casting woes update

[wayne h]

well today was much better progress due to the usefull info you all provided. I made sure my mold was hot and just kept the coleman stove running on full throttle (much hotter metal.) My wheel weights are new, they were still in the shipping boxes. I have decided to 86 the coleman stove due to the smell of it during use. I will go buy me a monster electric heat plate instead. What sort of wattage rating on the heat plate would be adequate to the task? thanks wayne h.

[AnthonyB]

Wayne:
I use a cheap 1100 watt hotplate from Wal-Mart with great results.
Tony

[runfiverun]

airc the lee 20 lb'ers are bout 1500 watts.

[jimmeyjack]

Smell? what are you burning in your coleman?

[Bret4207]

Like Anthony I use a Walmart 1100 watt HP. Just make sure you get an open coil style, not the covered "smooth top" type. You want the one that looks like the coils on Nanas old 60's electric range. Mine will melt a very large (30lbs +) pot of alloy in a decent time. A propane torch will help things along if you're impatient.

Check the HP for design before putting on too much weight. I got lucky. Mine has supports to the bottom.

[mooman76]

Smell? what are you burning in your coleman?

I was kind of wondering that my self. The only smell I get is accociated with the melted lead and flux and so on.

[mpmarty]

My turkey fryer works fine. I use a hot plate to prewarm molds. The twenty pound LEE pot is 800 watts. My Lyman ten pounder is a thousand watts. My ten pound LEE is five hundred watts. Go figure!:cbpour: