i have few hundred lbs clip ons (with a few zinkers, battery cable ends etc etc) in the mix that need melting/smelting whatever and tired of the 10 lb electric pots and the RCBS ingot one pounder corn bread tins. son has an old propane turkey fryer, the kind with the gas ring and the SS pot to dip and fry the whole turkey. so i'm gonna get it and some 2" channel iron 12" long with ends welded on to ladle into. question is, is using the SS pot gonna cause issues? i also have an old dutch oven that hasn't been used in like 15 years that i'd use too if the SS is not a good idea. yes/no?

I would use the cast iron.

I would suggest getting an old BBQ gas bottle & cutting it at around 8-10" or so from the bottom.
For handles I cut a holes big enough for a 5/8" bolts & double-nutted to secure them. This is what I have used for around 5 years & its still in good shape.

SS or cast iron is fine. I would stay away from Aluminum. Something to think about: If the pot holds more than 20 or 30# it can be very hard to handle. Spilling 40# of hot lead is not good. I made a pot that holds about 30# and and it is about all I care to handle. Make sure your heat source is strong enough to support your pot.
C.G.B.

John C it is commonly miscalled smelting. Smelting is a chemical process for removing lead from the ore. What you'll be doing is remelting.
I have no experience with using stainless steel, but cast iron works fine.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
John C it is commonly miscalled smelting. Smelting is a chemical process for removing lead from the ore. What you'll be doing is remelting.
I have no experience with using stainless steel, but cast iron works fine.

never knew that! will add it to the list. i have 2 cast iron dutch ovens but hate to use em for this. has got me to thinking about dutch oven cooking again after i get em back in shape. i will probably use a big ladle to get the molten lead out.

Be careful; the pot that came with my turkey fryer with the ring burner, is aluminum.
If you use an aluminum pot, you will melt it. Do not ask me how I know that.
(I melted an aluminum pot over a Coleman stove melting wheel weights (the old, good kind) in 1968)
Made a mess in the burners.

thats why i asked. was afraid of that. thanks

Never seen a Stainless Steel Turkey pot. Always Aluminum and as others mentioned. won't work.
You can get a cheap O cast iron pot at Harbor freight, Walmart or the like if you don't want to use your good ones.

son has a big cast iron deep skillet cruddy as hell in shop he's gonna bring over next week. that pots too big anyway for me and i don't trust it.

John, I've been using a bottom pour RCBS for several years but still have my old rig. Cast iron pot in an improvised skirt setting above an L.P. burner assembly hosed to a 5 gal. bottle. Been working like a champ for years + still useful for doing ingots as the cast pot is approx. 14" in dia. X 10" deep. Your cast will outlive you. Besides, all the crud that was in the pot will become dross to skim.