Good Idea For A Wood Fired Melter

I saw this and thought it could easily be adapted to melt lead. I'd probably shorten it, and put a wider base on it, to make it more stable.

https://youtu.be/nBKGW3Fumhc

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Wider base does sound good, what with a pot full of scrap lead outweighing a wok full of chopped veggies and meat by at least an order of magnitude. Maybe not too short, depending on pot versus mold height? Just thinking of the ole back.

I need to learn how to machine and weld.

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Originally Posted by kevin c

I need to learn how to machine and weld.

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I got in a little late on that game, but a Lincoln 170 sure opened a lot of possibilities for my projects.

Thing learned pretty quick with wood fired melting is smoke makes your eyes water .....so you should include an effective flue in the build......or use charcoal fuel exclusively.

Interesting idea, and well done. The blower(hair dryer) will dramatically increase heat output and cut smoke to near nothing. Looks like you can add wood anytime, some designs are a batch load only. Gets very hot to melt aluminum! I would make the top match a Dutch oven and enclose the sides to force the heat around the side walls to increase efficiency. May just build me a simplified one, need an outdoor burner permanent setup anyway.

Very ingenious though I think a Rocket stove would be much simpler.

That will produce enough heat for aluminum or brass / bronze. At the temps a forced air fired stove can reach it will be hard n steel pots unless lined with refractory clay. A load of coal and wood would be able to melt steel/

I sure wouldn't be welding cutting and firing it up in sandals though.

Just wood in a forge will melt steel and many other things

If anyone is going to try anything like this, skip adding the water to the tank after removing the valve. All you have to do is turn the tank upside down. The gas is heavier than oxygen so upside down it will all come out. I have made a bunch of different types of stoves with LP tanks and this is what I do before I cut them. Leave them sit for at least a day just to make sure.

Brick rocket stove.
Cheap, easy, and it works well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eihD5fJMeYw

For those who don't know about her.
This is one tuff lady.
She shoots, throws ax, launches her own boat by herself, eats meat.

Ehh thats expected not exceptional where i come from. There was a woman back in missouri that we knew who carried deer out of the woods on her shoulder her name was ava lee fanning and she'd take on most grown men Without fail she was also a bouncer.

i like using backyard chimenea, well for ingot making at least....

the epitome of the modern, urban, outdoors man (not mutually exclusive, contradictory, lolz)

-clean yard
-burn stuff
-make ingots
-cast a couple bullets even though temp not ideal
-brats while iyou have coals..
-cowboy coffee?
-smores for the kiddos while you are at it?

I made my melting pot from a cut down 44gal drum with a section of LPG (propane) tank welded to it. I cut a hole at the front to feed it wood, one at the back at the top to let out smoke. I feed it trees and works very well. Full, i think it holds around 200kg.

I was thinking of adding a blower to help give it more heat, but it really doesn't seem to need it.