Large Smelting Pot

[shadowcaster]

And I'd bet this route would be cheaper than a large contraption purpose-made for smelting large amounts of lead.

This is not necessarily true. I have less money in my burner and pot build, than if I bought the fryer kit and dutch oven.

Shad

[rondog]

This is not necessarily true. I have less money in my burner and pot build, than if I bought the fryer kit and dutch oven.

Shad

Well, I wasn't thinking of a homebuilt thing. He was asking about a store-bought thing for smelting large amounts, I just figured a turkey kit and dutch oven would be cheaper. Building your own would definitely beat both for cost.

[1bilmr59]

D Crockett pots look good

[evan price]

Find a turkey fryer or fish fryer setup on clearance. Give the aluminum pot away to your wife or significant other or a neighbor, or goodwill. Aluminum pots are absolutely no good for melting lead. They will go soft and fail at temperature.
Examine the stand from the turkey burner kit with an eye to it holding a pot of lead. Set it up and safely try to stand on it yourself. If it won't hold up your weight, it won't hold a pot of lead safely either. Bricks or concrete block stacked around the burner to support the burner will also shield the flame from wind and keep the heat under the pot. I got a massive increase in efficiency by piling brick around my smelter setup.
I use a 3-gallon stainless steel stock pot I got from the scrap bin at the junkyard. Cost me nothing. May cost $5 or so as scrap value. Holds 200-250# easy. Find a nice stainless steel pot, fill it with wheel weights or scrap lead at the scrap dealer and buy the whole thing. Presto, instant first smelt.

[rondog]

I wouldn't get rid of the aluminum pot, use it for cooking! That's what it's for. Frying turkeys, frying lots of fish, crawfish/shrimp boils, soups/stews, anything you need to make a lot of. The burner's just a burner, you can use lots of different vessels on it for different things.

[hawgfan]

I use an old cast iron pot.