Lead Pot Advice

[345 DeSoto]

I found a steady, free, source for wheel weights, so now I'm going to need a pot. I've heard of bottom pour pots, pots with precise thermostats, melting on the stove, using old flower pots, etc, etc. I like the idea of a precise temperature thermostat. That would eliminate melting zinc into the lead...I think. What would be a GOOD foolproof pot to look for, without busting the budget? Thanks,guys...

 

[RustyFN]

I use a Lee 10# bottom pour pot, you can buy one very cheap. I think the pot works great. You can also buy a 20# Lee pot. You will need to buy a smelting setup to get the lead ready to cast. You don't want to smelt in your casting pot.
Rusty

 

[Ifishsum]

I also have the Lee Production Pot IV (10 lb) bottom pour electric pot. It's very reasonably priced and works well. You definitely want to smelt the wheel weights first to help keep your casting pot clean. A cast iron deep skillet or something similar (NOT aluminum) on a camp stove works fine, I melt and skim the clips, flux and skim the dross then pour the lead into an old muffin tin to make ingots. That way you only put relatively clean lead into your casting pot and you won't have to clean it as much.

 

[zxcvbob]

I smelt 10 pounds at a time in a stainless steel saucepan on an electric hotplate.

I have a 20# bottom pour Lee furnace for casting, and I couldn't be happier with it. It drips, but that's not a big deal. It's barely a small deal.

I use an RCBS thermometer with both.

BTW, I bought a new steel muffin tin at the Dollar Store to use for casting ingots, and boy was that a mistake. The lead stuck to the inside of the cups and I had to destroy them to get it out.

 

[jmorris]

I made a bottom pour pot out of 7" pipe and a 3500 watt oven heating element that will hold almost 60# of lead. some photos are in this thread..http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=158478&highlight=magma+cast

 

[cracked butt]

For smelting, I use a small cast iron dutch oven and a hotplate. Walmart sells a hotplate for $8 that will work good for smelting.

The Lee Pro Pot IV is a decent casting pot for the price.

 

[RecoilRob]

I'm a dipper and never trusted the new-fangled bottom pour furnaces. The Lyman Mag 20 costs a lot more than the Lee's, but I've gotten good service from mine.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

You might want to think of two operations, a smelting operation to clean the wheel weights and a casting operation. You perform the smelting operation to keep the filth and nastiness out of your casting pot.

You can use turkey fryers and/or hotplates with a cast iron pot to smelt with. Then either of the Lee bottom pours does a great job.

Regards,

Dave

 

[scrat]

Lee production pot IV 10lbs. Works good for me. What i have learned keep the pot clean. Once in a while i take out the plunger then wire wheel the inside of the pot. Then do the plunger. Helps keep the pot clean. Another tip. Keep a jumbo paperclip handy and a small cup of water. I bend the jumbo paperclip to a L shape. When ever the flow slows down. i take the paperclip and work it up and down the spout. It will remove any contaminants from the spout and the lead will flow freely again. Then the water is to cool down the paperclip.

 

[snuffy]

Here's my set-up.



Turkey fryer under a cast iron pot, smelting scrap lead, then alloying with linotype produces a good alloy for all of my handgun boolits.



then casting them into ingots so they can easily be added to the casting pot.



cooled, stacked and ready to be stored.



If I were to smelt wheelweights, this would work well. BUT make sure you do it outside, the smoke and fumes would be nasty inside a home. Also do it under a roof, or be darn sure it won't rain during the smelt. Water and hot lead don't get along.

That pot would hold over 100 pounds of melted lead, but the frame of that turkey fryer is a bit light for that, so I limit it to 60 #. It takes about 20 minutes to melt that much lead, I don't go full bore with the flame either.

 

[RustyFN]

I was told by somebody on one of the forums to put a screw driver in the slot in the top of the stem on the Lee 10# pot and wiggle it back and forth to eliminate the drips. It has worked great for me, no more Lee drip art.
Rusty

 

[Owens]

Lyman for smelting (range scrap) and Lee bottom pour for casting.
Works great. Whatever you choose, have LOTS of ventilation!

 

[Walkalong]

I used a homemade burner (220 V electric stove eye) I used a piece of iron pipe to sit around the Club Aluminum pot to hold in heat. Worked great. If that will work, I imagine any of the commercial pots would work just fine.

I used a Rowell bottom pour ladle to fill my molds. Keeps the trash out. Does the same thing as bottom pour pots.

 

[RustyFN]

Here is my smelting setup, I just finished smelting three buckets today.


I made these ingot molds at work. They are 3" channel with angle welded on the ends.


My wife bought me a couple of cast iron muffin pans, they worked out really good. These are what I made today.

You will need a few extra things. The wax is for fluxing. The short spoon is slotted for scooping out the clips. The longer spoon is solid for cleaning the top after fluxing.


This is the ladle I use for pouring the ingots. It's a Rowell #3 and holds 5 pounds of lead.

I hope this helps.
Rusty

 

[cracked butt]

I was told by somebody on one of the forums to put a screw driver in the slot in the top of the stem on the Lee 10# pot and wiggle it back and forth to eliminate the drips. It has worked great for me, no more Lee drip art.

If you take the valve assembly apart and use drill with a flat screwdriver blade to spin the valve in its seat for a few minutes, it will lap into place and you'll never get another drip again- so long as you keep dirt out of the pot.

Another trick- never let your bottom pour empty. If you allow it to empty, you'll get dross/dirt/grit/ etc in your valve and end up with drips and a plugged spout. I keep mine at least 1/4 of the way full.

 

[ForneyRider]

My dad and I are using Lee Pro pot (10lb) for fishing weights and bullets.

I have a Lee 452 200 RN 2 bullet mold for 45ACP.

We use wheel weights. He cast them into ingots(cornbread mold).

We flux with beeswax. But I am also experimenting with pecan shell dust.

 

[Captal_de_Buch]

I use two pots.. one to render the lead into ingots.. or cupcakes and one to cast with..

I just graduated from the Lee 10lb pot to the Lee 20lb pot.. and it rocks!!

 

[Oberleutnant]

"Lead Pot Source"

4 starters,if ur going 2 clean ur lead,tin,antimony,printers type,battery connectors,then hr
this.If u'v got a plummer as a friend,request he loan U his propane melter,es pot. Then get a mold of 1/2-1lb.ingot size,es melt the metal,eaq.on its own, or amalgamated them,es U
can use candle wax as a flux 2 mix es after,u'v drawn the drog off of it,I usually put it in2 a juice can,or half of its size,until I'm thru,then, put it in2 the trash, wrappd in a plastic bag,of course after it's coold down, so it won't melt.Then I scoop out enuff 2 fill the mold
cavity's,sit the mold on2 a vy cool wet spot,so it'll harden.Find a place 2 put the ingots after they'v solidifeid,es hav coold down,2 stor them.They r just the correct seiz,2 use in the Lee melter,es wen ur reddy 2 pour in2 the bullet molds,hav the molds fairly hot,so the amalgam will flow freely,es fill all of the areas,2 make a real neice bullet.Wen U do it enuff,
it'll b come 2nd nature 2 do it.I'v always used the Lee pot,4 my casting,after the amalgam is cleand,otherweiz the pour spout can b com cloggd es the flow will stop.That takes time
2 get used 2 doing also.Ck the Lee seit es,ck out the melters,<www.LeePrecision.com>.
Now ur on ur own.Happy Melting.-Charlie.......

 

[Griz44]

Ober,
Most of us here speak, read and write very good English. That gibberish is just plain painful to read...
By the way, welcome to the reloaders section...

 

[mkl]

+1 to Griz44

I was getting a headache trying to decypher that post.

I'm too old to attempt to relearn the "English language for cell phone text messaging."

 

[RustyFN]

Griz44:
Ober,
Most of us here speak, read and write very good English. That gibberish is just plain painful to read...
By the way, welcome to the reloaders section...

I'll have to second that.

mkl
+1 to Griz44

I was getting a headache trying to decypher that post.

I'm too old to attempt to relearn the "English language for cell phone text messaging."

I couldn't read it. I made it through the first two sentences and had to stop. There might have been a lot of great information in there But written like that I will never know.
Rusty

 

[lgbloader]

+3 to Griz44, Rusty, and NK.

NO Offense, Ober,

We are but simple gun toting men. Please write in normal english. This is the internet, not blackberry or text messsaging.



Cheers, M8.

 

[redneck2]

Maybe we should consider making this a "sticky". These are a couple of sites that I thought were interesting and helpful. I'm sure there are many others.

http://ezine.m1911.org/casting_frame.htm

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

http://www.castpics.net/

I'm getting close to starting casting and this is good info. Thanks guys.

 

[socaldan]

U 3 R 2 HRD N OBER, U NO?

what???

sorry...had to..

Dan

 

[sharps59]

go w/ the Lee 20LB Pot to start w/
found the 10lb to small but most of the bullets i cast are 440grn plus it empted the 10 lb pot real fast.
I also have a RCBS. Like it just as much as the lee. but it was twice the price. construction is nice but function quality is the same.:banghead: