Saving sprews for your next casting session.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

GW that's how I do it too...I AM NOT ASHAMED!!! lol

[bedbugbilly]

Whenever I have read about anyone "saving sprues" I could never figure out "why"? I cast with a pot and ladle on a propane hot plate and for over fifty plus years have always cut the sprue over the pot and let it fall in. By the time I open the mold and drop what's inside, the sprue cutting is no more and it's time to lade and pour.

[fredj338]

I use an old wooden salad bowl to collect my sprues. When it is full, about 1.5 cups worth, they go back into the pot. Takes about 3min or so for the 20# pot to come up to temp if it is half full & it's almost always half full or better.

[Soundguy]

I recycle my sprue Immediately into my pot.

[Morgan61]

I just let the sprues pile up until my pot gets low.
By then I need a break so I'll dump in those sprues, sit back and fire up a cigar and wait for the temp to come back.
I'm in no hurry.

[PtMD989]

I usually let them pile up along with first castings boolits. Then I drop them into the pot with my gloved hand. Then I remember it's hotter than chili so I use my stirring spoon to slide them back into the melt.


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[Hick]

45-70 Chevroner-- I do just what you are describing-- and it seems to work just fine.

[Whitespider]

I cast with a pot and ladle on a propane hot plate and for over fifty plus years have always cut the sprue over the pot and let it fall in.

Casting with a ladle (as I do), and dropping the sprues in the pot, don't you end up with a lot of oxidized metal to deal with on top of the melt??
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[lightman]

I'm like Morgan, I let them pile up until the pot gets low and then add them back along with a few ingots. I put my mold on the hot plate to keep it warm and stand up to stretch. I hold my mold in my left hand and use a plastic hammer in my right hand to cut the sprue and close it back and a finger to operate the bottom pour lever. I never put anything down so messing with the sprue breaks my rhythm.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I will dump sprues directly back into the pot from the sprue plate while casting pistol boolits, and sometimes with Rifle boolits, depending on how the mold likes to be run.
NOW, I don't get any splashing as I always kept a 1/2" layer of dross on the top of the melt, mostly I do this to insulate the alloy to hold the temperature more consistent, as well as, keeping more oxides from forming. But a bonus, when a sprue is dropped, it doesn't splash and basically floats on the layer of dross and slowly melts/seeps down into the alloy, and any oxide on the surface of the sprue should be staying with the dross.

[1989toddm]

A small metal slide fastened to the bolt on top of my pot receives the sprues and allows them to enter the melt without drama. Dropped directly from the mold it doesn't add time to the cycle and takes no more energy. The slide is lifted and turned to the side to add ingots from the hot plate or the upper pot is allowed to use the same slide to refill the lower.
It took years to figure out a simple way to save time and be consistent.

Could I persuade you to take a picture of that slide/ramp and post it?

[country gent]

I flux every 100 or so bullets on my pot. Ussually there are 3 of us casting together so that 300 or so bullets. We add the sprues back just before fluxing the pot each time. My casting pot holds just over 125Lbs so the sprues don't make much difference in the temp

[runfiverun]

I break them off right in my hand so they go right back into the pot.
then I open and dump the boolits from the mold.
the good ones go in the pile, the bad ones go into the ingot mold sitting there.

[ioon44]

I drop my sprues in a box and then use 6" needle nose pliers to add the sprues back to the pot this keeps the lead from splashing and gives the mold time to cool before cutting the next sprue.

[EMC45]

Mine get dropped back into the pot when I amass a large pile on the casting bench. Usually about 6-10 pour cycles and I scoop them up in gloved hand and drop them back in the pot, avoiding splashing.

[trixter]

My pot sits on the corner of a huge bath towel that is doubled, and that is on a piece of concrete wallboard. I drop all of my sprues right next to the pot. when I get a little tired I put the mold on the hot plate, add the sprues back in, go pee or whatever needs to be done and come back and I am ready to go some more. If if just keep going I get all stove up, so the break works for me.

[David2011]

The mold I'm using at the time dictates how I handle sprues. Some of the large iron and leaded steel molds retain heat well and are very tolerant of the delay while picking up the sprue and returning it to the pot. Small aluminum molds cool too quickly so I let the sprues collect and add them back when I'm ready for a breather. I intend to start dropping sprues into a small second pot so they'll be molten when returned to the pot. Been intending to start doing that for years. I have the pot; just need to introduce it to the routine.

David

[dragon813gt]

I tired putting them back as I go. But I cast one large sprue. This keeps everything up to temp and good bad fill out. Tried smaller sprues but got poor fill out. The large sprue drops the temp in the pot by over twenty degrees. That's to much and I've seen larger weight variations when doing this. So I cast until the pot is almost empty and then dump all the sprues back in. This gives me a short break to rest. I'm in no hurry so this pace is fine.

[dale2242]

I am retired so time isn`t a big issue.
I made a box 16"X 16" with 2" tall sides. I have a piece of 3/8" thick felt in the bottom to drop the boolits on.
In a corner near me I keep a small bread loaf pan to drop my sprues into.
I cut the sprue into the loaf pan and drop the boolits onto the felt pushing then to the end of the box farthest from me.
Went my back says it`s time to rest, I place the full mold onto my hotplate and put the sprues back in the pot.
I then add more alloy if necessary.
By the time the thermometer says it`s time to cast I am rested and start again....dale

[toallmy]

I cut the sprue and drop it in my left hand adding it to the pot right away , this makes me hesitate for a couple seconds witch let's the cast boolits harden before dropping them in the pan . I pore a big continuous sprue so I would only get 8-10 pound out of my 4/20 if I didn't add them back wile casting . I wear a thick glove on my left hand all the time with a thin glove on my right hand about half the time , cutting with my thumb , unless I'm using the 6 cavity lee with the cutter handle . When I'm in my happy place casting it works for me - most of the time .