I went out this morning in search of a mitre box to finish the trim in my bathroom, living in a small town my choices of stores to search are limited. While I was looking for the mitre box I was also looking for a small pan to use for casting as I have discovered my dutch oven I use for smelting is difficult at best to use for casting. After all possible sources for a mitre box had been exhausted I continued to look for the pan. On an off chance there is an antiques, i guess fleamarket would be the best term for it, I decided perhaps there was something in there I could use. The I stumbled across IT. IT was not the pan I was looking for, instead I found this;


DSCF0890 by skipper_mso488, on Flickr


DSCF0891 by skipper_mso488, on Flickr


DSCF0892 by skipper_mso488, on Flickr

I assume it is a plumbers lead melter. It had a price of $37 on it. I offered $25 and he took it. All I really wanted was the little bucket on top but I've gotten a restoration project now as well. The valve is stuck and the pump seals have apparently rotted away. Not to mention it is still filled with some very old foul smelling fuel. I'll put the pot to immediate use while I can learn more about repairing the burner.

Nice! Looks like it's still filled with lead, too, probably about ten bucks worth in there. The pumps are easy to rebuild if you can find the leathers, I fixed one some years ago with some cut-down windmill pump cylinder leathers (1-1/4" bore) and ran it on Coleman white gas. Not that great for casting (unless you're casting cannon balls), but great for "smelting" scrap into ingots.

Gear

Nice find there Skipper Get that plumbers furnace restored and you will have a good smelting set up, got you some lead taboot, not bad!

I'll chime in also saying that's an interesting piece there.

For restoration help go here:

http://www.spiritburner.com/fu...owforum.php?fid/403/

Thank you very much Mark. That looks like a most helpful site.

I would most likely junk the gas tank and burner build a base and hook up a LP burner. good find I could find use for it.

I've got a turkey fryer to use for that. I want to restore this primarily as a novelty item. Besides you never know when you might have to move operations into the mountains.

Like "Pdogshooter", I would be afraid of that flame sitting on top of very flammable gasoline. I have a plumber's melting pot also but it is Propane and mounts directly onto the top of the tank. That gasoline "bomb" sitting there scares the heck out of me. I have a gasoline powered "squad sized" cooker but do not use it. Just sits there gathering dust. A tiny leak could be disasterous.

I don't intend on making it a regular piece of my casting equipment, I just want to restore it to working condition for a what if scenerio. If the zombie hoard attacks I may not be able to get propane.

keep practicing on your casting. Next year I am going to send my 10 bore mould for you to work with. .790" diameter and 960gr out of 20:1 alloy.

Rich
Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a Joyous and prosperous New Year of 2011 to you and your family.

I believe you use kerosine in that melting pot. that what my Dad used in his old blow torch that looked somewhat like yours. His was more portable.