I have on occasions used my Home Depot heat gun to preheat my molds. Works good and saves time. Anyone else?
I have on occasions used my Home Depot heat gun to preheat my molds. Works good and saves time. Anyone else?
I have a older Black-n-Decker Heatgun, while I don't use it for pre-heating molds, I do use it to preheat boolits when tumble lubing...and I have used it to pre-heat a lubesizer when I use to use a lube requiring a heater.
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“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001
I tried it once about ten years ago. I hadn't used it in a while, and when it started spitting sparks out, and the idea that the last time I used it was to peel paint. I decided not to use it any more. But I was doing my casting in my wood shop at the time.
it works but be careful that you do not concentrate all the heat in one spot or you might warp the mold.
I use my heat gun to clean wax lube out of dies and cookie cutters. I also use it to help remelt lube when pan lubing. I have never preheated molds with it. I just set the mold on a hot plate.
Last edited by Ickisrulz; 08-07-2017 at 06:20 PM.
Good Idea. I might try hitting the sprue plate for a minute before I start casting. I use a hot plate which does a good job of warming the mold up but it's still hard to cut the sprues until you get a couple of minutes in.
That Black and Decker is a beast. It puts out an amazing amount of hot air; far more than those intended for covering model airplanes.
Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris
I never thought about using a heat gun in my casting operation. I can see using one to heat the top of the pot and speed up the melt. I would be a little skittish turning one on one of my molds.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |