead arrives in your neighborhood, even for a reasonable cash sale, this large mother will do justice in cleaning it up pronto. Here, pronto means one 8 hour day for 2000 pounds, provided there is enough BTU's around to melt the stuff in 4 hours or so. This thing is not for the faint of heart. ... felix (and Corky)

http://www.castpics.net/RandD/moas/moas.htm

link gives "404" error, file/page not found

NavyVet1959
12-04-2014, 03:03 PM
link gives "404" error, file/page not found

Well, felix does have a pretty good excuse for not keeping the links up to date...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?237638-My-End-Is-Near&p=2726140#post2726140

MostlyOnThePaper
12-04-2014, 03:12 PM
Well, felix does have a pretty good excuse for not keeping the links up to date...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?237638-My-End-Is-Near&p=2726140#post2726140
I'd have to agree with you on that!
Bless him!

woodbutcher
12-08-2014, 12:07 AM
:smile: Just a thought here.For some cheap(read free)angle iron for molds.Check out the local bed sales stores.You can most likely get all the old angle iron bed frames just to haul it off.IIRC,its just 1" angle,but for free,who cares.Good for all kinds of projects too.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

RoGrrr
08-16-2015, 04:38 PM
Jim
How about floating a thin piece of black steel on the melt to take your reading from ?
On second thought measuring, why bother ? After all, lead doesn't vaporize until you heat it to 1750* CENTIGRADE, which is over 3000* F.
I simply heat it until it pours intoignots and not worry about the tin or antimony content. It's all going to shoot better than I can.


The infrared thermometers are calibrated to read the temperature of a flat black surface. The readings that they give on liquid lead are pretty far off.
<SNIP>

You can see my boolit traps here - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=29648

Pee Wee
08-26-2015, 02:05 PM
We use 3 cut down lp tanks and small muffin pans

Doggonekid
12-02-2015, 11:19 PM
Buckshot I'm impressed. Cool set up. You do good quality work. Thanks for my sizer die too.

Connelly47
10-02-2016, 02:41 PM
I have the basic dutch oven on a turkey cooker. The only thing I can add is that I built a brick chimney around the turkey cooker and pot to keep out out the wind. Saves quite a bit of fuel and the dogs and kids can be in the yard without them getting into any accidental trouble. The bricks are old landscape bricks that would have been thrown out, so the cost was free.

natty bumpo
04-11-2017, 10:20 PM
Anything worth engineering is worth over-engineering!

When you've got a hundred pounds of molten metal near your feet and legs, over-engineering is good...

Right on!! If a little is good, then a lot is better and too much is juuust right!!

WRB10654
06-13-2017, 02:48 PM
I need to make one of these I guess, I have about a ton of lead and need to turn it in to ingots... I pulled it from where I shoot and it is sorted by the type of bullet, in an effort to sort it by hardness, I have Round Balls shot out of Smoothbores (Very Hard), Carbine (a mix of hard and soft lead) and then Minnie Balls (soft and pure lead)

My issue is a making a pot that will hold enough lead to make a large batch of the exact same composition. say 400 pounds. So the bullets I shoot for a season or two is the same stuff.

Oh, I am a Skirmisher (N-SSA) and I get the lead from our home range.

grumman581
06-14-2017, 01:06 PM
I need to make one of these I guess, I have about a ton of lead and need to turn it in to ingots... I pulled it from where I shoot and it is sorted by the type of bullet, in an effort to sort it by hardness, I have Round Balls shot out of Smoothbores (Very Hard), Carbine (a mix of hard and soft lead) and then Minnie Balls (soft and pure lead)

My issue is a making a pot that will hold enough lead to make a large batch of the exact same composition. say 400 pounds. So the bullets I shoot for a season or two is the same stuff.

Oh, I am a Skirmisher (N-SSA) and I get the lead from our home range.

Lead is around 708 lbs/cu-ft, so you're looking at needing to hold around 0.565 cu-ft. I would suggest that you make it a bit taller than the minimum necessary so that you have room to stir it without it splashing out and for any trash to float to the top.

It's going to depend upon what you have available to work with, but I suspect that you should not consider anything less than 12" ID. Assuming 12" ID, you would need about 15.3" in height for 1 cu-ft. That should give you a bit of room on top.

Personally, I wouldn't be as concerned with making every ingot for a particular type of bullet exactly the same alloy by melting them all together. I would just get a pot full smelted down and after fluxing and removing the crud, pour maybe a quarter to a half a pot worth of ingots, then add some more lead, flux some more, and repeat. I figure it would average out well enough for my type of shooting.

ChuckO
06-15-2017, 08:10 AM
If you need 400 lbs. of a specific alloy, make 4 100 lb. batches and identify the ingots. When replenishing your casting pot, put in one ingot from each batch. It's easier than getting a smelting pot to hold 400 lbs. at one time. Additionally, you can smelt your batches over multiple days that way.

mold maker
06-15-2017, 09:03 AM
I don't envy a backache your gonna have.
Melt all the soft that you have IDed in a batch. The rest will be very close to the same.
To smelt that volume into separate finished alloys is going to be a daunting task.

RoGrrr
06-15-2017, 09:14 AM
I thought I was optimistic smelting a couple hundred lbs. Four hundred is WAY optimistic. That's gonna take quite a structure to RELIABLY support that weight in MOLTEN lead. Think about it this way: that's almost a QUARTER TON of melt. Even tho my furnace has substantial substructure, I'd be leery of that much hot stuff.
If you're placing it on an adequately sized footprint of sand, or better yet, gravel/crushed limestone (size 4) and then YOU stand on steel drain lattice which elevates you up above (like the gravel), any imagined flood of the melt, I still don't know that I would do that volume all at one time. ChuckO has a good idea: 4 100 lb batches. I typically do about 150 and am patient while smelting.

country gent
06-15-2017, 04:23 PM
I found that allowing for jackets clips and other crud in the pot is important. A pot that will hold 100 lbs of clean lead may only hold 50-6 of dirty stuff with jackets clips and other crud. Allowing for this is important.

parkerhale1200
01-28-2024, 10:45 AM
Not much changed in the last 40 years, only gained knowledge and a lot of molds.

https://i.postimg.cc/HLqQZB1D/20231220-154242.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Melting all the junk clean:
https://i.postimg.cc/mggWGTCb/20231220-220757.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Be ducking carefull with range lead that was giving....
https://i.postimg.cc/XJFTgqSg/20231221-085400.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/ydVFLp2r/20231220-172943.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/J7kw0SHL/20231227-110140.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

All are 50+ bhn, needed to add 50%! roofing lead to get 22-25bhn.
350-400 pounds.
700 to 800 pounds at 22-25bhn.

https://i.postimg.cc/QtvRSJPw/20231227-092623.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Casting boolits is done in the same aera but in a different pot and 4 barrels of water at hip height surrounding me.

For big melts for cleaning like this, approche it like eating a whale....one bite at the time.
This cleaning melt costed me 3 days.
The cleaning pot can hold 40 pounds, but 30 is better to work with, to much heat loss it is taking to long to melt quick.

My casting pot can do 10 to 20 pounds for a stable temperature.

The most important piece of equipment is not in the pictures----->the radio, but he is there.

Be save and cast what ever you want and all that you need to shoot, but be save.

Charlie Horse
01-28-2024, 11:07 AM
^^^^wow.

I have smelted in my Lee bottom pour pot more than once. It worked dandy. Just not high production, but enough to keep me supplied.

parkerhale1200
01-29-2024, 01:54 PM
^^^^wow.

.

You never entered my basement....1500 kilo of pure clean ready to use range lead...i am good for the rest of my life.
Had to work a lot for it!!!

parkerhale1200
01-29-2024, 01:56 PM
^ but enough to keep me supplied.

That is all you need, a steady supply and a steady material, so you can repeat what you shot before.

Apple Man
01-31-2024, 10:45 AM
I do smelting outside.

After a LONG hiatus my two 20# plumbers pot propane tanks can no longer be filled due to lack of an OPD.

So I got a 100,000 BTU high pressure burner but found most of the heat is wasted going around it. So I welded a heat shield with top to turn it into an oven, this is way faster now. I have three pots that hold aprox. 60#, 80# and 100#s.

A commercial ingot maker that came out of linotype shop where I got all my linotype many years ago is cast iron and cools the melt quickly.

I use a 10# crucible that has a special handle for filling the ingot maker.322868322869322870322871

Bill M
01-31-2024, 07:20 PM
I too have one of those ingot molds, approx 3# each!
I've been lazy, cutting my WW, and melting them in the casting pot, but really having to clean it a lot. I got my home built furnace out after Christmas, and melted a couple buckets of WW! I can melt about 70# at a time, the problem is the ingot mold is a lot heavier when full than it was 30 years ago!
322883322884
322885322886

Brad Phillips
03-24-2024, 05:32 PM
I took a 20 lb. propane tank, took the valve off and rinsed it out with water. Cut it in half and then cut a 2" 'ish ring off the top side and welded it to the bottom off my new "smelter" to act as a base.

I did this year s ago, but I would guess, I saw it here somewhere.. Not sure how much it holds, but plenty to keep me entertained.