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Old 03-27-2011, 08:18 PM
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Gatofeo Gatofeo is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Remote Utah desert
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Beware of campstoves.
I used a propane camp stove a few years ago, with a cast iron pot on it. Worked fine, melted the lead, and then the grill over the double burners gave way.
I hadn't considered ... the burner heated the grill to cherry red, weakening it. The weight of the pot and its lead began to bend the grill gradually, so gradually I didn't notice it.
Finally noticed it when I realized my pot was no longer sitting flat.
So, I went to the turkey roaster burner. No problem because it's stout. It will take a dutch oven full of lead.
And the earlier poster's right: NEVER use an aluminum pot to melt lead. The pot is weakened by the heat, then the weight of the lead finally breaks through the bottom, splashing molten lead all over. This warning has been made by the NRA for decades.
You need cast iron or thick steel for melting lead.
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