like my "invention"?

[ssn vet]

looky, looky....thermometer stand.

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I'm a newby boolit caster and figured I better spring for a thermometer if I'm ever going to figure this "leads to hot, leads to cold" thing out.

picked one up here for short money here

http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?numrec=20&lastrec=80&sort=1&search=thermometer&UID=2008071611341470

got to thinking about how to keep it stable in my 20# bottom pour Lee casting pot so...
1. it doesn't tip over
2. I get consistant readings
3. it's easy to insert/remove
4. it's not in the way.

I drafted up a plan and today my "maintenance connection" at work fabricated this from scrap alluminum plate and conduit in about a half hour.

8091

all it is is a stub of 3/4" thick 5" wide aluminum plate cut to 5" and drilled and tapped for 1/2 NPT, a stub of 1/2" aluminum conduit with the end already threaded and another stub of 3/8" plate drilled through to clear the conduit (with a set screw in the side) and drilled and tapped to match the thread on the thermometer.

I'm going to wrap the pipe with hockey stick tape in case it conducts the heat, so I can simply pick up the whole assembly and put int in or out of the pot.

It's good to have friends in low places :)

[Meatco1]

Very clever, I'll have to copy your plan!!

Thanks,

Richard

[joatmon]

Nice! I cheeped out of my plan for a nice stand and pulled a top screw out and attached
a part af a chain link (think figure 8) back down. One hole to attach and one hole for the thermometer.
Yours looks way cooler!! Aaron

[JIMinPHX]

I just twisted up a piece of copper wire & jammed the thermometer through a jumble of that stuff. You must have more time on your hands then I do. Looks like you did a real official job on it.

[copdills]

NEAT, very cool

[kingstrider]

I just twisted up a piece of copper wire & jammed the thermometer through a jumble of that stuff. You must have more time on your hands then I do. Looks like you did a real official job on it.

This sounds like something I would do but I am quite impressed with the stand above!

[jhalcott]

I had a case with the bright ring indicating it would not be good for another reload. The Dremel tool and I cut the base off and trimmed about Half the body off. I bent this piece to fit over the rim of the pot. I just drop the thermometer thru the neck and adjust the whole works out of my way as I cast. I have a constant view of the gauge as I work.

[dagger dog]

That looks like what I needed last Fri. My thermometer kept falling out of the Mini Mag furnace, and spattering lead every where. Necessity is the mother of invention!

[Beaverhunter2]

Which thermometer model did you get? Nice stand! I can see something similar in my future!

John

[Southern Son]

Makes me kind of ashamed of the one I made. I 3x2 peice of pine with a hole in the side big enough to stuff a length of dowel. Length of dowel is just long enough to be a little taller that the 4-20. Wrapped around the top of the dowel is the wire handle that comes with the RCBS lead thermomiter.