rasbury Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hey Guys, First of all congrats on an outstanding forum.... I've been browsing the forum for a couple of days now and hope you dont mind me asking a couple of questions. I have a 5oz flutter jig mould heading my way from barlows as well as some wire forms , 3D eyes and the like. I will be trying to perfect the pouring technique before i progress to powder coating and finishing. The lures will be for personal use offshore targetting medium gamefish - tuna , Dorado etc. I very nearly purchased a 10lb melting pot and long handled ladle from a local Uk supplier then i came across the Lee Melter Furnace. The Lee furnace looks like the better option for me and as you can get these in the Uk i thought that would be the answer. However after reading some posts on the 10lb furnace it appears that it may not be any good for pouring the 5oz jigs i plan to cast. Could any of you guys suggest the ideal set-up for me to start off my lead pouring bearing in mind that it will be mainly jigs in the 4-6oz range that i plan to manufacture. I know that there are literally hundreds of topics on the subject already but i'm struggling to find any for the size of lure i plan to cast. Many Thanks for your time Ras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hey Guys, First of all congrats on an outstanding forum.... I've been browsing the forum for a couple of days now and hope you dont mind me asking a couple of questions. I have a 5oz flutter jig mould heading my way from barlows as well as some wire forms , 3D eyes and the like. I will be trying to perfect the pouring technique before i progress to powder coating and finishing. The lures will be for personal use offshore targetting medium gamefish - tuna , Dorado etc. I very nearly purchased a 10lb melting pot and long handled ladle from a local Uk supplier then i came across the Lee Melter Furnace. The Lee furnace looks like the better option for me and as you can get these in the Uk i thought that would be the answer. However after reading some posts on the 10lb furnace it appears that it may not be any good for pouring the 5oz jigs i plan to cast. Could any of you guys suggest the ideal set-up for me to start off my lead pouring bearing in mind that it will be mainly jigs in the 4-6oz range that i plan to manufacture. I know that there are literally hundreds of topics on the subject already but i'm struggling to find any for the size of lure i plan to cast. Many Thanks for your time Ras first of all, welcome to TU. I do not pour more than a few ballast weights for cranks and swimbaits, so this is not my field really. The furnace reads like it would be OK, but it is designed for ladle pouring. I do know that quite a few pourers use ladles. What are the arguments against it? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkvnmtr Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 I pour the flutter jigs. 4 0z through 9 0z. They area hard mold to fill. They have a lot of metal to suck the heat away from the lead thus it cools rapidly. I use a gas burner, pot and ladel pour. I do not believe a bottom pour pot will drop lead fast enough. If you are going to use the Lee pot with ladel pour it should work the same as mine. Be aware that it takes a while to get the mold hot enough to fill. I want to try the mold release to help but I am in Mexico and it can only be shipped by ground. If you can find it it should help you get full pours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Welcome to the site Ras, you'll find everybody will try to be as helpful as possible so feel free to ask a question, even if it has been asked 20 times before, we understand. I have to agree with mkvnmtr, the bottom pour furnace won't drop the lead fast enough, what you need is either the 10 or 20 pound production pot and a large ladle, the mold release would also be a good idea. The largest item I poured was only 1oz so I'm not going to be able to help with specifics but I have an idea of what you're facing. Barlows sells a medium ladle that holds 5oz of lead and also a ladle that holds an entire pound of lead, you may want the higher capacity, good luck and let us know how it works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkvnmtr Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 I poured a 100 of those flutter jigs today. 25 each of 4,5 ,7 and 9 oz. The lead had to be pretty hot but I was using pure lead so I had only 2 or 3 that I had to do over. The ladel I use is just a tin can held with vice grips. When I started pouring here in Mexico I had trouble getting a regular one and a friend told me I could probably use a can. I tried it and now I like it. They last a couple of months and I use a size that suits the project. With the pot you are thinking about you can do it but I would advise a 20 pound one. The cost is not much more and flutter jigs use a lot of lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasbury Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Many Thanks for the replies guys - much appreciated. Okay so it looks like i should opt for the 20lb Lee melter - but completely disregard the bottom pour mechanism altogether. Instead i should get my hands on a large capacity ladle and hand pour instead.. Also you recommend the mold release - i've had a look and i take it this is the wax substance you apply to the mold before casting? Looks like i'm about ready for my next purchase (hope the wifes not reading this) . I see that it appears to be standard practice to cast your dirty lead into ingots once you have cleaned and fluxed - i would have thought you would have went straight to casting the jigs - is there a reason for the ingots?? Thanks Again guys and enjoy the rest of your weekend...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Most here make ingots when melting down wheel weights or when you have big pieces of lead that won't fit in the pot. Stick on wheel weights have an adhesive on them and smoke really bad when melting them down and others have metal clips in them that may contain moisture so you melt them down outside and skim off the junk and then make ingots that you can put right in your pot without fear of fumes or smoke or blowing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasbury Posted April 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Thank for that Smalljaw... 20lb melting pot , fluxing compound and lead dipper now heading my way. Last thing i reckon i need is a large capacity ladle and i'm gonna try and pick that up locally , not having much luck with the mold release over here but i'll keep looking. Is it okay to melt down wheel weights and clean dirty lead in the melter - obviously i'll do this outside but just wondering if it will have any adverse affects on my new shiny melting pot. Thanks Again for your time Ras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 4, 2011 Report Share Posted April 4, 2011 Thank for that Smalljaw... 20lb melting pot , fluxing compound and lead dipper now heading my way. Last thing i reckon i need is a large capacity ladle and i'm gonna try and pick that up locally , not having much luck with the mold release over here but i'll keep looking. Is it okay to melt down wheel weights and clean dirty lead in the melter - obviously i'll do this outside but just wondering if it will have any adverse affects on my new shiny melting pot. Thanks Again for your time Ras The mold release you are looking for is Frankford Arsenal. It is used by the gun crowd, for pouring bullets. Try gun clubs and the like. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasbury Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Dave, Thanks for that but i dont think its available in the Uk. Quick one for you - i have been doing some serious lurking the past few days but still unsure on this one. Do you think it will be okay for me to clean and flux my scrap into ingots using my new 20lb Lee production pot and ladel or should i try and find some extra funds for an iron melting pot and heat source. Thanks Again Ras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Dave, Thanks for that but i dont think its available in the Uk. Quick one for you - i have been doing some serious lurking the past few days but still unsure on this one. Do you think it will be okay for me to clean and flux my scrap into ingots using my new 20lb Lee production pot and ladel or should i try and find some extra funds for an iron melting pot and heat source. Thanks Again Ras You should find yourself a cheap 2nd hand pot and rig up some kind of gas burner, for outside use. Keep th 20 pounder for the good stuff. Cast iron would be favourite, but not essential. As long as the pot is stable and you eliminate all the hazzards (including unexpected rainfall), you will be fine. I am sure there are other mold release sprays available in UK, if not the Frankford arsenal. You should still check out the gun forums. Dave Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkvnmtr Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I agree to not use your electric pot to clean lead. All of the byproducts do not rise to the top so you can have some junk clogging yout spout. I do it on a gas burner and stir it a lot to get the black powder to rise. I also flux a lot at this point to make the ingots as clean as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldfart9999 Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 I don't pour anything that large, but I would do it outside because of the smoke factor. I use a vent fan when I pour in my basement. An old cast iron frying pan over a propane burner of some sort should do the job. Rodney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasbury Posted April 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 Okay Guys - Received and understood. I wont use my 20 pounder for the scrap - promise........ It'll be another couple of weeks before i start and i'll keep you informed of my progress - feel a lot more confident going into this now though thanks to you guys. Have a nice weekend Ras....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
