Results of my first lead melting session

CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA

CGN Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
Quebec
Last Saturday, I got a local CT to sell me a 5 gallon bucket of WWs after a little hesitation on the manager's part. In the end, a $20 helped convince him, which I am quite sure he pocketed.

Anyway, the whole thing weighed in at 160.4 lbs, including the container. I proceeded to melt the whole lot over the course of the week, and ended up with 94.2 lbs of nice ingot. I figure about 5 % of the mix was steel/zinc, and another 2 % was other junk like steel nuts and snipped off rubber tire valves.

Because I was using a small 2 quart pot, the steel clips took a lot of time to remove, so in the end I was not using the tiny 5 gram type weights. So I realize I wasted a bit of usable lead, maybe another 5% of the total weight. In all, I figure I did about 6 melting sessions to process the whole bucket.

I will try and get a much bigger pot, perhaps big enough to process the whole thing at once. Having said this, I have a couple of questions.

1) If I do go the 5 gallon pot route, would the portable electric burner I now use still get the job done? I know most of you would recommend propane burners, but would the electric element still melt the whole batch eventually?

2) As I do this outdoors for safety reasons, is there a limit to melting in terms of outdoor ambient temperature?

3) Do most of you wait for the entire batch to liquify before straining out the steel clips or like me do you work the melt by removing clips as the batch is still melting?
 
let everything turn to liquid and then give the pot a little wiggle to get the steel clips to come to the surface and then pour off the lead slowly to keep the scum in the pot and the good lead in the bar.
 
piccolig said:
Last Saturday, I got a local CT to sell me a 5 gallon bucket of WWs after a little hesitation on the manager's part. In the end, a $20 helped convince him...Anyway, the whole thing weighed in at 160.4 lbs, including the container...
Click to expand...

Did he ask to see your PAL? Did he insist on carrying it himself all the way to the exit for you? :cool:
 
I use an old Coleman pump stove, (the two burner camp type),
and a 4qt cast iron dutch oven pot, that I bought at a swap meet.
I got a soup ladle, a slotted spoon, and small muffin tins, from the thrift store.
The slotted spoon works well for getting out the clips and zinc weights,
while the ladle and muffin tins are great for small ingots.
After the initial batch of W/W melts down, I scoop out the clips and such
then throw in more W/W to melt, then scoop some more.
When the pot is 3/4 full of molten lead, I flux, scoop out the dross, then pour into ingots.
Processing a 5 gal bucket took a couple of hours using this method.
I don't do a lot of casting, so this small set up is fine for me. KD
 
We don't know what kind of power your electric element puts out, so we can't really answer your question accurately. As far as melting a whole 5 gallon bucket at once, I'd highly doubt you'd be able to get that much power out of just about anything you can lay your hands on. Do it in steps anyway. Having 150 ish pounds of molten lead in one place at one time......well.....if you did manage to knock it over or whatever you're supporting it with collapsed.....just not good at all.

I've got a 60,000 BTU burner and the bottom half of a steel propane tank that I use. I welded 2 cross pieces of metal onto the bottom of the tank specifically to fit the burner. Even with that, I have to block in the sides of the burner to concentrate the heat upwards. With that setup, I can melt about 2.5 gallons at a time.
 
I skim off the steel clip and dross as things melt then ladle the lead into the molds. I use a 4 quart dutch oven on a steel frame over a gasoline burner. There is absolutley no way I would lift or move a pot of molten lead to pour it or otherwise.
 
blacksmithden said:
.........I've got a 60,000 BTU burner and the bottom half of a steel propane tank that I use. I welded 2 cross pieces of metal onto the bottom of the tank specifically to fit the burner. Even with that, I have to block in the sides of the burner to concentrate the heat upwards. With that setup, I can melt about 2.5 gallons at a time.
Click to expand...

Sounds very similar to my setup. http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83230 I've made a few changes since then (e.g. I now use a bigger round bottomed pot, and no more aluminum muffin trays for ingot molds!). The burner remains the same though.

Here's the heat source I use: http://www.lebaron.ca/pdf_files_sp09/camping/martin.pdf

Martin Propane Burner CODE: 764-253​

• Output up to 65,000 BTU/h, high pressure
• Insulating plate prevents heat transfer to ground
• Includes gas hose and regulator
• CSA Certified for outdoor use​


Its BTU's are very similar to yours, but I have not found it necessary to enclose it (although it would be a good idea to save propane).​
 
I have the burner element and controls I saved from an old hot water tank that I would like to convert to use to melt lead. I would need to convert it to propane though. Does anybody know how hard that would be?
 
Slapshot said:
I have the burner element and controls I saved from an old hot water tank that I would like to convert to use to melt lead. I would need to convert it to propane though. Does anybody know how hard that would be?
Click to expand...

I admire people who are resourceful, but based on my small bit of knowledge, I know that Propane and Natural Gas require different burners, so I'd say that it's possible, but not going to be worth the expense.
 
piccolig said:
1) If I do go the 5 gallon pot route, would the portable electric burner I now use still get the job done? I know most of you would recommend propane burners, but would the electric element still melt the whole batch eventually?
Click to expand...

Electric burners do work, this is what I will be using. Castboolist.com recommends no lower than 900WATTS, but that is for a small pot of a only few quarts, I don't think one could handle 5 gallons.
 
:needPics:

piccolig - still no pics???

If you don't know how to post them, PM me and I'll do it.

We need our Smelting ####. :p
 
No Pics

Hi Andy,

I am flattered that you would want to see my pics, however, there is nothing especially exciting about my wife's hand me down 2 quart pot and a single camping-type portable electric element.

People will take a run at me for posting such worthless shots :)
 
piccolig said:
Hi Andy,

I am flattered that you would want to see my pics, however, there is nothing especially exciting about my wife's hand me down 2 quart pot and a single camping-type portable electric element.

People will take a run at me for posting such worthless shots :)
Click to expand...

We've got guys posting pics of wives who are well past their best before dates and the trolls are begging for more, so I wouldn't worry about that. :p
 
piccolig said:
Last Saturday, I got a local CT to sell me a 5 gallon bucket of WWs after a little hesitation on the manager's part. In the end, a $20 helped convince him, which I am quite sure he pocketed.

Anyway, the whole thing weighed in at 160.4 lbs
Click to expand...

Okay... I scored my first bucket of WW (free too). 5 gallon bucket. They were saying there's 60-70lbs... When I picked it up, I could barely walk 30ft with it. When I finally got to car, I said forget the trunk b/c I could barely lift the thing up 1.5ft.

I'm starting to think it's way north of 70lbs. I know I'm not that weak. I'm going to weigh it tonight and find out forsure and report back. hehe
 
saskgunowner101 said:
I'll guess ballpark 140-145 pounds....those pails are much heavier than they look!
Click to expand...

No kidding. I ended up rolling bucket to my car. I'm thinking north of 100lbs now. I guess those guys never bothered weighing them. It's deceiving. I would hesitate if they offered me another bucket (but I would take). But first, let's see how well it goes during smelting and casting. I'm a total noob.
 
I use a large dryer drum set up on four bricks - the small hole up. This is my furnace.

I use a small torch-sized propane tank with a four-foot boxtube handle to ladle into the ingot molds.

A wood fire of all the dry ash that I can get into the drum is well concentrated on the base of a cut-off propane tank set on the hole - on a very low angle, making ladling easier - with flame space around the tank base.

Light the fire ( using appropriate petroleum based accelerator ) and set the tank in place.

Fill the tank with weights and go away. A watched pot might boil - don't be there.

There may be some offensive vapors - consider that and wind direction when choosing location.

Consider also that there may be a little accidental spillage - it is hard to get out of gravel. A sheet of steel siding or something similar may help cleanup.

Skim and ladle out into muffin tins or poached egg cups or ingot molds. The ingots should not be too big - an overlarge ingot chills your lead melting pot when you are casting bullets.

On that topic - I have begun using a second melting pot to melt the ingots before that lead is added to my casting pot. The improvement in efficiency and quality is wonderful - in my last sitting, I was able to do over 190 lbs of .45 bullets in one sitting.

Back to the ingot casting - I do this all in the wintertime, when the molds are sitting in a water-filled pan in the snow to cool super-quick.

It is not difficult to do 500 lbs of ingots in a day - with little fuel cost, and less fuss and bother than small attention-hungry setups.
 
john777 said:
No kidding. I ended up rolling bucket to my car. I'm thinking north of 100lbs now. I guess those guys never bothered weighing them. It's deceiving. I would hesitate if they offered me another bucket (but I would take). But first, let's see how well it goes during smelting and casting. I'm a total noob.
Click to expand...

SOB! I weighed it with my digital bathroom scale. Weighs in at 150lbs! That's heavier than me!! I'm STRONG. :)

Had I known, I wouldn't even bother lifting it 1.5ft above ground into car. I lost all my energy taking it out of car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom