Thinking of this to melt lead

Don M

Well-known member
So this spring I want to make sinkers. A little down the road jigs. I'm leaning towards this from Cabela's, what do you think?
I've never done this before, so this may be a stupid question. I want to get a mold with 9 cavities, if the ladle doesn't hold enough lead for all I want to fill. Can I fill some and re-dip the ladle and continue?
 

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pabassman

Well-known member
So this spring I want to make sinkers. A little down the road jigs. I'm leaning towards this from Cabela's, what do you think?
I've never done this before, so this may be a stupid question. I want to get a mold with 9 cavities, if the ladle doesn't hold enough lead for all I want to fill. Can I fill some and re-dip the ladle and continue?
Thats a nice set up. I have or had a bottom pour pot (kids!!) that can get annoying. I prefer the ladle method. You can fill one cavity at a time if you need too. Simple tips are smoke treat the mold before using it the first time. Always pre-heat the mold. I just lay it across the top of the pot while the lead is melting.
 

Melvinp

Well-known member
I’ve had my bottom pour get away from me I keep a old cast iron frying pan under it when I pour. Did find out that I have better luck if I hold the mold right against the pour cone.Keeping the mold itself warm is very important I’ll do a few premolds without hooks to warm it up I just melt them down again
 

Melvinp

Well-known member
Just be careful it is wicked hot and will cause a fire instantly no less remove flesh from bone and oh yeah it not good to breathe lol not at all
 

Don

Well-known member
as a kid I got lead buy riding my bike along the local roads and pick up tire ballance weights. We also had a burn pile for burning farm trash. If we had big car or tractor battery we would set them on top then lite it and walk away. The battery case would melt and the lead would be on the ground nice and shiny the next day. Easy peasy.
 

Don M

Well-known member
It should do for awhile, buy I go hog wild when I do these hobbies. I'll be making weight for friends and family, and get into jig heads. I have been looking around for clean lead. And this looks like the best deal I've seen, 10 pounds $36.00 delivered to the door, double fluxed. With good reviews.
 

Don

Well-known member
Yes but it will be surprising when you get it how small the stack looks. I always thing of high school when handling the shot put. 8, 12 and 16lb. Lead is 1.5times heavier.
I will wait until I can do it outside.
 

Bootfoot

Well-known member
lets see if your pouring sinkers you won’t need the books, super moly, bullet lube, or range magic. If your buying lead you also won’t need the ingot mold. That leaves a pot and a precision ladle for a hundred bucks. No way. a bottom pour pot can be had for 80 bucks. A ladle can be had for 15 bucks, a lead pot (used with a propane burner) can be had for 23 bucks, an old cast iron pot can be purchased at a good yard sale for a couple dollars. Lots of better options out there for you.

I’ve never bought lead and never will. i use a cast iron pot over a Coleman single propane burner to clean my dirty lead. I use an old cast iron corn bread pan to pour my ingots. I also use the recess in a large pipe wrench to pour small ingots. Old plumbers use to do this to make sweating lead, or so I was told. I like smaller ingots because they can be added to the pot without worry of dropping the temp much. Only clean lead goes into my bottom pour pot. I will pour up to 1.5 ounces from my bottom pour. Anything bigger I just use a ladle, a regular old ladle and not a precision pour ladle like the one pictured. That ladle would be good for pouring small jigs or bullets but would not cut it for a 4 ounce sinker. Has more to do with how fast it pours not capacity. with a small pour spout The lead will start cooling in the bottom before the cavity is full causing the sinkers or jigs to look layered. same reason I won’t pour more then 1.5 ounces from my bottom pour.

Without knowing the size of sinkers and jigs you want to pour, i would recommend not buying the bullet kit and getting a 10 lb bottom pour pot.
 

truecrimson

Well-known member
Got my cast iron for free out by the dumpster here at the compartments ;)

The trick for me is finding a location to do any lead work.
 

Don M

Well-known member
So I got my Lee Pro Pot IV (4), yesterday. What are my chances of melting tire weight in an unheated garage, with outside temp. 56 - 57 degrees?
 
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Melvinp

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Run a wire through the metal tabs before you melt them you don’t want them in the bottom of your pot and the newer wheel weights are a alloy not lead
 

Don M

Well-known member
Spent a couple hours, melting a little less than 1/2 the tire weights given to me. I got 8 pounds of pretty clean lead, I'm going to run it through again. I think I'll soak the other half in water a couple days, dry them and see if it looks cleaner than this time.
 

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Melvinp

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Really really try to not run your pot dry if u plug up the cone will will be in for a nightmare and try to get as much waste of the top of the pot when you can I just use a cheap stainless steel spoon with holes in it to scrape of off don’t let that garbage stay in your pot you will regret it someday
 

Don M

Well-known member
Really really try to not run your pot dry if u plug up the cone will will be in for a nightmare and try to get as much waste of the top of the pot when you can I just use a cheap stainless steel spoon with holes in it to scrape of off don’t let that garbage stay in your pot you will regret it someday
Hummm I read to leave some lead in the pot. But the next time I use it, I'll melt what's in it. And turn it upside down, to get the old stuff out. And re run the one's I did today.
 
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Melvinp

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Hummm I read to leave some lead in the pot. But the next time I use it, I'll melt what's in it. And turn it upside down, to get the old stuff out. And re run the one's I did today.
I don’t use my bottom pour to clean lead I’ll use a torch and a cast iron pan melt it down clean the slag and then make ingots then it’s onto the bottom pour just be careful and don’t get burned or burn anything down
 

Don

Well-known member
If using a laddle you don't need too many controls. Clean the top and laddle it out to the mold. No real need to cleat the junk in the bottom until there is enough that it is in the way when you dip.
On the farm we used the stove top in the kitchen to melt lead in obsolete sauce pans and it worked fine except we were probably killing ourselves with lead vapor.
 
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