I have seen the light!

[zidave]

...and it is beautiful.

I just finished my first casting session with my new Lee 4-20 furnace.

What a difference a bottom pour makes compared to ladle casting. The consistent flow helps immensely with boolit fill out.

Don't know why I didn't get one sooner.

[BruceB]

.Don't know why I didn't get one sooner.

Maybe because the bushes (and these forums) are full of casters proclaiming the superiority of THEIR particular method (namely, the ladle)?

I last used a ladle almost fifty years ago (1966) and I have never reverted, nor will I.

You have indeed done seen the LIGHT, pilgrim...

There are legions of us casting from bottom-pour pots with perfect satisfaction and excellent results. Welcome to the club. For your next step, try to get a trial run with somebody's RCBS Pro-Melt furnace. That will be another revelation for you.

[nagantguy]

A bottom guy here as well, um bottom pour that is. Never felt 100% with the ladel have one or two molds that like to be moved up an down while being filled and its worlds easier with bottom pour.

[Doc Highwall]

Wait till you put a PID control unit on it.

[Stonecrusher]

Bottom pour is great but I still use ladle for big muzzleloader boolits. Never could get the pure lead to fill right in those big cavities with pure lead but a full ladle held against the sprue plate does the trick for me.

[tazman]

I just upgraded from an old(30 years) 10 lb production pot to the Lee 20-4 as well. I did the first run and adjustments last night and cast 850 from an NOE 358 135 fn. Today I spent a few hours of and on working with 4 different molds. A Lyman 4 cavity in 358432(550pcs), A Lee 358 148 wc(500 pcs), A Lee 356 153 2r(540 pcs), and a Lyman 2 cavity in 358212(370 pcs).
I have never had a casting day run so smooth or a pot work so well. I only had 15 pcs of rejects during the entire run.
I got them all sized and now all I need to do is tumble lube them. That should keep the 9mm and the 38 going for a while.

[Beesdad]

Purchased my third Lee 4-20 tonight... Now I keep up with the large 6 gang molds.

[Handloader109]

Yes, add a PID to control the temp and you'll have the best thing since sliced bread (at least casting lead) $35-40 for components is cheap and well worth it.

[zidave]

This place sure knows how to help me spend my money. Lol

[mikeym1a]

You saw the light, and it wasn't a train? that's a good day!

[trapper9260]

Bottom pour is great but I still use ladle for big muzzleloader boolits. Never could get the pure lead to fill right in those big cavities with pure lead but a full ladle held against the sprue plate does the trick for me.

I do some muzzleloaders boolits also with the ladle but all the others I do with my 10 lee I cannot sit long enough to do a 20 .Because of my hip.So I justkeep up with the 10 and things works good for me.been pouring part of the days this week to catch up on my suppies for boolits and just got now some shoot of 00 buck and T shoot to do now.and then see from there if I need anymore to cast.But with you all say how to use the brass moulds to make them work and also about keeping the pin hot for the lyman moulds help maked it easyer to get more casted.Thanks to all of you for all you stated .I might now reply to some of them but do read them of what other wrote and go go from there. Thank you all.

[dikman]

If you think the Lee is good as-is, just wait until you mod it . The addition of NRG's shelf kit is a huge improvement in ease of use of molds, and if you convert the handle assembly to the same style as an RCBS it becomes a real delight to use (plus it should reduce the risk of drips significantly).

[el34]

Wait till you put a PID control unit on it.

Copy that! The Lee 20 does a horrible job of maintaining temp, but everything else is great. A PID temp controller will double the goodness you're now getting with bottom pour. Easy to imagine folks sayin "never used it, never needed it". Even easier to imagine folks sayin "now that I got it, won't ever be without it".

Remember your first microwave?

[Bullshop Junior]

I've never done any ladle pouring. It just looks complicated.

[dikman]

I've never done any ladle pouring. It just looks complicated.

[Doc Highwall]

I have done both bottom pouring and ladle pouring and have gotten great results with both, it depends on your technique. Trying it once and not getting good results does not mean it is not a good way to cast bullets, it means your technique is wrong or possibly your mould needs to be worked on.


Either way bottom pouring or ladle pouring, controlling the temperature of the alloy and the mould with your casting cadence is the key to great results.

[Grizzly Adams]

Maybe because the bushes (and these forums) are full of casters proclaiming the superiority of THEIR particular method (namely, the ladle)?

I last used a ladle almost fifty years ago (1966) and I have never reverted, nor will I.

You have indeed done seen the LIGHT, pilgrim...

There are legions of us casting from bottom-pour pots with perfect satisfaction and excellent results. Welcome to the club. For your next step, try to get a trial run with somebody's RCBS Pro-Melt furnace. That will be another revelation for you.

Don't do it, it's a TRICK!!!!! If you try that RCBS you'll have to have one. He's just trying to get you to spend more money.

[jmort]

Then dump the RCBS for a Magma Master Pot which is superior. Why stop with the inferior RCBS?

[M-Tecs]

80% bottom 20% ladle for me. I get equal results until I do large rifle boolits for BPCR. For these I used the ladle.

[WILCO]

I have seen the light!


...and it is beautiful.

I thought this was in reference to cast iron cookware.