55,000 BTU Enough to Melt Lead?

[GilaDan]

Hello Casters, I've used my Lee pot in the past to melt lead sources and make ingots. However, have come across a lead source from an indoor range that encourages me to speed the process up. I have a dutch oven used in the past but my burner was inadequate. Considering purchasing a turkey fryer burner. Wondering if a 55,000 btu burner is adequate? Thanks

 

[nomad636]

55.000 BTU should be plenty hot. You can pick them up from Harbor Freight for pretty cheap.

 

[FrankenMauser]

55k btu should be plenty for the typical dutch oven.

Just keep in mind... Turkey fryer burner stands are generally only meant to handle 70-100 lbs, total.

Even my little 8" dutch oven can old well over 90 lbs of molten lead. (And the dutch oven weighs about 8 lbs, itself.)
So, be mindful of the weight limit, and/or build a stronger base.

 

[Mike / Tx]

I agree with FrankenMauser, especially since I am using a similar type burner. It does get MO PLENTY hot, you don't need to turn it up all the way either to get there. I usually only set the heat by watching the flames as I increase the gas once lit. As soon as it starts to lick where the sides rise up from the bottom edge of the kettle, I stop. There is no need to crank it up higher as your heat will not be doing much to melt the lead at that point.

Another thing that you should be mindful of is whether or not that lead has had any contact with water. Some indoor ranges use a water trap to help keep the lead dust down, and if it is captured in some of those bullets it can be very catastrophic if you add in some to a molten pot.

To be on the safe side, you can fill the pot about 3/4 full of the raw bullets, then heat that up slowly until melted. That should allow the moisture to evaporate before things get dicey. However I would still keep a lid on the pot until it's melted to be sure. Once you pour that up into ingots add more to the empty pot and heat that up slow as well. If you have never experienced the Tinsel Fairy you have no idea what a mess it can make or what a hurting it can put on you. Be SURE to wear proper attire and smelt everything down outside. Not trying to be the alarmist here at all, just passing on added info to help you out.

 

[jmorris]

55,000 btu/hr would be on par with a little over 160,000 watt element.

I use a 3,500 watt element on my 60 lb pot I built.

 

[GilaDan]

Thanks a bunch guys! Very good information and helpful. I did purchase a 60,000 btu high output burner with an adjustable flame. Waiting to get some lead scraps ready for the pot. The frame looks stout but did not find a pound limit. Will keep that weight issue in mind. Happy casting...

 

[hdbiker]

I use a old Coleman camp stove and a stainless 6 inch pet dish for smelting.I then use a vice grip to pour into ingot mold.I get 4 1 pound ingots per melt. hdbiker

 

[GilaDan]

HDBIKER, I suspect you ride a HD? On my 4th HD, currently now on a FLHTK for the last 2 years.

I cleaned out the sand pit of an indoor shooting range about a month ago and came out with 363 pounds of lead. This was going to take a while in my 20lb. pot. I mix some tin and some 70%/30% antimony in to get smooth and harder bullets.

I love to cast, does this make me a casting fool?

 

[Dave P]

"does this make me a casting fool?"

I think that only applies to fishing.

 

[hartcreek]

Pay attention to which turkey cooker you get. Some of them have a timer so they run only twenty minutes at a time. You want one without a timer.

 

[gyvel]

I never had a problem with an old Lyman casting pot and a single unit hot plate. Using a propane torch will speed up the initial melting if you're in a hurry.