Turkey friers ?

[kevin c]

Heat shields are good.

I have a high pressure regulator for my double jet burner. Lots of BTU’s, but the biggest differences in terms of speed of melting, maintaining temp, and propane conservation when using my 250# capacity processing pot were gained with a thermal jacket around the pot ala Cosmic_Charlie and a wind screen below it as per Buckdane.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/att...1&d=1538985277

[Hootmix]

kevin c., that's some serious melting ( smelting ), i like it. I will build a wind guard around my fryer, i agree about trapping the heat.

coffee's ready,, Hootmix.

[kevin c]

Another trick for rapid melting is to play a weed burner on top of the pile as the burner heats the pot from below. Be warned, though: I’ve found that this applies so much heat in a small area that even dry ingots can spit molten metal, I’m guessing either from interior impurities heating and vaporizing or from microscopic gas pockets releasing pressure (I don’t think it’s water, since I see it from under the melting surface being heated, even when half the ingot or other solid lead object is already gone). Full body PPE and a thought for protecting your casting area definitely advised.

[MOA]

I incorporated a heat shield in my fabrication. It's an important part of the features a good smelter has for efficiency. Also having a cover for your pot is as important as having a shield too.

[Hammerlane]

I use a Cajun banjo with a 55 gal barrel cut in half, as the wind shield. Also cut a hole in the top which is 1 inch smaller than the pot. Cut a lid from the bottom half not used. This way all the heat stays around the pot, less gas used. my thought on size is you can always cut it down but you never can cut it up any higher.