Would lead melt on a grill?

[Classicvette63]

Before I start cutting this big block of lead aprt so it will fit in my pot, I had an idea. I have an old worthless cast iron pan. I could melt the lead out on the cast grill and just make ingots first. Anything to save a little elbow grease. Think it will work?

[TimJ]

A cast iron pot is a good choice to melt it in but may not be the safest thing to have to pour unless it has a good handle and you have good gloves. You do not want to drop it.

I'm not sure a grill will put out heat efficiently enough. A camp stove or one of those turkey fryer burners works better.

Tim

[Trev303]

Classicvette63, It should work might just take a little while.
A word of warning though, dont have any water around because if water gets into your moulten lead it will make it splash every where, simaler to hot oil.

[quigleysharps4570]

I don't know if that grill will get you enough heat in one spot or not. I always use a Coleman stove to get mine into ingots, then the pot when I'm ready for bullets.

[PJgunner]

Vette. I think that about the only way you could do that would be to get a really big pile of coals going and have the pot literally be buried at least half way into them. Of all the metals used in casting, lead takes the highest temperature to melt. (OK. I know it takes more heat to melt antimony, but usually you'll be using it already mixed in an alloy of some sort which melts at a lower temp than lead. All your bullet alloys will melt at a lower temp than pure lead.)
The idea of a camp stove or turkey fryer is a good one. I think the fryer would be faster, but the stove will work. I recently bought a turkey fryer just for the purpose of cleaning wheel weights when I get large batches as the Coleman stove was too slow to suit me. (Important when cleaning 100 pounds or more of wheel weights or range scrap.)
One thing that will help while you're melting that big chunk down is to plat the flame from a propane torch over it. heats that block up faster.
If you don't have one, contact Bill Ferguson (www.theantimonyman.com) and buy a lead ladle from him. They don't cost all that much, and it will speed up pouring that lead into your ingot molds. It's a hell of a lot safer than trying to pour from the pot too.
Paul B.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I used to do it all the time as a kid....found an old cast iron ladle and some lead in my grandfather's house after he died. I used to melt that lead on the barbeque grill ALL the time. Just pile up the coals and put the container on the top. Be careful that it doesn't get TOO heavy, though.
Remember.....mountain men, soldiers of the Civil and Revolutionary war, ect used melt lead to make bullets around their campfires.
I would, however, NOT use that particular grill to cook food on anymore.....don't know for sure if there would be a concern for lead contamination of food, but why take the chance? Good luck.

[eldeguello]

I have cast many a bullet using an old wood-fed kitchen cookstove with a Lyman cast-iron lead melting pot on the burner. Worked perfectly. I use a set of vicegrip pliers to clamp onto the edge of the pot when it's time to pour the lead into the ingot moulds!