Smelter

[Valdez Alaska]

I just read a post in one of the other sections about building a lead melting pot. They also showed a link to Satan's Little Smelter (they sell on this site). My questions are has anyone used one of these and do they work as described? I'd like some input before buying one. They look like the-cat's-*** for pouring ingots and I didn't think the price was too bad.

[Trinidad Bill]

I saw this also. I wondered what would happen if you loaded Satan's Little Smelter up with wheel weights and let it rip.

[Cherokee]

Looks ineresting, does it work good ?

[Satan's Little Smelter]

Trinidad Bill, The next video that we post will be a full load of wheel weights, probably up by this weekend. I will share the link on the 3FG vendor sponsor area and will have it in my sig line.

I saw this also. I wondered what would happen if you loaded Satan's Little Smelter up with wheel weights and let it rip.

[Satan's Little Smelter]

Cherokee, check out the youtube videos in my signature line, the videos speak for themselves.

Looks ineresting, does it work good ?

[Toymaker]

FIRST, watched the videos and I'm impressed. My father was educated as a geologist at the University of Missouri School of Mines and then the Colorado School of Mines. WW II changed his career path but he never lost his love of geology. I have his rock collection which includes samples of galena, cerussite and anglesite. So, second, its not a smelter. "Smelting" takes lead ores, i.e. galena, and removes the copper, silver, zinc and other impurities. While the terms are used [in error] interchangeably, they are "rendering" lead - melting and cleaning dirty lead and making ingots. Then they will "melt" the clean lead ingots and make bullets. THIRD, I thought it was really neat. I picked up on an idea or two for improving my "rendering" process. Thank you for posting the videos!!!

[BK7saum]

If I was to purchase one of these, the only improvement I could envision would be for the lower stand to be extended upward if possible to at least mid-height of the melting pot for maximum heat retention/transfer in breezy or windy conditions. I noticed an improvement in heating efficiency/decrease in propane consumption when I added a windscreen (galvanized flashing) around my entire pot. The burner to the bottom of the pot was already protected from the wind, but adding a windscreen the full height of my pot keeps the heat around the pot longer and doesn't allow heat loss from a breeze or wind. It's usually windy here in Oklahoma and the windscreen sure does help.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

FIRST, watched the videos and I'm impressed. My father was educated as a geologist at the University of Missouri School of Mines and then the Colorado School of Mines. WW II changed his career path but he never lost his love of geology. I have his rock collection which includes samples of galena, cerussite and anglesite. So, second, its not a smelter. "Smelting" takes lead ores, i.e. galena, and removes the copper, silver, zinc and other impurities. While the terms are used [in error] interchangeably, they are "rendering" lead - melting and cleaning dirty lead and making ingots. Then they will "melt" the clean lead ingots and make bullets. THIRD, I thought it was really neat. I picked up on an idea or two for improving my "rendering" process. Thank you for posting the videos!!!

I disagree with you, and so does our Government. According to OSHA, it is a Smelter, technically it is a Secondary lead smelter.

Secondary lead smelting - Secondary smelting produces lead and lead alloys from lead-bearing scrap metal. Raw materials used in secondary lead smelting include scrap automobile batteries, wheel balance weights, pipe, solder, drosses, and lead sheathing.

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/lea...finitions.html

[alamogunr]

FIRST, watched the videos and I'm impressed. My father was educated as a geologist at the University of Missouri School of Mines and then the Colorado School of Mines. WW II changed his career path but he never lost his love of geology. I have his rock collection which includes samples of galena, cerussite and anglesite. So, second, its not a smelter. "Smelting" takes lead ores, i.e. galena, and removes the copper, silver, zinc and other impurities. While the terms are used [in error] interchangeably, they are "rendering" lead - melting and cleaning dirty lead and making ingots. Then they will "melt" the clean lead ingots and make bullets. THIRD, I thought it was really neat. I picked up on an idea or two for improving my "rendering" process. Thank you for posting the videos!!!

You might as well give up. The denizens of this board aren't going to change their habit of using the term "smelt" to describe cleaning up WW. It will eventually die a natural death when there are no more WW to be "smelted".

[lightman]

This device looks interesting and I hope they make their business venture a success. I find it interesting, but I would be more interested if it were bigger. 40 or 60# is not big enough for me. My current smelting/melting set up is around 400# and I would like to do that much or more. I think they are working on bigger machines and I am anxious to see them. Good Luck Guys, make it work!

[rbertalotto]

If it "smelts" so fast, how hot does it get? If the heat is excessive, what does that do to the tin and antimony?

[Toymaker]

The gubberment? OSHA??? - - - rolling on the floor laughing my a-- off. I'm with you alamogunr. rbertalotto, when temperatures start getting around 800° or higher the tin will begin to really oxidize. It starts sooner, but really gets noticeable at 800° to 850°. If you're not in a protected space and there's a wind it will hasten the process. As to the antimony, I'd have to grab a couple of books to check but I'm pretty sure it has to react with something else to remove it from the alloy. That would be a smelt then, don't cha know!

[Satan's Little Smelter]

Toy, I understand that it's viewed as a renderer, but Satan's Little Renderer just doesn't roll off the tongue like Satan's Little Smelter. And the name came about as a play on word's, Santa's little helper, and a buddies ex wife that is referred to as Satan.

FIRST, watched the videos and I'm impressed. My father was educated as a geologist at the University of Missouri School of Mines and then the Colorado School of Mines. WW II changed his career path but he never lost his love of geology. I have his rock collection which includes samples of galena, cerussite and anglesite. So, second, its not a smelter. "Smelting" takes lead ores, i.e. galena, and removes the copper, silver, zinc and other impurities. While the terms are used [in error] interchangeably, they are "rendering" lead - melting and cleaning dirty lead and making ingots. Then they will "melt" the clean lead ingots and make bullets. THIRD, I thought it was really neat. I picked up on an idea or two for improving my "rendering" process. Thank you for posting the videos!!!

[oscar669]

I ordered one last night. Liked the looks of it will see how it works and let everyone know. it seems to operate like my buddies plumbers furnace but has updated fittings. They have only been around for a couple of months so dont know what longevity will be like but they insured me they were built from superior materials. I know I will have fun testing.

[Ken in Iowa]

The SLS looks like a great product. It looks like it would be great for range scrap and most other duties.

As a former sheet metal fabricator, I admire your workmanship sir.

[snuffy]

Nice! What I noticed is no fluxing material around anywhere. AND a lot of crud floating on the surface of the melt. That's tin and antimony + dirt. Also no attempt to regulate the propane, leading to the last of the melt to be hotter than the first pours.

When I'm "rendering" with my dutch oven, I turn the heat down while checking the temp before pouring ingots, muffins, or whatever other molds I'm using.

I agree that it needs to be 4X bigger. Of course it would take longer to come to temp-- but not 4X longer. I always fill those Lyman ingot molds level with the top to produce a 5# connected ingot. They stack better and a hard alloy allows them to break off individual ingots.

[BAGTIC]

I don't let OSHA define such technical terms for me any more that I let the DOJ define "assault rifle". They should stick to what they may know something about like toilet seat height, 'No parking signs', etc.

[kryogen]

Nice item. A bit costly vs a cheap turkey boiler and pot, but thats a much better quali item. You get what you pay for...

[websterz]

You might as well give up. The denizens of this board aren't going to change their habit of using the term "smelt" to describe cleaning up WW. It will eventually die a natural death when there are no more WW to be "smelted".

No it won't, we'll still be running range scrap through our secondary smelting equipment.

[boatswainsmate]

A new video I made using Satan's Little Smelter melting down scrap Linotype.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voaaWDLgfSE