Pouring a Lee ingot help!

[1longshot]

I have done about 5 or 6 WW melts now. I have been using a Lee mold to pour separate 1lb and 1/2 lb ingots. I, however, have come to realize I may have been making a mistake. Are the ingot molds supposed to be filled to brim then later broken into ingots separately? If so I have poured many hundred under weight ingots. I suppose a check from a scale would tell me my answer but the closest one I have access to is at the supermarket in the produce section. I don't think producing lead from my pocket to weigh at the grocery store would fly too well if I were observed by an employee or other customer.

Thanks People

[swamp]

I have always poured them so they will be seperate ingets. I cast some with lino and solder that were all one piece, They were a pita to seperate.

Also I like to keep the 1/2 lb seperate so the don't get buried by the larger ingots. The smaller ingots are nice when making alloys.

Mostly do it the way that is easiest for you to use.

swamp
swamp

[zuke]

I run 4 LEE ingot mold's at a time and I fill them to the brim.
It's a lot easier to store,pile and move in this form and when I decide to use it a couple hit's with a hammer and they break along the line's.
They make a 4lb ingot done this way.

[1longshot]

Makes a 4 lb ingot all the way full eh? Sounds like then pouring individuals actually does get you somewhere close to 1/2 and full lb ingots. Thanks for the replies.

[southpaw]

I have several lee, lyman and rcbs ingot molds. I do not fill them all the way up. I think that they stack better (more in a smaller area). They all come out to around a pound. Depends how full you fill them. Some are just under a pound and some are just over a pound.

Jerry Jr.

[Roundnoser]

I use a two Lee and two Lyman ingot molds and fill them to the top. For me, its easier to move them around, and I usually put 8-9 pounds into my finish melter (Lee 4-20) at a time when preping to cast bullets...just stick two or thee big slabs in the pot and let'er melt down...I usually cast 500 - 1,000 bullets at a time.

[captaint]

I pour all one or two pounders and save the .5pounders for tin. One little ingot in the 20 pound pot, and I'm good to go. enjoy Mike

[shotman]

the 1 lb size fill to top and not joined is about as nere 1lb as you can get . WW and lead is a little different anyway . 53 will stack 2 layers in a MFR box and its about 51 to53 lbs everytime

[DanM]

I fill them full and stack them in milk crates. When smeltin down WWs in my big pot on the turkey fryer, I end up with about 80 lbs of clean metal per session. The 4 lee ingot molds I have get real hot, and I found that the process goes much faster if I quench the ingot molds in a deep bowl of water. So, I fill all four and then quench them so I don't have to wait for them to cool, and the ingots drop out easily.

[fredj338]

It doesn't matter, just depends on how you like to store them. I use a Lyman ingot mold to pour pure lead ingots & fill it to teh top so I can stack them as a block. They weigh about 1.25# each. Most post offices have a scale center in the lobby, but I bough a cheap kitchen scale that weighs to 15# to weigh guns on, but works for lead ingots too.