Well I have finally gotten all of my components together and I am going to make ingots this week for the first time. And I have a few questions so I do this right.

1. What is the ideal temp for turning wheel weights into ingots,

2. I have some cast iron muffin pans that I am going to use for ingots. Do I need to coat
them with anyting before I put in my molten lead.

3. How long after I put the lead into the muffin pans before I should take them out.

Thanks for all the help. I am really looking forward to finally getting started.

I use a propane turkey fryer and just run it one low. There is no way to really control the temp and control is not needed for making ingots. Just be sure and flux (I use old candle's and just drop a bead about the size of a pea in everytime I add lead and stir really well with an old stainless spoon I got at the thrift shop. I use the same kind of spoon only slotted for skimming off the wheel weights. The solid one stirs and skims off the dross after fluxing. I almost forgot I use a stainless steel dipper from the Thrift shop to pour the lead into the ingot molds. This stuff is cheap and easy to use.

It's important that you use a good sturdy pan. I have a big cast iron dutch oven I also bought at the thrift store.

The muffin pans work fine. They need no coating and I use a pair of vice grips on one edge of my ingot molds. I dump them on clean concrete out of the way of my casting as soon as they change from metal looking to solid lead, just a few minutes. Be sure if your making a bunch to dump them out of your way so they can cool.

I love doing this stuff. Just be sure to have plenty of ventilation and keep any liquids away from your hot lead.

I like to use as little heat as possible and skim the clips off as soon as the lead melts. Supposedly if you melt a zinc WW into the lead it will ruin it so I try to get the junk out as quick as possible.

Use a big slotted spoon like Bob said to scoop off the clips.
It may be obvious to some but it took me a couple of tries to figure out to reach under the floating clips and lift them up as opposed to trying to scrape them off the top.

let those muffin tins rust before you use them they will release better.
if you can keep your lead to 650-675 this will keep the zinc from melting in then once you get
your pot melted and the clips scooped out, you can take the heat up just a bit 750 or so and flux to clean then do it again.
then turn down the heat and ladle your pot out.

Good advice from all the above!
1. Don't wait to remove those floating zinc wheel weights from the slush melt as melt temp will increase as the melt liquifies.
2. It wouldn't hurt to smoke or use mold release on the cast iron - I use my rectangular cast iron ingot molds for linotype. For wheel weights I prefer to use 3 aluminum muffin tins in rotation and don't fill them but half way for ease of handling.
3. Ambient temp and surface heat conduction will affect cooling time. A cool concrete floor will be quicker than a scorched board.