Stainless Steel for smelting pot

[IcerUSA]

Anyone use a SS Pot for smelting, reason for asking is I was at Tractor Supply and seen some SS pots that looked like they would be great for smelting, the one was about 10qt. in size

[quack1]

I use a heavy 14" diameter stainless mixing bowl. I flattened the bottom to fit on top of my burner grate with a piece of fireplace log and a sledge hammer. Crude and REALLY noisy, but it worked pretty good with just a few wrinkles. I can fit better than half a 5 gallon bucket of wheelweights in at a time. Best part was that it only cost me 50 cents at a yard sale. It has held up well for years, so as long as yours is fairly heavy guage it should work just fine.

[largecaliberman]

Anyone use a SS Pot for smelting, reason for asking is I was at Tractor Supply and seen some SS pots that looked like they would be great for smelting, the one was about 10qt. in size

I use one and I think I have the same size at your 10qt, Before you purchase one, do a magnetic test. If the magnet sticks to the pot, it could be a stainless steel plated and in time, the coating will wear off. If it is non magnetic, chances are it is stainless steel 100percent.

[imashooter2]

I've smelted a pound or two in a 2.5 quart SS pot on a Coleman stove. It works fine.

Remember 10 quarts of lead is almost 240 pounds. Be sure your smelter is up to holding the weight.

[RU shooter]

I have been using a big SS tea pot its roughly 8" dia. works good! and I just pour my alloy straight from that into my ingot moulds.

[IcerUSA]

I can get about a half a 5 gal. pail in my CI Dutch Oven, just that the SS one I looked at seemed to be a little bigger . How well is the heat transfer compared to CI verses SS ?

[R.M.]

Largecaliberman

There are differing alloys of stainless. Some are very magnetic. Try a magnet on you stainless cutlery, I think you'll find that a magnet will stick to it.

R.M.

[imashooter2]

I can get about a half a 5 gal. pail in my CI Dutch Oven, just that the SS one I looked at seemed to be a little bigger . How well is the heat transfer compared to CI verses SS ?

Cast iron will be much better from a heat transfer standpoint. If you have a large cast iron dutch oven already in service, the 10 quart SS pot would be a step down.

[powderburnerr]

I used a ss stock pot for most of 10 years before the bottom cracked .. it dripped lead onto the burner and clogged it up but didnt fail ,, it held a full five gallon bucket at a time with room to spare . I probably overloaded it because even the handle rivets started to leak ... cast is better by far......Dean

[44woody]

I have been using the same stanless steel pot for about 30 years now can't tell you how many tons of ww have went threw that pot but I would say alot I have never had a problem with it I have seen the bottom red hot alot of times but it has not given me any trouble at all not like the aul pot I did 30 years ago not knowing any better then that came apart on me I thank my lucky stars I was not around it when it did let go or I could of been hurt but I can tell you that was one heck of a mess to clean up

[imashooter2]

I used a ss stock pot for most of 10 years before the bottom cracked .. it dripped lead onto the burner and clogged it up but didnt fail ,, it held a full five gallon bucket at a time with room to spare . I probably overloaded it because even the handle rivets started to leak ... cast is better by far......Dean

I had a cast iron pot that did the same. Made quite the mess of my Coleman stove.

[Rando]

Anyone use a SS Pot for smelting, reason for asking is I was at Tractor Supply and seen some SS pots that looked like they would be great for smelting, the one was about 10qt. in size

If you have a Harbor Freight nearby, you can pick up a cast iron one for a reasonable price. This is the one I have, looks like I'll have to reinforce that wire handle, though.

[Gooey]

Hello gang, I am brand new to the board and relatively new to casting lead. I don't know if this will get me shunned here but I don't do bullets...I cast fishing weights... hey all the stuff we do up to putting it in a specific mold is pretty much the same!

Anyhow I just bought a propane kit which included 2 well used CI pots. I got one on the flame and a couple hours into my casting session, I noticed it was leaking. Did I bring it up to heat too quickly? Does this just happen over time with use? Any feed back would be great.

As well, I noticed a pretty awesome home made conversion from this site to make a pot into a bottom pour spout...I am thinking of modifying my cracked pot...if the alteration doesn't close up the crack enough, could I get someone to weld over the crack to plug it?

Thanks

Gooey (short for gooeybob - a notorious steelhead bate)

[No_1]

Gooey, I guess you are right. What we do is exactly the same but completely different. You could modify your pot as mentioned or just buy the harbour freight one for about $15. Weld repairing what you have will probobly cost more than the new one and might leak later anyway OR you could purchase a bottom pour pot like what we use which would really increase your production. The propane kit will still have a use for you when you render / process / flux your raw lead to make more user friendly for later use.

Robert

Hello gang, I am brand new to the board and relatively new to casting lead. I don't know if this will get me shunned here but I don't do bullets...I cast fishing weights... hey all the stuff we do up to putting it in a specific mold is pretty much the same!

Anyhow I just bought a propane kit which included 2 well used CI pots. I got one on the flame and a couple hours into my casting session, I noticed it was leaking. Did I bring it up to heat too quickly? Does this just happen over time with use? Any feed back would be great.

As well, I noticed a pretty awesome home made conversion from this site to make a pot into a bottom pour spout...I am thinking of modifying my cracked pot...if the alteration doesn't close up the crack enough, could I get someone to weld over the crack to plug it?

Thanks

Gooey (short for gooeybob - a notorious steelhead bate)

[imashooter2]

Weigh the price of a new cast iron pot against the price of standing in a large puddle of molten metal. That should point you in the proper direction regards modification of a pot you already know is flawed.

[Gooey]

I have been looking around local (vancouver, bc, canada) and I haven't seen any reasonably priced CI pots. I also have an old stainless steel pot that has a much better capacity maybe 80-100lbs opposed to the 40lb pots I have now. Pouring 10 and 12 lb cannon balls, I think I need something quite a bit bigger than a 40lb pot if I am going to do any sort of volume. as well, any input on leaving a pot full of lead to cool (it started raining in the middle of my last casting session)...is that a no-no?

Thanks

[imashooter2]

Letting lead cool in the pot never bothered me.

[jdhenry]

Works great for me.

Jeremy

[Gooey]

Thanks Gents, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

[montana_charlie]

Smelting in the rain...
Is that like quench-hardening before pouring a cannon ball?
What will they think of next...?
CM