Large egg shaped bottom pour ladle

[ripshod]

I recently purchased an old large bottom pour egg shaped ladle.It looks like a current Lyman design with about twice the capacity.The hole in the bottom is .250 in diameter and I am wondering if this is going to give me a problem?I usually pressure cast with the ladle fairly tight to the sprue hole.Thanks in advance.ripshod

[claude]

Good question, perhaps you can give it a test run and educate us?

[ripshod]

I only cast in warm weather because I don't have a suitable indoor place to do it ripshod

[claude]

Forgive my ignorance, but is your concern that the 1/4" hole may not provide enough flow to pressure cast?

I ask because I am about to embark on the road to rolling my own and am leaning towards ladle casting over a bottom pour pot for the simplicity. (one less thing to go wrong)

I hope someone with a suitable knowledge set will come along and answer your question as well as mine.

I might add that I am not confused about the differences between a bottom pour ladle and a bottom pour pot.

I am curious if the spout on a bottom pour ladle could cool sufficiently between pours to cause a restriction, or would one leave it in the pot between pours to maintain its heat? Additionally does one always leave the ladle, any ladle, floating in the molten lead between pours?

[Dan Cash]

1/4 inch hole in spout should give excellent flow unless you are casting cannon shells. It will flow well enough that you may well give up pressure casting plus the ladle holds enough metal to let you "bathe" the mould in metal to regulate mould tempeerature. Leave the ladle in the pot between casts.

[carbine]

I have ladle poured in excess of 32,000 500 gr minies. I prefer the ladle over bottom pour. I drilled out rhe RCBS ladle spout to give more flow

[ripshod]

I currently usea Lyman or RCBS egg shaped ladle that I drilled out to .187 and it does okay but If I pour 2 bullets that weigh 350 grains I run short of lead.I was sure that I would have enough force but wondered if I would not get to much.ripshpd

[claude]

@ ripshod,

Thank you, and the other posters as well.

Have a merry Christmas gentlemen!!

[GLL]

What brand is your ladle?
How about a photo?

I prefer a ladle and have several Rowell's and a couple bored-out RCBS.
The RCBS is actually my favorite even for 4-cavity and 6-cavity molds !

Jerry

[ripshod]

I really don't know what kind it is.It has probably twice the capacity of a newer ladle.I don;t do pictures.ripshod

[country gent]

The .250 spout should cast a really nice well filled out boolit as the fill will be fasy not allowing for metal to cool much while filling. I have both lyman and rcbs ladles with the spouts opened up to .205 dia. They now give a much more consistant bullet when casting the heavies I cast 400 grns up to 550 grns. I "over pour mine" I dont pour for a sprue but a ladle full of lead allowing excess to run off keeping the base and bullet molten for as long as possible. Pressure casting and allowing the lead to trickle out around the spout makes it even easier to keep things hot longer.