Ideal Temp. for casting?

[Wilson]

Greetings to all,
I'm still trying to get shootable boolits for my 9mm and my 38. I got a thermormeter yeasterday and found my Lyman 10# pot was only heating the lead to 640 degrees. I think this is a large part of my problem. What say you? I've read that 800-850 is best. Can anyone confirm? Is there a way to get more from my econo pot?

[kooz]

I get my best results @ 800-850 from a bottom pour LEE pot

[Bret4207]

Try searching for articles here on pot temp adjustment. I don't own an electric pot. Tools of the devil donch'a know. But I think they're adjustable. You need more heat.

[Wilson]

Bret,
What do you use? I'm thinking of using my turkey frier with cast iron pot and try and maintain the temp at 850.
Bill

[NVcurmudgeon]

According to an RCBS thermometer my moulds are happiest between 725 and 775. I check teperature after adding preheated metal, fluxing and skimming. This with straight WW alloy or WW + 2% tin. At this temperature range my boolits are frosted.

[ben1025]

I had a old lyman furnace that had a adjustment screw in the middle of the adjustment shaft. Remove the adjustment knob and there was a little screw.
Turning that screw made the furnace hotter. It may be the same for your furnace.
Used that furnace for 20 years until the heating element went bad. Mine was a 20# not a 10.

[Shuz]

I use 3 bottom pour furnaces. Each has a different alloy or "pure" lead. I have found that the furnaces that have 3:1 (WW:Lino), or WW+1%tin, give me excellent boolits, with perfect fill-out, as long as I maintain a temperature, as read by a thermometer, of between 700 to 800 deg F. With the "pure" lead furnace, I get acceptable .44 "noses" from 650 to 750 deg F. If I'm casting with aluminum moulds, I do find that the closer to 800 deg F., the better the boolits. Iron (meehanite?)moulds are much more tolerant of the lower temp range of 700 to 800 deg F. in my 45 years of casting experience.