Cold weather casting with Lee Mold

[Colorado4wheel]

If you use a hotplate and some sort of cover over the hotplate and you set the Lee mold on the hotplate to keep it up to temp and cast in the 20-30 degree weather? I have a hard time keepng a Lee up to temp normally so I just need to know if this will work.

[Shiloh]

I have the same problem. I was casting yesterday in the garage at about 26 degrees.

I think a cover to keep the melt at a consistent temp may be all that is needed. If one is casting multiple molds, then the hotplate on medium could be called for to pre warm additional molds.

Shiloh

[FAsmus]

Colorado4wheel;

I have run casting sessions in my unheated shed as cool as -15 degrees F with good results.

My feet get a little cold after an hour or two but once the casting furnace is up and running my body, hands and molds perform just about as usual.

Now, I use a turkey-cooker for heating my 20 pound pot and ordinarily cast rather heavy bullets .. what Lee bullets are you running?

Good morning,
Forrest

[snuffy]

For cryin out loud, move inside where you can be comfortable. There, somebody HAD to say it!

[FAsmus]

Snuffy;

No! ~ The wife gets all excited when I use her old rancid olive oil for fluxing the melt. She claims it stinks up the house.


Good morning,
Forrest

[Colorado4wheel]

I will be casting Pistol. 9mm 124gr, .40 175 gr, up to .45 225gr.

I decided not to cast in the house. I don't get cold in 30F weather. Not in my garage. It's a dry cold.

[454PB]

Snuffy;

No! ~ The wife gets all excited when I use her old rancid olive oil for fluxing the melt. She claims it stinks up the house.


Good morning,
Forrest

Exactly why Marvelux was invented.

[wistlepig1]

Colorado, I was casting some fishing Wt's for a friend the other day (in Colo) and couldnt keep it warn for good fill. I went out a few days later, no problem. I feel your pain, thats wha we get for living where it's cold and High Al.:bigsmyl2:

[Colorado4wheel]

I fired up the pot this morning. Even with the garage door open afterwards I can smell the smell of casting. I used a little bit of candle wax for flux. I have some Midway version of Marvel Lux. No smoke, works fine. But my wife would notice that smell right away in the house. Her nose is much better then mine.

[Colorado4wheel]

Colorado, I was casting some fishing Wt's for a friend the other day (in Colo) and couldnt keep it warn for good fill. I went out a few days later, no problem. I feel your pain, thats wha we get for living where it's cold and High Al.:bigsmyl2:

Do you use a electric cooktop to keep the thing warm?


Colorado4wheel;

I have run casting sessions in my unheated shed as cool as -15 degrees F with good results.

My feet get a little cold after an hour or two but once the casting furnace is up and running my body, hands and molds perform just about as usual.

Are you using Lee Molds?

[RP]

So I got to ask are you right out in the yard not in a shop? I cast in my shop which I heat and use a fan to remove fumes.

[MT Gianni]

I find a lot depends on cavity size. The SC 113FP is a real bear to keep hot and the DC isn't much better. 250 gr boolits are a lot easier. Sometimes you just need to speed up your rhythm.

[Colorado4wheel]

So I got to ask are you right out in the yard not in a shop? I cast in my shop which I heat and use a fan to remove fumes.

It's a attached garage. Honestly, I don't mind the temp for myself. I have appropriate clothing (and I am not even wearing my real cold weather stuff) I work outside all the time so I know how to dress. I shoot in the same weather. It's no big deal if it's not windy.

[snuffy]

I fired up the pot this morning. Even with the garage door open afterwards I can smell the smell of casting. I used a little bit of candle wax for flux.

The smell of casting? It smells like money to me!:cbpour::redneck::holysheep The boolits dropping into a container to wait for the sizing step sound like change getting dumped into a piggy bank! I'm gonna get a pair of those glasses with big -$--$- on the lenses to be worn while making all those nice CHEAP boolits!

I live alone, so I don't have to listen to any nagging, and I don't mind the smell of lead in my loading room.

[Colorado4wheel]

Not a option. I am a builder. I use my home as a model home. It needs to look and smell nice. All my reloading stuff is in the basement behind locked doors.

[Ferdinand]

I've been casting in my garage and my friends using lee Production pots and Lee molds. With the door open and a temperature of 20-30f we're having no problems. I heat the mold initially by sticking it into the lead for 30 seconds or so, then letting it sit on the rim of the pot to even out the heat.

[FAsmus]

Colorado4wheel;

Sure, I use Lee molds now and then. The brand of mold shouldn't make much difference really ~ now, the size of the bullets being cast might very well affect things a good deal.

Good morning,
Forrest

[DLCTEX]

Makes me happy I have an out building that is well insulated to do my casting and reloading in. Turn on the electric heater and in 30 minutes it's nice and warm.[smilie=l:

[inuhbad]

I've had no problems casting Lee Shotgun Slugs, and NOE 7.62 boolits (Aluminum Block Mould), and some steel Lyman boolits this past Saturday...

Temperature was 26 degrees F inside the garage... I had a hard time getting the Lee & NOE molds up to temp, but once they got there, they stayed there so long as I CAST FAST!!!

So, IMHO, you need to CAST FASTER, and KEEP IT HOTTER. Every now & then the mould would cool down too much, and I'd get wrinkles or incomplete fill-out. Just throw the bad boolits into the sprue box to re-melt down later! Keep casting faster until it heats up again, and then start dropping them into my water bucket (or keeper bucket).

I don't even pre-heat with a hot plate or anything like that... I just smoke the molds with a few matches, and go... I LOVE the Lyman steel moulds! They're leaps & bounds above the Lee ones, IMHO.

[hoosierlogger]

I have run casting sessions in my unheated shed as cool as -15 degrees F with good results.


HA, You said as cool as -15 degrees F. Not COLD as -15. you must be a tough one. If it is that "cool" I dont need to be casting boolits and will wait it out in the house until it warms up a bit.

[Dale53]

For years, I used my Florida room to cast in. I built in a ventilation fan, and used one of those small ceramic heaters. I cast in all but the coldest weather without problems.

However, it did make a bit of a mess and pretty much kept us from using the room for much else.

So, I had a utility barn (small one 12x20) built, insulated, with lots of electrical outlets, 220v for an in-wall heater, a built in overhead exhaust fan and also installed a window air conditioner. Now, I have truly an all-weather building to store large tools, a couple of work benches and a dedicated casting station.

It is near heaven for the dedicated caster!
I still have my finished basement shop for reloading and "gun stuff".

FWIW
Dale53

[RodneyUSAF]

I'm an outside caster by necessity, not choice. The cold isn't what bothers me. It's having to WAIT for non rainy/snowy day sucks.

[FAsmus]

Hoosierlogger;

HA, You said as cool as -15 degrees F. Not COLD as -15. you must be a tough one. If it is that "cool" I don't need to be casting bullets and will wait it out in the house until it warms up a bit.

F- Sure, but a fellow has to cast when the opportunity comes along sometimes, temperature beside.

Good morning,
Forrest

[John Guedry]

You fellows are sick, ket it warm up some, go sit next to the fire and wait for 60 degree weather!

[hoosierlogger]

F- Sure, but a fellow has to cast when the opportunity comes along sometimes, temperature beside.

Good morning,
Forrest

I heard that. I just thought it was a little funny that you said "as cool as -15 F"

To me that is beyond cool, past cold, and down to the proverbial ball less brass monkey.

[FAsmus]

John Guedry;


J- You fellows are sick, let it warm up some, go sit next to the fire and wait for 60 degree weather!

F- Sure ~ but that'll be in June sometime, in any case, way too long for waiting around by the fire. Remember; we don't even think about planting gardens around here until Memorial Day.

Good afternoon,
Forrest

[supv26]

That's why when I built my house I had the garage heated and cooled! I planned on using it for reloading/casting/working on cars/ etc and I wanted to be comfortable!!!

[qajaq59]

No! ~ The wife gets all excited when I use her old rancid olive oil for fluxing the melt. She claims it stinks up the house. Try cedar chips. At least they smell better then oil or wax does.

[FAsmus]

Qajaq59;


Try cedar chips. At least they smell better then oil or wax does.

F- I've never used wood chips for fluxing. It just doesn't seem right to mix that sort of thing in with all the junk I deal with when rendering WW and such-like raw materials. Maybe when the melt is clean and running - but for basic rough flux?

Have you ever?

Good evening,
Forrest

[qajaq59]

I don't toss the flux in until I have removed the clips etc, but yes I've used chips, sawdust or whatever will turn into carbon for flux. And I use a heavy wooden dowell to stir and scrape the edges.

[Colorado4wheel]

You want to flux with the clips in so that the metal is fully integrated and your not removing some of the good metal as you remove the clips. So flux, push the clips down in the melt and stir. Flux some more if the clips are not coming out clean.

[qajaq59]

Well, I guess we can agree to each do it our own way. Then we're both happy.