Hot Plate and Preheating molds [Archive]

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Tazman1602

12-24-2009, 08:56 PM

Hey Guys,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Or Haunnaka (sp? sorry...) or whatever your religion is, I respect it.

Got some education lately. Lot of the old boys here 'been expousing the merits of using a hotplate to pre-heat the molds before you start throwing lead at them.

Was in Walgreens today picking up some old folks medicine and wife came up to me with a single hotplate burner for $9.99 AND she had a $3 off coupon to boot. So I got the hotplate for around $7 with tax and took it home.

Now I'm pretty leary of voodoo, black magic, and "secrets of casting" because I don't believe there's any "secrets", only information and that should be shared freely IMHO. So I decide to do some tests.

Now wife got me an early Christmas present of a Lee 20# bottom pour pot.............and I've hated it, mainly because I had to learn to pour everything all over again as I've always been a ladle pourer.

Wrinkled bullets, no filling of molds, etc has been the norm so I plugged the hotplate in and set some molds on it. I have one of those laser-beam temp gauges so I kept checking the temp of the mold when I pulled it OFF the burner.

With a little experimenting I found that if I let my lead pot get good and hot, and pre-heat the molds to at least 300 degrees F I can commence to casting ASAP with no warm up at all. Works great, bullets are even .001 fatter, and the great part? Once you get the setting on the hotplate down to where you need it you can set two or three molds on it to keep them hot, then when the mold you're using starts throwing out bullets that were made for frosty the snowman (hey some people like them that way...I don't) to COOL OFF the mold you can put it BACK on the burner, take another mold off, and commence to throwing lead at that one with no delay. The SAME technique also works well for ladle pouring but more so. Bottom pour is fine for a lot of bullets but personally I like to take my time and have FUN while casting but I am getting to like that bottom pour too now........even if it drips a bit.......

It's worked well for me and is certainly something I'd advise anyone to do if you're having "beginnners blues" especially for the $7 price tag. Even if you're an old dog, well, "try it, you'll LIIIIKE it".

Art

Big Dave

12-24-2009, 10:23 PM

The hotplate from a drip coffee pot (Mr. Coffee etc.) after you broke the glass pot and found that a new pot cost more than a new coffee maker. They work for mold preheaters. Lubesizer heaters, let your imagination run wild. A cheap voltage control reostat to regulate temp for the sizer. Hate to think about how many went to the dump befor the light went on,

454PB

12-24-2009, 10:40 PM

Right, Big Dave.

I've been using the hotplate removed from an old coffee maker on my Star sizer for a couple of years.

Calamity Jake

12-24-2009, 10:53 PM

Tazman1602

12-24-2009, 11:10 PM

Been doing the hot plate preheat for 25+ years. One thing that helps distribute the heat more evenly is to have something between the heating elimant and mold, a flat steel disc of some kind, like an old skill saw/table saw blade, skillet or 1/8 inch sheet metal.

Have a Merry Christmas

I'll try that one Jake. Got some 1/8" in the shop. Thanks. I'll cut a "round" out of it and then put it on the hotplate.

I can't BELIEVE the amount of problems this has CURED.

Art

TCLouis

12-24-2009, 11:37 PM

I set my mold sprue plate down with a ingot or two on top of my Lee 20 lb pot when I plug the pot in. As the pot heats up and melts the ingots in the pot, it preheats the mold and at least one ingot.

My ingot mold is made from 1 1/2"X1 1/2"X1/8" angle iron and as luck would have it are just the length of the inside of my pot and if averaged out weigh 1 lb each in WW metal. As triangles they can be packed into the inside of the pot pretty well and an additional 2-3 ingots will fill the pot to the brim.

lwknight

12-25-2009, 01:18 AM

Yup, the hotplate is a time saver.

HeavyMetal

12-25-2009, 01:53 AM

If your gonna make a plate to go on top of your coils consider adding a couple pieces of square stock welded on top just wide enough, and deep enough, to let the mold handles sit between them.

I did this to let the mold pre heat and pre heat the sprue plate. Issues with base fillout "went away"!

chris in va

12-25-2009, 02:31 AM

I just stick the corner of the mold in the melt, per the instructions from Lee. Works fine.

Tazman1602

12-25-2009, 06:24 AM

Tazman1602

12-25-2009, 06:26 AM

I just stick the corner of the mold in the melt, per the instructions from Lee. Works fine.

No offense dude but I've done that for YEARS and to a certain extent it does work fine but not even close to the even heat you will get with the plate. A lot of my molds are steel also and this works a TON better with those.

Hey for $7 give it a try. You don't need much more than low heat and you really won't believe the difference it makes. I wouldn't have if I hadn't tried it..........

Art

blikseme300

12-25-2009, 08:18 AM

I use a hot plate like this:

http://bliksemseplek.com/images/boolits/moldheat1_lg.jpg

and a large melter like this (The one on the left)

http://bliksemseplek.com/images/boolits/compare_lg.jpg

I also place the molds on the hot plate when taking a break and they will be stay hot and can resume casting without reheating hassles.

Here is the result of a single session one evening - about 1 1/2 hours, including interruptions & breaks - 22lbs of 230gn .451:

http://bliksemseplek.com/images/boolits/boolits2_lg.jpg

I use Star sizers so turning large ingots into cast & lubed boolits is fast.

Bliksem

http://bliksemseplek.com/boolits.html

Tazman1602

12-25-2009, 01:04 PM

Man I like that big lead pot. You made that by hand? I gotta get me a six banger someday.............

Art

1z-bar

12-26-2009, 03:05 AM

Nice pot! Any plans? I also used the corner method - for larger molds it never heated evenly. Now I use the hot plate with 2 molds and rotate them. {I only use the hot plate to warm them up} I never get frosty bullets that way {oops I mean Boolits}:smile:

blikseme300

12-26-2009, 08:08 AM

1z-bar,

I don't have plans but you can visit my website and see the pictorial on how I built it.

Last time I checked there was still 1 of the heater bands left on ebay.

Bliksem

http://bliksemseplek.com/boolits.html

WHITETAIL

12-26-2009, 08:48 AM

Yes, a hot plate is a great idea.
About 2 years ago someone mentioned
it here.
And when my Wife and I were in Wally World
She found me one on clearence.
Use it offen, and would not think of
not useing it now.:cbpour:

blikseme300

12-28-2009, 09:18 PM

I did not originally get the hot plate for preheating molds. I got it to melt the ingredients for home made boolit lube. So now it does double-duty.

Tazman1602

12-28-2009, 10:02 PM

Can't be beat man. I love that dang $7 hot plate...............

Art

fecmech

12-28-2009, 10:11 PM

I just set the mold across the top of my RCBS pot and put a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the mold. When the pot is up to temp the mold is up to temp. I use mainly 4 and 6 cav molds and they easily span the pot. With 2 cavs I open the spru plate to catch the other side of the pot. I turn the pot on, come back in 20-25 mins and start casting.

mpmarty

12-29-2009, 12:44 AM

my hot plate is an old croc pot base that my wife donated as it didn't work on the "low" setting. Seems to work fine and I set my ladle and spoon on it as well as my molds to preheat and dry out before they call the tinsel fairy.