Ladle casting question

[SkookumJeff]

OK, I will be casting my first boolits ever in my life. I decided to ladle cast cause it seems more traditional and simpler than using a bottom pour furnace. I will be using a Lyman ladle. As I understand the process, you place the pour spout of the ladle right in the sprue hole on the mould and pour.

How do you know when the boolit cavity is full and to stop pouring? Is it a time interval or is there something to see

Or...

Do you hold the ladle pour spout just above the sprue hole and pour where you can see the stream of molten lead flowing into the mould

I guess I could just try both methods and see what works best, but if anyone has as strong opinion, I'd like to know...

[Sully]

OK, I will be casting my first boolits ever in my life. I decided to ladle cast cause it seems more traditional and simpler than using a bottom pour furnace. I will be using a Lyman ladle. As I understand the process, you place the pour spout of the ladle right in the sprue hole on the mould and pour.

How do you know when the boolit cavity is full and to stop pouring? Is it a time interval or is there something to see

Or...

Do you hold the ladle pour spout just above the sprue hole and pour where you can see the stream of molten lead flowing into the mould

I guess I could just try both methods and see what works best, but if anyone has as strong opinion, I'd like to know...

The molten lead actually OVERFLOWS the cavity and comes out on top of the sprue plate....thats what you "smack" to make it pivot and cut off the sprue and then you have a "perfect" boolet!!

[white eagle]

at first you won't get any boolits
you need to get the mold up to your desired temp
and then the cores will fill
over flow them to make a nice sprue puddle
and you really do not have to hold rite on the sprue hole
time and repetition will bring you into the game
best o luck amigo

[bumpo628]

Just make sure that the overflow from all the holes are connected so little hot bits of lead don't go flying in every direction when you break the sprue.

[RU shooter]

You can do it that way ,I just pour the lead in the hole from about an inch away and never really had any issues Just hold the mould level and pour till you get a nice puddle.


Tim

[stubshaft]

I don't usually hold the ladle in contact with the sprue. That is called pressure pouring and usually (for me anyway) causes fins around the base and the seam. I usually pour a stream about 1/2" above the sprue plate and stop once a puddle develops.

[Bret4207]

It depends on what your particular mould wants. I have some that need contact pouring and others that demand an air drop. The smart thing to do is to observe what they like and WRITE IT DOWN so you don't have to spend 20 minutes re-discovering the "secret" to that mould the next time you cast with it.

[WILCO]

It depends on what your particular mould wants. I have some that need contact pouring and others that demand an air drop. The smart thing to do is to observe what they like and WRITE IT DOWN so you don't have to spend 20 minutes re-discovering the "secret" to that mould the next time you cast with it.

Thanks Bret. I learned something new today.

[Hickory]

Some mould do not vent as well as they should.
I have three moulds that will only fill out when they are pressure poured.
And again let me say that some moulds need the pressure pour method
only until they come up to temperature.
No matter what happens don't get frustrated, it's part of the learning curve.

[44man]

I have a drawer full of molds of all kinds plus all I made myself. I pour every one the same way. I turn the mold sideways, stick the ladle spout tight into the hole, tip up and hold the ladle tight until the boolit takes all the lead it needs for the boolit out of the ladle. Each size boolit takes a little different time with small ones filling faster. I then tip the ladle off, leaving a sprue. A large boolit takes only a few seconds more and even 560 gr pure lead boolits are perfect.
I never depend on fill out by the boolit trying to pull more lead from a cooling sprue. I don't believe you can "pressure" pour from a ladle, it does not hold enough lead or weight.
It is common for me to bring up the mold and lead to temp and cast 20 to 40# out of my pot without a single reject. If I get one bad boolit it is my fault. Every single mold I have responds to this method with perfect boolits, I need no records.
If I have to look up records to see what a mold prefers, I will quit casting. Been doing the same thing for over 56 years, never found a mold that needed special treatment.
I just cast a pot full of .475 boolits yesterday and had one with a round base. The spout started to leak because I didn't wipe it soon enough. Keep the spout clean, as soon as it starts to leak, wipe it with a cotton rag.
Keep the hole open. I dump out the lead now and then and tap the ladle on the edge of my dross can, upside down, to make sure the hole is wide open.
I cast right over the pot and cut spues into a large coffee can. There are no splatters anywhere, nothing on the bench or floor, nothing running all over the molds.
It gets so easy that casting bores me silly!

[SkookumJeff]

This is all really helpful to me. The beer is on me, thanks everyone!!!

[Bret4207]

I have a drawer full of molds of all kinds plus all I made myself. I pour every one the same way. I turn the mold sideways, stick the ladle spout tight into the hole, tip up and hold the ladle tight until the boolit takes all the lead it needs for the boolit out of the ladle. Each size boolit takes a little different time with small ones filling faster. I then tip the ladle off, leaving a sprue. A large boolit takes only a few seconds more and even 560 gr pure lead boolits are perfect.
I never depend on fill out by the boolit trying to pull more lead from a cooling sprue. I don't believe you can "pressure" pour from a ladle, it does not hold enough lead or weight.
It is common for me to bring up the mold and lead to temp and cast 20 to 40# out of my pot without a single reject. If I get one bad boolit it is my fault. Every single mold I have responds to this method with perfect boolits, I need no records.
If I have to look up records to see what a mold prefers, I will quit casting. Been doing the same thing for over 56 years, never found a mold that needed special treatment.
I just cast a pot full of .475 boolits yesterday and had one with a round base. The spout started to leak because I didn't wipe it soon enough. Keep the spout clean, as soon as it starts to leak, wipe it with a cotton rag.
Keep the hole open. I dump out the lead now and then and tap the ladle on the edge of my dross can, upside down, to make sure the hole is wide open.
I cast right over the pot and cut spues into a large coffee can. There are no splatters anywhere, nothing on the bench or floor, nothing running all over the molds.
It gets so easy that casting bores me silly!

Once again your ego is filling your posts! What works for you doesn't work for every one else judging by the posts we get year after year here. It's great that you have a system that works FOR YOU, but please, give the rest of us some wriggle room to discover what works for us. Any noobie reading that post will assume he's just GOT to do it your way or he's a retard. That's not helping things.

[pdawg_shooter]

Bret, again you nailed it. For me, air drop works far better than contact poring. Everyone needs to play a little and find what works best for them. Maybe I am to picky, I weigh and inspect under magnification all my cast bullets. I dont think I have ever had a 100% save rate. If I save 90% I consider it a great day. I would say 80% is about my average.

[44man]

Once again your ego is filling your posts! What works for you doesn't work for every one else judging by the posts we get year after year here. It's great that you have a system that works FOR YOU, but please, give the rest of us some wriggle room to discover what works for us. Any noobie reading that post will assume he's just GOT to do it your way or he's a retard. That's not helping things.

No ego Bret, just too many years of experience. I invite you to bring all of your molds over so I can show you how easy it is.
I have been casting something, from sinkers and jigs since I was 10, to boolits for over 56 years and I am 73 now.
Sure, I tried all that many of you post, over and over all these years and every thing brought up different results. Not worth the trouble.
I have friends that can't get a boolit from ANY mold, no matter what they do and I can't help them. Others I have had here casting took some time but now they cast like I do, I teach the easy way.
I feel it is many of you that have to have a different process for each mold that really confuse a new guy.
The key question is how many rejects do all of you get? Why do you have to cull or weigh boolits?
I scratch my head when someone says this mold has to have the ladle an inch above the mold! To tell the truth some of you also confuse me, do you ever think of what you do to a new caster?
I forgot, one mold needs 700*, the next needs 750* but this one needs 701* but that one needs 850*!!!!! What is that all about.
I also love the guys that pour and cut a wet sprue with a glove, bet they are good casting mercury boolits.
It is some of you that put too much mystery into casting and add years to the learning process.
I wonder how a foundry would survive if they had to change for every mold?

[pdawg_shooter]

Ok, I was wrong. There is only one way, your way. All moulds are equal and so are all alloys. A bad bullet, (light, wrinkled, round base, unfilled bands, whatever) all shoot into the same hole. My bad. I only have 45 years of casting so I guess I will learn someday.

[Floydster]

Why does just about every thread turn into a pissing match---can't we all just get along? I just don't understand it

[badbob454]

Why does just about every thread turn into a pissing match---can't we all just get along? I just don't understand it

i agree lets try to help the guy and leave our feelings aside we are all casters and have our own opinions i have mine and will let you have yours but if we all cast good enough , let us all learn and not be bullheaded and help the new guy withought a urin contest :takinWiz:

[Bret4207]

No ego Bret, just too many years of experience. I invite you to bring all of your molds over so I can show you how easy it is.
I have been casting something, from sinkers and jigs since I was 10, to boolits for over 56 years and I am 73 now.
Sure, I tried all that many of you post, over and over all these years and every thing brought up different results. Not worth the trouble.
I have friends that can't get a boolit from ANY mold, no matter what they do and I can't help them. Others I have had here casting took some time but now they cast like I do, I teach the easy way.
I feel it is many of you that have to have a different process for each mold that really confuse a new guy.
The key question is how many rejects do all of you get? Why do you have to cull or weigh boolits?
I scratch my head when someone says this mold has to have the ladle an inch above the mold! To tell the truth some of you also confuse me, do you ever think of what you do to a new caster?
I forgot, one mold needs 700*, the next needs 750* but this one needs 701* but that one needs 850*!!!!! What is that all about.
I also love the guys that pour and cut a wet sprue with a glove, bet they are good casting mercury boolits.
It is some of you that put too much mystery into casting and add years to the learning process.
I wonder how a foundry would survive if they had to change for every mold?

I would love to see you use your "one and only way" with a 10 cavity H+G. Look, I have respect for you and your age and experience, but there is no one and only way.

[woodyubet]

Well Jeff, things like this happen sometimes, you just have to pick thru all the editorials and find the nuggets of education to keep in mind. There are as many ways to do things as there are people to do them. The main thing is to get out there and do it for yourself. In very short order your going to find the path that is right for you and you can smile with pride cause you did it yourself................Don't forget to wear your Green Soxs when Smellting and Purple Soxs when casting.



Make it fun first.

[longbow]

Well, I am with 44man for the most part. Not saying other ways don't work by any means but I like to keep things as simple as I can.

I tried the Lyman ladles, Lee little open ladle (too small) and bottom pour pot. Didn't like any of those.

I found the method that worked for me the best was a 25 lb. cast iron pot on a two gas stove and an open ladle that holds about 1 1/2 lbs. I pre-heat the mould over one burner while melting lead over the other burner. I pour from the ladle a little above the sprue hole until the mould fills and I have a puddle ~ like others said above using the Lyman ladle. For me this has worked for every mould I have and produces good boolits and with every alloy I have tried.

Most people seem to like electric bottom pour pots and that's fine too. Whatever turns your crank.

If I get a "problem" mould I check venting and sprue plate tightness. I like to run a loose sprue plate and that often solves base fillout issues. A couple of times I have added a very small bevel to the top of the mould blocks under the sprue plate to provide extra venting where bases didn't fill out well.

Some moulds like to run a little hotter so I cast a little faster and may turn up the heat under the lead a bit but the technique and equipment is the same.

woodyubet says it well "...you just have to pick thru all the editorials and find the nuggets of education to keep in mind. There are as many ways to do things as there are people to do them."

I bet you didn't think you would get such a variety of responses! Try a few different techniques and see what works for you.

Good luck and enjoy.

Longbow