should I cast today?

[nemesisenforcer]

It got down to 20 below last night. 3 below now. Should I go cast or not?

[dragonrider]

Are you casting in a heated room or heated garage????

[on1wheel01]

Oh Shesh damn that cold of weather. I would say yes if doing it in a warmroom. With ventilation of coarse

[jethunter]

I cast 400 last night in the garage. It was -10 outside but about freezing point in the garage.

Upside: the mold cools fast and casting speed is fast.
Downside: your feet and rear end can get cold sitting in a plastic patio chair - next time i need a cushion to sit on or something with a bit of insulation in it.

[nhrifle]

If you are even thinking of it, of course you should! Embrace the silver stream (figuratively speaking of course, that would hurt!)

[BoolitSchuuter]

I did some casting in the garage today. 25F when I was out there. First time test of an old Ideal 429 244 mould I picked up on Ebay. Boolits came out at 250.5 + or - 1 grain with a .434 diameter. Now to find a sizer and a nose punch :-)

[ipijohn]

You guys have it bad, I plan on casting tomorrow in my temperature and humidity controlled basement with a ventilation fan over my pot to suck out the bad stuff while watching football.

[hanover67]

Do you have something better to do?

[runfiverun]

it's about 0-f here right outside.
i can walk into my casting shop and it's 55-58-f it always is.
i will plug in the pot and go start a fire in the wood stove, when i want to cast.
by the time the fire burns down, the pot is melted and it's about 75 in there.

[1Shirt]

Being a potter with my kilns in the garage, in the winter I cast after the kiln shuts off. Temp even when temp is in single didgets or lower will be between 60-70 degrees for a couple of hours, and will stay above the 40 mark for many hours.
1Shirt!

[rmatchell]

If your able you might as well. Im trying to figure out a way for me to cast today. Wish i would have insulated the shed now

[rintinglen]

My hat is off and I stand abashed, to even be discussing going out voluntarily into sub-zero weather rouses feelings of inadequacy in me. I left Michigan with a snow shovel on my shoulder, and kept heading south til somebody asked me, "What the heck is that?"

[Bwana]

I need to cast another 1000 or so 175gr 40s. Stepped out into the garage yesterday and said, "Screw that." Maybe today.

[waco]

If it feels good, do it!!!!!

[zuke]

Make sure your lead's warm enough you don't get condensation on it.

[nemesisenforcer]

Didn't make it out yesterday. Today's not looking so hot either (by any measure.) Maybe tomorrow. I gotta actually reload the mounds of brass that are piling up on my bench anyway.

[Shiloh]

I've done it. Standing a hard, frozen garage floor is just too much. Last I cast was in later November.

SHiloh

[BoolitSchuuter]

gonna cast some more tomorrow. Guess I got the fever.

[autopilotmp]

I made about 75# of nice clean ingots from a mostly full 5 gallon bucket of coww. found out my old toaster oven will not only warm the ww but will actually melt them.

[BoolitSchuuter]

Just finished casting 300+ of them 44 mag boolits. I am hooked on 2 cavity iron moulds. I hadn't cast with anything other than Lee 6 cavs. Love the production but compared to my iron mould, them things work you to death! once the mould was hot, I had a nice, easy pace going and the time just slipped on by. My back don't hurt and I was nice and warm in a cold garage. Got to find some iron moulds to match my Lees in 45acp, 9mm and 357 mag.

[Beau Cassidy]

If you think 2 cavity steel molds are the bee's knee's wait until you heat up a 4 or 6 cavity one! Wooo hoooo. You will be rolling thru the galena! Once you get everything up to operating temperature everything just goes to automatic and the bullets start rolling out of the mold.

[LittleBill]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was about to post one just like it, only warmer outside, so this got my questions answered. It is supposed to be in the 30s here for most of the rest of the week. I can cast in my shop, but I am not sure I want to do that just yet, so it is probably going to be outdoors to start. The next time will be my first time, although I do remember watching my brother cast, and handling the mold a couple of times back in the mid 70s. :roll:

He got out of it when we graduated from high school. As it happens, today we are both visiting our parents for New Years Day. Dad found a stash of lead in the basement that my brother cast into ingots years ago, but which he is no longer interested in using. He thinks there is about 100 lbs there. I hope he's wrong, and its more like 200. :-D

[jethunter]

My hat is off and I stand abashed, to even be discussing going out voluntarily into sub-zero weather rouses feelings of inadequacy in me. I left Michigan with a snow shovel on my shoulder, and kept heading south til somebody asked me, "What the heck is that?"

I don't mind winter so much, I seem to tolerate and adjust to cold better than heat. I spent 10 years working in the hot places and if i never do that again it will be too soon. But I can't handle the extremes like I once could - I've worked outside in the high arctic at -60F and Oman at +120F in the shade and the one thing I know for sure is - I'll never do that again, LOL.

[Shiloh]

9 degrees, colder in the shade. -8 last night. No casting for me.

Shiloh

[captaint]

I do all my casting outside - so - I'll be waiting for the nicer days. I'm still good till March, anyway. enjoy Mike

[Bwana]

I need to cast another 1000 or so 175gr 40s. Stepped out into the garage yesterday and said, "Screw that." Maybe today.

That was Sunday. Monday was warm enough to get 1000+ done. Lubrisized them today and loaded 900 today.