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Melting lead question

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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.
I got an RCBS pot refurbished from RCBS for $220 (years ago) and a week later, got one at a yard sale for $15.00! I use the RCBS for alloyed lead and Lee for pure. Sold the other RCBS pot. Lucky me!
 
TNGhost, thanks ever so much, will Definitely incorporate all the info....great tips! Actually I yesterday afternoon I found some molds in a wooden box up in the ,rafters....they appear to be old toy soldiers molds , two part metal molds with wooden handles on them sooo i guess the clamping arrangement held the two parts together as these three person molds were positioned!? The pot itself has a pierced lifting llid(almost like a spaghetti collander) on top that slides up long a guiding shaft, guess that was to limit molten splash? Soo I am thinking This weekend I will try the propane trick on the ladle....it is only about 1 1/2 inches wide with two spouts one on each side...the smelter will be plugged in and left outside on a heavy metal for an hour or so to see what happens....i DO hope it comes back to life... thanks again!
 
The drip from a Lee production pot is easy to address by turning the rod- use the slot in the top and a regular turnscrew.
I've set it to drip over a tuna can with some water in it and made drop shot. Not as round as Rupert shot, but it works!
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IMG_7078.JPG
 
TNGhost, thanks ever so much, will Definitely incorporate all the info....great tips! Actually I yesterday afternoon I found some molds in a wooden box up in the ,rafters....they appear to be old toy soldiers molds , two part metal molds with wooden handles on them sooo i guess the clamping arrangement held the two parts together as these three person molds were positioned!? The pot itself has a pierced lifting llid(almost like a spaghetti collander) on top that slides up long a guiding shaft, guess that was to limit molten splash? Soo I am thinking This weekend I will try the propane trick on the ladle....it is only about 1 1/2 inches wide with two spouts one on each side...the smelter will be plugged in and left outside on a heavy metal for an hour or so to see what happens....i DO hope it comes back to life... thanks again!

Very interesting. I have never cast lead soldiers, but it has always sounded kind of cool, so as to the procedure I am uneducated. I do know that the alloy(s) used to cast them could contain as little as 60% lead (not good for BP guns but good for modern) or as much as 95% with antimony as in chilled shot, still harder than ideal for muzzleoading, so keep that in mind.

The ladle does seem about the right size for casting projectiles though. Not sure about the "lid" for the pot though.

Lead can be picked up from numerous sources including plumbing and roofing supply houses, metal recycling businesses, or from contractors demolishing old houses as many had lead pipe and lead flashings on their roofs.

Hope it works out for you. Have fun with it.
 
TNGhost, thanks ever so much, will Definitely incorporate all the info....great tips! Actually I yesterday afternoon I found some molds in a wooden box up in the ,rafters....they appear to be old toy soldiers molds , two part metal molds with wooden handles on them sooo i guess the clamping arrangement held the two parts together as these three person molds were positioned!? The pot itself has a pierced lifting llid(almost like a spaghetti collander) on top that slides up long a guiding shaft, guess that was to limit molten splash? Soo I am thinking This weekend I will try the propane trick on the ladle....it is only about 1 1/2 inches wide with two spouts one on each side...the smelter will be plugged in and left outside on a heavy metal for an hour or so to see what happens....i DO hope it comes back to life... thanks again!
I had one of those casting sets when I was a wee one (Hmmm 60+ years ago). We had a blast casting tin soldiers. killing them off with a BB gun and regenerating the army... I have no idea what happened to that set, it's probably worth a fortune now....
 
I’ve another newbie question. I have a new Lee mold with handles. I’ve read the directions several times but it says nothing about this.
Each half of the mold is held to the handle by an Allen screw. They are slightly loose allowing the halves to wiggle a little. Are they supposed to be this way to allow the alinement studs to position the halves correctly or should I squeeze the handles and tight the Allen screws? Maybe a dumb question but either way seems might be correct. I’m thinking they might just be loose from shipping or just not tightened when made. Thanks for any help. I’ve read about smoking and lubing before use but no word on this question.
 
I’ve another newbie question. I have a new Lee mold with handles. I’ve read the directions several times but it says nothing about this.
Each half of the mold is held to the handle by an Allen screw. They are slightly loose allowing the halves to wiggle a little. Are they supposed to be this way to allow the alinement studs to position the halves correctly or should I squeeze the handles and tight the Allen screws? Maybe a dumb question but either way seems might be correct. I’m thinking they might just be loose from shipping or just not tightened when made. Thanks for any help. I’ve read about smoking and lubing before use but no word on this question.

They should wiggle slightly. Do not modify or alter them. There needs to be play to allow for heat expansion.

You should visit Lee's website. They have a lot of helpful videos.

https://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting-help-videos.html
 
I started out with a Lee bottom pour pot but only use it now for modern bullets. I went to a Lyman 20 pound pot and a ladle after learning about the air pockets that formed inside the roundball, due to the slow fill of the bottom pour. I get a faster fill of the mould cavity with the ladle pour. No more air bubbles. I have cut the ball in two pieces with a knife to check. Accuracy has improved when the ball is not unbalanced.
 
I started out with a Lee bottom pour pot but only use it now for modern bullets. I went to a Lyman 20 pound pot and a ladle after learning about the air pockets that formed inside the roundball, due to the slow fill of the bottom pour. I get a faster fill of the mould cavity with the ladle pour. No more air bubbles. I have cut the ball in two pieces with a knife to check. Accuracy has improved when the ball is not unbalanced.
try weighing them instead, it's a lot more accurate and a lot less destructive......
 
I’ve another newbie question. I have a new Lee mold with handles. I’ve read the directions several times but it says nothing about this.
Each half of the mold is held to the handle by an Allen screw. They are slightly loose allowing the halves to wiggle a little. Are they supposed to be this way to allow the alinement studs to position the halves correctly or should I squeeze the handles and tight the Allen screws? Maybe a dumb question but either way seems might be correct. I’m thinking they might just be loose from shipping or just not tightened when made. Thanks for any help. I’ve read about smoking and lubing before use but no word on this question.

You surmised correctly, they are loose to aid in alignment. The pins acting in a "self alignment" manner so you don't have to worry about it each and every time you open and close the mold. They'll be fine as is. That's why lubing the pins (without getting lube in the cavities) is important.

Smoking helps, but more important is being sure that every last speck of grease, oil or other hydrocarbon is cleaned out of the mold before use.
 
Buy SWAGED balls, ALL problems gone, healthier, better accuracy, more time to build ANOTHER RIFLE!
 
Swaged balls are not necessarily the end all to consistency. There have been cases of weight variation and size. If accuracy is the ultimate goal, the weigh the balls. Most of us are not capable of that kind of accuracy so weighing is not productive. If cast, a visual inspection should suffice.
 
I’ve cast sinkers using a Coleman stove and a small cast iron pot before. I just started muzzleloading and am promised roofing lead with no tin and have bullet mold. My question is would a hot plate work, get hot enough, to use instead of the stove. I’m thinking it would be cooler to work around in the summer. And yes I have a roofed area open on all sides for good ventilation. Just wondering before I buy one if it’d get the pot hot enough. Thanks!
I used a Coleman stove with the propane attachment for years even though I have two Lee electric pots. I like the wider mouth of the cast iron pot and find that the thermometer is easier to attach and keep out of the way.

I did go back to the lee lead pot though. Tired of buying propane bottles.

And yes with the open air, however if there is no wind, I would use a good sized fan to move the fumes away from my area. A neat idea is to have a fan blow into a long four inch pipe to ensure the fumes are being removed from the area. Chemo is no fun. It wears you down sorta like water boarding.
 
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