home made lead pot

[Many Klatch]

Since you are going to make your own, this isn't really important, but there are other people that will read these postings and this message is for our lurkers.

Avoid aluminum pots for melting lead. Yeah, I know that they are cheap and heat up fast, but the molten lead attacks the aluminum and eventually, not the first day or even first year, but eventually the bottom of the pan may dump the entire load of molten lead in your lap. When I started I used an aluminum pot. I was warned by an older and wiser head and so I threw that pot away. I haven't seen it happen, but I wouldn't want to take that chance.

Many Klatch

 

[Johnny Tremain]

A camp stove and a baby dutch oven, about 4 inches round.

 

[sparky911]

yee haw! I'm making bullets!

That miniature cast iron skillet, built as an ashtray in the 60-70's worked great.

IT has spouts of sort on either side to lay the cigarette on and the hot lead pours easy right to the mold without a ladle.
I only melted enough lead to make about 6 bullets with at one time.

I melted about a dozen .45 cal round balls and made 8 maxi-balls with some waste left over, I didn't want to use.

 

[sparky911]

If I ever get a multiple mold, I'll get a ladle and bigger pot.

 

[Coot]

I know there is a steel piece that clamps to the wheel, I've melted weights before years ago to make weights for fishing.

I wonder about the lead for counter weights on old windows in houses built in the 50's
I have some of those also, they should be pure lead

The window sash weights you have are lead? I have only seen them in cast iron. Local architectural salvage shop has hundreds of them (all in iron). Good to anchor a string of decoys but not to cast bullets.

 

[sparky911]

I know many of them were cast iron, but there were some, at least made out of lead.

 

[brubincam]

just don't forget that you used that skillet for melting lead and don't fry some eggs,,,

 

[sparky911]

no no! remember, it was a made for a "ashtray"
it just looks like a mini skillet

It's only about 4 inches in diameter

I promise not to cook breakfast in it :wink:

 

[DNICK]

well if I came to breakfast you would need a bigger pan anyway

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have a 20 lb Lee bottom pour electric furnace but I still clean up my scrap lead and pour ingots using an old cast-iron plumbers pot and my trusty Coleman stove. Much easier to get the crap and dross seperated out in the iron pot than in the furnace with the pouring apparatus & all.

 

[rebel727]

You can use the stick on wheel weights for mag wheels. They're pure lead or at least close enough a ml won't know the difference. The clip on weights are much harder.

 

[mazo kid]

Yes, some of the window sash weights WERE lead; I know as I picked up 4 of them several years ago. My first pot was a LEE 10#er and that has served me for 35+ years. Also have a 20# and an RCBS. I made a pot from an old steel fire extinguisher, cut it off about 4" deep and put a wire bail on it. That works well in the campfire coals. You can also pick up old cast iron pots on ebay, as well as ladles. Emery

 

[reddogge]

Save those wheel weights for casting some .38 wadcutters. They will work well for that.

 

[Mike 56]

I was at a surplus store in Modesto they still sell those cast iron frying pan ash trays new for 5.00. they all so had some that were a little bigger they called spoon rests for the same price. They had nice little 4 inch cast iron pots and dutch ovens.

Mike