Fluxing & ladle casting

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

So, the sawdust fluxing has me intrigued, but I ladle cast at present. Is it possible to flux with sawdust and remove the crud enough to use a ladle? I see how it would be good in a bottom pour, by keeping it as a "lid" on the melt to prevent oxidation.

I've tried the paint stick, and while I liked the results, I didn't appreciate the stick flaming up and toasting my fingernails :mrgreen:
Jim

[Bret4207]

Jim, use a heavier stick. Something like a 1"x2" about 12-16" long work great and last a long time. You won't get any flame up either if you use hardwood. I tried using some pieces of beveled pine siding (clapboard) once. I should have know better but it was handy and I'm lazy. I must have hit some tiny pitch pockets, smelled nice in a Pine-Sol sort of way, but the flames were as bad as wax or boolit lube.

I'm a pretty died in the wool ladle guy. Using the common Lyman/RCBS style ladle I don't have too much issue keeping the gunk out of the ladle. Flux, clean it up good and dip from the bottom of the pot. Usually the flow of the alloy will carry the gunk off the top of the melt, like an over filled bucket letting the dust flow off in the excess. The tiny bit you get tends to float in the top layer, not where we draw from, as long as your ladle is good and hot.

[cbrick]

Is it possible to flux with sawdust and remove the crud enough to use a ladle? Jim

Sure it is. I mostly ladle cast with a Rowell bottom pour ladle. I use sawdust exclusively as flux. After fluxing I use a stainless spoon to skim off everything from the top of the melt. Should there be a little ash left on the melt it's no problem with the bottom pour ladle, anything that may be floating in the ladle doesn't matter because the ladle pours from the bottom.

Bret has posted in the past a dis-like of the Rowell ladle saying it's too big and the handle is too long or something to that effect. Rowell makes many sizes of ladles and I suspect he has the wrong one. I have Rowell #1, #2 and #5. #5 is useless for casting bullets, it is far too large but I use it for smelting and it makes 5 pound ingots in one pour. I use #2 for large bullets in 4 and 6 cavity molds, it's handle was too long for me but not after I shortened it. #2 probably is a bit large for most 20 pound pots and under but I use the Magma 40 pound pot and it works well. Rowell #1 is my most used ladle and is perfect for all two cavity molds and most all 4 cavity with about 180 gr. or smaller bullets. #1 is about the same size as either the RCBS or Lyman ladle.

Hope this helps,

Rick

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I'll give it a try!
I'm using a homemade ladle at present, it pours off the top. I will check into a bottom pour ladle, I do like that idea :D

[cbrick]

Jim, at the top of this page click on the link "Roto Metals", they are a sponsor of this site and in addition to casting alloys they also have the Rowell ladels.

Rick

[cbrick]

This should help,

Roto Metals, Rowell Ladle #1 (http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/casting_ladle_bottom1.htm)

Rick

[montana_charlie]

Advance Car Mover manufactures Rowell ladels.
Their price on the #1 is four bucks (~20%) lower, but I can't give you a comparison of the two companies' shipping charges.
http://advancecarmover.thomasnet.com/item/rowell-ladles/rowell-ladle-1/item-1018?

CM

[bumpo628]

Try either of these two cast iron ladles. They have a hole in the side that makes it easy to pour. The cast iron helps keep the heat too.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=286579
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=283142

Or, you can take a standard kitchen SS ladle and punch a hole in the side near the top. It will hold enough lead to keep the heat and the lead skinning over will not affect your pouring either. If you want, I can take a picture of mine. You also need to bend the handle a bit to make it easier to pour.

[cbrick]

Advance Car Mover manufactures Rowell ladels.
Their price on the #1 is four bucks (~20%) lower, CM

Perhaps so but I have yet to see Advance Car Movers support this site even though this site has undoubtedly been responsible for the sale of many, many ladles.

Roto Metals has been a steady supporter/sponsor of CastBoolits for some time now. They are supporting us, we should support them.

I would spend four bucks for that reason alone.

bumpo628, the whole point has been bottom pour ladles, neither the RCBS or the Lyman are bottom pours and of course the Rowell's are cast iron.

Rick

[BABore]

the whole point has been bottom pour ladles, neither the RCBS or the Lyman are bottom pours and of course the Rowell's are cast iron.

When you tip a Lyman or RCBS ladle so the spout is pointing down (like when your filling a mold), where is the lead coming from? Mine comes from the bottom of the ladle.

[gray wolf]

I ordered my #1 rowel from our sponsor, it was shipped from the other Co.
As the address did not match our sponsors address. I paid the extra money anyway.

Support our own


Sam

[Wayne Smith]

My Rowell #1 is a 1/2 lb ladle. That's probably twice the capacity of my Lyman ladle. They are both bottom pour.

[Bret4207]

When you tip a Lyman or RCBS ladle so the spout is pointing down (like when your filling a mold), where is the lead coming from? Mine comes from the bottom of the ladle.

Beat me to it.

FWIW- I find the Rowell #1 to be a bit too big for 1, 2, 4 and most 6 cavity moulds under 200 grs or so. When you get up into a 6 cav of 250 grs or so or a 10 cavity then the Rowell shines. You'll also need to shorten the handle since it's not made for fin work.

[leftiye]

It is quite easy to weld a short piece of pipe into the spout of an open topped ladle to make it into a "bottom pour." And this way you can have any size y'all wants.

Has anybody thought of using the spout on a hooded ladle as a way to pick up lead from below the surface where the slag is? And then have a bottom pickup tube in the spout on the other side of the ladle (so that whatever oxides etc there may be don't get into the mold)?

[captaint]

I got a Rowell #2 from Rotometals. I think it holds 4 lbs. I only use it for smelting. I am thinking about getting a bigger one, though. Maybe 6 lbs. I notice the bigger one has a "handle" thing down by the bowl. Good idea. enjoy Mike

[cbrick]

I got a Rowell #2 from Rotometals. I think it holds 4 lbs. I only use it for smelting. I am thinking about getting a bigger one, though. Maybe 6 lbs. I notice the bigger one has a "handle" thing down by the bowl. Good idea. enjoy Mike

Unless you have a very large smelting pot I would stay away from a ladle that large, if you feel the #2 is a bit small for your smelting I think you would be very happy with #3. #5 has the sliding handle and is too large except for full and "big" smelting pots.

Rick

[cbrick]

You'll also need to shorten the handle since it's not made for fin work.

Bret, something odd here, I still suspect that your Rowell isn't #1, sounds to me like you have #2. Do me a favor and measure your handle length and the distance across the bowl and I'll compare it to my #1.

I did shorten the handle on my #2 as your suggesting. I screwed the wood handle off, cut the rod off the full length of the wood handle, threaded the shortend rod and screwed the handle back on. That worked great for me and the handle on my #2 is now approx the same length as my #1.

Rick

[Bret4207]

I ordered the smallest ladle they made, the handle was a good 12" long. I shortened it to about 6". -I'll try and remember to measure the bowl.

[snuffy]

I have a couple of rowel ladles, #3 and 4. I use them while smelting, makes for quick fill-up of ingot molds.

If I use a ladle to cast boolits, I use a Lyman BOTTOM POUR ladle. The tapered spout allows you to pressure cast by seating it against the sprue plate. I tried dribbling the lead onto the sprue plate once, failure to fill-out, rounded bases and driving bands. Better to simply bottom pour with the pro-20. My big boolits, 45 rifle and now the 50-700's need to be pressure cast using a ladle. The spout on the lee 20 is NOT long enough to pressure cast anything!

The rowel and lyman/RCBS ladles all work the same way, the lead being poured comes off the bottom of the ladle. Difference is the rowel simply has a lip instead of the tapered spout of the lyman.

[montana_charlie]

Bret, something odd here, I still suspect that your Rowell isn't #1, sounds to me like you have #2.
Isn't the number cast right on top of the boss that the steel handle rod screws in to?
It's there on all of them ... # 3, and up ... But, I've never looked at a #1 or #2.
CM

[BABore]

Rowell #1 ladles could be ordered with either a "short", or standard long handle when I got mine.

[cbrick]

Rowell #1 ladles could be ordered with either a "short", or standard long handle when I got mine.

Hhmmm . . . Learn something new everday at Castboolits, I never knew that. I must have gotten lucky with my #1 cause the handle is fine, my #2 handle was way too long for my liking but now it's like Goldi Locks Pooridge . . . Just right.

Rick

[cbrick]

Isn't the number cast right on top of the boss that the steel handle rod screws in to?
It's there on all of them ... # 3, and up ... But, I've never looked at a #1 or #2. CM

I thought so too, I looked and it's not on my #1 or #2 but is on the #5.

I'll look at the #3 and see if it there.

Rick

[GLL]

I shortened and rethreaded the rods on the handles of my smaller Rowell and RCBS ladles. Makes for much better control with my old shaky hands ! :) :)

Jerry

[BABore]

A big improvement to the #1 (short handle) is to file a "V" in the pour spout with a triangular needle file. It gives you a much finer control so you can shoot the sprue hole without a gurgle.

[cbrick]

A big improvement to the #1 (short handle) is to file a "V" in the pour spout with a triangular needle file. It gives you a much finer control so you can shoot the sprue hole without a gurgle.

Oh great, another thing to add to the "to-do-list".

The harder I work on that list, the more things I get checked off the list . . . . The longer the list gets, it just keeps growing and growing.

Rick

[casterofboolits]

I use a #5 Rowel ladel for smelting. It is great for my cast iron, eleven ingot muffin pans.