Cheap ingot moulds?

COREY

COREY

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Ottawa, Ontario
I went out to Stittsville today to pick up another Lee ingot mould to do some casting. I have one now, but when you are smelting 150 lbs or more, it heats up and takes time to cool off between pours (they break or go like playdoh when they come out). For the first time I have ever been out there, they do not have any :(.

I have read of people using muffin tins to use as cheap ingot moulds, but I have also read about some of them causing the ingots to stick. What should I be using, and what should I not?

Thanks in advance for any help I get.
 
Oh the things I could come up with if I were back where I grew up in NB, but I am not in Ottawa where you get a look like you are speaking a different language when you mention welding.
 
Muffin tin....I just threw mine in my wood stove....once all the crap burned off I never had a problem.

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Go to Canadian Tire and buy Muffin Tins. I've cast tons using them. I run two at once - one large and one small, and that does about 40 lbs at a time.

Prepare for "Beware - it's dangerous, teflon kills!". In high doses, it's know that pet birds are at peril. I'm pouring at about 700 F and have had zero deterioration of the surface - of course the temp drops rapidly and you're out in the open air - right? I hope so, because think of the other fumes coming off that pot (unidentified dirt, oil, rubber, etc.).
 
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I use mini muffin pans (I have 3). I prefer them to regular muffin pans as the ingots are only about 1/2 pound each and melt very quickly in the casting pot. Ingots from regular muffin trays are quite a bit larger, take longer to melt and can drop the temperature in the melting pot to the point where you have to wait until it heats up again before you can resume casting.
 
go to any salvation army, good will, etc and they usually have muffin tins, the rustier the better.

i got 3 pans for $1, i've never had an ingot stick either because they are rusty which acts like a release agent.
 
I go to Can tire and buy the silicone muffin molds they work great and ingots pop right out...they last for a long time and not worry of ingots getting stuck in ordinary muffin tins
 
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I use a ordinary cupcake/ muffin pan. It has 8 holders in it and when I am rough melting ww material,I fill 4 of them up.Each weighs about 2.2 pounds when cooled.If you have a fear of sticking just grab a candle and lightly "soot" the inside of it...But with the weight of each muffin when tipped over on a concrete side walk block...I haven't had one stick yet!!
 
Heck no, flip it over and tap a corner of the floor. Presto, an ingot.
They melt nice for topping up a pot. You can add 1/2 in no time by holding it with pliers in the pot.
 
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