Emptying A Casting Pot

[rr2241tx]

Now and then I decide to empty my ladling pot to try a new alloy. In the past I have generally driven a large screw into the cooled slug and levered it out. This time I decided to get ahead of the curve with a pot full of Lyman #2 that I knew I would not want to ladle again anytime soon, so I plunged a bolt into the cooling pot...head down. Not my finest hour. It seems that Lyman #2 is indeed fairly tough once it has had a week to harden. I ended up cutting it off the bolt with a brick chisel and a 4# hammer. Next time I'm putting the threads in and leaving the head out where I can get a socket wrench on it.
http://i.imgur.com/JK43qas.jpg

[country gent]

I always just pour / Ladle it out of the pot while moltem into ingot moulds. I normally cast my Lyman big dipper pot ( the test pot I use for samll test runs ) down to just around 3 lbs left. When you cast big bullets in the 400-550 grain bullet this little pot dosnt last long. LOL. Casting the bolt threads first may work and may just strip out of the lead. Youll have to try. If you can find a length of square or acme threads thay will grip better as they are deeper threads and the square or 7 1/2* thread angle wont want to slip as easily. A square or Acme thread will have a minor thread dia of close to 3/8" instead of the .440 of the vee thread. A big ladle and several ingot moulds only take a few minutes to empty the hot pot.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

pouring or ladling out the alloy while molten just isn't for you, is it?

[Walter Laich]

pouring or ladling out the alloy while molten just isn't for you, is it?

This is the way I do it, too. I've poured 10 lbs this way and don't have problems.

[jmorris]

Just get a bottom pour pot, plug it in and walk away. From some threads I have read, it seems a sure fire method.

[bangerjim]

Just pick it up with good gloves and dump it! I dump mine into my re-melting pot. Let it cool and cut it into smaller pieces with my dual rotary cut saw.

Or you can spend lots of time pouring ingots out of it! Too much time involved. for me.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Just pick it up with good gloves and dump it! I dump mine into my re-melting pot. Let it cool and cut it into smaller pieces with my dual rotary cut saw.

Or you can spend lots of time pouring ingots out of it! Too much time involved. for me.
speaking of too much time :mrgreen:

Today, I wanted to cast some rifle boolits with 94-3-3 alloy. My Lee pot was 3/4 full of frozen 50-50 alloy (PB-COWW). So I plugged it in, and heated the pot to 700º and I poured the 50-50 alloy into 175gr ingots they were about .401" round :-P It took me about 75 minutes once the pot was warm ...I didn't count 'em but I filled two soup cans. Then I refilled the pot with 94-3-3

[Mk42gunner]

speaking of too much time :mrgreen:

Today, I wanted to cast some rifle boolits with 94-3-3 alloy. My Lee pot was 3/4 full of frozen 50-50 alloy (PB-COWW). So I plugged it in, and heated the pot to 700º and I poured the 50-50 alloy into 175gr ingots they were about .401" round :-P It took me about 75 minutes once the pot was warm ...I didn't count 'em but I filled two soup cans. Then I refilled the pot with 94-3-3
I like the way you think.

Myself, I subscribe to the KISS method of alloy management and stay with one alloy per pot, normally COWW in the Promelt. I do have a couple of Lee pots for when I get the urge to pour 20-1 or pure lead.

I haven't seen the bottom of my electric pots since I first bought them.

Robert

[ncbearman]

Put gloves on and pour if out into your smelt pot or a similar receptacle.

[Lloyd Smale]

I just pour it back into ingot molds.

[Green Frog]

I used to spend a lot of time mixing precise alloys and making 1# and 1/2# ingots (LEE) before starting a casting session. Now, most of my alloy "ingots" are somewhat cylindrical and run somewhere between 95 and 240 grains. I guess I should go back and make some actual alloy ingots for precise bullet casting, but it always seems like other considerations get in the way. :?

Froggie

[TXGunNut]

I like the way you think.

Myself, I subscribe to the KISS method of alloy management and stay with one alloy per pot, normally COWW in the Promelt. I do have a couple of Lee pots for when I get the urge to pour 20-1 or pure lead.

I haven't seen the bottom of my electric pots since I first bought them.

Robert

That's my new method. Quickest way to have a pot full of molten lead is to start with a pot full of cold lead. Ingots take longer. When I'm done casting I add ingots, don't pour them. One pot each for WW, 50/50 and 20-1. Spare pot for specialty stuff; it's the only one likely to be empty.