My First Lead Score

[Otter]

I would get a cast iron pot, a lead ladle, and a cast iron corn bread mold. Use these to melt down your old lead and to make ingots. A lead ladle is easy to find just Google it. I would get one that holds at least a pound of lead. Also a gas fish fryer makes things go a lot faster when you have a bunch of lead to melt down.

I've used this method for the initial cleaning since I started casting . . . well except I use a Coleman 2-burner campstove for the heat source. Get thee to a flea market and scrounge for the ladle, cast iron cornbread ingot mold and cast iron pot. (Or you can just go to WallyWorld and not break the bank either.)
NOTE - DO NOT EVEN TRY TO USE THE CAST IRON TO COOK ANYTHING BUT LEAD ! ! !

Have fun :thumbsup: .

 

[Zonie]

Some of my very best frying pans are cast iron but I do agree, if a cast iron pan or pot has been used to melt or mold lead, it should never be used for cooking anything else.

While I'm on my soapbox and because we get newcomers here all of the time I'll add,
NEVER use aluminum pots or pans to melt lead in.

Although aluminum doesn't actually melt until it reaches about 1200°F, it looses almost all of its strength at temperatures above 500°F.

With pure lead needing over 620°F to melt it, more than a few aluminum pots have had the bottom fall out if they were used.

 

[Eterry]

I've usually just use a wire brush to clean lead. Remember when you flux the lead, using paraffin or your choice of flux, it's gonna smoke like crazy, you can light the smoke with a lighter and it'll flame and won't smoke as bad. Be sure and not put the skimmed dross in a cardboard box, or anything that'll burn.

I borrowed a cast iron pot and used a garage sale heavy duty muffin pan to cast about 200 lbs of lead into ingots. I had to wait about five minutes for the lead to solidify. Then I threw the muffin pan away. The ingots weighed about 4 lbs.

Eterry