Sprue plate?

[KenH]

Hello - I've read about having the holes in a dual mold sprue plate connected rather than the more normal two separate holes. Would ya'll comment on the pros and cons of the connected sprue plate holes? Are they worth doing?

Thanks for any comments and guidance,

Ken H>

[melloairman]

A troughed plate works better for me . I seem to be able to get better base fill out on most of my molds . Marvin

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

A troughed plate allows for pouring a larger sprue puddle, especially critical for pouring long rifle boolits.

[country gent]

I have cut the troughs in most of my rifle moulds now. I dont pour for a sprue but a ladle full of lead letting the excess run back into pot. This keeps bullets base hot and molten longer giving more time for full fill and gasses to escape. Sunday I gav e the initall test to a rowel #1 Ladle casting and while big it seemed to make some very nice bullets. When you start pouring 2 cavity moulds up to 550 grns each bullet you need a big ladle. LOL That mould empties my 10 lb lyman dipper pot pretty quick also. The big pot in the garage does real good. Its not hard to cut the trough with a square lay out the line center of sprue holes to front edge of plate. I clamp in a small drill press toolmakers vise. With a .030 cuttoff wheel cut a groove following line just shallow of what you want (.030-.060 is enough) then with a 3/8"-1/2" mount in dremil and dress wheel clean and true. Slowly and carefully open up the cut line to the radious of the wheel. I then polish this with a rawhide wheel and follow with a felt bob and some fewelers rouge.

[country gent]

I have cut the troughs in most of my rifle moulds now. I dont pour for a sprue but a ladle full of lead letting the excess run back into pot. This keeps bullets base hot and molten longer giving more time for full fill and gasses to escape. Sunday I gav e the initall test to a rowel #1 Ladle casting and while big it seemed to make some very nice bullets. When you start pouring 2 cavity moulds up to 550 grns each bullet you need a big ladle. LOL That mould empties my 10 lb lyman dipper pot pretty quick also. The big pot in the garage does real good. Its not hard to cut the trough with a square lay out the line center of sprue holes to front edge of plate. I clamp in a small drill press toolmakers vise. With a .030 cuttoff wheel cut a groove following line just shallow of what you want (.030-.060 is enough) then with a 3/8"-1/2" mount in dremil and dress wheel clean and true. Slowly and carefully open up the cut line to the radious of the wheel. I then polish this with a rawhide wheel and follow with a felt bob and some jewelers rouge. I dont know if I would do this on the thinner lee sprue plates or any under 3/16"

[KenH]

Bigger puddle - makes sense. I've got a couple of molds that seem to cast better with the hole against the bottom pour spout rather than with a puddle. I've always used a ladle and puddle, but recently got a Lee 10 lb bottom pour pot and have been playing around with different methods of casting.

I just might make a sprue plate with trough (better term than "connected holes").

Thanks again for comments.

Ken H>

[country gent]

Ive made alot of my sprue plates from 1/4" gage stock this gives a bigger sprue pubble with the trough cut in to it and helps alot with fill. when cut with an 82* countersink the sprues top is slightly bigger than the 45 cal bullets base helping to keep the whole base hot longer

[KenH]

For this sprue plate, you actually drill a .460" diameter hole (just slightly larger than the bullet), then countersink using the 82º? I've got plenty of 1/4" plate, I just might have to try that for sure. I'm liking the Lee .359-405-HB bullet which is a nose pour, but the sprue plate hole is still a bit smaller than the tip.

Thanks for the ideas.

Ken H>