First time casting today, have a ?

[69daytona]

I have finally collected most everything I need to start casting and did start today.
Casted some Lee TL 200gr swc, some 2200gr swc H&G 68 from the group buy mould. also some 255gr RF all in .45 cal. had no problem with these, they all came out nice, some shinier than others but all useable, my problem was with the 2 cavity molds, one in 44cal, 310gr GCRF most all came out good but the mold seemed to start casting very frosted bullets after about 30 have been casted and hed the same problem with a .501 GCRF which seemed to heat up after 20 rounds cast and took forever to cool so I could drop them from the molds.
Im using a Lee por 4 production pot and all Lee moulds all 6 cavity except for the 44 and 500.
Im guessing the temp is to high and would like to know what anyone with the same set up sets thier setting at. mine was at 6.5 when to hot and turned down to 5 but still had the same problem with the 500s.
I guess I need a thermometer to get it right.
any help would be appreciated.

[mooman76]

I usually have mine higher like 6.5 if I remember right and 7 for pure lead but 5 on one may not be 5 on another. A larger grain mould will hold the heat better because there is more hot lead to heat it and keep it hot just as smaller bullets may require more heat to kkep the mould hot and steel moulds take more to heat up but stay hotter than the aluminum so there are always adjustments to be made. Different alloys also require different temps. Just turn it down a little more if you don't like the frostyness and the bullets will tell you if it's turned down too much. And by the way I top pour which also has a different temp needed.

[garandsrus]

Yep, a thermometer would be your best bet. You are probably casting too hot.

You could also keep turning down the dial until the spout starts freezing. At that point, you went too low. Turn it up a little and you should be good to go.

I turn up the heat for the initial melt and then back down to around 5 when casting. I keep the temp near 650 F.

Another suggestion when casting the .44 and .50 cal boolits is to use two molds. Let one cool while you are filling the other one. Rotating the molds this way allows for more cooling time, while you keep making boolits.

John

[cajun shooter]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. As long as you are using the Lee pots you will have changing temps. You can't even set the dial and expect it to be the same every time. I have owned and used them. Even with a thermometer you will chase the temps. Having frosted bullets is not bad. When using Lee molds you need to run them around 750 so that they cast well. The Lee uses a reostat and not a true thermostat to control temps. It keeps cost down. I'm not saying that you can't use them and bcast good bullets for years. Before someone jumps in and tells me about the good Lee pot they have. I'm saying that when you use Lee be ready to chase temps, wait for heat, wait for cooling, fix drip, take break to cool off after having something break. Don't believe me Do a search on this site and see how many casters curse the day by using Lee. We had some very long forums on this about 4 months ago. For your thermomter needs, look up a co. by the name of TRU-TEMP located in NY. Will make you a nice one for around $34. To your spec in SS. Again you can shoot the frosted bullets. Trying to have them bright and shiney for the world will make you old before your time.

[jnovotny]

Cajun shooter is a wise and well spoken fella listen to
his wisdom. Cast your boolits and enjoy the sport. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[mtgrs737]

Cajun is correct in his analysis of the Lee pots, that is why I spent the extra on a RCBS Pro-Melt. Never a regret in buying it.

[Blammer]

frosted boolits hold more lube!

well at least that's what I was told... :)

also, get a wet towel handy and you can touch the bottom of the closed mould to it to cool it off a bit quicker.

Pace yourself on the casting and they will not be frosted as much.

[69daytona]

Thanks guys for the information, I will get a hold of TRU-TEMP and check out thier thermometers. Im not to worried about the frosted bullets as everything I make is for me to shoot and they look good besides the frosted look.
I did notice a blue film on top of the lead yesterday and from what ive read here its a sign of the tin seperating from the lead so I turned it down and waited about 20 minutes and stirred it up and it seemed to mix back in(no more blue).
This is a great site with lots of helpfull people and I really appreciate all your knowledge and help.
Thanks
Maybe latter next year I will try to get a 600 grain bullet mould made for my S&W 500s and have it converted to a hallow point. Ranger Rick says he has one but hasnt had the time to cast any yet, I love his 535 keith and 600s. his 400 spire points work great also.
For now I will buy these from him and cast the rest of what I need until I get good at this.

[Poygan]

I was trying out a new Lee mold last week and noticed I was getting frosted boolits. I kept turning down the heat (Lee pot) and the boolits continued to be frosted. Now, I've had this happen before but, as I recall, the boolits would come out of the mold frosted. This time, they came out nice and bright but would turn frosted in about a minute. The sprue was setting in a normal fashion and I don't think it was running too hot. My guess is that it was too cold in my garage. Any one else experience this? Any other theories?

[BigShot]

Does anyone know if the Lyman Big Dipper casting furnace has this temp problem?

[runfiverun]

it's mold temp and not alloy temp that causes the frosting issues.

i have been casting since the early 70's and yesterday was the first time i tried a lee mold. [a 2 cavity at that]
it made very nice shiney well filled out boolits, i had to cool the mold occasionally and only had my pot at 700*.
pay attention...

[Grandpas50AE]

My brother had the same problem years ago with the Lee pot that Cajun Shooter posted, constantly chasing temps. He replaced it with a Lyman 20# pot and that worked much better for quite some time, until the vertical supports began to sag (supports on that pot were placed too far away from center of gravity). When that happened, we both got an RCBS Pro-Melt 4 and so far both pots are doing well, at over 25 years of casting and lost count long ago at how many boolits and/or pots of lead have been run through them. Listen to Cajun Shooter, he has broad experience and wisom learned the hard way.

[geargnasher]

R5R is correct. Here's how it works:

Pot temperature needs to be maintained at 100 degrees above the fully liquid point of the alloy. That point needs to be determined carefully for each batch of alloy you use, with a good casting thermometer, otherwise you're pharting in the wind. This has nothing to do with whether the boolits are frosted or shiny, but correct pot temperature is important to the fill of the mould, the oxidation rate of the surface of the molten lead stream (and the surface of the alloy in the pot), and the amount of heat imparted to the mould each cast.

Mould temperature is solely responsible for shiny or frosty boolits. You regulate your mould temperature (once you get it hot, either by casting or preheating) by adjusting your casting pace. You regulate sprue plate temperature by the size of the sprue puddle you make, and the timing of your cut. In extreme cases you can lightly quench the sprue plate, but if you run your alloy at the correct temperature, you should be able to cast as fast as you can and never overheat an aluminum mould.

The brand of thermometer I recall being cheap, good, and from New York is Tel-Tru. They produce Lyman's and RCBS's thermometers I've been told. I have and old Lyman and a new Tel-Tru I got from vendor/sponsor Swede Nelson, who I believe is still selling them for about half what an RCBS-badged one costs.

Gear

[JohnFM]

How about an electric hot plate or a propane burner with a thermometer?
Easier to control heat than a cheap regular lead pot?

[ku4hx]

Does anyone know if the Lyman Big Dipper casting furnace has this temp problem?

Interesting question; I'll be looking for posted answers.

I have a Lyman 10# pot I bought circa 1970 and a Lyman Mag 20 I bought eight years ago I think. Both hold temperature very well according to my old thermometer. Not that one person's experience has all that much meaning.

[joken]

My Lee bottom pour pot can be a PITA, but it only cost me $54 new. That's more than $300 less than the RCBS mentioned above. For $300 I can tolerate cheap. Ken

[supe47]

My Lee 20# is my pre-melt pot. My 35 yr. old Lyman with a PID is my pour pot. For about twice the price of a thermometer you've got a thermometer with digital read out AND it controls the temperature within a couple of degrees. I easily built it with instruction from this site and it allows for infinite experimentation. Even bought an extra thermocouple to use with the turkey fryer. Kids don't like the taste of lead. An acquired taste, I guess.