Lee Ladle Required for Lee Aluminum Molds? Huh?

[Airweight38]

I need some clarification:

In my Lee Modern Reloading (Second Edition) book, it says that you should only use a Lee ladle in a Lee aluminum mold, because otherwise the type with spouts built into them will create a "hot spot" in the mold which will cause a cavity in the bullet, make it off-balance and eventually ruin the mold.

I went out to Midway to find a picture of a Lee ladle and I can't see anything much superior about their design...

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/shoppingcart/ladle.jpg

Do I really, really need to buy a Lee ladle to use with this mold? I know for a fact that my dad cast hundreds of times using this same ladle and mold without trouble.

Is this just a shameless shill for another Lee product, or is there something to this?

I'm attaching a picture of my ladle.

[garandsrus]

Is this just a shameless shill for another Lee product?.

Yep.... The Lee ladle is pretty much a joke. It holds very little alloy.

[mooman76]

Personally I like the Lee ladle. It is simple to use and works good for me but no you don't have to use the Lee. I tried one of the others after awhile but it didn't feel comfortable to probublt because I've been using the Lee too many years.

[runfiverun]

what........ lee advertising [shamelessly] their own products???
just get the leadd in the mold the way the mold likes it.
pressure no pressure , over the hole,swirl it in,fast,slow. whatever.
the only thing that matters with a lee mold is that they are clean and hot.

[jack19512]

Yep.... The Lee ladle is pretty much a joke. It holds very little alloy.






I guess that would depend on the mold you use. I use the two cavity molds and the Lee ladle holds plenty of lead. I have used the Lee ladle since I started casting and have had no trouble with it at all. As far as having to use the Lee ladle with the Lee molds I can't see how that could be. I pour the lead into my molds and have had no problems. I don't think my Lee molds can tell what kind of ladle the lead is coming out of. The Lee manuals do seem to push Lee products.

[wiljen]

I bought a lee ladle and consider it to be one of the worst casting purchases I've made to date. It is stamped sheet metal, small, and generally no more useful than an average kitchen spoon. Rowell ladles put them to shame if you do large bullets or multi-cavity molds.

[C A Plater]

The Lee ladle is superior to the Lyman and RCBS for removing dross from the melt and scraping down the sides of the pot. ;)

[DLCTEX]

Lee ladle beats a table spoon. If it would damage the mold to use other ladles then they need to warn against pressure feeding a mold. It's a non issue.IMHO

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`ll admit I have a LEE ladle, I also have an RCBS and a Lyman. I tried to use the LEE for about a months worth of casting, weekends. On the last weekend I finally had had enough and the ladle went singing across the barn. I tried using the RCBS ladle and found it too long and with cast iron ridges on the bowl that I ground off after I shortened the steel main rod by almost 2". The Lyman has been the best for me and is still in manfacture after all these years. I did find a good use for the LEE ladle, digging holes to plant flowers in the garden.[smilie=w: Robert

[HeavyMetal]

I have a Lee ladle, a Lyman and a Rowell and an RCBS.

For fluxing, adding old boolits to the pot, and scraping down the sides the Lee is tops! Might work well on small single cav molds, don't know won't try!

For singles, HP'S, and 2 bangers either rcbs or Lyman workS great! Depends on which one I lay my hands on first!

4 to 6 bangers get the Rowell especially if I'm working two molds! I do need to shorten the handle on it by about 4 inchs other than that nothing else pours like a Rowell!

As far as the "required" Lee ladle? Well this isn't the first time I've suggested that Lee products are good, for the most part, but Lee mangement really thinks the buying public is a bunch of dummies!

[LarryM]

The wooden handle on my Lee ladle loosend up so much it wasn't safe to use. I pitched the handle and welded a 8" or so piece of 1/4' square stock steel and use it when I flux.

[shooterg]

Hardcast416taylor - Cannot believe you can dig flower holes with a Lee ladle, you must just have potting soil for dirt. Mine bent when I dropped it on the floor ! I left it bent, so I can ladle lower in the Lee pot that I gave up trying to use the dripomatic feature on. I'm gonna get better stuff before I become a Boolit Master in my old age !

[anachronism]

I have five LEE ladles. When the handles burn off them, I replace them with cut off pieces of broomstick. I only use them for fluxing & scraping. My Lyman ladle is what makes the bullets.

[405]

Have had a couple of them. Still have one. I peened/filed the spouts off both sides and use it exclusively for fluxing, scraping skimming dross. Don't have any Lee molds so don't know what that is all about??? Can't imagine full mold fill-out with a Lee ladle when the the big 500 grainers won't fill-out with a bottom pour. For sure need a Lyman type ladle for decent bullets with the big bullets in the iron molds.

[MNruss]

I don't have the book here at work, but I was under the impression that it was "pressure ladling by rotating" that they were recommending against w/ Lee aluminum molds, saying that it can create hotspots on the sides of boolits.

[skeet1]

For you older guys; some of Lee's advertising borders on Herters advertising. I am a great fan of Lee products however the ladel is not one of them.

Skeet1

[Airweight38]

The wooden handle on my Lee ladle loosend up so much it wasn't safe to use. I pitched the handle and welded a 8" or so piece of 1/4' square stock steel and use it when I flux.

This probably sounds corny as crap, but when I replaced the handle on my Dad's old ladle, I put a metal hose clamp (like a band clamp) about 1" down from the hilt. I plan to tighten it as it burns. Figure it can't hurt and might help it to keep from splitting, too.

[R.C. Hatter]

As far as I'm concerned, I have fed my Lee Moulds with both Lyman and RCBS ladles over the years, with complete satisfaction. While I don't blame Lee for hawking their stuff, you and cast just as well or better with the above mentioned ladles.

[dromia]

The Lee ladle isn't totally useless, keep the handle as a spare for ingot moulds before you thow the rest of the ladle away.

[corvette8n]

likewise I use my ladle to stir the melt and scrape the sides of my bottom pour pot.

[leadman]

I found the answer why Lee stated you had to use their ladle with their mold.
It was in the Dope Bag of a December 1971 American Rifleman.

The original Lee molds were very small single cavity aluminum molds for pistol bullets only. They were so small the wave washer on the sprue plate screw actually covered part of the pouring hole in the sprue plate.

This make it very difficult to use a convential ladle with a nose type pouring spout.

There is also an ad in the same magazine for the mold and handles for $8.98.