ingot moulds - ideas for construction ?

[spottedpony]

LOL ive got the mig but not alot of scrap angle, seriously though, alot of good suggestions here but one that might work too is use a torch and braze the end plates on, brass can be run on the outside and with the right heat, would fill any voids in the joint. and as a plus, brass is softer, so if necessary, the inside of the joint could be smoothed out with a dremel, or something similar
one thing i think would be wise, is be sure to heat them red hot (prior to brazing if that method is used) to remove the scale from the iron so you dont get needless contamination in the ingots

[HTRN]

I believe your referring to Michaels. All sorts of useful stuff in that place.

6-8lbs is what you're looking for?


Just shy of 8lbs even, probably 7lbs14ounces..

I use loaf pans from "the evil commie megastore", that cost a grand total of 3 for $3. I rotate the pans, and with 6 of 'em, I don't have to worry about upsetting a still liquidy ingot. easiest way to check is to spit on 'em - if they sizzle, leave 'em!


HTRN

[Nueces]

Which finger is that, peekin' over the top, there?

[Halfbreed]

Something I have noticed with my Lee 4/20, if I add more than 3 pounds at a time, I have a problem with the pot getting too cold. Then it takes a while to get it back up to working temp. I use several steel muffin tins right at 3 pounds each.
John

[medic44]

I used old bed frame angle iron 5" long. Cuts fast on the band saw. Made two w/ 10 slots. Fill one set then the other. Then dump the first and start over works fast. Nice size for filling 50 cal ammo cans

[georgeld]

That first set of pictures with the ingots in the crates setting on blocks looks real neat.
BUT: I see a safety problem if you stack too many on those blocks laying on their sides. they'll crush and the whole stack will fall over. IF you're in the way, might be a crushed foot. Sure wouldn't want to hear about that.

Much better is to set the blocks with the holes/webs verticle.
Be safe first, right? Something simple like that could cause one hell of an injury.

Some real nice molds there guys.

[No_1]

That would be "tall-man". He is located between "pointer" and "ring-man". Ex-wife taught me about him

Robert

Which finger is that, peekin' over the top, there?

[ktw]

BUT: I see a safety problem if you stack too many on those blocks laying on their sides. they'll crush and the whole stack will fall over.

That was mine. I appreciate the comment. The next time I have to move them I will modify the setup as you suggest.

As they currently sit, I used the plywood to help distribute the weight more evenly across the blocks and biased the weight toward the back half of the blocks. If the blocks do fail it should be at the back, tipping the ingots back into the concrete wall, rather than forward out into the room.

-ktw

[Sundogg1911]

Mine look similar to KTW's, excepy mine are 8" long. 5 cavitys in each (I made 2) and I angle cut the ends to fit another 1 1/2" angle that is upside down so that all of the sides of the ingots will be angled. It helps keep the lead from fitting too tight in the mold. they come out pretty easily. Another trick is to grind smooth any welds that come in contact with the Alloy. A rough weld will make it difficult to remove the ingots from the moulds. The best think about using angle Iron is that they're very easy to stack/store.

[nighthunter]

I recently saw a program on the Discovery chanel where a guy poured molten lead down the openings of ant mounds then dug them up. I don't think they would stack real well but it would be real easy to break off a chunk to add to the casting pot. The lead ( maybe it was cerosafe ) filled out all the tunnels and chambers in the colony.
Nighthunter

[Gooey]

I don't know if this would be applicable for anyone who is processing much more than 100lbs, but I have been cutting the tops of of my aluminum cans, filling them with lead, and then just peeling off the aluminum can once its cooled. fits well into my 20lb lee pro 4-20.