Smelting Pots?

[ACC]

My nephew gave me two empty Freon tanks. They seem very thin. Would they make good smelting pots or am I looking at trouble? I have over 200 pounds of lead and pewter to melt into ingots.

ACC

[hunter74]

Should work fine. I've used a water heater tank for smelting for many years. It holds way more but I've not filled it abowe 300 kg.

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[YoungGun88]

Perhaps just get some thin gauge sheet metal and make a windscreen to surround the tank and burner base, helping to trap the heat in. Plenty of people have cut propane tanks in half to use as a larger melting pot for making ingots, don't see why a freon tank would be any different(unless it has an interior coating of some sort, idk?)

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I don't know what the rest of your setup is? or how you will balance the freon tank on you burner?
I would recommend looking for a SS pot at the thrift store. The one I use is a SS soup pot, it's 4 qt and holds about 35 to 40 lbs of alloy at one time, I got it for a couple bucks. I sure would rather spend two bucks, then to cut up a freon tank.

[Shanghai Jack]

I ran into two cast iron dutch ovens at a garage sale - nothing better

[Bazoo]

I use half of a propane tank. I have a steel car rim that I cut the center out of which acts as a stand and a wind screen, and helps tremendously. I have smelted with it over fire, and over propane.

[ACC]

I don't know what the rest of your setup is? or how you will balance the freon tank on you burner?
I would recommend looking for a SS pot at the thrift store. The one I use is a SS soup pot, it's 4 qt and holds about 35 to 40 lbs of alloy at one time, I got it for a couple bucks. I sure would rather spend two bucks, then to cut up a freon tank.

Sounds good to me. I would hate to melt 20 or so pounds and have the bottom fall out all over my turkey fryer and possibly get badly burned.

ACC

[Wheelguns 1961]

I also went the SS pot route. Mine is pretty big, but I never load more than 40 or 50 pounds at a time. I also have a large ss soup ladle for pouring the ingots. I just use mini muffin pans for ingot molds. I prefer the smaller ingots. They fit my lee 4-20 pot very easily.

[fast ronnie]

i use half of a 5 gallon propane tank. I cut a ring from the middle and welded it to the bottom for stability and use it over a turkey fryer burner witha sheet metal wind break around the outside. I just did a melt last week that came out to 116 pounds. the pot was only half full.

[tinsnips]

Refrigerant tanks work wonder full. Cut in half an you are done making it. The drums come in 25 and 30 pound i have made one for all my friends it is easy. Go to a ac shop i am sure they will give you some for free.

[MOA]

I just cut the propane tank at the shoulder on the valve end with my grinder. After removing the valve I filled the tank with some dawn dish soap and water and let set for a day or two. Marked a circle around the tank with a magic marker and cut around the tank WHILE STILL FILLED WITH SOAPY WATER. No issues, then file the sharp edges. I saved the top so it can be put back on top while doing the initial heat up on the smelt.

[Hossfly]

I use old Freon tank cause I got a lot of them. No problems, old Propane tank prolly better except for the danger associated with them. Propane tank has better bottom for setting and stability. Either will last for years.

[Land Owner]

My pure lead is 50# ingots from FDOT transportation nuclear shieldng of pharmaceutical grade medically injectable syringes at hospitals. My 20# steel propane tank half and 50#'s of Wheel Weights (100#'s of aĺloy) melts about half full.