# Lee Lead Melter



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Thinking about making some custom surf sinkers... Will this do?

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## Surfslinger (Nov 15, 2003)

Been using one since about 1980 mostly for pistol and rifle bullets, but have cast plenty of small sinkers with it too. Going to need a much larger ladle than the Lee one shown for "surf sized" weights, and might consider a bottom pour model for such applications.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

I have heard for sinkers over 5oz the bottom pour isnt the best.. is that true?




Surfslinger said:


> Been using one since about 1980 mostly for pistol and rifle bullets, but have cast plenty of small sinkers with it too. Going to need a much larger ladle than the Lee one shown for "surf sized" weights, and might consider a bottom pour model for such applications.


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

I use the bottom pour and once the mold comes up to temp I have no trouble.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

AbuMike said:


> I use the bottom pour and once the mold comes up to temp I have no trouble.


ok thanks ABU MIKE... 

Mike, what other tools to you use? Im assuming you use some sort of mask?


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## Surfslinger (Nov 15, 2003)

kmw21230 said:


> I have heard for sinkers over 5oz the bottom pour isnt the best.. is that true?


The Lee you show has at best about 4 lb's of capacity, so if you are casting 5 oz sinkers, you will have to refill the pot a lot, wait for it to melt, flux, then dip out with a large ladle. Knowing what you have added, I would go with a Lee large capacity bottom pour for ease of use, and better/faster production. Also, you can use a Coleman stove and a heavy saucepan to melt the lead, then a large improvised ladle to do the pouring. To make ingots from wheel weights that go into my furnace, I do exactly as mentioned above, and use old muffin tins from the thrift store as my ingot mold. Really is simple stuff, and many ways to skin a cat.

Just a side note, but a thermostat is really not needed for sinker casting, as you are not really concerned about what alloy you use/make, where temp control is a very big deal when testing out various bullet alloys, and getting them to cast well. If you have never cast before, please wear safety glasses, have good ventilation, and make darn sure no water is in the lead, mold, or anywhere else... Will cause a very violent "steam explosion". Lastly, there are a ton of everyday things around the house that make good molds. I have used the end of a lug wrench, the ladle, and various other items to make sinkers; even the bullets I cast. Good luck, and have fun.


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

kmw21230 said:


> ok thanks ABU MIKE...
> 
> Mike, what other tools to you use? Im assuming you use some sort of mask?


mask, gloves and most important...use outside.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

what type of mask


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## fish123 (Aug 26, 2008)

A pot on the grill outside works just as well and is much cheaper.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

now that's an Idea.... the lee melters seem safer..


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## mbrajer (Jul 10, 2009)

fish123 said:


> A pot on the grill outside works just as well and is much cheaper.


Yep but the next time you eat a steak that's not the only thing you're going to be eating... I'd rather not have my steak served with a side of lead- a baked potato tastes much better 

Mike


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## jlentz (Sep 11, 2005)

I have used many different methods and if you are just getting into it as a hobby I would recommend the Hot Pot 2. The only draw back would be for pouring larger surf sinkers as I believe it only holds 4 lbs of lead. It works fine as you can pour very quickly but with the larger sinkers you will have to refill often. The hot Pot 2 is not very expensive (you can find it for $40.00) and will get the job done, it just may take a little longer.

John


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## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

The electric pot is the best way to go here. 

Depends on your lead supply though. If you are using tire weights, you need to work with them some before pouring sinkers. I use a cast iron pan on top of a turkey frier base to do the initial melt down. This is too much for pouring sinkers though. Too hard to get the exact right temperature.

Not all wheel weights are lead, and you should plan on seperating them. An easy way to do this is to start with some old sinkers in the pot first and get them melted. Understand that you don't have to have the lead super hot. You don't want the lead super hot. Get some melted lead in the pan, then add a sinker. You want it to melt in about five to ten seconds. That is plenty hot enough. A thermometer is best, but this gives you an idea.

Now add wheel weights a few at a time. Some will melt and some will tend to float. Scoop out the ones that float and throw them away, they are zinc. If you leave the zinc ones in there, eventually they will melt and become part of the mix, and that produces issues with filling the mould.

You need to flux the mix, and I like plain old wood sawdust, making sure it is very dry. Add some and it will smoke like the dickens, but stir it around real good and you will develope black specks that you can remove with a spoon. Do this until you feel it is clean enough. Basically, you should clean the lead so that it flows smoothly....once inside the mould.

Ladle this lead into the corn muffin pans as mentioned, and continue until the whole batch has been cleaned and formed into ingots.

Get the biggest electric pot you can find. No bottom pour models please. They are too much effort and clog when using bad lead, like wheel weights. Pain to get the mould under, etc. You can slip in the corn muffin ingots, and THEN set the pot to almost maximum. Very easy to do this way, because you have already fluxed. Add ingots when the level starts to get too low during the pouring, and relax and let the mould cool down some. Don't get in a big hurry, this causes issues with the sinkers being brittle.

Again, a thermometer helps here. You don't want the lead too cold or too hot. There is a sweet spot that your mould and your style of pouring will work best at. Find it and work at that speed.

You want the mould to be hot, the lead to be hot, and the ladle to be hot. This decreases the chance of lead sticking to things and forming imperfect sinkers.

Ladles......there is only one that I recommend. The Rowell Ladle. It pours the lead from the bottom of the ladle, not from the top like a regular ladle. Working with wheel weights and dirty lead means that a skin will form on the surface quickly, and that skin is an issue. The Rowell can be ordered on-line for about $25 and is a major part of the equation. I ordered the 2 lb model and it does very well.

My pot is the Lyman's Big Dipper and corn muffins slide in four at a time. I rest the ladle on top in between sinkers to keep it hot.

Keep a catch all underneath, like an aluminum baking pan or a piece of plywood. Dribbles are fine as long as they don't fall off the work surface and splatter on the ground. You don't want to contaminate the area. No dogs around, no bugger eaters running around. No need for a mask, just make certain that a steady airflow is blowing across the work area. I use a big fan blowing across the pots in front of me. If you smell the lead, add more wind.

The intial melting of the weights causes lots of smoke. Grease, goo, whatever. Make sure that you have a good breeze when doing that too.

Some moulds are best, when half of it is set in a vice. You can then use a spring clamp to close it tight. The ladle requires one free hand.

Dropping the sinkers into water hardens them. Just make sure water doesn't splash up onto the mould when you eject them. I use an old five gallon bucket.

If your sinkers are coming out half formed, add some heat somewhere. This maybe warming the mould up, or adjusting the temperature in the smelter. Just don't go too hot. Again, a thermometer helps here, but you can, with some practice figure out what settings to use. An extension cord automatically lowers the pot's temperatures, and a straight plug into the socket is best. But....the enviroment is most important to you and yours. Outside only, with fans please. Wash well, no smoking or eating or anything until you have scrubbed well. Good long sleeved gloves and eyeglasses as mentioned. Splatters leave scars, use common sense.

I got tired of wheel weights and secured a large supply of clean lead elsewhere. Enough to last forever. If you look around, and explore some, I bet you can find a bunch. Wheel weights already have impurities you cannot remove. Antimony is one, and quite common, and it is poison.

Some moulds are just plain junk. The sinkers stick inside. The people who sell the ladles also sell a release agent. If your moulds are cheap, get that stuff. No need to buy their flux, plain sawdust does the best. If a mould has handles, that's a good thing. Easier to use and chances are good that the mould is of quality. 

Cheap moulds are a real pain to use and produce poor sinkers that require cleaning up. Sharp edges from where the mould doesn't quite fit right. Used moulds can be OK, but beware, they might be warped and this allows lead to seep through. A rough surface on the outside of the mould is probably a sand cast mould and most are damm poor. 

The very best moulds have multiple reliefs, small grooves, that expell air as the mould fills. I like ones that are CNC machined from a single block of aluminum and have polished surfaces. They fill fully everytime, once I get my rythem going, and dispell the sinker as soon as opened. They tend to be very expensive.

Don't bother with cutting your own wires and such. You can buy pre-cut / pre-formed ones cheaply and that is a great thing.

Good luck and be safe.....and get some friends to throw in with you on the purchase of supplies and such. You have to make an awful lot of them to break even. Doesn't pay for most folks I imagine. I make exotic varieties that you can't really buy locally, and sell them to friends and club members. I wouldn't bother if I were making pyramids and such. Those can be bought cheaply and with no hassles. This ain't for everyone you know. Take your time when choosing moulds.


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

lots of good info there Morti but there are a couple things I do differently... 

for fluxing I use parafine like momma used to seal up jelly jars... a corner of that stirred into the pot is quick and a lot less smoke... scrape the dregs off with the table spoon you used to stir the flux in... 

if your stuff starts sticking in the molds, smoke them, the molds with a lit candle... that'll be all the release agent you need...


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## Tadpole1 (Aug 13, 2007)

*Lead fishing lures/sinkers*

In the past when I made cast bullets I also used parafin wax that I stole from my kitchen. Candle wax will also work. After the bullets were cast I simply dumped them on a damp towel.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

As far as lead goes I was thinking of just buying lead that's already clean and ready to melt..

if using clean lead would the bottom pour models work?


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## narfpoit (Jun 16, 2004)

kmw21230 said:


> As far as lead goes I was thinking of just buying lead that's already clean and ready to melt..
> 
> if using clean lead would the bottom pour models work?


Yes bottom pour works best with clean lead. Still use a good flux and leave the slag on top to keep the lead from oxidizing. Some bottom pours are to slow however for larger molds. Also get the biggest pot you can afford the more lead in your pot the more stable your temp will be. I use a 20 pound pot and a ladle similar to the one FishinMortician mentioned and can make clean jigs up to 4 ounce with great detail. Also if working with pure lead I find it helps to add a little bit of tin into the mix to help it flow better and fill out the mold.


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

Don't do like we did and get an old cast iron pot that will hold about 500lbs of lead. We built a furnace to fire it up. Great if you are planning on standing there for a while to pour lead. VERY inconvenient if you only want to pour 20 or so leads.


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

Just got a sales catolog from cabelas they have a Lee 10lb bottom discharge on sale for $49


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

10 lb bottom pour might not be too bad, but like was said if you're doing anything over a few oz, you'll be spending a lot of time waiting on the lead to melt (and then get all the way hot, to give you a good pour).


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Is $1 a pound a good price for clean lead?


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

SmoothLures said:


> 10 lb bottom pour might not be too bad, but like was said if you're doing anything over a few oz, you'll be spending a lot of time waiting on the lead to melt (and then get all the way hot, to give you a good pour).


Just got another flyer from midwayusa they have the 20lb lee for only $8 bucks more.


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## junkmansj (Jul 23, 2005)

*production pot*

Ebay Item # 160524434944 I now use Propane Burner once a year


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## jcreamer (Mar 6, 2001)

I have a plumber friend who pulled some lead sheets from an old bathroom..I have approx 150 lbs in two sheets...It is 1/8 inch thick and I cut it in strips and it works very good.

I have the Lee bottom feed and it takes forever...pour several 8 oz and wait till it warms up...I am going to use a cast iron pot this year..I still have several Frogs tongue sinkers from last year... That is the hardest ones to make for me...

Good luck with the molds..

JohnC


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## John81 (Apr 24, 2007)

Sup Kmw if you got the mold i can melt it for you i got 2 melters. i actually need to melt about 200lbs of lead some time before trophy season. i have a 20lb melter and one for about 16oz sinkers might have a few ripples but works fine


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