It’s either too hot or too cold to cast boolits depending on where you live

[ghh3rd]

I was just sitting here (Tampa FL) thinking that it’s funny that in the winter people up North say that they can’t wait for it to get warm enough to start casting, but I’m sitting here thinking that I can’t wait for to get cool enough.

I’ve run out of 452460 boolits but just can’t get myself to go out in the heat to cast. When I finally get the gumption to do it, a thunderstorm rolls in.

[Dusty Bannister]

Consider a casting booth. Mine is about 36" wide, 48" tall and about 12" deep. There is a bathroom exhaust fan in the top, and aluminum flex hose to a plate that can be installed in a window. Too cold in the winter, set it up in an unheated room and allow for air entry as you run the exhaust fan. Too hot, set up in an air conditioned room.

Most of the year it is set up in an unheated shed and I just choose the time of day which gives best comfort. Summer is mornings. Spring and Fall is mostly afternoons. Just be sure to allow for air exchange so fresh air is being drawn into the front of the cabinet as the heat and fluxing fumes are drawn out of the cabinet. Be safe. Dusty

[ghh3rd]

Nice idea :drinks:

[marlin39a]

I cast under my carport. Like you, my 452460 is awaiting some work. I'm thinking my casting season will start in 2 - 3 weeks.

[reddog81]

The weather forecast shows a high right around 90 everyday in Tampa right now. That doesn't bother me as long as I've got a fan blowing on me. I was casting in weather like that last week - 85+ degrees and 85% humidity. That's much better than 10 degrees. There have been times when I finished up up casting session and could barely walk because my feet and hamstrings felt like solid blocks of ice.

I'll admit I cheat and wear shorts and a T shirt when it's that hot.

[Chad5005]

its been in the 90s here but I got out about 10 the other night and cast 540 45 228grain and it wasn't to bad

[Jniedbalski]

It’s also hot in se Missouri 90 pluss every day. It’s also been raining every other day which is very unusual for this time of year. It usally starts raining a lot in late fall. It’s been to hot and humid to shoot or cast for me. When I was younger the heat didint bother me ,but now I guess i am getting soft. Have to use the ac or I don’t do much outside unless real early or late in the evening

[lightman]

Yeah, I'm getting soft too. My MS makes me weaker when its really hot. Being retired, I cast most of what I need in the winter after hunting season is over. Me and a couple of buddies will set up on my work bench and cast once or twice a week. I'll spend the hotter days of July and August sizing and loading. I have enough brass to load batches that will last from year to year.

[fredj338]

Too hot yes, too cold, never. The perfect time for casting to me would be a nice freezing day, but then I cast in my garage & we never have freezing temps here.

[robg]

Usually too wet here,but its been too hot this summer .

[DocSavage]

I cast in my cellar a good 20 degrees cooler during the summer,winter most day's cellar is 55~60 degrees.

[Rcmaveric]

Here in Flordia, either inside during the summer. Or outside during the winter. I prefer to smelt in the winter. If i have to smelt in the summer all safety precautions go out the window as I try to stay cool and not sweat to death.

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[GhostHawk]

I cast in my basement and cast year round.

Tends to be cooler in the summer 60-64 degrees. Cold air from the AC likes to make its way down the stairs.

Winter time furnace runs and cycles the air more. Probably runs 64-68 degrees.

I'm using a magnum melter and I sit well back, keep my nose away from it and I quit worrying about it years back. Everyone has to die from something.

I'll take my lead, butter, bacon and fried eggs thank you very much.

[megasupermagnum]

I cast year round in the garage. I open the front and back door, and with a fan, I get enough ventilation. I've cast from -10F up to 100F. In all honesty, I did start up the sunflower heater on the coldest days. Summer is much worse, no help there, just have to deal with the sweat. The only problem I had was on a windy winter day, my nozzle would freeze on the pot. I could have tried the ladle, but just called it a day. It rains or snows way too often to try casting outside, so I keep the setup in the garage now.

[Tom W.]

I haven't smelted in years, but when I do I prefer the fall. I cast when the urge hits me . I have a shed in the back yard, the front half or so is for my hobbies, the back half ( sorta ) is storage. I have a portable floor model A/C and an EdenPure heater,so i seldom get cold, but there are times that it still gets too hot, even if the A/C has been on for a while. This evening it was fairly cool in there. I had the A/C on, but the easiest way for me to tell is by the consistency of my can of JPW. If it's a bit cool the wax thickens up, if hot, it's runny and needs to be stirred to use it.

[RED BEAR]

Never to cold i love the cold weather . I can breath a lot better in the cold. I try to cast enough to last the summer when its cold. Doesn't always work out 2 new guns of different calibers and had to do some in the heat . I usually start about 4 in the morning and stop around 8.

[Oily]

Hey come to Oklahoma, can be too hot today and too cold tomorrow. 50 degree swings are not uncommon here. I too prefer the cold. As i get older I can't tolerate the heat, but that little Lee 20# can get me comfortable if i'm out of the wind. Darn it I live in OK the wind always blows

[Hickory]

I used to work in an iron foundry, hot metal crane operators as a matter of fact, on one hot day I brought in a wall thermometer just to see how hot it was where I worked and within 10 minutes the bulb at the bottom blow out.
I cast year round, some of guys are a bunch of wimps.

[Bookworm]

I'm in Okieland too, like Oily. I cast (and render) year round. In the summer I don't early, start around 4 am, end whenever. In the winter, I usually wait until it's light outside and have at it.

[DEC505]

Living in Tampa also, I cast as needed . Have two large fans that keeps the air moving,and "skeeters " away. But now I have 12- 5 gallon buckets of wheel weights that need melted down and cleaned. That will have to wait till December .

[Finster101]

Smelting and an afternoon thunderstorm rolling in is definitely a no go. There is no dry area as that squall line rolls through. You guys from Tampa know what I'm talking about.

[Cherokee]

I cast in my basement year round. Smelting is done outside in the fall or early spring.

[Dieselhorses]

So I thought I was the only one who hesitated LOL, yea it's darn hot here in Southeast Louisiana. Right now tying everything down JUST in case.

[toallmy]

I'm a basement caster - so I cast when the weather is bad outside , but it gets hot in my dungeon ( no a.c. ) so a summer casting season is usually a short one . Really looking forward to nice cool weather . A nice dry cool spring or fall day or two get set aside to melt down what ever lead I accumulate throughout the year .

[Brad Cayton]

I cast year round in the basement with AC, a fan in the window and the basement door open.The open door and fan makes it a little warm but not bad. In the winter I do the same and just wear a jacket. Works well till the temps get down in the teens to low 20s. I smelt outside in the spring and fall in my tractor shed.

[Mal Paso]

My pot said it was 81 degrees yesterday when I fired it up. Cast and sized 3-400 429421s. I usually do my casting during the winter rains when road conditions are bad. When I came back from the range Saturday Hwy 1 was packed and every pullout filled. Time to stay home and cast a few.

[Texas by God]

Cold and windy for me and I crack the garage doors E&W and cast for every gun I cast for then.
In my un AC'd shop/loading room it is definintely too hot to cast unless it rains between May and September.

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[samari46]

Living here in Louisiana one does any smelting in the winter or early spring. Was in the garage doing some much needed cleaning and with both doors open was but a short time before I was soaking wet. We had a cold winter and spring and went from spring to summer in a very short time.Funny thing about garage cleaning. You find many suprises as stuff you either forgot about or didn't know you had comes to light. Frank

[jimb16]

Mid 90s and humid here in N. E. Ohio. Unusual weather for this part of the country. But we've had a lot of it this year. Definitely too hot to do much casting. Did manage to make a hundred plus pounds of #7 1/2 shot a couple weeks ago, but that's been it for more than a month!

[MOA]

Well I know what you mean about the weather kinda taking over when you can do some casting. I too living in the south wait for winter to arrive to do most of my casting and smelting. The summers here in Mobile are just too wet and humid to do much, a storm can pop up real quick and as we all know, the lead in a open pot just does not cool to quickly. Well, I finally got fed up with the weather controlling when I could cast so I decided the kitchen was the place and the stove fan was perfect, and the air conditioning was very, very nice.

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[Combat Diver]

Been in the low 90s last few weeks here in NC but I went and casted in the mornings. Open the double doors to my shop, put the fan behind me to blow out the fumes and cast away. Been four long years since I casted last and will be at least another year before I get to again. Headed back down range next week. Been doing a lot of shooting and reloading last 6 weeks.

CD

[GregLaROCHE]

The worst has got to be pouring ingots in the hot summer! I tend to cast boolits in the spring and fall. In the winter my feet get too cold if I’m not moving around much. I guess I could get a new pair of insulated boots. My wife threw away my old ones. I hate when she does stuff like that without asking!

[Reverend Al]

We finally got a break in our hot spell of weather and yesterday the plan was for a friend to come over and we'd cast a bunch of different boolits together. (My casting gear is set up in my reloading workshop with a dedicated casting bench and a hood fan that vents out of the shop through a dryer vent.) Well, I plugged it in and fired up my trusty old RCBS 20 pound bottom pour pot and within a few minutes it quit working! Darn it ... after only about 35 years and 250,000 or so boolits it quit working! Don't know if it's the on / off switch or the heating element for the pot that's fizzled out, but I have a friend who is a wizard with electronics and I'll get him to have a look at it and see if it can be resurrected or not. If not, this old RCBS pot sure doesn't owe me anything considering the service it's given me ...
Another friend of mine bought one of the new Lyman 25 pound pots and he absolutely loves it, so I might have to consider buying one for myself.

[waco]

I live in the Pacific Northwest. I can cast year around without too much temp issue one way or the other.

[Echo]

I was just sitting here (Tampa FL) thinking that it’s funny that in the winter people up North say that they can’t wait for it to get warm enough to start casting, but I’m sitting here thinking that I can’t wait for to get cool enough.

I’ve run out of 452460 boolits but just can’t get myself to go out in the heat to cast. When I finally get the gumption to do it, a thunderstorm rolls in.

Roll out early. During the summer months here in Tucson, I get my casting done before 10AM, sometimes starting @ 0700, casting on the (covered) back patio.