Like many I use a coleman stove for casting/smelting.
I use the old fashioned 2 burner.
Here are some tricks/tips I have picked up over the past few years-
I use unleaded gas in mine, even the old red tank one (I have a newer gray dual fuel version also).
Probably only run 15-20 gallons of gas through the old red tank stove, it still works.
Would probably be better if was non-ethanol, but e-10 is about the best I can find locally.
But I noticed last year it was having issues, took forever for the flame to settle down after startup.
So I added a little B12 chemtools fuel injection cleaner to the 1 gallon gas can I keep for the stove. Ok so I added way to much cleaner.
First time I fired the stove up on the cleaner/fuel mix there was carbon/junk/burning embers shooting out of it for a while, I just kept turning the flame control up and down until it all burnt out.
The stove now starts up great, the flame settles down almost instantly.
I also noticed during my latest smelting sessions that the flame output didn't seem as high after running 30 minutes or so.
I always try to keep the tank pumped up to full pressure, but that didn't help this time.
Turning the flame control down and then back up threw a nice batch of sparks/carbon.
And the flame got much hotter and louder.
So I have now added this to my routine, when I pump the tank back up I also run the flame control up and down some.
Reinforcing the grill-
My biggest worry with the Coleman stove is the grate, it is just not made for the heat and weight of melting lead.
I have reinforced it some before, but was never satisfied.
So I took a T-post, cut 3 pieces off that fit across the stove long enough so there are ribs/notches holding on the outside of the stove so the pieces cannot easily fall off.
Heavy duty and I think the extra height actually helps spread the flame out on the cast iron dutch oven.
May not be as good for my smaller casting pot, we will see.
Heat shield for the gas tank. The gas tank can get really hot during a long smelting session so I just use a few sheets of aluminum foil to make a heat shield between the tank and the stove, tall enough to go from the bottom of the tank to an inch or so over the top.
I also use aluminum foil as a heat shield around the smelting pot at times. Normally helps on windy days.
But in a recent session I left the heat shield on and it wasn't windy. After the stove was on for a while I checked and noticed the surface the stove was sitting on was really warm, water was steaming off. I normally check the surface and have never seen this before, the aluminum foil was tight around the top of the pot but sticking out at the bottom, catching heat and redirecting it to the stand.
I cooled it down by pouring water on the stand, which will actually hold a little water.
I now add water to the stand/bench top when smelting. Helps keep it cool and cools down lead and slag droplets that fall while removing junk/jackets from the pot.
Yes I am aware of the dangers of lead/water, I am actually very paranoid about it.
But in this case I do not feel it adds much danger.
I am more worried about condensation on my tools/moulds, I have gotten a few snap/crackle/pops on cool humid days when I didn't preheat my tools or ingot moulds.