stuck ignots...

[Maine1]

.. i casted up about 70# of WW tonight, into steel mufin tins. IU now have 36 really nice 1 1/2-2# ignots...stuck in muffin tins. I tried slapping them out to no avail.

I have done this before with diferent tins, and after some hmmering and some harsh language, they come out. I may just cut the tins off, i paid less that 2 bucks for each. i need some cast iron ignot molds.


any ideas? I'm ready to start with the tin snips.

i am thinking the nonstick coating got melted on, sealing the deal.

[Milltown353]

We ran into this with some of the muffin pans we had, we just heated up the base of the pan and then popped them out. after that we banged them out.

[deltaenterprizes]

They are soldered to the pan, the pans are coated with tin!

[geargnasher]

They are soldered to the pan, the pans are coated with tin!

Bingo. A propane torch played across the bottom of the tins will turn 'em loose. Next time, leave your now UNtinned pans outside to lightly rust before using them, the rust will keep the lead from sticking.

Gear

[casterofboolits]

I've got one of those muffin tins in the basement that has been there about 20 years. I keep meaning to take a hot wrench to it, but advanced brain fade seems to set in! I guess it holds about 25 lbs of WW.

I'm going to smelt tomorrow, so ( if I remember) I'll dig it out and put the pan in the pot!

Also need to pop the pot liner out of an old Cleveland Electric 10 kilo pot to get the alloy out of it too! RCBS bought the company and now the black and gray pot is green. Since I now have three of the RCBS 10 kilo pots, I can consign the pot to the scrap heap.

[mooman76]

They won't stick to aluminum. So Aluminum are ok but alot of the muffin pans look like aluminum but are actually tin coated steel, that's why they stick.

[Echo]

Mine is of the non-stick variety, and they pop out just fine.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi Maine 1 and welcome to the forum. Once you get your ingots separated from the muffin pans, be it by heating, cutting, beating or whatever, rewind the tape and lets do it this way. As long as there is a possibility of muffin pans being only plated or made out of steel there is going to be a possibility of lead getting soldered into the same situation you have now. Lead does not, and never wll, stick to cast iron so one suggestion would be to pick up a muffin pan made out of that or a bread stick pan or a cast iron bread mold pan and use that for making ingots. Second idea is that lead will never stick to aluminum so getting the same type of utensils and using those will work. Whatever you chop up the muffin pans with, that you now have doesn't matter-get rid of them. There are also some other solutions; you could also get a Lee ingot mold for 10 bucks, complete with handle and live happily ever after, or chop up someone's bed frame to get a lot of angle iron and have someone weld it together to make ingot molds....that has worked for some folks although welding isn't cheap. Another idea is to go into your nearest Walmart and go to the kitchenware section....there you will find a little set of "condiment ups"-a set of 4 made out of stainless steel---to which lead will never stick either--the set will cost you all of 97 cents. If you are willing to spend $5 you can get 20 of them and they all nest together to take up very little space. You can then pour 20 ingots at a time, each weighing 1-2 pounds...nothing sticks and all you have to do is tip them over and start again. In an hour or two you can smelt an awful lot of ingots and you don't have to "rust" anything to get it to work or worry about anything getting stuck ever again. LLS

[Maine1]

thanks for the help guys, i just got in from the shop. i freed about 5 ignots by peeling off the steel...time consuming. Hitting it with the propane torch did not help.
I said screw it and loaded up some 45 on the dillon.

my new plan is to get other molds, and drop the individual cups into the pot and remelt and cast. it seems the quickest way. I have about 400 more pounds to do anyway, tonight was more of a methods test. Now i know...

funny, but i have other steel tins that do not do this, but it was my intention all along to either get cast iron goods, or make some ignot molds myself. i was thinking 1" chanel would be good, make about a 2# ignot, that will stack well.

I have not posted much, but have lurked here a good bit. Until that Bowie knife thread, i had not been here in a while. Thanks for the help!

[lwknight]

You can just get the heavier non stick pans and use the burner to heat the new pans to red hot so that all the paint will burn off. Your ingots will never stick again.
The pans will also rust very quickly in the presence of moisture so keep them dry.

[Lloyd Smale]

spray them with pam.

[Milltown353]

thanks for the help guys, i just got in from the shop. i freed about 5 ignots by peeling off the steel...time consuming. Hitting it with the propane torch did not help.
I said screw it and loaded up some 45 on the dillon.

my new plan is to get other molds, and drop the individual cups into the pot and remelt and cast. it seems the quickest way. I have about 400 more pounds to do anyway, tonight was more of a methods test. Now i know...

funny, but i have other steel tins that do not do this, but it was my intention all along to either get cast iron goods, or make some ignot molds myself. i was thinking 1" chanel would be good, make about a 2# ignot, that will stack well.

I have not posted much, but have lurked here a good bit. Until that Bowie knife thread, i had not been here in a while. Thanks for the help!

When you make yourself an ingot mold, you should make an extra one for me.

[Pepe Ray]

Don't know which Milltown" your identifying with. There are several in Maine.
There's a bunch of welding shops and shade tree mechanics all over the state. Even some millwrights on this forum/website. With a little local networking, you shouldn't have any trouble finding someone to make you some ingot molds.
Pepe Ray

[jsizemore]

When I have any ingots that stick when I'm smelting, I take the pot off the burner and put on the muffin tin. After 2-3 minutes they pop right out with a little persuasion.

I let new muffin tins set in the weather till they show some rust and look for old used ones at flea markets and thrift shops.

[fredj338]

I would think you could free them w/ a torch. Go iron, works everytime. If you can weld or knwo a welder, 2"-3" channel iron w/ end plates make great molds.http://www.glockpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11329

[geargnasher]

spray them with pam.

Yes, just EASE the lead into them, or you might get a few sputters/pops.

Gear

[Milltown353]

Don't know which Milltown" your identifying with. There are several in Maine.
There's a bunch of welding shops and shade tree mechanics all over the state. Even some millwrights on this forum/website. With a little local networking, you shouldn't have any trouble finding someone to make you some ingot molds.
Pepe Ray

Well when I told Maine1 I didn't weld, he started giving me a bunch of ****. So I figure that if he is so good at welding he should be able to make 2 no problem.

[hoosierlogger]

try putting the pan with the lead in them in the deep freezer for a while. Thats how I get crank bearings out of my chainsaw cases when they dont want to budge

[jawjaboy]

I would think you could free them w/ a torch. Go iron, works everytime. If you can weld or knwo a welder, 2"-3" channel iron w/ end plates make great molds.http://www.glockpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11329

Like this?

[kbstenberg]

Hey Jawjaboy are them purty boats for sale or personal use? How Meany pounds they hold?