smelting question

[XWrench3]

i just bought a turkey cooker to smelt with, and i still have to find something decent to "cook" in. my question is when using a big pot, how are you guys filling your ingot molds? are you tipping the pot somehow, or using a BIG ladel?

[257 Shooter]

I use a ladle. You can get one from one of our sponsors Rotometals.

[high standard 40]

I use a large ladle. Tipping the pot is a bad idea unless you have a pot and burner arrangement designed to operate that way. A large pot with a load of molten lead on a turkey burner can shift it's weight on you rather quickly and it's easy to lose control. Bad things follow.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Ladle only!!! If you try to tip the lead melting pot you might wind up wearing lead sneakers! You can find heavy duty ladles at cooking stores or I found mine at an auction for a restaurant supply store. Beware of the wally mart type ladles, made cheeeeeepo and can melt or fall apart at the worst time. In a worst case scenario use a small vegetable can and a pair of vise-grip pliars as a dipper.Robert

[Shiloh]

I use a large ladle. Tipping the pot is a bad idea unless you have a pot and burner arrangement designed to operate that way. A large pot with a load of molten lead on a turkey burner can shift it's weight on you rather quickly and it's easy to lose control. Bad things follow.

DON'T tip the pot.

It is heavier than you think! it is also full of molten liquid that will shift balance points as it is moved. Unless it is anchored at strong pivot mounts, DON'T do it.

SHiloh

[WILCO]

I leave the lead in the cast iron pan to cool and then flip it over.
This leaves me with a pan sized ingot to work with. I'm just a small time operator in a even smaller bullet casting operation.........

[sqlbullet]

I melt down 60-90 lbs of lead in a dutch oven. Ladle out all but the last two or three pounds.

I have a set of mittens that are designed for bronze casters to use when handling the hot molds, which are 1400°-1500°. I put those one and pour the last two-three lbs into ingot molds.

Never handle a pot with more than a couple pounds of lead, with very deep sides. The ability to slop or spill is too high.

[Bill*]

I use a SS ladle till the last pound or two. It's a real nice ladle (holds better than 2 lbs.) from Walgreens with an insulated handle that was on sale for $4.99. I love it.

[Echo]

'Something to cook in' could be a dutch oven (like I use), or maybe a stainless pot from HF for $20. I can do about 60-70 lbs of WW's in my rig, and use a big ladle to fill the ingot molds. A friend who taught me a LOT used a tin soup can with a pair of vise-grips for a handle, in place of a ladle. Worked for him - lighter than a ladle.

[fredj338]

SS ladle, I think 4oz, about 1# worth of lead. You can get them @ any rest. supply cheap in diff. sizes. I leave the last 2# or so to help my next melt go faster.

[Cherokee]

What fredj338 said. Been using an old SS ladle from my wife for 20+ years to fill the ingot molds.

[zuke]

I just go to the dollar store and get me a soup ladle and one of those big strainer spoon's.
The strainer spoon get's the clip's out and 2 1/2 soup ladle's fill's my LEE ingot mold's nicely.

[bigboredad]

+1 on the stainless ladles i got mine from kmart qnd some small loaf pans for ingots ladle gets about 2 pounds worth and the small loaves weigh about 10 pounds. cst iron pots seem to work the best I have a frying pan that will hold forty+ pounds

[Ken O]

I made the bottom pour smelter out of a dollar store stock pot from the sticky in the "casting equipment" section of this forum. I set it on a turkey frier, and bottom pour so there is no crap in the ingots. I don't know if the sticky is still there, but it cost almost nothing to build.

[lylejb]

In addition to being heavy, that pot is ALOT HOTTER THAN YOU THINK.

the first time i smelted, i picked up my pot to pour out the last ingot i couldn't get with the ladle....AND GOT BURNT BEFORE I COULD POUR EVEN ONE INGOT.

i was wearing single layer leather gloves, admittedly cheeper ones.

i won't be trying that again

[evan price]

I melt in a stainless 12-qt stock pot on a turkey fryer burner and dip with a stainless-steel soup ladle with a wood handle I got at the Goodwill for fifty cents. My ingot molds are 4" tart pans 6 for $5, makes a roughly 4# hockey-puck ingot. 3 ladles fills 1 tart pan about. The last 4-5 pounds I pour out of the pot because the ladle won't dip it out.

[qajaq59]

I use a ladle. It's just easier and safer.

[XWrench3]

OK, it looks like ladel dipping is definitly the way to go! now, anybody have an idea how big of a ladel is needed to make a one pound ingot without double or triple diping? two cups? i dont know how they sell ladels, if it is measured in ounces, cups, etc.?

[qajaq59]

I think Midway sells them for casters. Just be sure whatever you get has a handle that cannot break or bend. If you can bend it with your hands go find a different one.

[Bill*]

xwrench3: I think even a 1 cup ladle will easily fill a 1 lb ingot mold. My ladle looks like it holds about one of those heavy white coffee cups used in truck stops, and that will fill 2 ingots+. You could just "eyeball" it.