maybe a stupid question, but I have a Lee electric pot, but the last time I melted lead was in a cast pot. Question- would it be better to melt wheel weights in a cast pot or is it ok to use Lee pot, guess I'm concerned about ruining the Lee pot with the crap off the weights.

Just like anything else. from cesspools to vice presidents of large corps., the "crap" floats to the top. Difference being with lead, can just flux, stir, skim, and toss the crud that floats up (with adminsitrations, it's not quite so easy).

I'd buy a cheap turkey fryer on sale and a cast iron dutch oven or something to melt down the wheel weights etc into fluxed and cleaned ingots. Then use the Lee for actual bullet casting. You will have to clean and flux that pot also but it will be easier with clean ingots being used. Just my 2 cents!
Mike B.

nsdread07 I make a melting pot for wheel weights out of a 20 gal propain tank if you want one you can have it for free just for the postage I have been using one for about 10 years on a turkey fryer Forest Punch

I'd buy a cheap turkey fryer on sale and a cast iron dutch oven or something to melt down the wheel weights etc into fluxed and cleaned ingots. . . Mike B.
This is the method I use too. IME, most (but not all) of the slag floats to the top when the molten alloy is fluxed so it is best to flux again while casting bullets. I would not suggest preparing ingots from the casting furnace as there isn't enough capacity to make a large amount of consistent alloy and consistency is what makes for accurate ammunition.

I'd buy a cheap turkey fryer on sale and a cast iron dutch oven or something to melt down the wheel weights etc into fluxed and cleaned ingots. Then use the Lee for actual bullet casting. You will have to clean and flux that pot also but it will be easier with clean ingots being used. Just my 2 cents!
Mike B.

Good advise.
I have a big cast iron pot,that I use to melt the 'raw' lead into clean ingots.These ingots are then used to make bullets.
Frank

I have a Lyman bottom-pour pot. I've melted probably ½ ton of scrap lead and cast bars. Then, I empty and quickly clean the pot, remelt the bars, and cast bullets. Works just fine. I don't eat deep-fried food, so never bothered getting a fryer to melt lead.

:)

well it's just my opinion. but better to melt W/W in old pot or something and make ingots. then melt in your lee melter for casting bullets .. IMO

What Mike and Phat Mike said. An old cast iron dutch oven and a turkey fryer will be a good investment.

nsdread07 I make a melting pot for wheel weights out of a 20 gal propain tank if you want one you can have it for free just for the postage I have been using one for about 10 years on a turkey fryer Forest Punch
20 gal? or do you mean 5 gal which is a 20 pound tank?

Michael Grace

Separate pots. Just for the convenience.
I use an old cast iron cook pot and either a plumber's furnace or an old Coleman Heatmaster. I usually want to process a lot of wws or range lead when I am preparing ingots and so the separate pot works better for that bulk processing. It wouldn't hurt the Lee furnace but it would be slower.
Pete

I started out using my Lee bottom pour to melt scrap lead, and quickly stopped. I found that the pot was getting dirty and the residue was often getting into the clean mix. I now use an old cast iron pot to clean the lead, cast them into ingots (used to use a muffin tin, now Lyman ingot mould) and only put the cleaned lead into the Lee pot.
While it is true that the slag will float to the top, I found that too much junk would adhere to the sides and to the rod for the bottom pour. When I fluxed, and scraped and stirred the pot, much of that would get included into the mix. While most of the crud is lighter than molten lead, some of it is so much lighter that it doesn't quickly move through the lead to the top, and stays in the mix.
The cast iron pot cost a few dollars at a garage sale.

Funny this should come up today, as I just spent most of the afternoon (just had knee surgery) casting 358156's.

I use a Lee Production pot IV that I've had for about 30 years. As the lead level gets down about 3/4" or so I put in 3-4 wheel weights, recovered bullets etc. Then go back to casting. As the w/w's/bullets melt I skim off the crud, flux and go back to casting. Works well for me and to date I've had no problems.

RJ

Sorry guys for not answering sooner but my computer has been down Mgrace good catch it is a 20 pound tank that I use but it work great for melting ww in offer is still open if anyone needs one Forest Punch

I have 1/2 a DZ or so of the 5 gal tanks laying around, I was planning on eventually trading in for the new upgraded tanks, maybe I will just cut me one and turn it into a melting pot.

What is the best/safest way to cut them?
I think remove the valve from the top then fill it with water to displace any flammable fumes and then either a cutting torch or cutting blade on the grinder.


Michael Grace

i used to use my lee melter to melt WW and scrap lead...it worked fine for years but they hold so little and it's hard to get the same lead/tin/antimony/arsenic balance from one pot to the next. a few years ago i started melting metal in bulk, at first in an enameled pot on a gas burner and later on an electric hotplate (make sure if you get one that it will heat up enough to melt the metal...not all will). keeping the metal mix consistent is much easier with the larger pot and i can melt a couple hundred lbs at a time which makes the process faster.

as i said, both ways work, but for my time, the separate pot simply has more benefits.

MGRACE first I am sorry for not answering this sooner the safe way to cut any pl tank is to take out all the valves fill with water for 7 to 10 day and purge the tank then it is safe to cut open I use a 4.5 side grinder to cut mine with Warning if you do not purged the tank first and you decide to cut it it can cause you serious bodily injury or DEATH Forest Punch

I'm sorry, Forest, I thought I was being funny; I didn't mean to offend.

It's funny that this popped up to the top today, as I was just thinking of how I could process wheel weights in some thing larger than the Lee bottom pour production pot.

Y'all have just confirmed what I was running into as far as skimming on a small pot being a PITA, as well as getting dirt in the spout.

Just this spring I got a large cast iron pot and rigged it up over a good burner. I can melt about 50lbs at a time. That being said, I've used Lee 10&20 pots for the last 30 years without many problems. The big cast pot does it quicker and easier but you can get by with a pot.

MGRACE first I am sorry for not answering this sooner the safe way to cut any pl tank is to take out all the valves fill with water for 7 to 10 day and purge the tank then it is safe to cut open I use a 4.5 side grinder to cut mine with Warning if you do not purged the tank first and you decide to cut it it can cause you serious bodily injury or DEATH Forest Punch

We use exhaust gas to fill the tanks and then you can start when the tank is full of that gas and not LPG.
gmd3006- Just wondering, Forest, does your keyboard have any of the following keys:
. , ; ? !
You ought to look up what they're used for!
I think he wants to help. I feel he is saying this is hard to read when you don't punctuate! :)

I know your trying,..... our patients... lol:D Just joking, but work on it. Thanks

Sorry, I use a colman stove or wood stove and a big cast iron pot and try to melt as much as I can for consistency. Once in bar form I use a bottom pour.

no and like I said if you don't like what I wright or how I wright it DON'T READ IT I don't care Forest Punch

A good way to melt large quantities of lead in a hurry is to get a 2 ft piece of 8 or 10 inch black iron pipe (I used a piece of 8 in well casing) and weld a piece of 2 inch exhaust pipe to the bottom at a 90 deg angle (like a peace pipe). Then weld a couple of projections onto the top to hold a 20 0r 30 lb crucible just high enough to let air blown into the pipe get past it. Then you fill up the pipe about a foot deep with charcoal, pour in a cup of gas and light it. Then you put a shop vac (set on blow) to the piece of exhaust pipe and you have a blast furnace that will melt lead in a hurry. I once processed 1500 lbs in a few days with this rig. It will also melt brass and aluminum if you have a need to fabricate stuff. Watch your overhead as the flame is about 12 ft high untill the gas burns off (about 20 seconds).

I find that if you score them and then put a single wrap of detcord around it then it will cut clean...otherwise..a flame cutter is about the best way to get a clean cut

If anyone is interested yesterday Wallmart had turkey fryers selling for $34.00. They definitely were sturdy enough to stand on.