ingot size?

[kentuckycajun]

I've read a lot of posts about ingot molds (factory made, homemade, muffin tins, etc). Can someone tell me the inside dimensions of the Lee Pro 4 20# furnace? 4" is stated on the product description - is that inside or outside? Also need the inside height. Gonna try to make some ingot molds while I'm waiting for my ladle & thermometer to be delivered. Would aluminum angle be OK (less weight to deal with) or should I stick with angle iron?

[sargenv]

4" is likely the inside diam..

[Edubya]

I have found that the 2" angle iron 4" long works real well for both of my casting pots. They produce a 1.5-2 lbs ingots. Stand them up around the wall of the pot and fill in the middle as needed. I usually have the lead ready to go in 20 mins. I'll have a couple of ingots on the hotplate warming up with the mould. These warmed ingots melt pretty fast when they are added to the pot.
EW

[Salmon-boy]

There was a spate of some company dumping cast iron "Hot-Dog" cookers for campfires on surplus/dollar type stores this summer..

I picked one of them up, chopped the handles and had two perfectly good moulds cheep!

[lwknight]

Aluminum angle would make great molds. Its just harder to weld ends on.
Remembet to angle the ends so that the mold is bigger at the top so the ingots will come out. They get stuck in square ended molds.

[fredj338]

The 4" is the dim under the spout. The opening will eaily handle a 2" wide ingot w/ room to spare. I have some ingot molds made of 3" channel (outside dim) so the ingots are about 2 1/2" by as long as you want them (mine are 5" long). You don't want an ingot so big & heavy that it cools the lead in the pot instantly. IMO, anything much bigger than 2 1/2# ingots & it slows your casting down quite a bit in a 20# pot. the 2 1/2"-3" muffin tins work as will anything else less than 3" wide. Steel 3x3 angle or 3" channel w/ plates welded to the ends make great molds.