It was only 100* today, so I cranked up the new smelter!

tmd17

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Avoided mowing the lawn today by firing up my new bottom pour lead pot. 60lbs of ingots in less than an hour!
 

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Looks like a good smelting set-up.

It really is ! Before this one, I had always used a large cast iron pot and ladle to form ingots. Wish I had gotten it years ago. So much easier. But next time I am going to get it off the ground. My back is growling at me this morning for bending over so much yesterday!
 
LOL- Fair enough...

I am (was) MELTING RMR Bullet Core Remnants yesterday.

My latest shipment of Ukrainian Galena has been delayed until further notice, so until it arrives I will be content to MELT about 100 pounds of range nuggets and the 400 pounds or so of wheel weights I have.
 
It is so hard to get lead these days. Back in the day you could go to a gas station or tire shop and get all the wheel weights you could carry away for FREE because it would cost them to get it picked up. Most wheel weights are no longer lead alloy and nothing is free now.

A friend who was in construction back about 20 years ago took down a dentist's office. The room where they took the old xrays was lined with lead walls that were very thick. He said he took away about 1000 lbs of lead that day. He was set for a very long time since it was pure lead and he added to it to get the alloy he wanted. (12 BHN) I lost touch with him after moving but I'm sure he had plenty of bullets for a very long time! :D (what a score that was!!!)
 
LOL- Fair enough...

I am (was) MELTING RMR Bullet Core Remnants yesterday.

My latest shipment of Ukrainian Galena has been delayed until further notice, so until it arrives I will be content to MELT about 100 pounds of range nuggets and the 400 pounds or so of wheel weights I have.

Perhaps 'rendering' would be more accurate.
 
The temps are again expected to reach the 100* mark today. Instead of melting, smelting, rendering, killing time, converting slivers of lead alloy into chunks of lead alloy, heating up a modified section of pipe filled with bullet core remnants, not mowing the lawn, applying heat to solids in order to liquefy said solids just to solidify it into another shape, forming ingots (catches breath) I think I will work on making a pair of stocks, grips, scales, handles, thin checkered thingies that go where I grab my 1911's.


What ever floats your respective boats works for me!
 
LOL- Fair enough...

I am (was) MELTING RMR Bullet Core Remnants yesterday.

My latest shipment of Ukrainian Galena has been delayed until further notice, so until it arrives I will be content to MELT about 100 pounds of range nuggets and the 400 pounds or so of wheel weights I have.

Range nuggets? What be they?
 
It is so hard to get lead these days. Back in the day you could go to a gas station or tire shop and get all the wheel weights you could carry away for FREE because it would cost them to get it picked up. Most wheel weights are no longer lead alloy and nothing is free now.

A friend who was in construction back about 20 years ago took down a dentist's office. The room where they took the old xrays was lined with lead walls that were very thick. He said he took away about 1000 lbs of lead that day. He was set for a very long time since it was pure lead and he added to it to get the alloy he wanted. (12 BHN) I lost touch with him after moving but I'm sure he had plenty of bullets for a very long time! :D (what a score that was!!!)

It's easy to assume that. The 1750 lbs I bought in 2000 is long gone down the bbl.
 
What is that pot? I use a piece of 12" pipe on a turkey burner for most of my rendering? I am too nervous about the legs to put over 120 lbs on it.
 
What is that pot? ...

Not exactly sure what grade of steel was used. The guy I got it from designed and made several of them based on a commercially available set up.

The pot is about 1/4" thick, 7.25" I.D., and 9.5" deep.

The pot is extremely sturdy and I have zero concern that it would not be able to hold at least the 120 lbs that he claimed it would hold.
 
For your convenience: ° press ALT key, tap 0176 release ALT key and degree symbol appears.

It's been a long time since I've heard anyone talk about the old ANSI codes.
I knew many many of them and still remember all the DOS commands.

The tablet I'm using has a ° symbol and many more including the ¢ symbol...

As for the 1,000lbs of lead, I didn't explain it well. He took out over 1,000lbs that day but that was from only 1 wall. He did the other 3 walls during the week. (over 4,000lbs total)
 
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