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Melting lead

the hawken shop
L & R
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The problem with melting lead in an aluminum pot is the aluminum will have lost almost all of its strength at 600°F.

If you check out the tensile and yield strength vs temperature charts you will find that they rarely go beyond 400°F and even at that temperature the aluminum has lost over 90% of its strength. The charts don't go higher temperatures because at those higher temperatures, aluminum alloys are basically worthless.
With lead casting temperatures typically being over 700°F, aluminum has virtually no strength so the bottom might drop out of the pot by just touching it with something.

DO NOT USE ALUMINUM POTS TO MELT LEAD FOR CASTINGS.
 
As for fluxing, I use a quarter size chunk of paraffin wax and sprinkle a ladle full of saw dust into it. Works amazing and really gets the nasty stuff up.
 
VADSLRAM said:
I use a turkey fryer too in a thrift store S/S pot, works fine and when I'm done I put the cover on it and let it cool. The cover keeps the saw dust and manure out of it in the garage. I use the turkey fryer so I'm not tempted to bring the melting inside. I lost enough brain cells in my youth, I don't need lead fumes to take the last couple I have🤪
Click to expand...
Braggart …. two brain cells left? Geez that's three more than I have.
 
olfuzzy said:
I have a friend that keeps saying that lead will be more valuable than gold when bad things happen. I ran across these on another site and ordered one for him as a joke, (got one for myself too). I'm not going to melt down my Lee ingots just too re-mold, but I'm ready for the next batch of raw lead. :thumb:
Click to expand...
REDNECK GOLD! you just gotta love it.
 
olfuzzy said:
I have a friend that keeps saying that lead will be more valuable than gold when bad things happen. I ran across these on another site and ordered one for him as a joke, (got one for myself too). I'm not going to melt down my Lee ingots just too re-mold, but I'm ready for the next batch of raw lead. :thumb:
Click to expand...
More valuable than gold? Gold is fairly soft and real heavy, I bet you could cast some pretty decent bullets out of gold. Heck it worked for a bond villain:dunno:.
 
Frontier's said:
best $22 you can spend

Bought one the other week and it melts my bulk lead QUICK! I use an aluminum pot to melt in and it'll hold close to 100lbs.
View attachment 45831
Click to expand...
I bought one of these stoves, and it arrived today. No instructions at all about how to connect it to a portable propane tank. Can you tell me what connectors, hoses etc. I need? Do I need a pressure regulator? Thanks in advance.

PS At the risk of being redundant, do not use the aluminum pot for melting lead.
 
Rifleman 1776 is correct -- use a regulator but not just any regulator. The ones that are used for a BBQ grill are a low pressure regulator the regulator that are used on the turkey fryers are of a high pressure/ flow type and will put out the heat.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
Disagree. A regulator does just that, regulates the pressure going to the stove. The pin valve only changes the amount of fuel/gas is going to the burners. Always use a regulator. They are inexpensive. No excuse for not using one.
Click to expand...
There is no regulator on the 1# bottles. The 1# bottles are at the same pressure at the same temperature as the 20# grill size bottles.
It's the same gas - with the same physical properties. (Remember your physics? PV=NRT?
Size does not change that.
 
pooch156 said:
Yep! You have to have a regulator!
Click to expand...
No - you don't.
I have been running a campstove, lantern, and 2 little Buddy heaters off an adapter hose for decades.
All these devices are designed to use 1# bottles, but with adapter hoses they run fine off the 20# tank.
A turkey fryer burner DOES require a regulator as there is no other way to control gas volume.
A campstove designed for 1# bottles does not need a regulator.
If you want to use a regulator, it does not affect the stove, but you do not NEED a regulator.
 
I stand corrected. You are right. corrected.co
Griz44Mag said:
No - you don't.
I have been running a campstove, lantern, and 2 little Buddy heaters off an adapter hose for decades.
All these devices are designed to use 1# bottles, but with adapter hoses they run fine off the 20# tank.
A turkey fryer burner DOES require a regulator as there is no other way to control gas volume.
A campstove designed for 1# bottles does not need a regulator.
If you want to use a regulator, it does not affect the stove, but you do not NEED a regulator.
I stand corrected. You are right.
Click to expand...
 
pooch156 said:
I stand corrected. You are right. corrected.co
Click to expand...
Most appliances referred to, have built in regulators, Turkey fryers being an exception, as they require more heat, hence a small two pound reg, usually provided with hose hookup.
 
Wyoming Jim said:
Most appliances referred to, have built in regulators, Turkey fryers being an exception, as they require more heat, hence a small two pound reg, usually provided with hose hookup.
Click to expand...
YUP -
This is similar to the hose I use off a 100# tank for the turkey fryer (ie - large capacity lead smelter) Definitly need a high volume regulator for that jet burner,
With this I can make a large cast iron Dutch Oven glow red! Then back the pressure off to keep everything molten while dipping off for the 1# ingot molds.
https://www.amazon.com/GasOne-2120-...ocphy=9027308&hvtargid=pla-522227213226&psc=1
 

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