While the pot heats?

[Duckiller]

What do others do while waiting for your pot to heat up and melt lead? Lee says it takes about 20 minutes to melt a pot of lead, That is a long time to just sit and watch a pot heat up. Generally I have had a clean up project in or around the reloading room to work on while I keep and eye on the pot. Don't want to walk away from the pot while heating, too many posts of leaking pots spreading hot lead all over the place. Also I don't need cats and dogs involved with hot lead. My vet bills are high enough now. Children are adults so they are on their own. Yesterday I just wanted to cast some boolits. After I turned the pot on I had 5 minutes of get ready work then it was sit, watch and wait. 15 minutes is a long time to wait and do nothing. A watched pot heats slowly. I can't be the only one with this problem. What do others do while the pot heats ?

[Doc Highwall]

When I turn the pot on I also turn on the hot plate to warm up the mould/moulds that I am going to cast with and I also put ingots on the hot plate at the same time. I never put cold ingots into the pot, that is asking for a visit from the tinsel fairy and takes a longer time for the pot to get back up to temperature. My hot plate is set for 300-350deg.
I also make sure I have a clean area along with containers to put the bullets into when they have cooled enough and lastly I will put Bull-Plate lube on the mould before I start to pour lead.

[mtnman31]

I don't use a hot plate to pre-heat molds or ingots. It is definitely a good idea and for those that use it I'm sure it is very helpful. For me personally, I don't mind waiting for the pot or my molds to heat up. As it is right now, I just don't need the hot plate. What I usually do while the pot heats up is general cleaning around my work bench. Like many, my bench has a tendancy to get cluttered. I usually use the warm-up time to clean and organize or I'll inspect, prep and clean any of the molds I am getting ready to use..

[DragoonDrake]

I put the pot on then I go about getting the molds out and putting them on handles. Pull out the bull plate and relax (i.e. last bathroom break for about 2 hours). I basically put the pot on first and then pull everything out to actually cast with. My time taker is getting the table out and set up to put the pot on.

[6.5 mike]

Now that it's gotten warmer I lay out the ingots, ladle, & other misc things the afternoon before I'm going to cast. Next morning I plug on the pot, check the moulds over & prep, have a smoke & just wait for things to get rolling. Going to start using a hotplate when I use my lyman & rcbs moulds, have not needed to with the lees, BRPs, & NOE, but does seem to be a good idea.

[swamp]

+1 on getting pot heating first. Then setting everything else ready.

[Von Gruff]

Yeah, turn the gas heat on and put the apropriate pot on to heat. Get the mould cleaned with dish detergent and boiling water and put it on the edge of the gas ring stand against the pot to pre heat. It gets the heat that slides up the side of the pot and is ready by the time the alloy has reached temperature. Get the tray for holding the freshly cast boolits and the bowl for the sprue. Generally then it is a cupof tea and a book while it comes together.
My pot is always topped off with ingots at the conclusion of a casting session and with my pots all holding 20-30 lb I have not needed to top up during a session.
My ingots are in boxes in my gun room and dont get moisture on them and as they are nearly the dia of my pots when the alloy in the pot has cooled I sit the relevant number of ingots in the pot that will bging it back to full. There is a cover over all my pots so on next heat up I have dry pot, alloy and fresh ingots that heat from cold.

Von Gruff.

[mooman76]

I don't use the bottom pour so I don't have to worry about that but I still don't like to leave the pot unattended because of the heat. First I plug it in and then get out what I need, i.e. lead, moulds and such. Generally my bench isn't very clear because of all the other things I use it for so I take that opportunity to straighten that up and maybe straighten up the garage a little too while I'm waiting.

[MT Gianni]

Pre-heat and prep the molds. Get the order down as to which bullets get cast today and what mold get worked. Decide how many I want to cast. Review any printed notes on how each mold casts. Clear out anything I won't need from the nearby space.

[Recluse]

I usually have either some brass prep work to do or some sizing/lubing while the pot is heating up. My casting setup stays up all the time in the shop, so getting molds out and ready and that kind of stuff is a two-minute job--everything is instantly accessible.

But there is always brass to be sized or de-primed or trimmed or annealed, and I keep it separated for those casting sessions when I know I'll be waiting on the furnace to fire up.

Likewise, I almost always have some boolits that need to run through either the lubesizer or the Lee push-through sizers.

If all else fails, I turn on the TV and watch part of a program for a while.

:coffee:

[Echo]

Plugging in the pot is first. Then get ingots out from under the bench, load pot, and put a couple more close where they are available for re-stocking. Place one on top of the pot to pre-heat. Then get out the hot plate and set the mold I will be using on top, and turn it on. Set my cooling tray next to the pot and pour water on the rag to soak. Adjust folded towel next to pot to catch boolits as they come out. Have gloves & plastic sprue mallet ready. Go inside, have a Cherry Coke and play a game of Spider Solitaire. When I win, go out and start casting.

[thehouseproduct]

I usually have either some brass prep work to do or some sizing/lubing while the pot is heating up. My casting setup stays up all the time in the shop, so getting molds out and ready and that kind of stuff is a two-minute job--everything is instantly accessible.

But there is always brass to be sized or de-primed or trimmed or annealed, and I keep it separated for those casting sessions when I know I'll be waiting on the furnace to fire up.

Likewise, I almost always have some boolits that need to run through either the lubesizer or the Lee push-through sizers.

If all else fails, I turn on the TV and watch part of a program for a while.

:coffee:
Me too. I almost always have 5 or 6 different bags, buckets, or piles of brass or hulls laying around waiting for some step in the reloading process to occur to them.

[mold maker]

Arthritis and I move so slow that the pot catches up with us.
Seriously, there is always something left unfinished at the bench.
At retirement everybody thought I would be bored. Now time is what I have the least of, to spare.

[geargnasher]

I leave my pot full of clean lead most of the time, so I just urn it on, stick an iron bread pan under the spout for safety, fire up the hot plate, prep the mould, stick it in the mould oven on the hot plate, go make a cold drink for the session, and pick out a few CDs to listen to. There's always stuff do do.

Gear

[cbrick]

I am soooo far behind with everything I need to get done in the shop I can't comprehend just sitting and watching the pot heat up.

By the time I get the mold on the hot plate, put brass in the tumbler, put away stuff from the last three projects, label a few ammo boxes for the load going into them and on and on. Sheet, the pot was ready a half hour ago, its waiting on me, time to flux & get going.

Rick

[gray wolf]

Well I have it all worked out.
I get all the casting thing ready to go, fill the pot place a little catch basin under it,
Then I set the temp.---- take one last look and then go in the house and report to Julie, Then I wash the dishes in the sink--5 Min. ---after that I help make the cabin look nice and neat, 6 Min.-- then I make sure all the dirty cloths are picked up and place neatly in the hamper, 4 Min.---About that time the dogs need a 5 Min. walk,
I double check and ask if I am released yet, NO! I turn the pot down,
Yes! and I am all set to cast.
Do I do it right ? doesn't everyone do it like that ? :groner:

[casterofboolits]

Fill the pot with ingots, set the moulds on top of the pot to warm up, put a book on DVD in the player, then clean the casting bench and organize my tools. The pot is usully ready by this time.[smilie=w:

[stubshaft]

Like Gear I usually leave my pot full of clean lead (I have different pots for various alloys) and set up my equipment while waiting.

[thegreatdane]

When I turn the pot on I also turn on the hot plate to warm up the mould/moulds that I am going to cast with and I also put ingots on the hot plate at the same time. I never put cold ingots into the pot, that is asking for a visit from the tinsel fairy and takes a longer time for the pot to get back up to temperature. My hot plate is set for 300-350deg.
I also make sure I have a clean area along with containers to put the bullets into when they have cooled enough and lastly I will put Bull-Plate lube on the mould before I start to pour lead.


I am soooo far behind with everything I need to get done in the shop I can't comprehend just sitting and watching the pot heat up.

By the time I get the mold on the hot plate, put brass in the tumbler, put away stuff from the last three projects, label a few ammo boxes for the load going into them and on and on. Sheet, the pot was ready a half hour ago, its waiting on me, time to flux & get going.

Rick


What they said. Between the two of them, they pretty much nailed it.

[Hurricane]

Plenty to do. Set your mold on top of the pot to prewarm and then do the important things. Set your alarm and take a 30 minute nap. If you smoke, this is the last chance till you finish casting. Go to get a cup of coffee and a donut or two. Sit back and just relax. You will change dead time into good time.

[mold maker]

I usually have some WW's to sort while I wait, or acid check some junk pewter.
I found that leaving a full pot at the end to cool, actually shortens the wait for the pot to come back up to temp next time. Something to do with lost heat from less contact with the ingots of lead.
I used to worry about wasting time. Now I'm all about finding more time. Every thing I go to do will take more time than I will have.
I though after retirement I would have time for everything. Who the heck started that lie??

[Blammer]

I set an alarm timer for about 30 min so it reminds me I have a pot of lead on. :D

[FISH4BUGS]

Let's see.....sort those wheel weights.......bring more ingots up from the basement to replace the ones I am about ready to eat up, wash the moulds I am about to use THOROUGHLY and numerous times, set more ingots on the pot to heat, clean off the bench and put stuff back so I can find it when I need it, sweep the shed out, make sure the pot is not leaking (what a mess when you don't pay attention - don't ask how I know), go through the moulds and make sure they are properly stored.....any more stuff needs to be done? Oh yes, lube and size a couple of hundred bullets.
Oh.....sort brass.....forgot that.
Tons to do.....that's why they call it a HOBBY. Best no brainer time on the planet in my humble opinion.

[Mal Paso]

Last casting session I spent my warm up time here. I got into a thread...... First time I seen the thermometer at 900 degrees. Had to come back here while it cooled.:bigsmyl2:

[crabo]

I turn my pot and lube heater on at the same time. I try to lube and size right after I water drop. That way my lube has plenty of time to heat without getting to hot, or not hot enough and having to try to regulate the temp. I also put my mold or molds on the hotplate at the same time.

Then I go do something else for 20 or 30 minutes.

[Wayne Smith]

Got lots to do. Exercise for a half hour, tie a couple of flies, sort something or other, LOML always wants me more organized. Been having that discussion for 36 years!

[Harter66]

Start the pot , sweep the bench and floor,get the mats set,get out the mould/s,set up buckets/towels,get watered up,let the water out,by then its time to roll.