Adding nozzle to Rowell bottom pour ladle?

[ohland]

After my eclectic pour-a-thon the other day, the inclusions sorta bothered me. I did try to scrape down my Pro-Melt, and some stuff did come up, but you got the pour rod and the tight space behind it to impede a good cleaning.

The Lyman ladle is OK..., but I'm not pleased with the stuff floating on the top of my melt. Which then eventually gets into the ladle and goes out the nozzle. With the challenge of teeny 22 caliber boolits, I would like to reduce, if not eliminate, dross from my pours.

The Rowell #1 looks interesting, but it has no nozzle.

Note to the haters, I have no Rowell ladle to measure. I am not a metallurgist. Kindly do not ascribe hidden meanings to my question...

Can the Rowell pour spout be filled at the end, then drilled n tapped to install a real nozzle? The Rowell is cast iron. What fastening technique is compatible? Welding (stick, TIG ???), brazing, hi temp solder? Temps will be under 900 degrees fahrenheit. What kind of a plug material will be suitable? Anything that allows the lead to stick to it would be bad.

[country gent]

If I remeber corectly from the few Ive seen the spout on rowel ladles is more oval than round, almost triangular in the oval shape also. A nozzle could be fashioned in several ways. The spout could be drilled to a size allowing threads to be tapped in for a appropriate depth and end squared up then a nozzle fabricated and screwed into place. Perferable with threads that were a snug or interference fit. End of spout could be squared up and a nozzle fabricated to fit snugly in the existing nozzle and welded in place. This would require some skill on thin cast iron ladle and steel nozzle but could be done. Cast iron if not properly pre heated and preped is noted for cracking. The idea of brazing or soldering may not work as lead temps are very close to thier melt temps also, and may weaken them. Even the no.1 rowel ladle is about a pound of lead a lot of extra lifting handling for small bullets. As an aside a half piece of tubing ( steel brake line or thin wall tubing around 3/16- 1/4" cut in half) cut and fit to radious inside a lyman or rcbs ladle open from bottom and tacked in place may be a more usefull ladle for use. The spout on the lymann ladle could be opened up and the tube fit thru it into place and location then tacked on inside bottom edges and outside of the remaining spout. A snug fit may allow testing before welding even depending on expansion rates. You might if dead set on the roel try it as is vefore jumping to modify it. Or start from scratch and make a ladle do do exactly what you need. A little work with some soft steel hammer punches and a simple cup foprm you could hammer one out.

[ohland]

As an aside a half piece of tubing ( steel brake line or thin wall tubing around 3/16- 1/4" cut in half) cut and fit to radious inside a lyman or rcbs ladle open from bottom and tacked in place may be a more usefull ladle for use.


True, I do not have a six banger mould that needs a lot of lead.

Issue is how well would steel tubing take being tacked to cast iron? I don't think it would need to be liquid tight, just close enough to keep crud from getting in between the sides of the tubing and the bowl...

Not too much thought, but...

drill a Lyman out to allow passage of stainless steel tubing, turn a collar to fit over the tubing INSIDE of the ladle, weld/braze/solder it in place, push the outer end of the tubing thru the drilled hole. Fasten a nozzle on the tubing that comes out the outside of the ladle. This way, we get past the fiddly issue of tack welding the tubing INSIDE of the ladle, which would be a VERY tight fit, even for stick. Imagine screwing up and touching the stick to the edge of the ladle...

Brazing temps for stainless look to start @ 1100 and reach @ 1800. I don't think that I have ever reached 900 F.

Shucks, if the brazing can take the lead heat without letting go, it might be possible to drill the ladle, and stick in a nozzle / tube. For quick n dirty types, you might be able to use a pin or set screw to hold the interior tubing in place without brazing. Insert the screw from the top of the ladle, forcing the tubing down towards the bottom of the bowl.

Or... drill n tap the ladle for a nozzle, make up a nozzle with sufficient ID to tap for matching threaded stainless tubing, thread the nozzle to mate with the ladle....

[country gent]

Braize may not melt but like an alymunum pot used for melting lead, lead heats may weaken the bond to where handling use vibrations break the bond of the material. Tig welding could be done with the electrode extended just light tacks with no filler would be needed. The gas flux would fill the cup of the ladle allowing for this to be done. As I stated the welding would be tricky. I have been thinking about a #1 rowel ladle for several years and have thought about making one from scratch. A piece of 1/8" thick flat stock could be heated and formed into a bowl then the tubing fit into it and welded. As another thought. do away with the spout on the lymann drill a hole in the bottom and fit tubing over the hole on outside around the side to the nozzle hieght weld and finish end and sides.