Different pots for different alloys?

[RRaider806]

As it stands right now I just got into the casting scene. I've gone to the local recycling centers around town and picked up as many roofing boots as I could carry to take home and melt down for Muzzleloading boolits. Having melted down my supply of boots and casting and culling several batches of RB I asked myself the question about casting boolits for my 9mm and 45. Would I have to go out and buy another pot to cast WW alloy or just make sure that I completely drain and clean my pot in between batches of pure lead and Wheel Weight alloy?

[41magfan]

Myself, I would just emty the pot.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I empty to pot also.
I cast with:
Pure
WW
WW with 3% tin
Lyman #2

most of the time I leave a pound or two in the pot,
it really doesn't matter that much when adding 18 lbs of alloy,
except for the Pure for muzzle loading, I like that as pure as possible.
Jon

[WILCO]

Myself, I would just emty the pot.

Ditto for me.

[Calamity Jake]

And I have 3 bottom pour pots and 3 alloys.

If I need or want something else I will drain one.

[GLL]

I use 4 different alloys for most of my applications and have a separate WAAGE ladle pot for each.

It is not as easy (or as safe) to drain a ladle pot as it is a bottom pour ! :)

Jerry

[Von Gruff]

I laddle pour all my boolits so it is no trouble to have a pot for each alloy. But then I use a gas heat source so a pot can be anything suitable from ex-kitchen pot to a gas cylinder cut in half and modified somewhat. Saves a lot of heat at the start of a melt to have the alloy in one piece contacting the pot.

Von Gruff.

[mooman76]

I agree with what was said here. I do happen to have 2 pots though. I bought a small pot and decided it was too small so when I bought a bigger pot I keep the small pot with pure and the bigger with WWs. You might be able to pick up a cheap used one here or elsewhere. You could also cast in a cast iron pot also as an option. I have a 1qt pot for the stove I haven't used in awhile but when the lead hardened I could turn the pot over and the lead would come out in a big block.

[stubshaft]

I ladle cast too and also have 2 post a 10# and 20#. Usually the 10# has pure and the 20# has whatever alloy I happen to be casting with at the time. The only time that this changes is when I cast boolits over 450gr. Then I drain the 10# pot and use it as a pre-heater for the ally I am casting with. It is amazing how fast a 580gr 2 cavity will drain a pot or a 500gr 4cav.

[mold maker]

To ID the left over WW in the smelting pot I just drop a clip back on top of the melt and let it cool.
All the other alloys are marked with a scratch awl, when cooled. I have several casting pots, but I also have a favorite BP which is always emptied. I use the small melting pots with a bale from Lyman and RCBS to mold the left overs. These are placed back in the milk crate with the like supply of ingots.

[Mk42gunner]

I mainly use my Lee 4-20 with WW. Shortly after I bought the 4-20, I found a ten pound Lee at a pawn shop for $10.00, after buying something like $3.00 worth of parts from Lee I now have a separate pot for pure lead.

Robert

[Dennis Eugene]

Two pots for two alloys, it's just easier that way. Dennis

[Cowboy T]

I just drain my pot and fill with the new alloy. The double-pot idea, though, is good for speeding up your production, especially if you use one of those many-cavity moulds.

[oldhickory]

I also use 2 pots, a #10 for pure lead, and a #20 for alloy.

[OLPDon]

2 RCBS #20 One Alloy one Pure Lead.
Don