Help,need an idea

I've got a problem(well,a lot more than one but I'll ask you about my casting problem only...my other ones will be towards my wife and bank manager).
I cast aprox 25K bullets/year.Aprox 70% out of a Master Caster(40#) and the rest through a RCBS 20#pot.My problem is I loose a lot of time when I add lead in the pot and it freezes.I know I could go a bit at a time but somehow the variation in temp is causing me grief and it kinda breaks the tempo of casting.
I have 3 X10# Lee pots I am not using anymore.I was wondering if any of you is using some kind of a rig to mount a pot on top of another one so as to have a supply of molten lead always ready to resupply the main pot?Any photo?
Any help and suggestion appreciated!

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Originally Posted by Alcast

I've got a problem(well,a lot more than one but I'll ask you about my casting problem only...my other ones will be towards my wife and bank manager).
I cast aprox 25K bullets/year.Aprox 70% out of a Master Caster(40#) and the rest through a RCBS 20#pot.My problem is I loose a lot of time when I add lead in the pot and it freezes.I know I could go a bit at a time but somehow the variation in temp is causing me grief and it kinda breaks the tempo of casting.
I have 3 X10# Lee pots I am not using anymore.I was wondering if any of you is using some kind of a rig to mount a pot on top of another one so as to have a supply of molten lead always ready to resupply the main pot?Any photo?
Any help and suggestion appreciated!

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There is a thread with pics of exactly that.

Attachment 212394

If the pix will show. Reverse the base and FASTEN it stoutly!

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Originally Posted by Mike W1

Attachment 212394

If the pix will show. Reverse the base and FASTEN it stoutly!

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I'll see what I can do;i'll have to have something made up to ''marry'' the Lee to both the Magma and RCBS.Some kind of an adapter.
Thanks!

I work in the die cast industry (has very little to do with bullet casting), and one thing we do is pre-heat ingots before putting in the pot. It's mostly for safety to rid of moisture, but it also reduces the effect on pot temperature. I don't see why you couldn't have lead ingots in a toaster oven at say 450F, and then they shouldn't freeze your pot.

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Originally Posted by megasupermagnum

I work in the die cast industry (has very little to do with bullet casting), and one thing we do is pre-heat ingots before putting in the pot. It's mostly for safety to rid of moisture, but it also reduces the effect on pot temperature. I don't see why you couldn't have lead ingots in a toaster oven at say 450F, and then they shouldn't freeze your pot.

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Pre warming a cold ingot is a good idea for safetys sake. But yeah, a toaster oven or even a hot plate would pre warm the ingots and reduce your waiting times. I personally use those times to grab a beverage and to stretch the old back! Or you could keep a dutch oven of melted lead on a low pressure (quiet) gas burner and ladle it into your casting pot as needed.

I keep four or five ingots balanced on the rim of my Master Caster while I'm casting. I tip them in one at a time in rotation to keep the lead level within 2" of the rim at all times. I keep a dozen or so on a shelf above the pot that I take from to place on the rim. I also return the warm sprues to the pot periodically. This lets me cast as fast as I can with no freeze ups and a relatively constant melt temp.

I had 2 lee pots stacked 10 lbers as mentioned above. It did help a lot with lead supply. The pot over the lower one makes fluxing the lower pot tricky at times, limited space. The stream may splash when dropping into the bottom pot.
When casting hard with 2 moulds for bigger bullets I could still run out of lead. 500+ grain bullets eat a lot of lead from a 10 lb pot. A issue with the spouts becomes more so here. Pre heating the ingots on a hot plate to 400-450 degrees helps a lot also. If you can keep them at the point of just below softening they are pretty close. Filling the pot more often while there is more mass still in the pot to hold the heat helps also.
I went to a propane fired pot that holds around 130lbs of lead. It maintains temps with very small swings in temp due to the mass of the pot. It takes awhile even with the big bullets to drain it. Once I get the burner set to a temp it seems to stay right there. I only add sprues and ingots back when the pot needs fluxed. Even adding the sprues and a 10 lb ingot or 2 dosnt drop this pot much.

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Originally Posted by BD

I keep four or five ingots balanced on the rim of my Master Caster while I'm casting. I tip them in one at a time in rotation to keep the lead level within 2" of the rim at all times. I keep a dozen or so on a shelf above the pot that I take from to place on the rim. I also return the warm sprues to the pot periodically. This lets me cast as fast as I can with no freeze ups and a relatively constant melt temp.

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That's what I do but occasionally I'll freeze the pot.I think I let it go too low though.I'll try your trick of not letting it go any lower than 2'' from the top.Thanks!

I keep ingots on top heating up, I also try not to let it go down too much before re-filling as that way the re-heat time is pretty short. Plus if I let it go too far it generally freezes the spout and I have to use a small gas torch to free it up!

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Originally Posted by Alcast

That's what I do but occasionally I'll freeze the pot.I think I let it go too low though.I'll try your trick of not letting it go any lower than 2'' from the top.Thanks!

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This is how I do it also. I keep a little closer watch on the level though. 40# pot down about 1 1/2" im guessing has 30 pounds of lead in it. I add 3 pound ingots pre warmed on the rim is only 10% added and probably 350-400 degrees anyway. when i need to refil i pour and as im counting to break sprue i gently lower an ingot and continue. Next pour as im counting to break sprue i place an ingot on rim to pre-heat.