Lead smelter? Something else?

[brokeasajoke]

Neighbor give me this lead melting setup the other day. He was sort of a prepper and had several ingots moulded like in bottom of pic. Chances are I'm never going to cast bullets but you never know. I have kicked around the idea and I have piles of lead now. Burner says Mutual on it and system has no regulator such as a propane cooking burner. It will deliver full propane tank pressure Honestly not sure what else I could use this for. Any info about it would be good. I figured someone here has seen one of these or has one. For all I know it is a dedicated lead melting
system.

 

[Uncle Bruce]

Neighbor give me this lead melting setup the other day. He was sort of a prepper and had several ingots moulded like in bottom of pic. Chances are I'm never going to cast bullets but you never know. I have kicked around the idea and I have piles of lead now. Burner says Mutual on it and system has no regulator such as a propane cooking burner. It will deliver full propane tank pressure Honestly not sure what else I could use this for. Any info about it would be good. I figured someone here has seen one of these or has one. For all I know it is a dedicated lead melting
system.

That setup looks like a plumber's furnace for melting lead to seal cast sewer pipe

 

[dhagerty40]

it is an old plumbers lead pot. I still have one but mine uses kerosene instead of propane.

 

[RegionRat]

Yup, those were used to do bulky work of the type plumbers and old window weights would need.
A ”brick” sized piece of bulk lead is roughly 25 pounds and pots like your can handle more. Small pots are more common, but don’t do well when you needed to work in bulk as in reducing ballast weights or large sheets and chunks.

ETA: It may be obvious, but just to be safer than sorry… before you use that pot, rehearse your work to understand what it is like to lift or pour from it ahead of time. Spilling molten metals is a great way to meet new doctors and emergency personnel, but it isn’t fun for the victims. The taller and bigger things get, the more important it is to know ahead of time what it takes to lift them before things are hot. YMMV

 

[brokeasajoke]

Yup, those were used to do bulky work of the type plumbers and old window weights would need.
A ”brick” sized piece of bulk lead is roughly 25 pounds and pots like your can handle more. Small pots are more common, but don’t do well when you needed to work in bulk as in reducing ballast weights or large sheets and chunks.

ETA: It may be obvious, but just to be safer than sorry… before you use that pot, rehearse your work to understand what it is like to lift or pour from it ahead of time. Spilling molten metals is a great way to meet new doctors and emergency personnel, but it isn’t fun for the victims. The taller and bigger things get, the more important it is to know ahead of time what it takes to lift them before things are hot. YMMV

Years ago when I worked for OMC, there was a splatter of aluminum on the wall in human resources office that came from the OMC engine casting plant a few miles down the road. Water had dripped from the ceiling into the molten aluminum and the splater explosion they chipped off the floor was a reminder.
Edit: I knew someone would know. This forum contains a vast knowledge and people willing to help and share.

 

[brokeasajoke]

I did cast one wheel weight ingot. Melted, skimmed the top, then poured. He gave me a 5gal bucket of wheel weights too.

 

[JoeDuke]

The worst explosions come when molten metal is spilled on top of water. Molten metal skitters across the water and the resulting super heated steam creates a big explosion. I worked in a steel plant where a bunch of molten pig iron was spilled onto water. Seven men perished.
I also have smelted wheel weights to use in casting bullets. Be careful. 800 degree lead is unforgiving.

 

[cmysix]

The worst explosions come when molten metal is spilled on top of water. Molten metal skitters across the water and the resulting super heated steam creates a big explosion. I worked in a steel plant where a bunch of molten pig iron was spilled onto water. Seven men perished.
I also have smelted wheel weights to use in casting bullets. Be careful. 800 degree lead is unforgiving.

I agree keep water/soda bottles far far away, check the weather if out doors, no kids, KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE TASK! I worked a Exide battery plant, comfort will get you burned, BADLY!


my father cast his own bullets, My mother still screams about him melting lead on the kitchen stove.

 

[RegionRat]

I worked in a steel plant where a bunch of molten pig iron was spilled onto water

Close to being bombed is how it feels.
The steel mills were old and the roofs leaked.
I was on the mill floor far from a ladle that started to leak and the operators forgot we were there and also forgot there would be puddles in the path.
It was like being hit with a mortar barrage or being under a bombing run. Each puddle they passed over was another blast.
I ducked into a cable trench as the blasts broke all the lights and windows. The hundred year old dust and dirt put me in the dark. The noise got closer and even passed beyond where I was working.
The damage done by them trying to dump that ladle at the other end was worse than if they had just stayed where they were.
When the dust cleared, I could then tell what the old damage I saw in the buildings was all about. That wasn't the first or last time they forgot that water on the floor and molten metals don't mix well....
Everybody came out of it covered in dirt with our ears ringing, but nobody got hurt bad. It was just luck.
I learned much in the mills, they were a good place to be from. YMMV

 

[JoeDuke]

Yes sir. When the 2,000 to 2,400 degree metal hits water it does sound like a bomb. And the shrapnel is still molten. You learn real quick to watch an overhead crane carrying a ladle like a hawk. And stay away from the water puddles.

 

[joshb]

Neighbor give me this lead melting setup the other day. He was sort of a prepper and had several ingots moulded like in bottom of pic. Chances are I'm never going to cast bullets but you never know. I have kicked around the idea and I have piles of lead now. Burner says Mutual on it and system has no regulator such as a propane cooking burner. It will deliver full propane tank pressure Honestly not sure what else I could use this for. Any info about it would be good. I figured someone here has seen one of these or has one. For all I know it is a dedicated lead melting
system.

Use in well ventilated area, please.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Use in well ventilated area, please.

I have no bullet sizing items, or even molds for that matter. Maybe we could use the burner for canning outside and keep the heat out of the house.

 

[Old Navy]

Hang on to the wheel weights. The new ones are not lead.

 

[shortthroat]

That is indeed a plumber's pot used for melting large amounts of lead or alloy. Several years ago, a friend and I used a similar pot to melt metal retrieved from the catch pans in our indoor pistol range. We set up outside over a Christmas holiday to melt bullet metal and pour the mix into ingot molds. Skim off the jackets and dross before you pour. We used cast iron bread stick molds pan to melt around 900 lbs. of metal over three days into ingots that could then be used for future casting. The big pot is not useful to make bullets directly but works great to cast ingots. Just watch out to avoid throwing any live rounds into the melt pot and wear welding gloves and safety glasses.

When my friend passed on and his estate sold his share of the bullet metal brought several hundred dollars. We measured and the hardness to Brinell 13. The melt works fine for casting target bullets and moderate to low velocity rifle rounds used in Cowboy Action but should not be used for higher velocities without added tin to harden the metal higher.

This turned out to be a way to avoid having to dispose of the catch pan metal as haz-mat material. We saved our club considerable money by cleaning these pans. Unfortunately, the alloy cannot be used for black powder balls. For that you need dead-soft lead for which there is a different source namely old lead piping that came from a bathroom my brother-in-law tore out of his old (1880 vintage) house. His landfill would not accept the lead and he was stuck with pounds of old lead piping that I took off his hands for free.

Plumber's furnaces are not common anymore, so keep that one and look for a range that you can clean as a service for free.

 

[RegionRat]

Just watch out to avoid throwing any live rounds into the melt pot and wear welding gloves and safety glasses.

+1 Very important advice.

Maybe a thing to say that never gets mentioned... even the act of melting bulk lead scrap like pipe or fragments from bullet traps or shot from trap ranges... you could benefit from learning the process layout and safety from a live mentor who is experienced. This is my advice even before getting into the cast bullet topic.

I lived near the lakefront on the shore of Lake Michigan and got to watch the old timers make downrigger cannon balls and anchor weights. I saw how they dressed and laid out their work flow. These were European skilled craftsmen who were very experienced in many fields including plumbing and in the foundry trades where they did similar work for a living, so they were the best instructors.

Many bits of wisdom can be seen by watching the experienced folks that don't make it into the words in casting books, so grab a mentor if you can find one who is the real deal. Study heavy metal and lead poisoning as a priority before you start so you know ahead of time. YMMV

 

[mr45man]

I did cast one wheel weight ingot. Melted, skimmed the top, then poured. He gave me a 5gal bucket of wheel weights too.

I bet you didn't just pick it up and walk to your truck.

 

[RegionRat]

Lead must boil to produce fumes. Lead isn't boiling at casting temperatures.

Do keep in mind, when we pick up scraps and put them over a flame, there are other contaminates in there with vapor pressure lower than the lead, and those are just as if not potentially more dangerous than the lead. The contaminate salts and compounds of lead are just as dangerous as the bulk pure lead, and some are very mobile. Use your heads and protect your health and the health of your loved ones and pets.

Heavy metal poisoning, fires, and burns.... are one of those things with a low likelihood, but very serious consequences. YMMV

 

[rayporter]

the furnace is a really good one. you can deep fry turkeys on it as well as boil deer heads for a European mount.

 

[mikeinct]

He Gave you pail of "Gold" to bullet casters. Old style wheel weights have antimony in the mixture. Be sure you double flux that pot BEFORE skimming the clips & junk items. do Once w a pellet or two of candle wax, then with wax & sawdust. Stir vigorously, Smoke & fumes may be ignited. Works wonders on those Ingots. Clean, easy to use & a valuable lead hardening material is not lost in the dross/waste.. mikeinct

 

[RegionRat]

the furnace is a really good one. you can deep fry turkeys on it as well as boil deer heads for a European mount.

One piece of early advice I got when I was very young, went long the lines of "don't sh%t where you eat..." and I got to hear it in Italian, German, Greek, Spanish, Southern Drawl, etc. many times. I was surprised at how many places in life that applies...

The old ones made it very clear to never mix the tools and equipment used for dealing with metals casting or anything dirty or contaminated, with your domestic cooking.

They went as far as not mixing the birds shot with lead pellets, bears & pigs (trichinosis) , etc., with domestic meats. But that is enough about cross contamination.... back to your point...

The head boiling is another very good use of that size burner. That job inevitably gets messy if the pot boils over or the drippings get on the equipment, and those tools are usually dedicated to dirty jobs and look the part if they get used a few times a year. I wouldn't want to hear them spinning in their graves if I were to fry a turkey over one.... YMMV