Opinions on Different Lead Melters

[mr.steve]

I currently use a Harbor Freight propane burner/stove to melt lead with. It works fine but it's slow and on breezy or windy days the flame can get blown out. I've considered a turkey fryer base. I also have a line on an old plumbers furnace that mounts atop a propane cylinder. I'm wondering about gas consumption with the turkey fryer or the plumbers furnace. The plumbers furnace doesn't appear to have a regulator and from what I've heard it melts lead fast and roars like a jet. I don't have any experience with a turkey fryer other than some folks use them for cooking or melting lead. A possible idea would be using a different regulator or an adjustable regulator. I'd like to be able to melt down WW and range lead a little quicker than I do now but, using a whole 20 lb cylinder up to accomplish that seems expensive. tell me what you think.

 

[Leadeye]

I use a harbor freight dutch oven and set in a good camp fire for melting. Lots more wood around my house than propane.

 

[mr.steve]

I agree with you Leadeye. I've melted plenty of lead over a hot bed of wood coals. It just takes time to start the fire and wait for the hot coals. Also, I use the wood ash for flux. The propane route is just the lazy side of me.

 

[red_zr24x4]

We just made ingots 2 weekends ago using a turkey frier. It works great, but I would suggest moving the burner up closer to the pot. Ours just has a bolt holding it on. A spacer and a longer bolt is all thats needed.
We were using an old muffin tin for our ingot mold with a large dipper. We did something like 168 ingots in a few hours.

Gas consumption was minimal. A little tip, don't empty the pot to far down, it takes longer to melt your next batch of lead.

 

[woodsie57]

I use an old coleman camp stove; works, but coleman fuel aint cheap these days either!

 

[mr.steve]

I just got home an hour ago with two (2) old plumbers furnaces with tanks, complete with pots and ladles. they still have some propane in the tanks so, does anybody know how these are ignited? My thought is to open the valve some and light it, then adjust the flame. Oh, and I have good health and life insurance so I can afford to be bold.

 

[pjt]

Your wife's next husband will appreciate that attitude...

 

[17 squirrel]

You light them just like you said. Crack open the valve and light them with a long match or a rolled up piece of paper.
Then adjust valve for the amount of heat you wish.

 

[bwframe]

Your wife's next husband will appreciate that attitude...

 

[mr.steve]

After updating my beneficiary list, I lit one of the furnaces. It works. Tank was almost empty though. After about ten minutes the tank was empty. I'll find a place to refill the tank and try it again when I get home.

 

[mr.steve]

I got the tank filled on my way home from work. Fired up the burner to melt some range lead. Oh boy, it roars like a small jet now. It only took 15 minutes to melt

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[CountryBoy19]

I agree with you Leadeye. I've melted plenty of lead over a hot bed of wood coals. It just takes time to start the fire and wait for the hot coals. Also, I use the wood ash for flux. The propane route is just the lazy side of me.

FWIW, wood ash is not a reduction agent so you will still lose any/all metals that have oxidized. Being as tin & antimony are the most necessary metals in bullet casting, it figures they are also most likely to oxidize. By fluxing with ash only you are losing your tin and anitmony, you need a reduction agent that will reduce those metal oxides back into their parent form to keep you alloy proper.

As far as how I do my smelting of range scrap and wheel-weights, I have a home-made steel bottom pour pot that holds about 100 lbs of lead. I use it on top of my cheapo garage sale special turkey fryer. Although, using wood sounds so much better (cheaper) than LP, I can melt 3-500 lbs of lead on a single 20 lb LP tank. I get my LP for less than $2/gal (4.7 gal/20 lb tank), I end up with less than $2 for a 100 lb pot of lead. I can't mess with a wood fire for that when I have a turkey fryer that I get instant flame adjustment, no smoke in my face, don't have to burn up my firewood supplies, etc for practically no financial outlay.