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General

There are different types of leadmelters for sale. These vary from a simple cast-iron meltingpot to highly professional leadmelters. The difference often can be found in the amount of lead a melter can take. But some professional melters have a "bottom feed" aswell. This means that you can hang your mold in a guide under the melter and with a mechanisme you can drop lead in to the mold. This mechanisme usually consist out of a steel valve at the bottom of the pot that can be opened with a steel handle. This kind of melters are very suitable for jigheads. But not so suitable for pouring spinnerbaits. The wire-frames are in the way (They stick out of the mold and therefore the mold can not be placed in the guide under the melter).

Power

Most melters from America aren't fitted for use in a 230V power enviroment. If you want to buy a melter ask this in advance to avoid any problems. If you forgot or already have a melter like that, there is a solution. You need to buy a transformator seperatly. A 230V version is just so much easier in the Netherlands and some other parts of europe!

Melting

Don't place the melter on a surface that can burn. Most melters have the nasty habit of getting extremely hot. Cut the lead in little pieces and put them in the melter. Put the melter on and let the lead melt. Make sure the lead has the right temperature. If necessary you can remove any slack with an old tablespoon. Heat the lead just enough but make sure it doesn't get to hot. Otherwise the different alloys in the lead will separate from eachother and the lead gets useless. A bad product will be the result. If the lead has the right temperature a little copper shine is on top of it.

Tips

  1. Make sure you are allways working in a good ventilated environment. While melting there are toxicating vapers coming from the lead. Enhailing to much of these vapers could cause serious helthproblems and even death.
  2. Be cautious when you are working with melted lead. It is extremely hot and can cause serious burns, when you are not paying attention. Make sure that there can get absolutely no water in the melter. One drop is enough to let the lead explode through the room.
    MELTED LEAD AND WATER JUST DON'T GO TOGEHTER!!!



  3. Make sure that your pouringspoon, zalled a laddle is hot aswell. Otherwise the lead cools of in the laddle and a bad product is the result.
  4. Make sure that you have enough lead in your laddle to pour the cavity in one time. If you have to refill your ladle and pour a second time in the same cavity a bad uneven product is the result.


Everthing that involves leadpouring and lead melters can be found at Lureparts.