A Casting Method I'd Never Tried

[JohnH]

I've read a few accounts over the years of casting with two molds, but never really gave the method a try untill my last few casting sessions. Don't think I"ll ever go back to using a single mold. I've found that I can cast longer and make a greater total number of boolits and supply for two different guns or two different bullets for the same gun. I also find that some of the trouble I've had with lead smears on top of the blocks/bottom of the sprue plate resolve themselves. As well, the time that I spent waiting for the sprues to cool is now spent opening and refilling the other mold, I'm going going at a more relaxed pace, yet making more boolits.

Since I"m not holding a mold constantly, my hands don't get nearly as cramped as they do when casting with a single mold that I never let go of. Even the brief period of flexing between setting one mold down and picking up another creates enough relaxation of the hand/finger muscles to make a difference. As well, the extra movement created in my path of motion between the two molds, the pot, and the pad I drop boolits on makes enough difference to relive my back enough that I can cast between 2-- and 2 1/2 hours with stopping. I step away from a casting session able to do something else and I'm making about 500 boolits at a whack.

I start each session by plugging in the pot, and setting one mold one top to preheat as the melt come up to temp. When the melt is hot, I begin to cast boolits with that mold, placing the other on top of the pot to preheat. after a bit, 20 casts or so with the first I then begin to add the second into rotation, opening and refilling one, settting it down then opening and refilling the other...repeat for 2 hours or so or tired.....

If you haven't tried this, give it a go, it improved my casting sessions in several ways.

[Bent Ramrod]

JohnH,

That's a close description of what I do as well. I was never able to do the two-mould casting exercise while I had my Lee 10-lb pot, but when I finally burned it out and replaced it with a Lee 20-lb pot, it suddenly became very easy to do.

We are not merely ladling or dropping lead into moulds, we are also doing the same operation with quantities of heat. The more heat available in the pot, the more of it can be spread around in moulds.

[jhalcott]

I use 2 molds or more at a time. I also use a 10 pound lee pot. If I'm using large dia molds ,it's 1 or 2 at most. Smaller calibers some time have 3 molds running. This is NOT possible with the 6 pack molds! ONE of them at a time please!

[Lloyd Smale]

hell i usually run 4 at a time. Only time it gets tricky is if your running 3 steel molds and one aluminum but sure isnt impossible. Any fewer then 3 and its harder for me then 3 as i cant stand waiting.

[Calamity Jake]

I always run 2 moulds at a time with a 20lb bottom pour, been doin it for over 25 years. tried 3 a time or two but couldn't keep em hot enough for very long.

[jackley]

I always run 2 or more myself.
Jerry

[Three44s]

The trick with multiple mold casting is to not let go of the handles too soon.

If you do ...... you get finned boolits as the molds are opening slightly with alloy still molten inside the cavity.

Three 44s

[Bret4207]

Use the BruceB method and the lead smears never happen.

[Bass Ackward]

Absolutely, but it works best when separating the bullets later if you use different calibers or vastly different bullet designs. I never seem to get them all. :grin:

[StrawHat]

For marathon sessions, a couple of lead pots help.

Casting from one while the other is melting.

Multiple molds makes quick work of 10 or 20 pounds of alloy.

Still haven't tried to cast with my GBs.

Not set up since the move.

[Walter Laich]

not to sound like a broken record but the above posts are close to what I do.

I haven't decided if I like casting the same bullet using two molds or two different bullets. It doesn't really make a difference as far as the total number cast but if using two different types I notice that it takes forever for the piles to grow--with two identical molds I can really create a pile in short order

Walt

[RANGER RICK]

I usually run 4 molds at a time unless I am way low on a bullet style then I use one mold and speed cast using the damp cloth method .

RR

[Calamity Jake]

To keep different boolets separated use a bigger pad and drop em in different places.
Water dropen? use to buckets.

[Ifishsum]

I tried doubling up today thanks to this thread and found it works well for me, as well. My boolit bases came out a lot better because the sprues were cooling a little more and cutting instead of tearing - I guess I was impatient before and cutting them just a little soon. I started preheating the mold on the top of my melt as soon as I poured the first one, and was able to start in on the second one on about the fourth pour of the first (both Lee double cavity molds and pouring with a Lee 10lb pot). Not as hard as I thought it would be.