Melting lead question

You won't go wrong with the Lee pot. Mine has given years (20) of excellent service. I have definately had my monry’s worth. And, no, I have no connection with the company. Sod’s law says it will probably break now!,

Great lead melting info, Have two similar Newbie questions from here in Maryland,rooting through one of the shed buildings here on the farm, i came across a nice cast iron ladle that must have been laid down in mid pour and is half filled with hardened lead...should I simply heat up the ladle (inverted over a metal coffee can) with a propane torch and try to pop the round „ingot“ out of it? I also came across a kinda odd electric smelter that is a bottom pour that still has lead in it and the electric cord seems in decent shape....should I just make sure the debris in the top is cleaned out as well as possible(try and avoid a fire!), plug it in to a powerstrip to be sure it doesnt blow a breaker at the shop and see what happens? No name is visible anywhere on the unit and it has a vise like arrangment as part of the smelter directly under the pour pot....seems like in theory it would be for clamping a pour mold? Any safety tips that i need to be considering? Thanks!

Never saw a hot plate get lead to 850 degrees for casting also does any of you use a terminator for casting

I put a Lyman ingot mold under my spout and let it drip. Then occasionally put the drips back in the pot with pliers. I also bend a hacksaw blade into a "C" shape and put it from the spout to the top of the pot. The blade cools the spout tip and the cool lead plugs the spout while it is heating up. I use a thermometer, but I usually end up between 7 & 8 on the scale.

I Need to use spell check

What you use for flux does not matter as long as it has a high carbon content.
One guy I know uses sawdust and it works great - a little smokey but works fine.
I generally use a candle - pick them up in bundles at the thrift stores for super cheap and also provides backup lighting when the power goes out. I have seen old motor oil used, bees wax, alox, bullet stick lube - it will all work just fine.

Man thanks for all the tips and advice!

Bledfor Days said:

The Lee pots do leak from the pour spout sometimes.

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Lee pots never leak.
Actually, I have used a Coleman gas (not propane) stove many times successfully. But congrats on the Lee pot coming your way.

The gasoline Coleman stoves get blistering hot real quick, the propane not so much. I started with a gasoline Coleman stove, small cast iron skillet and a dipper. Used it for years.
Finally bought a Lee electric pot, it works great. I still use the dipper, old habits.
The cheap Chinese hot plates wouldn't ever melt lead, IMHO. My SIL got one for Christmas, we waited an hour for it to get hot enough to cook pancakes. We gave up and went to the cafe. An expensive one might work, IDK.

Rifleman1776 said:

Lee pots never leak.
Actually, I have used a Coleman gas (not propane) stove many times successfully. But congrats on the Lee pot coming your way.

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Left that little bugger un-attended eh/????

Rieter1957, I'm adventurous and would plug in the old lead melting pot to see if it heats up and melts the lead. If it does, just put the ladle on top and pour the lead in the pot when it gets hot enough. You might try to scratch the lead in the ladle and pot with a finger nail to see if it is somewhat soft. If it isn't, I wouldn't use it for muzzle loading. It may have be used for harder cast bullets or fishing weights and be harder than you want.

My Lee 10# bottom pour has been in service for 40+ years. That should tell you something about the quality. Yes, it drips but it is such a minor problem. It works best when you get into the "zone" with no distractions......Pour, cool, release......Pour, cool, release. Every now and then adjust the handle to center the control rod.

Daniel Dickey said:

I have several lbs of beeswax so I should be good for a while. The wife unit found a few 2 lb blocks at a garage sale recently and got it as she’d heard me mention it. Just hope she don’t hear me call her the wife unit!

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Always refer to your wife as your 'bride'. When you do this in public out of her hearing, other women adore it and word will get back to her and you can do no wrong for at least 30 minutes after she finds out you referred to her as 'My Bride". Drop that 'wife unit' moniker before she finds out about it and jumps timing or you'll be eating dog food the rest of your life! LOL! P.S. If my darling ever brought me -pounds- of beeswax home I guarantee you she could do no wrong for at least an hour! LOL!

Hey Kansas Jake, thanks for the tips, i will give them a try ! Probably put the smelter outside the shed on a heavy duty surface to see what happens during the plug in and heating process,!

reiter1957 said:

Great lead melting info, Have two similar Newbie questions from here in Maryland,rooting through one of the shed buildings here on the farm, i came across a nice cast iron ladle that must have been laid down in mid pour and is half filled with hardened lead...should I simply heat up the ladle (inverted over a metal coffee can) with a propane torch and try to pop the round „ingot“ out of it? I also came across a kinda odd electric smelter that is a bottom pour that still has lead in it and the electric cord seems in decent shape....should I just make sure the debris in the top is cleaned out as well as possible(try and avoid a fire!), plug it in to a powerstrip to be sure it doesnt blow a breaker at the shop and see what happens? No name is visible anywhere on the unit and it has a vise like arrangment as part of the smelter directly under the pour pot....seems like in theory it would be for clamping a pour mold? Any safety tips that i need to be considering? Thanks!

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That ladle and the pot could be from bullet casting, or they could be a plumber's set. Used to be plumbers fitted cast iron drain pipe together, chinked the joint with oakum, then sealed it by pouring lead over it. My uncle was a plumber and I have his set, although his pot was just a pot to set on a heat source. It if it s plumbers ladle it will be quite large 3" across or so, while a bullet casting ladle will only be an inch or inch and a half across. If it was a plumber's then you'll be OK with using that lead for muzzleloader projectiles as it is most likely pure lead.

If it is a bullet casters set up then the metal contained in the pot and ladle could be some other, harder alloy. You can usually tell by how soft it is and how it oxidizes over time and the color. Hardness being the important factor, as soft lead is what you want for black powder guns, especially revolvers. The "vise like" arrangement under the pot could be a bullet mold guide as they are not uncommon although in all my years I have never bothered to use one, even with larger multi cavity molds like Lee's six cavity.

As to getting the lead out of the pot and ladle. I would definitely try plugging in the pot to see if it worked. It may take it a while to get going, but don't leave it unattended. As far as the ladle, if it fits in the pot, I would just wait until the lead in the pot melted and carefully immerse the ladle and the lead will melt out rather quickly, if the ladle fits. If it doesn't fit, then your propane torch idea will work but may take a bit.

Before doing any of that though make sure that both ladle and pot are absolutely dry and have no water in them, as a steam explosion involving molten lead is a damn sure class A+ safety hazard. Also as you mentioned, cleaning any debris that may cause problems is also a good idea.

Looking on a site like Graf and Sons for casting equipment and looking at the models there you may be able to identify what you have, also checking RCBS, Lyman and Lee's sites could help you there. As always googling bullet casting pots, and checking the images could help as well. If all else fails post a couple of pictures here and likely someone will be able to help you.

Once you are able to identify your pot you will likely be able to download an instruction manual for it.

In terms of further safety and information and learning Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook is a wealth of information and you can get it on Amazon or through most providers of casting gear.

Cast Boolits also has literally a treasury of information on the subject.

Rifleman1776 said:

Lee pots never leak.
Actually, I have used a Coleman gas (not propane) stove many times successfully. But congrats on the Lee pot coming your way.

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I have the smaller lee pot. they leak cause the valve on the bottom gets a clinker and keeps it a bit open. I put a 2 ounce sinker on my handle which pushes the valve down tight

Newtire said:

A gasoline burning Coleman stove will get the lead hot enough. More difficult with propane. Some people swear by propane but never had any luck casting pure lead except with gasoline myself. A good electric pot will do it-never tried a hot plate.

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I melted lead easily off the side burner on a propane barbecue stove

Modern hot plates are engineered by lawyers to just boil water they just won’t work for melting lead.
They are perfect for pre heating Molds and keeping them hot when you take a break.
If you can buy a commercial or Industrial model that runs on 15 amps 1800 watts that will melt a small pot 10 lbs of lead.

Hey Treestalker
I saw that term used on another forum a couple yrs ago and read it to her. We both laughed at what was going to happen to him if she found out. Now we pick at each other using wife unit or husband unit. Guess I should have explained but thought y’all might get a kick out of it like we did.

I have heard of people attaching vise grip pliers to the handle to give more weight and stopping the drip.