I have tons (literally) of the 2" X 4" X 8" pure lead blocks that I would like to melt and alloy in batches then cast smaller ingots for 20 pound melters for casting. ANyone have DIY designs or concepts?
Thank you,
Charles

Personally, I render down my COWW, and other lead in
a Large stainless steel mixing bowl to which I added a bail, like a bucket. It will hold 60 pounds of lead, or lead alloy. 

I use a propane turkey fryer for the heat which would be able to melt larger pot of lead than my mixing bowl.

Other's have used a cast iron dutch oven for larger batches of lead.
I, like Bob, use muffin tins to cast my "ingots"
They cost almost nothing at rummage sales.
beltfed/arnie

Some guys report having sawn a propane tank in two.

I built one that holds 900 lbs.
Will get in touch later.

I have found that the log splitter works ok for breaking up bricks.

The turkey fryer looks good if I use a large ladle. Wondering if there are any direct pouring or bottom drain DYIs.

Thank you,
Charles

I use a Dutch oven and a crawfish boiler/Turkey fryer heater.

I melt ~60-65 lb. at a time, adding the necessary amount of tin when the lead is melted.  I generally do 4 batches at one sitting, and use Lyman/Saeco ingot moulds.  I mix the batches and store them in 50 cal ammo cans-each can will store ~120 lb of alloy carefully packed.

I went to the Goodwill and bought a cheap cast iron pot, and use a propane burner to melt down large batches of scrap lead into smaller ingots.
I have a mold made from angle iron to make triangle ingots, and also a muffin pan that makes 2 lb. ingots.

I cut a stainless pony keg (7-1/2gal) in about half.
Fits very well over the turkey fryer.  I then use the turkey fryer AND a weed burner to go from cold scrap to molten.   Did very well for both 300 and 400 lb batches.

Made 20 years ago. 6" well casing ,old Coleman one burner camp stove. Dutch oven on top,works great!

A propane weed burner with the flame hitting the lead in the pot will cut your melt time by 60 to 80 percent over just using the turkey burner.

That looks way to easy.

The only time I ever use that “inside” the shop is when I any creating a lead tin alloy with clean lead.  I will mix 30 lbs of lead with 1.5 lbs of tin. I do that just inside the doorway on the concrete with a fan blowing out the door.  If I am doing lead cleaning, I have it set up in a dog kennel with a pitched tarp roof. The burner sits on a 4x4 sheet of cement board. 
I ladle into a couple of muffin tins until it is too shallow. Then I pick the pot up with a large visegrip and pour. 

Jack

Well I thought everybody smelled the aroma of lead a cooking.....

Nanuk, ..... of course, but have to confess it's been awhile. Was thinking of it a few days ago, but at -52 it's not going out this week!

I use an old cast iron pot I was given. It's about the size of a crockpot and holds 100lbs easy. I hear it on a propane burner I got from Amazon for about $40. 

I only alloy about 100lbs at a time, and when I burn through that, the pot gets fired up again