Hot Plate info

[HeavyMetal]

I have wanted to try a hot plate for keeping molds warm for about 4 months now.

Having the hardest time locating the legendary and Mythical $7.00 hot plate!

ON-line best buy I can find is $14.95 and shipping, wal mart, K-mart all seem to want $19.00 to $20.00 for one!

Then today, as we are exiting the grocery store, hay dad lets hit the Wal Grens and ses if the got one! As it was right across the street we went for it.

Sure enough they had three in stock, two more than everyone else, and they were only $9.99!

This was what I was looking for! 1000 watts way more than I need for heating molds but at least I have some adjustment range!

For those looking I think this is the best price around!

Now I'll get me a 3/8's ( maybe 1/4") thick round plate at the scrap yard and weld a round piec of steel with a hole in it just big enough for my hollow point pin to set in! This sholud help with HP production a bunch!

I'll let you guys know how it works!

[Bret4207]

Whatever you get make sure it's at least 1K watts, more is better, and of the open coil design, not the smooth topped type.

[GP100man]

around here all i can find is the smooth top& only 800W, been hittin every store & yard sale i can & no joy yet.

GP100man:cbpour:

[HeavyMetal]

Thats exactly what this is open coil and 1K watts.

[jar-wv]

I think I found mine at Kmart or Wally World. Forget the price but it must have been cheap or I wouldn't have bought it.

jar

[Ancesthntr]

I saw a 2-burner Coleman-type stove that hooks up to propane over at Maomart this weekend. About 20 bucks, and I'm not worried that it'll pump out insufficient heat. I also saw the connectors for a big propane tank (not the little 1# things that are very expensive, relatively speaking), and an iron grate with legs that fold out so that the platform is up about 6 or 7 inches, with a platform size around 12"x18". The whole deal will cost me about $65, and I'll be using it for years and years.

EDIT: OK, I found a far superior product, for a very good price, for mass melting of lead on another thread: http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/grills/fryers&start=0&selectedSKU=0267-40037-0002

Now we're back to Heavy Metal's original premise of a cheapo hotplate to keep molds warm. Sorry for the hijack.

[timkelley]

Bret, why must it be an open coil? I have a Wal-Mart smoothtop that works very well for my molds(Lee type).

[Bret4207]

The smooth tops don't seem to pass on as much heat as the open coils. No idea why, but that's what I've seen. I have an 1100W open coil and a 1500W smooth. The little one will melt 30ish lbs of lead in less than 20 minutes. The bigger one will barely melt lead at all.

[TREERAT]

I went down this road an got frustrated very fast. I bought a 1000w flat top from walmart for $20.00 and with a rcbs 10 lb capacity cast pot it will NOT melt lead at all! so back to my coleman and white gas for me. I do use it though, for pre heating my mold.

[Willbird]

I saw a 2-burner Coleman-type stove that hooks up to propane over at Maomart this weekend. About 20 bucks, and I'm not worried that it'll pump out insufficient heat. I also saw the connectors for a big propane tank (not the little 1# things that are very expensive, relatively speaking), and an iron grate with legs that fold out so that the platform is up about 6 or 7 inches, with a platform size around 12"x18". The whole deal will cost me about $65, and I'll be using it for years and years.

EDIT: OK, I found a far superior product, for a very good price, for mass melting of lead on another thread: http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=content&target=products/outdoors/grills/fryers&start=0&selectedSKU=0267-40037-0002

Now we're back to Heavy Metal's original premise of a cheapo hotplate to keep molds warm. Sorry for the hijack.

That is a good price on the cooker, just the regulator would cost you more than that cash and carry.

[ChuckS1]

The smooth tops don't seem to pass on as much heat as the open coils. No idea why, but that's what I've seen. I have an 1100W open coil and a 1500W smooth. The little one will melt 30ish lbs of lead in less than 20 minutes. The bigger one will barely melt lead at all.

But he doesn't want to melt lead, just keep the molds warm.

[Jeffery8mm]

I use a double burner smooth top EVERY time I cast. One plate is for getting/keeping molds warn and ready. The other smooth top is for keeping ingots as hot as I can get them. My lil ole Lee 10 lb pot empies fast with a 158gr six cav, so I gotta keep the spare ingots really hot so when I put em in the Lee pot, the are basically already melted!!! I will say, the smooth top big burner on high has never melted an ingot. It will boil water though!! It get the ingots hot enough that when I drop them in the pot, there are GONE, like an ice cube in a cup of coffee!!
J8

[Bret4207]

But he doesn't want to melt lead, just keep the molds warm.

Okay, but why bother getting a $10.00 closed top when a $10.00 open coil will do the same job AND melt lead in case he ever wants to?

[jawjaboy]

I got my 1000W open coil at Dollar General, $7.95 NIB.
.

[Sky King]

I use a Coleman 2 burner for melting lead for ingots and for preheating. I also use unleaded gas as it's cheaper than white gas or Coleman fuel, and easier to find.