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O6nop wrote:... I live in a closed in suburban area and am afraid it could alarm the neighbors. ...

The first couple of times I stood out in the driveway and converted wheelweights to lead ingots is how I found out that 3 of my 4 closest neighbors were fellow gun nuts and reloaders. They saw what I was doing and stopped over to see what was going on. I had lived next to them for years and never knew that we shared that interest.

I have poured molten lead into coated aluminum cupcake pans to create muffin-shaped ingots. They were presumably teflon coated, but I really don't know what kind of coating.

However, do not use an aluminum pan to melt your lead. Aluminum gets very soft at melted lead temperatures. I've read of aluminum pans failing during multiple or extended uses, and a big pool of molten lead is no bonus.

Personally, I do not worry about using the muffin pan as an ingot mold. The pan does get very soft, but 1 lb ingots are not a huge risk. There is a big difference between pouring molten lead into a mold that immediately solidifies, versus using an aluminum pot to melt lead, where you are applying heat for an extended time. Much different duty requirements.

There is no point in using aluminum for your melting pot. When I am melting down tire weights, I use a large stainless bowl that I bought from Sam's Club for under $10. No point taking risks with aluminum at that price point.

For example, I don't know if this is the exact bowl I purchased years ago, but it is pretty close: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/13-qt-mixi ... 6380604.ip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;