Is it rocket science to cast without a thermometer?

[waksupi]

I went for many years with out a thermometer. I now use one, as I can start up the pot, and go check the temperature to see if things are hot enough to start casting, rather than making several false starts before the lead is up to temp.

[Canuck Bob]

Thanks everyone.

I am in a position to keep my casting hobby very cheap and simple. Right now a thermometer and Lee pot mean no casting. The problem with real ceap is the sad outcome of making bullets that are worthless. Therefore all my silly questions.

[geargnasher]

Bob, it depends a lot on what your goals are and what caliber you're casting for.

I kept myself well-supplied with ammunition in college with nothing more than a single-stage Ammomaster, Lee hand primer, a two-cavity .38 mould, a saucepan, the gas range in my travel trailer (built-in vent hood was a bonus), an old SS spoon with the handle wrapped in gauze tape, a bottle of Liquid Alox and a push-through sizer. I cast straight wheel weights that were free at the time, and a pound of Bullseye lasted just about forever. Primers were on my wish list every birthday and Christmas, and I shot brass until it split. The local range had a discount for anyone with a valid college ID, and I scrounged range brass there because I couldn't afford new. My case tumbler was a pad of four-ought steel wool, and I thought I was in high cotton when I finally got a Lee case trimmer, cutter and lockstud. My powder measure was a 9mm case cut down to measure three grains of BE (calibrated on the chemistry dept's scales), and had a copper wire handle soldered around the rim. I also learned that with mild loads and lead boolits, it's about impossible to wear out a J.P. Saur K38 copy.

I had lots of fun for years with very little equipment, you can too. I wasn't casting match-grade boolits, but I got to shoot a lot, had very little leading, and had a good time. That's the point, isn't it?

Gear

[Bret4207]

Even if you had a thermometer all it does it let you know what the pot temp is that meets your casting pace. There's no "one magic temp" that works for everyone. So don;t worry about it. Get you ladle and pot and get the alloy so that it's pourable. Start casting and when the mould is up to heat it'll drop decent boolits. Really, that's absolutely all there is to it, assuming your mould and alloy are clean and the alloy is something like wheel weights. if the dopped boolits are frosty, and you don't want that, slow your casting tempo a bit till you find the sweet spot for you.

[jlchucker]

I started casting in the mid-1970's. I never did buy a thermometer, although I thought about it after reading some threads on this website. I began to feel like I was leaving something out that I needed to do, even though my results were acceptable, at least to me. Now, after reading this thread, I no longer feel like a lonely old geezer without a thermometer. It's still not in my budget to run out and buy one--I'll just keep on casting like I've been doing.

[biker_trash_1340]

never owned a thermometer... Started casting with a (HILT lead pot 1) never had any idea of lead temp. Always had to add to the pot to keep from running out of lead.
Now I have a Lee 4-20 and found out that I cast to fast, so I turn the temp way down after warm up.
Don't spend to much time looking at your boolits after your mold warms up. Cast away and remelt the bad ones.

[Char-Gar]

I started casting in the late 50's a a teenager. We used a gasoline fired plumbers furnace, a cast iron pot, a Lyman dipper and a single cavity mold. I did this for 8 years before I bought my first electric melting pot.

As time passes, the folks that make casting stuff, come out with new products because if they didn't they would have nothing to sell. Their old stuff lasts forever. We are made to believe that we need this new stuff. After a time, we don't question the need, we just shell out the bucks.

I don't guess it makes any difference, but I hate to see it deter guys like you from jumping in with both feet for fear they don't have all of the needed stuff.

About a year or so ago, I had some new guy take me to task for being an old man, such in a time warp and could not fathom that there were better ways of doing things these days. I need to wake up and get with the 21st. Century and the new and better way of doing these things.

When I get these things hurled at me I remember the words of P.T. Barnum... "There is a sucker born every minutes" and " A man will never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

Old fool stuck in a time warp..over and out!

[mpmarty]

I bought a thermometer a year or so ago. It lives in my LEE 4-20 and the only thing it is good for is telling me not to try to pour before it reaches 700* as the spout won't pass lead until it reaches that temperature. I turn on the pot and hot plate, go get the molds I'm going to use and put them on the hot plate, go back into the shop and fart around with stuff for a while and then walk out and eyeball the thermometer to see if I can start casting yet. When the temp goes over 700 I turn the knob down to 4 or 5 from the max where it starts out.

[bowfishn]

Thermometer does work good for melting wheel weights, keep it under 600 and if you missed any zinc weights they just float to the top.
I know it's off topic but it is about a thermometer

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

People have been casting lead boolits long before there were rockets a round! Also long before thermometers too!

I agree it could be a nice tool to fine tune . . . but . . . so far I do not have one!

[GUINEAPIG WITH AK47]

Bob, it depends a lot on what your goals are and what caliber you're casting for.

I kept myself well-supplied with ammunition in college with nothing more than a single-stage Ammomaster, Lee hand primer, a two-cavity .38 mould, a saucepan, the gas range in my travel trailer (built-in vent hood was a bonus), an old SS spoon with the handle wrapped in gauze tape, a bottle of Liquid Alox and a push-through sizer. I cast straight wheel weights that were free at the time, and a pound of Bullseye lasted just about forever. Primers were on my wish list every birthday and Christmas, and I shot brass until it split. The local range had a discount for anyone with a valid college ID, and I scrounged range brass there because I couldn't afford new. My case tumbler was a pad of four-ought steel wool, and I thought I was in high cotton when I finally got a Lee case trimmer, cutter and lockstud. My powder measure was a 9mm case cut down to measure three grains of BE (calibrated on the chemistry dept's scales), and had a copper wire handle soldered around the rim. I also learned that with mild loads and lead boolits, it's about impossible to wear out a J.P. Saur K38 copy.

I had lots of fun for years with very little equipment, you can too. I wasn't casting match-grade boolits, but I got to shoot a lot, had very little leading, and had a good time. That's the point, isn't it?

Gear

You, sir, are a HERO to shooters.

Everywhere.

[Von Gruff]

I have never had and dont intend to get a themometer. I have marks scratched on the stem of the gas knob to give me a guage for setting heat once melt is achieved. Experience has shown me what temp my various alloys and moulds need for the results I want. The thing about learning by experience (and experimenting) is that there is a whole lot of knowledge gained along the way, not only about what works but why it works. If someone starts out with all the "toys" then a lot of understanding stays unknown.
Without demeaning anyone, it seems that those starting out now in any endevour are less prepared to serve the "aprenticeship" with start-up but servicable toopls that brings understanding with knowlegde instead of just knowlege.

Von Gruff.

[rintinglen]

A boolit caster without a thermometer is like a fish without a bicycle.

Like a lot of folks herabouts, I started out on the cheap: a yard sale pacific press, a set of used RCBS 38/357 dies, a Lacmiller 2 cavity WC mold found in the junk bin at my favorite gun shop, a yard sale iron pot and a gas burner made from an old stove. I made a cake cutter out of a piece of 30-06 brass with a drill bit and a bit of ingenuity. The first couple of thousand boolits were shot in nothing but range scrounged brass. I learned to make some pretty good boolits in fairly short order.
my advice, Start casting, cast quickly 3-4 casts a minute, and keep going till you have a pile o boolits. Then ruthlessly inspect them and toss all wrinkled, dented, poorly filled out, void ridden boolits back in the pot. You may be disappointed at first, but you'll soon learn what to watch for to make good boolits. And scrounge all the lead you can. It will never get any cheaper.

[fisheadgib]

Being new to this forum and relatively new to casting seriously, I'm kinda suprised at how few of you use thermometers. I don't have a large amount of experience to fall back on even though I've had my Lee furnace and have been kinda piddling around with casting for around 19 years. I got a thermometer a few weeks ago and had quite the wakeup call. For starters, I didn't realize how much the pot cooled down when I tossed another ingot or two in. I also learned that most of my molds cast their best bullets at different temperatures. I also found that I have way fewer rejects during a casting session when I monitor my lead temp a little more closely. I realize it's not a necessity but my casting sessions are much more productive since I began using one.

[mold maker]

I've got an almost new one, that I've had for near 20 yr. It still rest in it's box for protection.
With a hot clean mold, and pourable melt, problems are usually something else. 4-5 seconds for the sprue to chill is more important than pot temp. You very this with casting pace, regardless of pot temp.
If your melt is freezing on/in your hot ladle, raise the temp. Otherwise cast as cool as you can
Your great grand father fed his family with cast bullets and probably couldn't spell thermometer.

[white eagle]

I'm dying to start casting but circumstances require spending almost no money on it. I'm gonna get a LEE soup can for my 32-20 and become a lapping lee-menting guy if required.

I got an old hot plate and some SS kitchen pots. 100 #s of #9 magnum shot for a super deal and some clean recycled roofing lead.

Standard advice is get a thermometer. If it is neccesary I'll add it to the list.

I got thinking there must be a few guys here who cast great bullets for years without all the great modern gear thats available. Can casting temperature be a learned skill without a thermometer?

ABSOLUTELY

[songdog53]

I think most all of us weren't rolling in money when we began casting. I know first i cast was with gas plumbers blow torch and figured would blow up anytime. We have years behind us casting and with age and wisdom we have learned what to notice and when young ones come along they have to learn same way we did....besides casting is learning experince that never ends and i seemed to have missed out on the wisdom part and just got the old age part down pat.

[blaster]

If it is I must be a genius.

[canyon-ghost]

Thermometer does work good for melting wheel weights, keep it under 600 and if you missed any zinc weights they just float to the top.
I know it's off topic but it is about a thermometer

I've also noticed that low temp bullets are shinier, just nicer looking. Not saying that a thermometer wouldn't be a good idea, I just have never had one.

I consider myself extremely modern to have a Chrony and internet. lol


Ron

[HollowPoint]

When I first started casting I thought that the knob on top of my Lee melting pot was the thermometer.

Only after finding this website did it ever occur to me to use a thermometer. My bullets were coming out fine before I finally broke down and bought a thermometer.

I used it a couple of times; mainly to see if the calibration on my Lee Pot's Heat-Level-knob was correct or not. It wasn't but, it was close enough for my needs so that thermometer has just been collecting dust ever since.

HollowPoint