Ingot Management

[Guy La Pourque]

Just a question fellas:

I have been casting round ball for my muzzle loaders (pure lead) and now I am getting into alloys with this BPCR nonsense and I will need to make some ingots and separate them from my pure lead stocks.

Is there any special treatment for the ingot molds that must be done before you cast them? Also, I have a cheap Lee cooker pot with no bottom pour... how tricky is it to empty them? I have always left mine full of lead for storage and merely heat it up and flux it when it is time to run ball again. I stole one of the wife's muffin pans to make ingots because that seemed to be what the muzzle loader geeks were doing - is that the best way to do things or should I have the dedicated ingot mould? I am beginning to think I better invest in a bottom pour pot too...

[dondiego]

An ingot is an ingot. Just mark them with a marker or etch them so the alloy can be identified.

[Larry Gibson]

As mentioned use a magic marker to mark the ingots when cool; Pb and 1-20 for example. With no bottom pour changin alloys in a ppot can pose problems if you are not really careful pouring the alloy out. You might consider a second Lee pot; one for each alloy.

Larry Gibson

[dtknowles]

Even with my bottom pour pot, dump the last bit out so I don't wash crud thru the spout. I would just dipper most of the lead out of the pot and then dump the last bit into the ingot mold.

Tim

[blackthorn]

For ingot identification---letter stamps are your friend!

[bangerjim]

I mark the weight with a magic marker in black.

I stamp the alloy with 1/4" HF steel stamps

I lightly SPRAY the ends of special alloys (tin, bismuth, lino) with different colors of transparent dies I have in the wood shop. That way I can see at a glance what is in the pile! You cannot beat color coding.....especially when the old peepers are failing!

banger

[Echo]

I use different ingot molds for different alloys. That way I know what the composition is. Pure Pb goes into empty Coke cans. Easily peeled for further alloying. I cast COWW+2%Sn in some angle iron molds I got some time ago. I cast my hard alloy (7/1 COWW/monotype +1%Sn) in regular 4-cavity molds, but fill them up to make 5-lb ingots, easily broken up to charge furnace. That can be cut 50/50Pb+another 1%Sn. Solder ingots are weighed and marked with the amount of Sn is contained.

[detox]

I have a marker, but it doesn't have majical powers. I like the big Sharpie markers

Some cheap muffin pans have seams and will seperate when too hot. The best muffin pans are the one piece without seams

Ladle casting works verygood and is easier to learn than bottom pour. I also get less culls using ladle.

[AlaskanGuy]

I use a dry erase marker..... I write exactly what i have in each ingot....

Also, can i have your cast stuff and your guns when you get killed by your wife? Not a good idea swiping the wife's ANYTHING from the kitchen.... Husbands have been killed for a lot less....

AG

[btroj]

I use big Rubbermaid tubs. Each one contains a different alloy.

[Doc Highwall]

I have different shaped ingots for different alloys and I can store them in separate containers with the containers being tagged also.

[fredj338]

Many use markers, I went to diff molds to keep range, pure & clip ww separate. I can see at a glance what I have. I can toss them all in 5gal buckets & know what I have. Lino or mon stays in original form for alloying.

[Frozone]

I have a muffin pan, and Ohaus, lyman (new and old), RCBS, and LEE ingot molds.
Muffins are COWW.
Ohaus are pure Pb
Lyman is COWW+2%Sn
Lyman with reverse 'N' is COWW +1%Sn
rcbs is 20/1
Lee is whatever - I mark those with a marker.

Might be a little to complicated...

[felix]

I REALLY like that demarcation! I need to follow suite, somehow, cheaply without purchase of anything. Something like paint, maybe. I have at least 20 colors in the basement from redoing the house 15 years ago. ... felix

[Kskybroom]

I use Letter an Number Stamps and a 3 Ring Binder..
The 3/4in Set is Old Eye Frendly...

[bangerjim]

I REALLY like that demarcation! I need to follow suite, somehow, cheaply without purchase of anything. Something like paint, maybe. I have at least 20 colors in the basement from redoing the house 15 years ago. ... felix

I works very well. Here is a pic of some of my latest pours of my Bi/Sn/Sb/Pb alloy.



I use red for pure tin.

Brown for WW's

Best system I have found........except if your are color blind!

banger