make shift ignot mold

[dizzy5868]

Heys guys, I just got a lee pot and I have about 250lbs of tire weight lead to melt but no mold. Besides buying a mold, what else works? I can get all the lead I want for free. Can I make a mold? If so out of what? any ideas?

[Jig Man]

I once got a 75 lb piece of printers lead.  I borrowed a friend's cast iron pot and melted the stuff down with my fish cooker.  I then took a piece of angle iron and bent the ends up.  I would ladle the angle iron full, let it cool a bit, dump it and do it again.  I made several 3' strips and took a hatchet and cut it into short bars.  I think I still have some of it around somewhere.

[burleytog]

Use a muffin pan.

[ominousone]

For the lee pot get yourself some mini-muffin pans.  They will produce small ingots that fit in there nice like.  I'd say that these will work as well as anything out there for making ingots.

[Triton21]

I use a cornstick pan.

Kelley

[dizzy5868]

The only pans I can find have a non stick coating. will these still work?

[ominousone]

they'll work with the non-stick.  Besides, one of the issues you may find is the lead sticking to the pans, so that may actually help.   ;D

[dizzy5868]

Thanks for the help guys.

[burleytog]

I use a cornstick pan.

Kelley

The cast iron cornbread pans?  I thought about suggesting that, but you can almost buy an ingot mold for what you'll pay for the cast iron.

[Triton21]

Burley, mine is a 4 stick aluminum that came in a $1 box-lot at an estate auction.

Kelley