SeminoleFan Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Last night I was cooking french (freedom?) Frys in the Fry Daddy. Out of curiosity, I stuck my thermometer in the oil and it was 325 Degrees. Anyone ever thought about using a frydaddy to keep plastic hot? Might just work Just curious.. Rick SeminoleFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlizard Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Seminole, Lots of guys use the fry daddy method for dipping tubes. They work great if you can find a model with a thermostate built in it really helps. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeminoleFan Posted September 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 John, Never thought about that before (Dipping Tubes) Great idea also. I was thinking about using it to keep the plastic hot enough to transfer to a pyrex cup. maybe putting a spicket (sp?) on it to transfer to the cup. any ideas on this? Thanks Rick SeminoleFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlizard Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 I actually was thinking about making a large "lee" pot out of a deep fryer. You can buy one for 30 buck and have a super sized pot. I never really followed up with it, but I work at a boiler manufacturing plant, and these guys should be able to help me out. I think the lee pots are simple enough just a machined rod and lever. The spiket hole is what we worried about. Dont know where all the heating elements are, and if you drilled into one of them it might ruin the entire pot. Maybe we can get advice from some deep fryer manufacturers. This would be an awesome tool for anyone pouring plastics to have this kind of volume for basically the same price or cheaper than a lee pot. Maybe someone else has thought of this before and will chime in to help us out Tube dipping is not something I do, but alot of folks here do it. I know a guy that made a plate to fit the size of the fry daddy and attached 25 aluminum rods to it. He could dip 25 tubes at a time and was turning out about 250 an hour. Thats pretty dang fast. Good luck with it. The hardest part seems to be cutting the tails. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeminoleFan Posted September 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 John, Hopefully someone will chime in. I Just ran across this last night. I think a spicket or some sort of lever would work great. Im not a tube person either, just never thought about it before. Come on guys chime in when your ready ! Rick SeminoleFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 I remember discussing this subject quite some time ago. I never gave it too much thought. What I do know is that I have seen lots of the smaller fry daddys in the second hand stores. You could probably buy them for a couple bucks apiece. That way if you ruin a few drilling on them it's no big loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Man what a coincidence, I just recieved a package of soft plastic & a fryer in the mail today! I agree with the thermostat, I looked all over for the temp setting on the fry daddies/pappys/babys & couldnt find the set temp. so I went with a 6 quart presto with an adjustable thermostat. which is recommended because the temp will surely need tuning as the plastic volume changes. I thought about using a dimmer switch for adjusting the temp on a frybaby but I cant find one that'll hold that wattage without burning up. I'm checking now for a way to dispense the plastic, I'm either gonna tap a hole in the bottom center, or on the bottom side. Not sure whether I'll use a ramrod like the lee pots or try a ball valve. I'll try it in that order, cause the hole will need enlarging for a valve fitting. wish me luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 The spiket hole is what we worried about. Dont know where all the heating elements are, and if you drilled into one of them it might ruin the entire pot. Sorry, missed this, on the presto 6 quart the elements are exposed underneath & run the perimeter of the bottom, making the center a good spot to drill. justa FYI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 Red, if you tap into the side using some type of ball valve, you might have a problem with the valve itself not heating up enough which would cause it to clog up prematurely. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRPLASTICS Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 For crying out loud, for all the time it would take you to build it, it would be easier and probably less expensive to buy a Lee pot that already works, has a thermostat and that you could pour with, just my opinion. I don't mean to sound negative, but many of us have already been down that road and have probably all come to the same conclusion, the mouse trap really does'nt need to be improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted September 10, 2003 Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 But not nearly as much fun...I mean think of all the scratched up fingers from attaching the hardware and burns from the hot plastic! Way cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlizard Posted September 10, 2003 Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 G8R, I was thinking that if you use a ball valve, you might want to try and tip the pot forward a little. This would help speed the flow of plastic I would think. I noticed that with lee pots as the volume decreases the flow really slows down, and I hate that!!! SR, I think it can be done and very usefull if it works. I figure that you could have a maximum of 30 bucks in a larger pot. Its going to take alot of trial and error, but when we figure it out it will be well worth it. However I do see your point of view. Sounds like alot of hassle to do something that we can all get pretty easily and cheap. But where is the fun in that???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted September 10, 2003 Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 Red, if you tap into the side using some type of ball valve, you might have a problem with the valve itself not heating up enough which would cause it to clog up prematurely. Just a thought. True True, My worry also. The rod & lever is lookin good to me now. SR, I see your point, but like Dave said, I enjoy this stuff & if I bought a pot, I wouldnt have an excuse to tinker & thats what brought me to makin baits to begin with. Does Lee offer a pot with 6 quart capacity? Some other needs that helped steer me to building one was: Pour clearance - My molds are tall & I mostly use 2=part molds that fill vertically, So I need an average of 6-10 inches of space under the pot, maybe more..... Auto stirring - Using input from Al's storage mixer, I'm gonna attempt to use a low RPM motor to stir the plastic in the pot. Maybe using the fryer basket by bending the drain holes to create small blades. Eliminating the hassle of mixing the plastic is my main goal, so If everything fails, I'll still buy a lee pot & figure a way to add a mixer to it Price - The fryer cost me $9.00, The motor, rod & fittings, I already have lying around. Total cost still under half the cost of a lee pot that has nowhere near the capacity. If this works, I'll make few so I dont have to change out colors & buying half a dozen lee pots can add up for someone thats not selling baits. Thanks for the input guys. didnt mean to hijack seminolefan's post, Ive got a bad habit of doing that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeminoleFan Posted September 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2003 Jerry, Thats what I needed More input. Glad your here ! and glad you made this site. Keep us updated on this improvement. Im gonna start on mine next week, Club Tournament this weekend on the St. Johns. Thanks. Lets keep this alive. I was gonna just keep hot clear plastic in mine and just add the coloring and salt before the pour, Just wanted a way to speed up production. Rick SeminoleFan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavu Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Hello All Found your site by accident and registered! I have a Presto Model 0690003 which comes with a thermostat and will regulate the heat from 0 to 400 degrees. I use mine to melt candel wax. I drilled and taped a hole in the side and installed a brass gate valve. This works great for wax, but I have reservations about plastic. I am very new to the soft bait business (just got my molds and stuff today!), and the very first thing I thought of while I was cleaning off a place to put the molds was could I use a fry pot to melt the plastic. My suggestion is to use the fry pot with a hole in the bottom and devise a valve similar to the one in my RCBS lead melter. This would not be difficult to engineer. Building legs to raise the pot off the table would not be trouble either, but care would have to be careful to ensure a stable secure unit. I have not explored this site yet, but if it is possible to post drawings or photos, I can make up a few. By the way, the thermostate on the above unit is very accurate. Capt Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlizard Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Cavu, Welcome to the site! Keep us posted on any advancements with this little experiment. Some of us would really like to see it work. I am sure you will find that everyone here is friendly and knowledgeable in the field. Good Luck John Huffman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 We'd be glad to see any pics you would like to post. I'm one of the guys who was a little "off" enough to drop a few hundred $$$ on a big melter. It works fairly well, but I have thought there must be a beter way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
