One guys exploration into casting bullets...

thanks so much for the offer!
so based on this webpage, I actually have a 33lb tank. 2ft tall and 1ft (that’s a 5gal red gas tank next to it in my photo) Understanding Propane Tank Dimensions - Gastec Online

So I think this tank could be made into a pretty large crucible. Larger than the one you have (and I assume like). Anyone have thoughts on going bigger?

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The turkey fryer test went well this AM. Has a timer on it and the flame adjusted nicely all the way to HUGE.
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Nice!

I think the larger tank could be useful you wouldn’t need to make it much larger than the 20 pound tank and still gain a ton of usefulness.
A 20# tank will hold 275# of lead comfortably. If you made it another 4” or so higher you could melt a lot more lead and still have enough to make a wind block out of the rest of the tank like Artie does.
I say go for it.
 
Nice!

I think the larger tank could be useful you wouldn’t need to make it much larger than the 20 pound tank and still gain a ton of usefulness.
A 20# tank will hold 275# of lead comfortably. If you made it another 4” or so higher you could melt a lot more lead and still have enough to make a wind block out of the rest of the tank like Artie does.
I say go for it.
Just be sure tou can generate enough heat. My rig tops off at around 150lbs or I face a not quite molten range. Plus Im usually working in 100lb lots of scrap anyway.
 
From what I can see, my turkey fryer puts out as much (or more) flame than I ever saw Mike turn his up at seminar.
And a bigger heat shield means more heat driven at a larger surface area to contact the lead so I think you are right, 4 inches or so higher than yours is way to go. I think the way to guage it is the depth of the ladel. I have to be able to reach the bottom lol

I tried getting the valve off that propane tank w a pipe wrench. The Section that is the handle/valve protection shield makes it a bitch go try to rotate the valve, so I think my next step is to cut the handle/valve cover off and then I can ge the valve off hopefully w just a pipe wrench and breaker bar but once I cut that off, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep the tank from spinning while I torque on it. I went to Cody and Tobin Scrapyard hoping they would have one of the fancy tool that are out there to take valves off. They didn’t have a tool or a method and they don’t accept the tanks w the valves still on them. Ideas?
 
Here is Lee App for 75 bucks: Lee Deluxe Automatic Processing Press (APP) Single Stage Press Kit

Are there extra parts I need to size to .356?

and when do these come into play?: 001 Push Through Size Die Body | NOE Bullet Moulds

I’m dizzy w all the pieces of this project but I know I’m making progress. Thanks for all the advice!


Star sizer is the standard to measure by if you are lubing.
Depending on the price (@Fixxah - how much???) - pick one up
Lee APP will size coated bullets faster than a Star for a lot less but it can't lube. It can, however, decap for wet tumbling as fast as you can pull the handle with a case feeder (even Lee's shaker type is fast)
 
From what I can see, my turkey fryer puts out as much (or more) flame than I ever saw Mike turn his up at seminar.
And a bigger heat shield means more heat driven at a larger surface area to contact the lead so I think you are right, 4 inches or so higher than yours is way to go. I think the way to guage it is the depth of the ladel. I have to be able to reach the bottom lol

I tried getting the valve off that propane tank w a pipe wrench. The Section that is the handle/valve protection shield makes it a bitch go try to rotate the valve, so I think my next step is to cut the handle/valve cover off and then I can ge the valve off hopefully w just a pipe wrench and breaker bar but once I cut that off, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep the tank from spinning while I torque on it. I went to Cody and Tobin Scrapyard hoping they would have one of the fancy tool that are out there to take valves off. They didn’t have a tool or a method and they don’t accept the tanks w the valves still on them. Ideas?
Use a hammer to smash the valve off. This video is one of many that show how to do it. Good luck and be safe.

View: https://youtu.be/pgH1YTIkP-w
 
Here is Lee App for 75 bucks: Lee Deluxe Automatic Processing Press (APP) Single Stage Press Kit

Are there extra parts I need to size to .356?

and when do these come into play?: 001 Push Through Size Die Body | NOE Bullet Moulds

I’m dizzy w all the pieces of this project but I know I’m making progress. Thanks for all the advice!
You need a sizing die and insert

I wouldn't suggest an APP as your only press - it would work but doesn't have an option for priming. It really shines for prepping brass and sizing bullets.
 
From what I can see, my turkey fryer puts out as much (or more) flame than I ever saw Mike turn his up at seminar.
And a bigger heat shield means more heat driven at a larger surface area to contact the lead so I think you are right, 4 inches or so higher than yours is way to go. I think the way to guage it is the depth of the ladel. I have to be able to reach the bottom lol

I tried getting the valve off that propane tank w a pipe wrench. The Section that is the handle/valve protection shield makes it a bitch go try to rotate the valve, so I think my next step is to cut the handle/valve cover off and then I can ge the valve off hopefully w just a pipe wrench and breaker bar but once I cut that off, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep the tank from spinning while I torque on it. I went to Cody and Tobin Scrapyard hoping they would have one of the fancy tool that are out there to take valves off. They didn’t have a tool or a method and they don’t accept the tanks w the valves still on them. Ideas?
some are a bear to get off some just need a good whack with a mallet on the wrench.
For the DIY types see this guy below. Your own safety is in your hands. I wedge my tanks between to heavy objects.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBcfUAVbxXE&app=desktop
And another

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4zC7kn49s
 
Seems like a lot of work!
Not a lot of work at all

The above video was to show OP how to bang the valve off. Disregard the mean motor scooter thing although the science of displacing the oxygen with carbon monoxide is good to understand if you want to do the cut the same day

-Purge all gas from tank
-With a Sawzall and bimetalblade, took me a minute to zip the top handle ring off
-A minute to bang the valve off
-Another couple minutes to fill the tank with soap and water, swish around and empty
-Set upside down overnight so any residual gas can empty.
-Next day, with angle grinder and cutoff wheel, make a cut right above the weld at the middle of the tank.
-Finish cutting around the tank with Sawzall.
-Clean-up cut edges with angle grinder.

Total time for me was under an hour, minus waiting over night to gas off and pulling tools out and putting them away. Hell, it took longer for me to peck these directions out on my cell phone and bad eyes.
 
Not a lot of work at all

The above video was to show OP how to bang the valve off. Disregard the mean motor scooter thing although the science of displacing the oxygen with carbon monoxide is good to understand if you want to do the cut the same day

-Purge all gas from tank
-With a Sawzall and bimetalblade, took me a minute to zip the top handle ring off
-A minute to bang the valve off
-Another couple minutes to fill the tank with soap and water, swish around and empty
-Set upside down overnight so any residual gas can empty.
-Next day, with angle grinder and cutoff wheel, make a cut right above the weld at the middle of the tank.
-Finish cutting around the tank with Sawzall.
-Clean-up cut edges with angle grinder.

Total time for me was under an hour, minus waiting over night to gas off and pulling tools out and putting them away. Hell, it took longer for me to peck these directions out on my cell phone and bad eyes.
The guy in the video makes it look “hard”
I wont post my method but its quick and dirty.
I need to make another LP pot. My bottom poor pot did not work as well ad I liked. I already chopped up the other half for another project.
Will be making something that will direct more heat to where it needs to be.
 
Alright I got the tank stuff figured o it and will use rainy days coming up to mess with that.
As far as how deep to make the crucible and how much of a flame collar to make... anyone have suggestions on an ideal height? Total tank height is 2 ft. So the straight middle part must be 12-16inches about.

and should my goal be to get the flame collar to be the same depth as the bottom of the crucible so they sit down together?
And furthermore, should a secondary goal be to ge the flame collar tack welded to the crucible so it’s all one stable unit?

I’m getting close to doing this first big smelt. If anyone is interested in joining or watching or being the peanut gallery or just holding the fire extinquisher, let me know!

And do any of the experienced guys wanna take a stab at how much lead five, five gallon buckets of range siftings will yield? I’m thinking it must have been 300lb and I’ll get a 50% yield. What’s your opinion?
 
Alright I got the tank stuff figured o it and will use rainy days coming up to mess with that.
As far as how deep to make the crucible and how much of a flame collar to make... anyone have suggestions on an ideal height? Total tank height is 2 ft. So the straight middle part must be 12-16inches about.

and should my goal be to get the flame collar to be the same depth as the bottom of the crucible so they sit down together?
And furthermore, should a secondary goal be to ge the flame collar tack welded to the crucible so it’s all one stable unit?

I’m getting close to doing this first big smelt. If anyone is interested in joining or watching or being the peanut gallery or just holding the fire extinquisher, let me know!

And do any of the experienced guys wanna take a stab at how much lead five, five gallon buckets of range siftings will yield? I’m thinking it must have been 300lb and I’ll get a 50% yield. What’s your opinion?
I’m guessing that the tank has a seam in middle. Aim to cut it at that seam just like they do with the 20# tanks
@Artie how high is your flame shield? I would go with the same neigh he uses which should be about the length from the bottom to the straight section of the tank.
I would tack weld that onto the main tank.

I’ve only done range lead once. It was 50% yield. Super dirty stuff but it was free so that was great.
 
I’m guessing that the tank has a seam in middle. Aim to cut it at that seam just like they do with the 20# tanks
@Artie how high is your flame shield? I would go with the same neigh he uses which should be about the length from the bottom to the straight section of the tank.
I would tack weld that onto the main tank.

I’ve only done range lead once. It was 50% yield. Super dirty stuff but it was free so that was great.
For all 3 i have done, the ring worked out to be 3". As @Michael J. Spangler noted, from bottom to flat edge of tank. Regarding the seam and weld, cut just a bit higher so your not cutting the weld or the overlap of the upper and lower seam (that is like 3 layers of cutting). Good luck
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Alright I got the tank stuff figured o it and will use rainy days coming up to mess with that.
As far as how deep to make the crucible and how much of a flame collar to make... anyone have suggestions on an ideal height? Total tank height is 2 ft. So the straight middle part must be 12-16inches about.

and should my goal be to get the flame collar to be the same depth as the bottom of the crucible so they sit down together?
And furthermore, should a secondary goal be to ge the flame collar tack welded to the crucible so it’s all one stable unit?

I’m getting close to doing this first big smelt. If anyone is interested in joining or watching or being the peanut gallery or just holding the fire extinquisher, let me know!

And do any of the experienced guys wanna take a stab at how much lead five, five gallon buckets of range siftings will yield? I’m thinking it must have been 300lb and I’ll get a 50% yield. What’s your opinion?
that really depends on how well sorted your scrap is. I figure some where between 50-70% of usable lead.
Your going to have jacket scraps, rocks , wads, non lead bullets and so on.
Empty 5 gallon bucket weighs about 2lbs.
Weigh the bucket ( another yardsale item to add to your list) when your done smelting that bucket weigh ignots in the bucket.

Your tank seems very deep ?
 
Progress has been made. 3 inches For a heat shield was a good estimate but it still has the base of the tank slightly higher than the heat shield. I took it to my muffler guy and he put some welds holding the heat shield to the crucible. Based on my previous projects with him, he was convinced this had to do with a sailboat somehow or another.

All I have left to get is candle wax, sawdust, and someone else who wants to hang out so they can call 911 when I need them. 9mm molds will arrive Thursday

01B3CC50-9EEE-4839-83BB-D2EEB81D925B.jpeg
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AF63F44A-5734-4872-B068-370BD9A93FBC.jpeg
B275CD9D-F702-4375-85EF-E20CB46A8DD0.jpeg
And the pièce de résistance....
DB5024BD-A0D7-434D-A64B-3CEB9D59BC41.jpeg
I owe a huge THANK YOU to everyone that has helped out so far! Thanks :)
 
Progress has been made. 3 inches For a heat shield was a good estimate but it still has the base of the tank slightly higher than the heat shield. I took it to my muffler guy and he put some welds holding the heat shield to the crucible. Based on my previous projects with him, he was convinced this had to do with a sailboat somehow or another.

All I have left to get is candle wax, sawdust, and someone else who wants to hang out so they can call 911 when I need them. 9mm molds will arrive Thursday

View attachment 399003
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View attachment 399005View attachment 399006
View attachment 399008
View attachment 399010
And the pièce de résistance....
View attachment 399011
I owe a huge THANK YOU to everyone that has helped out so far! Thanks :)
Nice job.
 
Great group of guys and they helped me a ton when I started in the spring. Been tied up at work the last few months so I haven’t had much time to pour. I found a 100 rounds of my 200 gr SWC .45 and I was thrilled. Did start a home forge with the kid.
 
Progress has been made. 3 inches For a heat shield was a good estimate but it still has the base of the tank slightly higher than the heat shield. I took it to my muffler guy and he put some welds holding the heat shield to the crucible. Based on my previous projects with him, he was convinced this had to do with a sailboat somehow or another.

All I have left to get is candle wax, sawdust, and someone else who wants to hang out so they can call 911 when I need them. 9mm molds will arrive Thursday

View attachment 399003
View attachment 399004
View attachment 399005View attachment 399006
View attachment 399008
View attachment 399010
And the pièce de résistance....
View attachment 399011
I owe a huge THANK YOU to everyone that has helped out so far! Thanks :)
off to a great start....hey dont forget to fill your LP tank!
 
to all tank based crucible designers to come:

it occurred to me that drilling two holes in the walls (opposite of each other) that would allow a ( approx eight foot) piece of rebar to pass right through the crucible as a two ended handle, would allow two people to lift the crucible off the turkey fryer IF that was ever needed. Just food for thought
 
For smelting I just use a turkey fryer that I bought from Basspro for $40.

For a container I started with a propane tank that I got for free from the local dump.. I cut the handle/guard off first. Then I got the value off with a big wrench. Then I filled the empty tank with water and emptied it back out again. Last step for me was cutting the tank in half. The tank already comes with a base to allow it to stand. I did not add any additional bottom to in in order to hold heat. Not saying that it would be helpful but I thought I would share that it is not absolutely necessary.

It takes between 20 and 30 minutes to heat the lead to melting. I've done it this way for ten years with no problem.
 
To all-

Is this correct:
A) every batch starts at air temp and gets warmed up in crucible together (relatively slowly) to let any moisture burn off
B) don’t add lead/material once you have a molten lead in pot
C) if you want to keep going past first batch you need a second pot with more material in it to do the slow warm up
D) all tools and ingot molds need to be heated/torched to dry them out
E) all FMJs that are intact need to be separated to pierce the jacket so the lead can flow out
F) don‘t sweat into the crucible

I forgetting anything (or worse, making up unnecessary rules)?
 
To all-

Is this correct:
A) every batch starts at air temp and gets warmed up in crucible together (relatively slowly) to let any moisture burn off
B) don’t add lead/material once you have a molten lead in pot
C) if you want to keep going past first batch you need a second pot with more material in it to do the slow warm up
D) all tools and ingot molds need to be heated/torched to dry them out
E) all FMJs that are intact need to be separated to pierce the jacket so the lead can flow out
F) don‘t sweat into the crucible

I forgetting anything (or worse, making up unnecessary rules)?
Basically yes.
If you have ingots that you can place on the frame of the burner or a way to pre heat scrap/range lead/weights then you can add them to the pot knowing that they are 100% dry.
Another option that works without losing too much time is to let the pot cook just to the point where the alloy solidifies. Drop the new scrap on top and turn the burner back up so heat it all up.
Other than that you seemed to nail it.
 
What Mike said - a small heel will speed things up with a low chance of a steam explosion. Just don't dump a bucket with water in it.
Another reason I like to be able to cover my pot - heats faster and contains any surprise
 
To all-

Is this correct:
A) every batch starts at air temp and gets warmed up in crucible together (relatively slowly) to let any moisture burn off
B) don’t add lead/material once you have a molten lead in pot
C) if you want to keep going past first batch you need a second pot with more material in it to do the slow warm up
D) all tools and ingot molds need to be heated/torched to dry them out
E) all FMJs that are intact need to be separated to pierce the jacket so the lead can flow out
F) don‘t sweat into the crucible

I forgetting anything (or worse, making up unnecessary rules)?
Starting from a cold pot it can be wet , the water will evaporate before the lead melts.
I leave a few pounds worth molten alloy in the pot and add scrap to it. Just be mindful of water/moister. If you can pre warm/heat or even add a 2nd burner/smelter you can go through your scrap quick.
I dont bother with snipping FMJ , If it does not ooze its not worth the effort.

You want your tools to be free of moister, I stack my ignot molds around the burner in some way ,
If you get your ignot molds hot, like you do with bullet molds, your ignots will look more pretty and shiny.
I just slowly did the spoons and ladles to warm them
Sweat and water will spit back at you a bit. Your "safety" gear will help with that.

you will find a pace that works for you. Do a test run of 50lbs or so and see how it goes.

Old broken wooden shovel handles make good pot stiring sticks. Ol

Hardwood stakes, I grab the broken ones come spring time they put out for marking parking lots for the plows. Also the asphault/sealant companies leave them all over the place. They last a long while.

You can also use the hardwood handles to fabricate handles for your ladles and spoons. Make them a length that works for you.
 
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Shavings are fine. Get the pine.

FYI to anyone following this... Tractor Supply has shavings and not sawdust. They have cedar “bedding” which is like rough shavings. In pine, they have “Premium Pine Shavings” in two flavors, “Flake“ and “Fine”. The Flake looked more like what I’d imagine shavings to look like and was also same size as the cedar bedding. The Fine looks a lot more like sawdust and closer to what I remember Michael Spangler using in his awesome seminar I attended two weekends ago.
Here’s the photos from Tractor Supply:
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RE: Mac1911 If I had another big propane tank like I just used, I’d make another Identical crucible and do that rebar handle idea I mentioned earlier so I could get one pot off and the other pot on once the lead has cooled enough to make it safe to move but before it’s cool enough to touch.
 
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