Lead Melting?????????

[Lucky Deuce]

    I deceided to get back into casting again..About 6 years ago, I had been using a Cast Iron Pot and lead Ladle heated over my kitchen gas stove.  Well I guess this was not a good idea due to the fumes, not to mention my wife at the time kinda got PO'd when I dropped melted lead on her counter and burned it...   The latest Lady in my life would NOT appreciate that at all so I need to figure out a way to melt lead.  I hate to keep buying round balls when I could make them.

  I saw a Lee Electric Melting Pot (Not sure what the model number is but it holds about 10 pounds) and was wondering if this was any good.

Secondly, those of you who do use the cast Iron Pots..how do you heat them?  I don't think building a fire in my back yard would be appreciated and don't want to use the gas grill since I cook on it.  What do you all use???     

[Cuts Crooked]

I've used a little Lee Hot Pot, which held about five pounds of lead at a time. Now I've got a Lee Pro four 20Lb pot which I like really well.

I've run ball over a campfire more 'n oncet, and I've found that Coleman stove will werk purdy good too!.

[Will Ketchum]

I use to use the iron pot outside with a Coleman camp stove.  You need to protect it from the wind to keep the lead from colling but It worked fine for me.

Will Ketchum

[Shiloh Sharpie]

I use a Rapine 20 lb electric pot.  I cast using a dipper and have cast many BPCR bullet  and easily keep the weights within .5 grains for a 2 hour casting session.  My personal experience says that the Lee pot is not a good choice.  The thermostat is flakey and does not hold temperature well at all.  I discarded mine in very short order. If you are not trying for competition quality long range bullets though it can be a cheap way to get going.  The Rapine pot is relatively expensive, but rock solid. You get what you pay for. Your choice will be subject to your priorities. I have not used the cast iron pot because I do not like to use an open flame in my basement where I must cast. My friend and BPCR partner does use the pot and flame approach in his house and he casts beautiful bullets.  I think he is a bit nuts, but it his choice and it works for him. 

[Rifled Slug]

When I melt down wheel weights or other scrap lead I use the propane burner part of a turkey cooker and a cast iron pot to make the clean ingots . Then when I cast I use the ingots in my Lee Pro bottom pour pot .

[D. R. Greysun]

Like Cuts Crooked I use the Lee Pro 4-20 bottom pour. I only problem I found was, you have to keep yor temp at 700-800 degrees or it will plugs. Other than that it dose just fine.
D R

[Tangle Eye]

For melting down wheel weights with trash and junk in it I use a big iron pot outside with a gas burner like a gas smoker would use. I pour these into ingots (actually those little corn bread "corn" stick pans work great). When actually casting bullets, I use a Lyman 20 pound pot designed to ladle pour. For me, a ladle pour works better for making big long range rifle bullets and for pouring those six cavity PRS and Snakebite moulds. I've got a setup in my workshop for this pot with a big ventilation fan directed outside to keep the fumes, etc. away from the work area.

[john boy]

Deuce:  My melting and casting rigs consist of:
Melting Wheel Weights
.... Click Here ...35,000 BTU Propane Single Burner
Connected to a 20# propane tank.  Regulator was a curb side freebie from a grill on clean up day
... A 5 quart cast iron pot
... A plumber's ladle
... A magnet on the end of stick.  Use it to only pull out the WW's.  Valves and stems stay in the bucket
... Lyman ingot mold

For casting only (WW's can ruin a melting pot) I use and like the Lee 10# pot.
Of course, safety glasses and welding gloves.

I'm very happy with this combination. It works, is fast and easy to use.  Melting is done outside and casting is done in the garage with a large fan blowing.

[ML_Roak]

Keep your eyes peeled at garage sales and such for a cast aluminum pot, much cleaner to use than cast iron, used both at once recently and there was no comparison, Aluminum wins, hands down.
I use a twin 35,000 BTU caming stove and a 20lb tank, running both burners will eat a lot of gas, but you can be melting fresh lead while casting from the other pot.
See ya,
ML Roak

[Delmonico]

Don't do the cast aluminim pot, it is dangerous.  Those cast aluminum pots are almost pure aluminum and the heat it takes to melt the lead and the weight of the lead will stress the structure of the aluminum, it won't melt it but it will fatigue the metal.  You are in danger of one day it falling apart, that would not be a lot of fun with a bunch of melted lead in it.

There is a reason no one makes aluminum pots labled for melting lead on your stove.

[Cactus Cris]

Back to your original ??   I use the small Lee pot to do my rnd ball & conical's.  Have a Lyman 20# bottom pour for the rest.  I use the Lyman ladle to pour with.  Not real fast,but I ain't in a big hurry.  Can do 150 rnd ball in a short time doing 4 at a time.  Found a 4 hole .375 rnd ball mold.  Use a 2 hole .454 Lyman for the 44's.

[john boy]

Chris ... you say your not to fast and not in a hurry ...taking this into consideration for the 150 balls ...at 1.5 min per pour for 4 balls ...this puts you on the clock at 1 hour and 30 min for the 2 holer
This is if you have all perfect pours

Why is 150 ball casting time so important if you ain't in a big hurry?

[Cactus Cris]

150 is about all I can get out of 2 potfull of pure lead in the little Lee pot doing 4 at a time - 36 mold.  On the other hand- just did 20#'S  worth of Mav 44's out of my Lyman bottom pour.    Plus 150 is just an educated guess-  didn't count each one--Don't have that much time.

[Doctor Bill]

I use an old sheet-metal pan for bulk melting of lead and creating my tin-lead alloy which I then transfer to one of those ingot molds.  I heat the sucker on a "cajun cooker" - one of those big gas burners - and I think it must hold 50 pounds or more.  I then use a little Lee 10-pound pot to actually do the casting from.


Doctor Bill

[Matthew Duncan]

Bought a single burner from Cabela's http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jhtml?id=0006429&navAction=push&navCount=1&indexId=cat20110&parentId=cat20110&parentType=index&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fpod-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20075

Hooked it up to my grill LP tank.  Will use it to melt down scrap lead to keep the dirt out of a real melter.

I'm looking at the Lee #20 heater for the actual casting process

[john boy]

Matthew:  good luck with your new burner.  Will do the job.
re: 20# pot ... MidwayUSA has a special this month ... http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/645810

[Howdy Doody]

I got started a couple of years ago and I have a Lee pro 20 pot. I haven't experienced any temp/thermostat problems, but I did have to remark the knob for the actual temp to hold. I like to cast at 700-800 and actually try for a frosty cast on bullets. I cast for a smooth finish on balls.
I have done it all with my pot. I mean I have melted wheelweights and recently melted a couple hundred pounds of pure lead sheets into muffin ingots. I flux like crazy with my last 20 melt and stir a lot. The pot come pretty clean and I get just about all the rust and scale off the inside. I have been using Brownells flux for that. To clean my melt for casting I usually just use a chunk of beeswax and the only real complaint I have with my set up is that the valve drips unless I turn the rod with a screwdriver every so often. I have wondered if the Lee 10 lb pot would be a better set up and if the drip issue would be better. I can get by with the 10 lb pot and I could dedicate the 20 to melting to make ingots.
I get a lot of fun out of casting. I started out of pure necessity. I had a couple of my favorite bullet suppliers fold up ( AA and Mid Kansas) and decided it was time to roll my own. I sure like the Snakebites and the PRS molds and that is what I cast for mostly. I cast enough in one session of the DD/PRS for my 45-70 to last me a long time.

[Cuts Crooked]

only real complaint I have with my set up is that the valve drips unless I turn the rod with a screwdriver every so often.

Howdy, I've never seen a bottom pour pot that didn't have this problem occassionally! The LEE set up with the turnable spout stopper is the best method one could ask fer to deal with it! Beats the heck outta shoving a coat hanger up through the spout from the bottom.....while the thing it hotter than the hinges of hades!!!!!!

BTW, I've never haad trouble with temps fluctuating either! I tend to set my Pro - 4 at 700 or slightly lower though. Methinks the actual temp and the calibration on the pot are a bit .....different!?!?!

[Matthew Duncan]

... A 5 quart cast iron pot - Wal-Mart has a steel painted enamel 2-quart pot for $5.
... A plumber's ladle - Wife had a soup ladle.  I just need to add a wooden handle.
... A magnet on the end of stick.  - Wal-Mart has slotted serving spoon for $1
... Lyman ingot mold - Wife's old aluminum muffin tin

[john boy]

... A plumber's ladle - Wife had a soup ladle.  I just need to add a wooden handle.
... A magnet on the end of stick.  - Wal-Mart has slotted serving spoon for $1

Matthew:
***Use your welders glove instead of making a wood handle
*** The magnet is for sticking into the bucket of WW's BEFORE you put them into the melting pot.  Then the brass valve stems and the rubber valves stay in the bucket for trash