Dipper Talk

[BrushBuster]

You've all been a big help so far, and I think some of you enjoy helping spend my money too!

If I can run one more thing by you all, its dippers or ladles. Not a big cost item, and a guy can afford to get what he wants, but what does he really want? For instance, MTWeatherman just educated me on the "pressure filling" procedure to fill out a mold more effectively, and I hadn't given that a thought. So I do want a dipper that has a spigot matching well to the mould. This definately narrows the choice, and other designs that I'd looked at like the "Rowell Ladle" don't provide that function nearly as well. http://www.theantimonyman.com/ladles.htm

I'm sure a longer sturdy handle with a good wood grip is important, and I also like the idea of drawing the molten lead from below the pouring surface. This might be a good feature to help keep impurities out of your casting. Well, the choice narrows down to the one I made, The RCBS Dipper!

Good choice? If not, please tell me now, I have to get this order away soon.

There's one other glitch, I'm definately left-handed. Ambidextrous in many ways, but not casting. The RCBS dipper seems to have a heavy boss on the left side that I can tap into if required. Don't suppose they make a left handed model?

Well, how did I do? Was my head on straight in thinking this one out? [smilie=l:
Brushy

[carpetman]

Brush Buster---No left hand models available. You'll have to learn to cast standing on your head.

[Dye]

Brush Buster

The older RCBS was ambidxtrous it was taped and pluged.

Be carefull Dye

[Dale53]

I don't suppose anyone has tried to put a "nozzle" on one of the smaller Rowells? That would REALLY be nice.

Dale53

[NVcurmudgeon]

Brush Buster, I am left handed and use the RCBS ladle. It has two advantages over the Lyman in that it is large enough to support my four-cavity H&G .45 cal. 200 gr. SWC mould, and the fin on the bottom edge helps me to rake the dross out of the way between fillings so that I am always dipping from a clean place.

My left-handed casting technique with right-handed equipment is: hold mould in left hand and ladle in right. Fill mould, either slopover or connected, depending on what the particular mould prefers. Leave ladle in pot, switch mould to right hand, pick up mould mallet, cut sprue and drop boolits. Lay mallet down, switch mould back to left hand, pick up ladle in right hand, rake dross aside, and repeat. pot is on right end of bench, with sprue box in middle and boolit dropping pad on left. This requires a slide step to the left and back to the right for each casting cycle. (I always cast standng up, so that I can run if necessary, not wishing to experience a lapful of alloy.) Like most of what I do, it is a learned adaptation to a right handed world. But then, so is driving a car, typing, rapid fire with standard bolt actions, and a number of other activities. One trick that helps is to mount the blocks "backwards" in the handles or where possible switch the sprue cutter to the opposite side.

[hopper_64]

Hi BrushBuster. I'm lefthanded too. I converted my RCBS ladle for lefthanded use by drilling and tapping a hole on the other side. Then I put a bolt in the old hole.
Works great.

Jocke

[carpetman]

You lefties need special everything. They even make left handed playing cards. Is there left handed toilet paper?

[utk]

Sure wish for left handed toilet paper! Once I hurt my right wrist so bad that I had to switch-over to using my left hand. It was "a pain in the ass" without left-handed paper!!!

Urban

[nighthunter]

Brushbuster .... One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the handle of the dipper. You definately want one with wood on the handle. Those Rowell dippers look like they are gonna get real warm real fast.
Nighthunter

[utk]

My Rowell ladle has a proper wood handle. I ordered the ladle with a vertical hole. This way I could bend the rod a bit up, so that I can use it with my 20 lb Lee drip-o-matic if I should like to ladle cast instead of bottom pouring. The scoop will reach down real deep into the pot. Works fine...

Urban

[StarMetal]

You lefties need special everything. They even make left handed playing cards. Is there left handed toilet paper?

Carpetman, I'm surprised at you that you didn't know about the lefthanded toilet paper. Almost everyone knows to convert right hand toilet paper to left hand use you put the roll on the dispenser backwards so the loose leaf of paper hangs over the rear, not the front like in right hand mode.

Joe
P.S. No I'm not lefthanded.

[carpetman]

Starmetal---Despite contrary belief,there is no right and wrong way to put a roll of toilet paper on the spool---it's strictly a matter of preference. Even Emily Post didn't set rules on that one. Know the difference in Navy toilet paper and Air Force or Army paper? It's 6 inches wider to allow for the roll of the ship. Notice I didn't include the Marines? Well they don't get their training on usage until sometimes after boot camp.

[nighthunter]

ROTFLMAO Carpetman. I've been there and seen the wider paper needed. When they weren't using it for toilet paper they used it for reports or you could write a letter home.
Nighthunter

[carpetman]

UTK---I think you discovered the reason there is no left handed toilet paper. Righties hold it in their right hand and lefties use their left hand??????????? I'm sure Curmudgeon will clarify this.

[StarMetal]

carpetman,

On the destroyer I was on the toilets flushed into a pipe that went through the hull of the ship from port to starboard so that if the ship was taking a roll the kaka would flow out one of the ends. Well there's been times when alot of us had been sitting on the crapper taking care of business and usually in heavy seas with the ship going up and down in the water, there's going to be times when sea water is forced back up the piping and you get your ass washed GOOD!!!! How gawdamn disgusting it was I remember.

Joe

[Scrounger]

carpetman,

On the destroyer I was on the toilets flushed into a pipe that went through the hull of the ship from port to starboard so that if the ship was taking a roll the kaka would flow out one of the ends. Well there's been times when alot of us had been sitting on the crapper taking care of business and usually in heavy seas with the ship going up and down in the water, there's going to be times when sea water is forced back up the piping and you get your ass washed GOOD!!!! How gawdamn disgusting it was I remember.

Joe


Didn't I hear stories about guys lighting wads of newspaper and floating it back and forth in that pipe? CarpetMan would have done that but the Air Farce had their latrines on planes. He just dropped brown ice bombs on people...

[BrushBuster]

I shall not bring up the subject of being left-handed again!! [smilie=p:
Brushy

[MTWeatherman]

Brushbuster
NVCurmudgeon already listed the advantages to the RCBS.

I've used the same Lyman for about 40 years and it is ambidextrous. That well may have changed in recent years although current pictures seem to indicate the same handle. Its held up well.

You may want to check out the Lyman if converting the RCBS is more effort than you want to invest. However, if that handle will not pose a problem...your choice is a good one.

[Nrut]

I shall not bring up the subject of being left-handed again!! [smilie=p:
Brushy
You would be wise not to mention anything about sheep also!...from what I've seen around here.....mic

[stocker]

Why don't you cut the handle off at the ladle and get it welded on the opposite side?

[BrushBuster]

Stocker:
I haven't seen an RCBS Ladle up close yet, I was assuming it is threaded into the ladle bowl. If welded in place your suggestion is logical, maybe I'll do both.
Nice to hear from you again, been planning to get a p.m. off to you soon.

[Greg]

Brush Buster-

Here is my ladle technique...All though I am right handed and use a Lyman ladle.

My casting technique is; hold mould in left hand and ladle in right. Fill mould, Leave ladle in pot, push sprue plate open with your right hand (in a leather glove) and drop boolits. Pot is on left hand of bench, with sprue pile in middle and boolit dropping pad behind sprue pile.

I’ve bought quite a few moulds with bent / beat up looking sprue plates. Casting with wheel weights @ 840º the sprue’s cut clean, no more torn bases. Double cavities just take a little more push!

Lately I’ve been using two moulds...fill one, set it down; fill second mould, set it down; pick up first mould push open sprue plate...cast, set it down; it’s harder to ‘splain than to use this system, when I motivate two double cavity moulds I alternate filling cavities...

Well anyway, it works for me.

[stocker]

BB;

I haven't seen one either. I have a ladle from Lyman and a couple others that came from a gold mine assay office. One smaller, one bigger than the Lyman.

Any how if the shaft is threaded in to the ladleI would be inclined to saw it off leaving the stud in the hole. You could put a spot of weld to secure the stub and then try welding the handle to the opposite side

[BrushBuster]

Fella's I gotta tell you how impressed I am with the sharing of information that goes on in this forum. The time and detail alloted to newbies is quite incredible. Not gonna take it for granted, and am recording these threads for later referral. Thank you. :mrgreen:

By the way, I haven't received my first mould yet and today I spotted another one I'd like to acquire. Is this symptomatic of CASTOR ADDICTIVITIS? :groner:

[NVcurmudgeon]

Brush Buster, you won't be considered a completely addicted caster until you buy a mould for a firearm that you do not yet own. (This can be an effective ploy to get the resident Princess to approve aquiring a new gun to make use of the tools that you are "stuck with." An accomodating Princess will let on that she considers it a praiseworthy economy.)

[Buckshot]

................Scrounger, "Didn't I hear stories about guys lighting wads of newspaper and floating it back and forth in that pipe?"

Nope, Joe was talking about the overboard discharge pipes. You're thinking of the old constant flow crappers. Basicly toilet bowls bolted down on the side of an 8" pipe that had seawater bled off the firemain constantly flowing through it.

....................Buckshot

[Wayne Smith]

One thing nobody's mentioned about the Rowell Ladel, at least mine, is that the handle's too long. I had it overbalance out of my Lyman 20lb pot when it wasn't full of lead, only about a quarter full. The Lyman ladel will float there empty with no problem.

If you use the Rowell 1lb be sure to keep it submerged.

[nighthunter]

Starmetal ..... we used to call that the boot camp Bidet. They usually only fell for it one time.
Nighthunter

[Slowpoke]

One thing nobody's mentioned about the Rowell Ladel, at least mine, is that the handle's too long. I had it overbalance out of my Lyman 20lb pot when it wasn't full of lead, only about a quarter full. The Lyman ladel will float there empty with no problem.

If you use the Rowell 1lb be sure to keep it submerged.

I have used a # 1 rowell for sixteen years, never had it flop out of the pot yet.

About a year ago after a long casting session, my arm was aching and I decided right then that if that handle was several inches shorter it would sure make my arm happy, so I rounded up the sawsall and the tap and die set and in about fifteen minutes it was a done deal.

So if you are concerned about it flopping out of the pot, shorten that handle, it's a real simple job. And as a bonus your arm will thank you the next time you use the rowell.

good luck