William Yanda
03-13-2013, 01:54 PM
I finally used the Lee 4-20 I got for Christmas '11 and the 1 oz. slug mold from last Christmas for my first casting session. I have soft lead from 2 sources (Thanks, Captain) both scratchable by thumbnail so I mixed them in equal proportions. I had tin ready but didn't need it. I had prepped the mold by smoothing rough edges off the sprue plate and the key drive portion of the mold and graphiting both with a pencil. Ingots melted fairly rapidly with the dial set on 9. I set the mold on the pot while waiting for the lead to melt. The first slug was frosty, so I turned the dial down to 8. My ersatz casting thermometer-$10 grill thermometer-threatened to peg at 750 so I backed it down to 7.
I found 8 or just under to be more appropriate for my casting rhythm. I had to tap the bottom of the key drive to get the slugs to release and at 7, the lower residual heat made things sticky.
No drips until I got one from the thermocouple which I am not using. Maybe because I replaced the wood knob on the pot with an all brass knob and a couple of washers. When I say tap-I mean lightly, with a wood screwdriver handle. And if you say it didn't happen without pictures.....63916
I found 8 or just under to be more appropriate for my casting rhythm. I had to tap the bottom of the key drive to get the slugs to release and at 7, the lower residual heat made things sticky.
No drips until I got one from the thermocouple which I am not using. Maybe because I replaced the wood knob on the pot with an all brass knob and a couple of washers. When I say tap-I mean lightly, with a wood screwdriver handle. And if you say it didn't happen without pictures.....63916