Casting temp

[barebackjack]

Well, I tried to do a little tinkering this morning. Got my little pot heated up on the ole hot plate. Dropped in my little RCBS size lead ingot (super soft stuff), waited for half hour, one hour, two hours, never melted, got real hot, but didnt melt. So my hot plate aint hot enough on high.
How many people use a range stove or hot plate to melt lead? Should I try to find another hot plate and give it a whorl, or just give up on the electric and go to the all expensive propane :shake: ? I would like to stick with electric if I can.

I was gonna melt down some old pipe too, do muffin pans with non-stick coating work, or should I stay away from those? Cant find any without the teflon or whatever else is on em.

Thanks for help

Boone

 

[Rebel]

I use one burner of an old two burner Coleman stove to heat lead for casting. I also help the lead along with a Propane torch if i don't feel like waiting for it to melt with the stoves heat. Mine is not the Newer Propane Coleman stove, but the old type that uses Coleman fuel. You can find a used one cheap at yard sales or second hand shop. Works fine for me.

 

[silverfox]

I have to agree with Rebel I have used the one burner colman to melt my lead and helped it along with a propane burner a couple of times. Now I just get the turkey frier out and have melted lead in short order Don't give up yet try different things and you will get it right soon. It's nice to know you can have all the RB you need without having to go to the store and find they don't have the right size.
Fox :hatsoff:

 

[hawk]

I use a single burner camp stove . The one that screws to the little propane tanks at wally mart.
And use an old lee ingot mold or a smallcast iron fry pan about 4" across with a pouring lip knotched on one side.
In the field I have a small cast iron laddle I put right in the coals.

 

[MikeChapin]

I still use a single burner, electric, buffet range I picked up about 30 years ago. It can actually make the lead too hot. I generally crank it up to max for melting then cut it back to three-quarters when the lead is melted.

I just processed 200 lbs of cable sheathing with the buffet range, a cast iron skillet and an aluminum muffin tin. It all worked great. I now have a bunch of lead muffins ready to go into the lead pot when I need them.

 

[bob1961]

i'm going to pick up one at wally world from colemen that cost 35.00 it uses cole camp fuel or unleaded and it's a tank with the burner on it....need it for heating my metal parts for my gun and two fer the barrel container fer the finish.............bob

 

[Cherokee]

I made some last night on an old propane grill. I placed the pot down on the burner and kept the laddle in the pot and the mold down next to it in the grill when not being used.
It worked great. I had to wear my welding gloves since the pot was down in the grill but I made about 90 balls and they came out nice and bright.

 

[boar]

I use a two burner propane, I put cast iron ladle right in center of burner.Works good. Dilly

 

[Chiefs50]

You can usually find the all aluminum muffin/cupcake pans at thrift shops. Around here it's St. Vincent de Pauls, Salvation Army, or Goodwill. I picked up several different sized pans and prefer the smaller size.

mike

 

[Old Ironsights]

I still use a single burner, electric, buffet range I picked up about 30 years ago. It can actually make the lead too hot. I generally crank it up to max for melting then cut it back to three-quarters when the lead is melted.

I just processed 200 lbs of cable sheathing with the buffet range, a cast iron skillet and an aluminum muffin tin. It all worked great. I now have a bunch of lead muffins ready to go into the lead pot when I need them.

I tried using a 1000w single burner electric hotplate and my cast iron campfire ladle (holds about 6lbs). On full bore the hotplate couldn't keep 1.5lb lead fully melted. Maybe there just isn't enough surface area on the ladle vs a skillet, but it sure is easier to handle.

I guess I'll have to try somthing else to heat it up when I don't have hot coals to set it in.

 

[gmww]

Just make sure you switch arms from time to time when you use that thing. Or, you'll have lop sided bicepts! :rotf:

 

[Old Ironsights]

It's actually pretty small. It holds max about 6lb of lead, though I try to not put more than 4 Lyman Ingots into it. Unlike a fry-pan, It's deep enough for a dipper. Works great in a hot bed of coals.

 

[MikeChapin]

The buffet range I use does not look like a hot plate. It looks the same as a single burner on an electric range. At 3/4ths power it is red hot. It will liquify a full pot in about 20 minutes.

I use a cast iron Lyman, capacity about 6 lbs, pot for casting. This set up has worked well for many years.