What size pot?

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  • Last Post 25 December 2008
sirgknight posted this 27 September 2008

What size pot do I need for melting my lead?  Take into mind now, that I'm using a double cavity mold and only casting a thousand or so a year, maybe a little more, but, it's not like I'll be doing a lot of casting.  I see a lot of pots that measure 5 inches across and 2 3/4 inched deep.  Are these too small for melting and/or casting?  I will be using two separate pots, so can I stay with the same size with each or do I need one larger than the other? 

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jimkim posted this 27 September 2008

I think you will like this thread. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=36203>http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=36203  I hope it helps.

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Brodie posted this 27 September 2008

You can melt your alloy, or make your alloy in just about any kind of container.  depending on haow much you want to make at a time a 2 to 4 quart pot will do the job over a coleman stove or hot plate.  Then use a cheap soup ladle to dip out the melt  and pour into ingots.:dude:;}

Casting is a different story.  There I would recomend the 20# bottom pour pot from Lee.  At the moment I am using the 10# version , but it just isn't big enough for the six gang pistol bullet molds.  If you prefer to cast with a dipper get the model that doesn't have the bottom pour.

You don't say if you are using several alloys or just one.  If you are going to be using several different alloys I would suggest that you consider  going with a pot for each alloy.  That way you don't have to keep changing the lead in the pot, a time wasting and frustrating procedure.  Not to mention trying to remember what it was that you have in the pot from the last casting session. :cba:  

B.E.Brickey

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sirgknight posted this 27 September 2008

Wheel weights will probably be my only source for lead and I will be casting with a ladel, at least initially.

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Brodie posted this 28 September 2008

Then I would suggest  couple of things;  1. Go out and buy a metal serving spoon with a lot of holes or slots in it. This will be needed to skim the metal clips out of the molten metal.  @.  Separate your WW's before you meelt them down.  Take out all the thin weights with adhesive on the back;these  are pure lead and will only soften you alloy.#.  Comb through the other WW's and check for any that have the letters ZN on them these are zinc and will ruin you alloy.  You can also try to bend any of the longer weights as zinc or Zn doesn't flex too well.   4.  Be sure to initially melt the weights down outside, preferably on a breezy day because they will smoke a fair amount due to oil and greace on them.  5.  Get an ingot mold, either Lyman or Lee.      6.  Buy a pot ( 20# ) without  the botom pour feature  unless you think you will need it later.  The linkage for the BP gets in the way of dipping.  7.  Get some parafin, fluxing , or old scented or plain candle stubs for fluxing.  There are a hundred ways to flux, but I have found wax to work quite well.  8.  If you don't have a mold get one of appropiate size bullet, and clean it of all surface greace and oil before cassting.  I like brake cleaner.  9.  Get some heavy welders gloves.  You are going to want to wear gloves anyway, and the heavy ones protect you better.  You can also cut the sprue by just using your hands on the handles and the arm of the sprue plate.  I find this to be much more convient than pickint up< a hard wood stick or leather mallet.  10.  Get a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook  (check name)  for loads and a beter treatise on handloading than I am willing to write tonight.  11. SAFETY GLASSES.

 

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN.

 

B.E.Brickey

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sirgknight posted this 28 September 2008

Thanks Old Coot, that's a lot of great information.  I have already separated the stick on weights from the regular wheel weights, but I didn't know that some of them could be zinc.  I'll go back through all of them and look for the ZN's.  Should the zinc be completed discarded?  I'm a little confused on exactly which utensils will suffice for casting.  Will a standard household skimmer work?  Also, will an old ice cream scoop work as a ladel?  I have a round 4” skimmer with tiny holes that would seem to work great as a skimmer for clips and crud.  Also, about the wax - I have plenty of old candles.  I'm thinking about going ahead and buying a 4 to 6 quart cast iron dutch oven for all of my melting for ingots.  Our local hardware store has new ones with lids for $20.  These pots are about 10 inches across and about 5 inches deep.  Wouldn't those work for melting?  How much wax do I use when melting?  Thanks.

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jimkim posted this 28 September 2008

If you want to you can come up and cast some with me. We can use the lee pot I got from Roy. It is full and ready to go. Just let me know when your in town. I should be home anytime.

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hunterspistol posted this 29 September 2008

:coffee    Old Coot said a lot, here's my spin.  I use a long handled teaspoon with 3/16 or 1/4” holes drilled in it to skim, use a Lyman Mini 8# pot and ladle. A guy can get by with the Lyman Master Casting kit for quite a while-that way you get the book on it. I use regular canning or candle wax to flux and keep the smell down(you can light the smoke with a match).  I have a brick next to it, stood on its side to hold the mold handles up with the mold itself gets 'sooted' and pre-heated.  A folded towel or old pair of jeans catches the bullets, unless you're water quenching. I have a leatherwork mallet that's wood to use when opening the sprue plate.

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CB posted this 10 November 2008

I for years used a deep fryer that my mom gave me. Mine was a Kenmore. It worked fine until the cord went bad. The replacement cord did not bring the Kenmore up to heat as well as the old cord, I had to pitch it. If you can find a Kenmore with the original cord you will enjoy it. I melted all the wheel weights I could and any kind scrap lead I came across. If you want a commercial pot the Lee 20# ladle pot is good.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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sirgknight posted this 11 November 2008

I have a wonderful co-worker who came across a great old steel pot with handles and a rounded bottom.  It is making a fantastic lead melting pot.  I'll try to get a picture of it put on here.  I was able to cut a slot into the three feet under the pot that fits perfectly on my burner to make it very sturdy and steady during the melting process.  I am very lucky to come across such a pot!  I bought a Lee casting pot that works great also.

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hunterspistol posted this 11 November 2008

 Hughes Long Ranger, hmmm... I'd bet what is in the fuel tank would clean a cast bullet barrel, provided it's JP-4.

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sirgknight posted this 13 November 2008

here are some pics of my melting apparatus:

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largecaliberman posted this 15 November 2008

sirgknight wrote: What size pot do I need for melting my lead?  Take into mind now, that I'm using a double cavity mold and only casting a thousand or so a year, maybe a little more, but, it's not like I'll be doing a lot of casting.  I see a lot of pots that measure 5 inches across and 2 3/4 inched deep.  Are these too small for melting and/or casting?  I will be using two separate pots, so can I stay with the same size with each or do I need one larger than the other? 

I picked this up from a garage sale for $2.00 and have served me well over the years.  It's made of stainless steel and has a capacity of around 8 gallons.  I am able to smelt around 300 lbs.

 

I also modified a wok ladel by attaching a long handle from a dust mop.

 

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CB posted this 15 November 2008

largecaliberman, I give you the Superman smelting award! :dude:  About a 100lb batch a day is all I care to do at one time! 

WOW, is that 300lbs of tin you got in the pot?!!  ;)

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CB posted this 15 November 2008

Now that is what I call a magnum lead pot!

And if that is all tin, I was wondering if you wanted to adopt some old folks? I am available and I have casting skills.... My wife can reload... And she has a Dillon...<G>

I use half of a 20LB propane cylinder and a turkey fryer, can batch up about 150lbs at a time, which is more than enough at one time for me.

For casting I use a 40lb plumbers pot on top of a harbor freight propane single burner stove with a heat shield, or a Lee Pro20 ladle pot that I keep stocked from the 40 lb plumbers pot

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CB posted this 15 November 2008

I have a large cast iron pot.  Anybody wants use this for lead can come get it for $80................Dan

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largecaliberman posted this 29 November 2008

Dan Willems wrote: largecaliberman, I give you the Superman smelting award! :dude:  About a 100lb batch a day is all I care to do at one time! 

WOW, is that 300lbs of tin you got in the pot?!!  ;) That pot WILL hold around 300 lbs.  About the soldering bars, that batch you see melted about a third of the capacity.  After adding in more as it melted, I ended up with 367 1 lb ingots (+/-).  I usually mix the largest batch I can for consistency.  If I smelt ww's, linotype, solder etc or customize my mix I would do the largest batch I could----again for consistency.;}

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largecaliberman posted this 29 November 2008

Dan Willems wrote: I have a large cast iron pot.  Anybody wants use this for lead can come get it for $80................Dan

Dan,

Nice size, I wouldn't mind having it, however shipping to Hawaii would cost a fortune.

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CB posted this 25 December 2008

S

Your thread started out mentioning you will only cast a couple thousand bullets a year and then you showed a barbecue to melt down a massive amount of WW. I would not sit there with a 2 cavity mold dipping for a mold out of a 50# pot. So whether you accept this or not the, for your good health, a Lyman 8#, Lee 20#  and really the Lee 4# pot will safely cast your couple thousand bullets a year if you want to dip. I can cast a couple thousand bullets a weekend with any pot I have. I like the Lee 10 # pour pot over the other pour pots of which I have because the spickett is up front and on a small 2 cavity mold you want it that way. Take it our leave it from a 40+ year caster.

 

Steve Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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Antietamgw posted this 25 December 2008

Jeez Dan!

You could scald hogs in that thing!

Keep your plowshare and your sword. Know how and when to use them.

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