I noted a lot of folks saying they use muffin tins for ingot molds and I do have some ingots cast from muffin pans by someone else. I've got 2000# of lead to melt down so I thought I'd give some muffin tins from walmart a try. I ended up with 48 ingots securely attached in the muffin tins. Had to cut the muffin tin off with side cutters.
Any thoughts on where I went wrong, any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
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My muffin tins are not filled to the brim with lead and teflon coated,no problems.
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Maybe some kind of non stick coating “fluxed” it and let the lead solder to the tins?
I decided a while back that life was too short to fool around with makeshift ingot moulds. I bought four cast iron Saeco moulds and think they were well worth the money.
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Aluminum muffin tins work fine, except they anneal and get awfully soft after a while. I kind of think yours may actually be tin plated steel, in which case pouring molten lead in/on them solders the muffin in, very securely. Next time check your muffin tins with a magnet before you buy them. If this sounds like the voice of experience talking - you might just be right!
Wes
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Been there done that Joe. best thing to do is let them rust a bit, if you try it again. If you were abit closer I would loan you my ingot/stick moulds. Made them from 2x2 angle iron and 1x1 angle. Chop saw and a wire welder and it was done in about 10 minutes from some scrap. BTW, weld on the inside, not the outside. Alloy will run down ito the smallest crack after everything heats up and hang up on you. jeff
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the best thing is to get the cast iron muffin pans.Thats what I us and corn stick pans.they also have a fry pan with wedges
also “jungleothings.com” has muffin cast iron $7.50.#166-10122
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I found an old cast iron corn bread pan at a flea market. My ingots look like little ears of corn cut in half lengthwise. They fit well in my lee lead pot and are easy to handle. They fall right out of the pan when I turn it over.
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Aluminum cans = really easy. Make sure they are completely dry though.
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Rick I did the same exact thing the shiny muffin pans are coated in tin and and the lead will stick like glue wally world sells the nonstick pans and your ingots will fall right out
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Joe
I spray my muffin pan with “pam” the baking spray. My mistake was buying a pan that was not one piece. Some of the pans out there have the cups pressed in. When I tried to knock out the ingots the cups came out too. cast iron is better but alum works just fine for me.
Good luck
Bob D
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Joe,
I use them, too. Cheapies from Wal Mart. I destroyed one like you said - banging on it, etc. But, not all stick all the time. Sometimes, all 12 drop easily.
What I found - by accident - is just to heat the bottom of the stubborn ones with a torch (I have a quick self lighting MAPP one I keep by my casting bench that I also use for plumbing) - then the drop out easily.
After I started doing that, I'm pretty satisfied with he pans & process.
Good luck
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get the cast iron pans.if you put them on the ground I put them on apron of garage and they cool quick and then dump.I Have muffin, corn stick. cast pans.I did have a big one with 10 lb ingots but gave it away when I moved I am sorry I did.I had 2000 lb of backstop lead at time.I gave that away to as 1000 mile trips were getting me tired.
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