Lead Production Pot Discussion

Thanks for the tip hawcer. With any luck, someone on here will have something like that that they'll trade or sell me.

Waldoone, those are some good prices! better than midway. If I don't get any leads on here in the next few weeks, i'll probably just order one up. I'm pretty excited to start casting. 100 bullets are about $20 where I live so 200 bullets is almost the cost of the furnace. I already have a mould. I have 400 shells that need loading so you can see why I want one.

just going to toss you an Idea to get started with .... do you have a turkey fryer or fish fryer just find an old cast iron pot and use the propane turkey/fish fryer burner will definitely melt lead for ya until you have a chance to get something better. or look for an old gas hot water burner and use it they work great too. just remember to do it in a well ventilated place so you don't get lead and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Until someone either comes up with one, or you get some money saved up, you may have something like this layiing around to get you started..

Warning, what you are about to see, about the only thing this guy did right was pour the lead into the mould. Never and I repeat, never hit the mould blocks with anything. Do not use a ball peen hammer to open sprue plates. I use a welding glove to open my sprue plate and since I polished my cavities, the boolits fallls out with no tapping..This is just to show you what he is using to melt the led in and on...

GAWD! Tommy- i couldn't even get past 1:30 in that video!! I cringe at the thought of doing what he did......

no gloves, no jacket, no faceshield, lead everywhere... aaaah!
sorry... I know you pre-warned me.

Looks like a good way to melt the lead though. I might be able to get my hands on a burner of the propane persuasion. You and mister slowhand might be onto someting.

The reason I like the lee 4-20 so much is that it's a bottom feeder. The one at midway is only 57 bucks. you see me talking myself into it?

+1 to Hawcer and DayWalker. I suggested the alternate method to get going I too have a lee production pot for the money you cant go wrong with one. But if your saving your pennies i was suggesting a way to get going. And I am a cheap bstd LOL

i'm a cheap b-tard too, slowhand.

You guys are all correct. I'm just procrastinating about the money. I'm plum out of bullets and buying some will be $23 minimum and that won't get me any closer to bullet independence. a little more than 2x that and I can get INTO BUSINESS.

It's over $60 for me to get 500 slugs and I think (and you guys seem to agree) that an aggressive casting session of many hours would stockpile at least 500 slugs. I have tons of lead WW's and my new mould is on its way. I should have just ordered the damn furnace at the same time @#$%^&

about 2 to 3 hours for me and I have 500 casted up I have gone longer as I do like to take my time...

That's what I wanted to hear!
My hopes are that I can spend 4-5 hours and get 5-8 hundred. What surprised me about the press when I first got it, was my attitude towards it. I got the turret for 2 reasons; 1:to speed it up 2:to save steps.

I'm happy to have it because I don't like wasting motions but the speed thing really doesn't matter. I am very surprised to say that I really like taking it slow and savoring it, (kind of like some other activities that humans engage in behind closed doors). I even like weighing each charge on the beam scale. I get the sense that I'll probably see casting the same way. Still, it'd be nice to crank out 4-500 initially so that I can get back to reloading

Now that is a good price on that pot. If you can find a coupon, you could get it for less too. We have couple members that are coupon fantics and might help you find a coupong right XbonesX?

Thanks. That's a good lookin' rig. I like that little lever to control the flow of lead... better than the slidey handle on the 20# pot.



However, I fear that a fervent session of casting would make me wish I had a 20# pot, especially with a 6 gang mould like I have.

You guys would know better. Funny, this thread has morphed from "WTB furnace" to "which furnace should I get?" Mods, feel free to move it if you want.

Go with the 20# if you are going to use a six cavity mold. You'll run out of lead real quick in the 10# pot....but I guess it gives you a breather while you wait for more lead to melt.

I would stick with the 10 personally. Everyone has their own way of doing things. For me the 10 is priced just right. The way I cast, I put all of my spru and bad boolit straight back in the pot which helps to keep it full. I keep an ingot or 2 resting on the room to keep them warm. As I am casting, I slide an ingot in to keep the pot pretty good while I am still casting. I do this and I never have to stop or do I run out...

When I cast, I also make 5 drops,, set the mould down, stir the pot and repeat.

On a budget, the 10 is a great pot and does what you need it to do. I use a 2 cavity mould, about 3-4 hours I can get around 500 or so. With your 6 cavity, no reason why you can't do the same.

Some people may not have this issue with the 6 cavity mould, however, I was speaking with another member, all 6 of his cavities are not equal, some cavities gives hims different reading. Another reason I like the 2 cavity, but like he is going to do, cast and make sure you know which bullet came from which cavitity that way you know which ones you can prob polish to bring them all close to the same spec..

Now for the 6 cav mould, the 20 could be better as it does have a stand underneath it to where you can rest the mould on it and not make your wrist tired as well... So it is a toss up, either pot will keep you in boolits and shooting..

I really need a Lee production pot myself, it would be so much nicer than having to keep my lead hot over a flame......that kinda sucks, wastes gas which is expensive, and a bit dangerous also.
I almost feel like that guy in the video Daywalker posted, but I ain't that bad. At least I wear gloves and I'm not smacking any part of my mold with another piece of metal like he was. I'm also messy, but not that messy! LOL

Until I get a .45 cal. pistol to shoot mine out of I'm just kinda at a stand still anyway so a production pot isn't real high on my priority list at the moment, but I'm still always on the hunt for a used one.

Hey Agitator.........If you happen to find 2 of them....would you mind tossing the other one my way?

h.o.t. Thanks for re-categorizing the thread. The discussion kind of mutated as we went along

Good points, tommy. Since I see the potential for gang-bang casting between my shooter friend and I (2 X 6 cavity moulds at once), I decided to go ahead with the 20 pounder. I just bought the sucker from midway, along with a redding profile crimp die (yee haw!).



Mo, I'll most definitely contact you if I end up with another pot- there's no need for me to have two (although this casting business is addictive).

I don't see anyting wrong with doing the casting the way that guy in the video did, aside from the whacking of the mould that you mentioned (and the horrible ppe).

I've got to get on with schmelting (how yohan van-der-smut said it) some ingots in preparation for my furnace's arrival!!!

Congrats man!! 10 20 which ever gets you there is a winner.....Now you just need to smelt some ingots and show us some pics!!!

Holy Smokes Man!
That's not all for you is it? Is that you standing under that pallet of lead?
No way........your buying that much!

Glad you got the melting pot........we expect a video when you get it up and running.

ummm if that is your order of ingots, I think you may have enough to make a deal on? LOL Holy smokes man.........

No kiddin!

Those ingots are pretty sexy, eh?

Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll definitely make a video once I get the sucker plugged-in. As luck would have it, I have a terrific cage fan that'll work nicely to move some air over the work area and keep the fumes away from my precious melon

I have an outdoor are where I can do my work.

I plan to schmelt as soon as the first of the week and get some muffin ingots stacked for the casting session.

Stop avoiding me and Daywalker.........we gotta know........are you getting an entire pallet of ingots or was that just to tease us?

No way you bought that many lead pigs, it would cost more than my entire arsenal for that much lead.

BigAgitator wrote:Thanks. That's a good lookin' rig. I like that little lever to control the flow of lead... better than the slidey handle on the 20# pot.



However, I fear that a fervent session of casting would make me wish I had a 20# pot, especially with a 6 gang mould like I have.

You guys would know better. Funny, this thread has morphed from "WTB furnace" to "which furnace should I get?" Mods, feel free to move it if you want.

this is identical to mine but mine is a much older lyman version and used.... but hey I cannot complain it was free....

I agree with Mo and Day if hes got that much lets rob him LMAO

kcatto, that story makes me

just remember mister clapton, if you guys try to rob me, I've probably got more lead to *throw* in an attempt to save my lead. And it's just "hangin" around.

Truth be told. If I did ahve that much I'd probably invite some of you guys to my neck of the woods for some kind of casting/shooting fiasco! Wouldn't that be something. Casting, Shooting, A few hundred pounds of ingots for the ride home, and a partridge in a pear tree!

Ok and this means?? No that lead is not yours? How much lead ya got? Better yet, how much pure lead ya got? LOL

Casting Party!!! YEAH!!
Party.....Party.....Party !!!!

Everybody gets to take home a pocket full!