345 DeSoto
Member
What do you guys use for pouring lead into, to make ingots?...
Lead Ingot Molds?
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JohnM
Member
muffin pans.
If you are only doing small batches occasionally muffin pans may work. I ever had one last very long, but will sometimes do 300-500 pound runs. Picked up some RCBS and Saeco ingot molds here and there, up to 12 now I think, shouldn't ever need anything else but more lead. Never liked the Lee one, making two different size ingots, all the same stack eaiser.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Muffin pans I picked up at garage sales.
Most of mine have been aluminum and get 'pretty bent' dumping ingots out on the driveway concrete.
But I have one S/S one I've used for years.
rc
Most of mine have been aluminum and get 'pretty bent' dumping ingots out on the driveway concrete.
But I have one S/S one I've used for years.
rc
jcwit
member
I have a cast one made by Lyman that I've been using for 40/50 years.
Still works just fine.
Still works just fine.
I have a cast iron muffin pan I got out of the trash. It makes great ingots. Should last nearly forever.
I also have a Lee ingot mold, but soon burned the handles off. Locking pliers work to hold it, but get hot.
I also have a Lee ingot mold, but soon burned the handles off. Locking pliers work to hold it, but get hot.
I used the standard ingot molds from Lyman. The size of the ingot fits very well in small casting pots.
I used a #6 Rowell Ladle, http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/casting_ladle_bottom6.htm, 20 pounds of lead is a lot of hot metal, I do not recommend going any larger.
I used a #6 Rowell Ladle, http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/casting_ladle_bottom6.htm, 20 pounds of lead is a lot of hot metal, I do not recommend going any larger.
LAGS
Member
I have over the years used all kinds of things, Like Aluminum Muffin and Mini Muffin Pans.
I found some stainless steel comdiment serving trays at the Goodwill store that cast nice 2 Lb square bricks.
I also use the bottoms of Aluminum cans for small salvage castings like Tin and Plumbers solder scraps I find on the construction sites I build.
Turn the can up side down and pour in into the domed depression.
I do have a Lyman Ingot mold, but it only casts 1 Lb ingots unless you fill the whole thing up flat and it dumps out a 5 Lb gang of ingots.
I also use some stainless steel Condiment Cups that I bought at WalMart that cast nice small 1 Lb slugs that look like a shot glass.
They stack well and fit into my casting pot easily.
I found some stainless steel comdiment serving trays at the Goodwill store that cast nice 2 Lb square bricks.
I also use the bottoms of Aluminum cans for small salvage castings like Tin and Plumbers solder scraps I find on the construction sites I build.
Turn the can up side down and pour in into the domed depression.
I do have a Lyman Ingot mold, but it only casts 1 Lb ingots unless you fill the whole thing up flat and it dumps out a 5 Lb gang of ingots.
I also use some stainless steel Condiment Cups that I bought at WalMart that cast nice small 1 Lb slugs that look like a shot glass.
They stack well and fit into my casting pot easily.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Aluminum muffin pans don't last long at all.
Steel muffin pans work well and last much longer. If you can find them at a thrift store or garage sale buy them.
Cast Iron muffin pans are best but if you have to buy them they cost no less than real Cast Iron ingot molds so ... buy the real thing if all else fails...
Steel muffin pans work well and last much longer. If you can find them at a thrift store or garage sale buy them.
Cast Iron muffin pans are best but if you have to buy them they cost no less than real Cast Iron ingot molds so ... buy the real thing if all else fails...
Twiki357
Member
I use a 12 hole Teflon coated cup cake (Muffin) pan from Goodwill. Ingots come out at about one and a half pounds.
41 Mag
Member
If you have access to a welder, you can build you up some real nice ingot molds using an old steel bedframe or similar type angle iron.
All you have to do is cut 4 to 6 pieces of it in 6 or so inch lengths, grind the ends so that they have a slight bevel out from the bottom of the V to the wider side, (you need a little bit of a relief so you get the lead to release about 1/8" works great), then weld a piece across the ends to seal it off. Do all of the welding on the outside so the lead doesn't have anything to stick to. How many you decide to use is up to you, but mine range from 4-6 cavities per mold. I have some in 2" and some in 1 1/2" and the smaller seem to work out best.
If you go the muffin pan route be sure you don't get anything that is coated or you will have ingots that just stick and have to be beaten out. Don't ask me how I know. The SS condiment cups from wally world also work real well and are pretty cheap too. I think you get 5 or 6 in a package for just a few bucks.
All you have to do is cut 4 to 6 pieces of it in 6 or so inch lengths, grind the ends so that they have a slight bevel out from the bottom of the V to the wider side, (you need a little bit of a relief so you get the lead to release about 1/8" works great), then weld a piece across the ends to seal it off. Do all of the welding on the outside so the lead doesn't have anything to stick to. How many you decide to use is up to you, but mine range from 4-6 cavities per mold. I have some in 2" and some in 1 1/2" and the smaller seem to work out best.
If you go the muffin pan route be sure you don't get anything that is coated or you will have ingots that just stick and have to be beaten out. Don't ask me how I know. The SS condiment cups from wally world also work real well and are pretty cheap too. I think you get 5 or 6 in a package for just a few bucks.
tightgroup tiger
Member
I use the standard Lyman molds also. They fit really easy in a Lee's 10lb bottom pour lead pot.
Captcurt
Member
I made some with 1" angle iron when I worked maintenance.
. Fishing tackle supply sites like Barlow's Tackle Box usually have decent prices on them.
. Fishing tackle supply sites like Barlow's Tackle Box usually have decent prices on them.JohnM
Member
I've got a stack of the plain old muffin pans. Some are the old style steel ones, some the new teflon coated ones which work fine after burning off the coating with a torch.
They make a nice 2 1/2 pound ingot that stacks good, are cheap, and last a long time.
About as good a ingot mold as you can find.
They make a nice 2 1/2 pound ingot that stacks good, are cheap, and last a long time.
About as good a ingot mold as you can find.
kerreckt
Member
Muffin pans. I buy them at yard sales. I have been using some of the same ones for a decade.
zxcvbob
Member
I used to use stainless steel condiment cups (97¢ for four at Walmart; they might have gone up.) They make about a 22 oz muffin-shaped ingot.
I've switched to using a cast iron "cornbread stick" pan (about $10 new, from walmart.com) because I don't have to worry about it tipping over when I pour, they are easier to add to the casting pot, and the little corncobs stack better in a 5 gallon bucket.
I've got about 1000 pounds of each
I've switched to using a cast iron "cornbread stick" pan (about $10 new, from walmart.com) because I don't have to worry about it tipping over when I pour, they are easier to add to the casting pot, and the little corncobs stack better in a 5 gallon bucket.
I've got about 1000 pounds of each
splattergun
Member
garage sale muffin pans. Makes ingots roughly 2 pounds each. 50 ingots on hand? Great! That's about 100 pounds of lead.
Boho
Member
I use and have used for over thirty years lyman and saeco ingot molds. They work fine and they don't wear out. The cost of these molds is not that much and it really doesn't make sense to be so cheap as to use cheap muffin pans that won't last. Cast iron muffin pans are an other story and work fine.
evan price
Member
I use cast iron french roll pans I get on ebay. Theres a lot of copies of the griswold pans and you can get rusty crusty ones for cheap if you look around often. They cast nice rectangle ingots with round bottoms about 2#. I also have some steel mini tart pans that cast a 4# muffin ingot that just fits my rcbs pot.
I sort my alloys by the ingot mold I use. RCBS for pure lead, saeco for wheel weights, etc. No wondering what the alloy is in the ingot. I have several of each. Once you start looking, ingot molds just seem to appear. I think I'm up to six saeco molds now...
zxcvbob
Member
Here's the cornbread pan I mentioned earlier. Looks like the price has gone *down* a little since I bought mine: http://www.walmart.com/ip/King-Kooker-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Cob-Shaped-Corn-Bread-Pan/23155724
They look too small for their original intended use (cornbread sticks) but make a nice sized ingot.
They look too small for their original intended use (cornbread sticks) but make a nice sized ingot.
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