My first ingots

[lmfd20]

I put a rcbs 1lb ingot mold on my Amazon Christmas wish list. We'll see what the family gets me, if not I'll make some more of the smaller ones. Don't think I can go wrong with a 2.5 lb ingot 5" long. Planning on doing my casting with a lee pro 4 20 and casting a lot of 500 grain 458 SOCOM bullets.

[dikman]

I'm with Cherokee. Mine average around 1 1/2 lb, which I find to be a good size. They pre-heat reasonably quickly and don't cool down the pot much when dropped in. (This came about more by good luck than design - when I made the molds I had no idea what would come out of them! Guess I can be lucky sometimes).

[DRNurse1]

Nice work. Are the ingots releasing easilly or do they need a little 'encouragement?'

BTW, if you are into long casting sessions and want to avoid the down time from adding lead, build yourself a heated drip tray on a stable platform over your melt pot. This would preheat your larger boolit alloy ingots and if positioned properly over your pot the liquid alloy can drain down a rod into your production pot. If you prefer the down time to arrange stuff for the next rum while the alloy heats up, that is okay, too.

NB: Just drilling a hole and letting the molten alloy drip creates a splash you do not want. Also, if you use a propane heating element, shield the side facing you (did both and learned that the splash always landed on my arm above the glove and below my cuff and leaning in to look at my melt caused an ungodly smell as my hair singed).

Just read your 500 grain post, you may want to build the preheater or you session will be fairly short. I do not use mine for .38SP or 9MM boolits but do utilize it for .45ACP's.

[lmfd20]

The large mold takes a few hits with the channel locks that I grab it with. I didn't bevel it on the ends and the ends are the same height as the rest of it. I learned from that and built the ends taller and beveled on the smaller one. Once it solidifies, I just flip it over and they fall out. Thanks for the other ideas.

[lmfd20]

Got in my 12qt dutch oven from cabellas. No more 15lbs in a stainless pot. I picked up 70lbs of range lead this week in 3hours, 1 hour each night that I stopped. All by flashlight after work. I drilled and tapped the side of the pot for a half inche bronze plug valve. This pot is huge. 70lbs filled the pot halfway at best. Barely got one of my larger ingots poured before I had to tilt the pot a lil. This is to much work over the fire like I have been doing. Guess I'm going to have to go propane. Also, I have plugged the side of the pot and redrilled it for a bottom pour. I will just do like most and save up until I get more than a couple hundred pounds and make one run. I will be beefing my burner assembly up because I'm guessing that a full pot will be in the 225-250lb range. I will try for some pics later.