I have a question. I was just given a Turkey Fryer, 30 quart that I have no use for. I was gonna take it back but then got to thinking that it might be good for mixing up large batches of alloy. Anyone know if one of these propane fired gizmos will get the pot hot enough to melt lead? And if so, how much do you think it will melt?

thanks,

Zach

The gas stove will work that is what I use all the time ,the pot will not work,you need a cast iron pot.

They certainly will melt a LOT of lead fast.

WARNING: They will also heat an empty aluminum pot up to melting temperature.

I use a stainless pot. (It gets red hot in the middle of the bottom too.) The big cast iron pots are good.

Enjoy.

Aluminum is subject to catastropic failure when used as a pot to melt lead. Don't think about using that pot.

The burner is a different matter. Someone just gave you a new best friend. I use a big cast iron dutch oven from a yard sale for a smelting pot. Takes me about an hour to melt a bucket of wheelweights. Goes a bit faster if I fill the pot, melt that, skim the clips and add more WW to the molten stuff, but unless I am certain the WWs are absolutely dry, I keep adding as the pile goes down. The freshly added stuff floats on the top of the clips and semi-melted stuff long enough to dry trace amounts.

Pot will hold and melt at least 200 pounds, but when I am having to skim clips I settle for just one bucket. Some fellow mentioned using a cutoff propane tank for a pot which would be even bigger. He pulled the valve and filled the tank with water before starting to cut.

I posted this elsewhere yesterday, but for those of you who are interested, one bucket of WW yielded 130 pounds of alloy and just over 20 pounds of clips and slag.

Thanks Guys, that's exactly what I needed to know. I'll keep the AL pot for cooking in. Harbor freight has cast iron dutch ovens for about $12.00.

This certainly will make life a lot easier.

Thanks again!

Zack, get the biggest one you can find. It's an enormous luxury to have 100 pounds or more of the exact same alloy to feed your pot with. My dutch oven measures about 12" wide by 5" deep.

I checked. The Harbor Freight 12" one for $12.99 looks exactly like what I am using.

[ 10-12-2003, 01:31: Message edited by: Leftoverdj ]

Man, that is geat, someone to do my homework for me. Gotta love it. Thanks leftoverdj!

Here's a related question:

What do you all use for ingot molds? I used to use muffin pans but they don't hold up too well.

Cast iron cornstick moulds for cornbread. $5 each new or $2 at yard sales. I saw them in a Dollar General today if you have that chain in your area.

Each mould casts 7 sticks weighing about 1.25 pounds and the ingots are long and skinny so they slide into a Lee pot nice. They also solidify a lot faster than the moulds sold as ingot moulds. I use three at a time and the first one filled is about ready to be turned over when I get the third one filled..

[ 10-12-2003, 03:12: Message edited by: Leftoverdj ]

Gents;

For a very effective ingot mould that creates ingots which stack neatly, securely, and easily, use 1.5" or 2" angle iron. Ingots from my 1.5" angle iron mould weigh about three pounds each.

I had my friends in the metal shop at work weld mine up using four pieces of 1.5" angle, 10.5 inches in length. They are welded side-by-side like this: VVVV.....and flat-stock ends were then added. A flat-stock handle on each end is a valuable addition too, and make sure the handles are big enough for use with heavy gloves. Do all welding on the OUTSIDE of the mould to ease the release of the ingots.

At 10.5" long, the ingots fit neatly in a .50-caliber ammo can, and still leave enough of a gap at the ends to get a finger in to lift the ingots out. Otherwise, if the ingots are too long, it can be difficult to get them out of the can because they stack so tightly. A .50-cal can holds over 100 pounds of triangular ingots, and is a very convenient-size and waterproof container which can even be stored outside.

This works really well for me.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Tonight, I bought a turkey roaster(not fryer) from The Sports Authority, a sporting goods store. They had them at the clearance price of $40. Cast iron dutch oven type pot, and some sort of cast iron cover as well. About a 30K BTU burner. Fairly substantial stand. If you're looking to upgrade from a miniburner and 2qt pot like I was, this might be a good thing if you can't find one at a garage sale or flea market. S/F...Ken M

I don't want to seem like a nervous Nellie, but make damn sure that your turkey fry is REALLY solid. The cheap ones I've seen were clearly not designed to support 100 lbs -- at least not with any safety margin!

The thought of what 100 lbs of alloy splashing all over somebody's feet would do is pretty grim.

Don't forget that steel looses some strength at casting temperatures too, so think twice about filling up that huge pot perhaps.

I was given one of those WalMart burners, and after the first use, I decided re-enforcing the burner frame would be a good idea. Three pieces of 2" angle iron bolted from the top ring (that holds the pot) to the base ring did the trick. I tested it by standing on it and bouncing a bit, and it was good and solid.

I use an old 20lb propane tank cut off at the top shoulder for a pot. Screw out the valve,fill with water,cut a 4 or 5 inch hole in the top of the tank,(saftey you know)dump the water and use the electric hand grinder to cut off the tank at the shoulder. You can then add any refinements you desire such as lid, spout,handel etc. This is a large capacity pot! Used on a propane burner(turkey cooker) it will reduce a full pot of WW in about a half hour.

RDM.

I've got two. Tested the taller one by sitting on it before I ever used it. It'll hold my 240 pounds but I don't know what the safely margin is.

Think I'll go to using the shorter one. It's only about 8" off the ground. Legs are made of the same stuff, but have a lot less room to bend in so it must easily be twice as strong.