Sweet Spot

[UweJ]

Hi folks
Found my sweet spot at casting today.Used to cast at lower temps but tried high temp castin for the first time today. I got my molds preheated on the ol hot plate nad started casting between 350-400 deg. celcius-thats 660-750 fahrenheit.
After 3-4 throws I noticed I didn´t need to whack the sprue cutter any more, a snap with the finger would opoen the mold right after the lead solidified.
Great timesafer and the boolits came out great.
I´ve been casting for a couple of years already but never thought of trying this.
Goes to show that an old dog can still learn a new trick.:castmine:
Uwe J

[RobS]

So where did you end up for a final temp? 660 to 750 degrees F is a large gap.

[UweJ]

Ended up at 700 fahrenheit. That works great for me.I´ll try to keep the pot at that temp.I could speed up production doing it like that .

[RobS]

Very good, just curious what boolit alloy are you using over there in Germany? I don't know if cheap lead such as lead wheel weights are even an option for you.

[UweJ]

lol, I have about 500 pounds if isotope lead, about 1.5 tons of range lead ,about 800 kilo´s of WW mostly from trucks and about 300 pounds of soft lead.
I can safely say-I got enough - for a short period of time. GRIN
Uwe

[RobS]

[smilie=w: Wow!!! Sounds like you are doing well on the alloy.

[Von Gruff]

Yeah thats a great stash.

I found that the hotter alloy temp not only helped with the boolit release but there was something like a .0005 reduction in dia. While that made little difference on the drive bands this particular mould is a bore rider and the hot casr nose was a better fit than the colder cast.

Von Gruff.

[UweJ]

I have and hadsome good sources for the alloy but it´s getting very thin withWW nowadays.Isotop lead I can get 40 pounds per week for free at a klinik. One of our range members is sa doc and he would have to pay to get rid of it. He gives me the lead and I fix him up with some boolits in return .Since I work in a trucking comp. we always had the big WW. But recently VARTA the biggest batterymaker here in Europe has build a large recycling plant and is buying up all they van.
Uwe

[UweJ]

@ von Gruff
I´ll have to try that on my Swede, thanks for the tip.
Uwe

[RobS]

I have and hadsome good sources for the alloy but it´s getting very thin withWW nowadays.Isotop lead I can get 40 pounds per week for free at a klinik. One of our range members is sa doc and he would have to pay to get rid of it. He gives me the lead and I fix him up with some boolits in return .Since I work in a trucking comp. we always had the big WW. But recently VARTA the biggest batterymaker here in Europe has build a large recycling plant and is buying up all they van.
Uwe

Free is the word I heard in the above statement and at 40 lbs a week.............. I envy you.

[montana_charlie]

Hi folks
Found my sweet spot at casting today.Used to cast at lower temps but tried high temp castin for the first time today.
Now that you have settled on 700 F. I am curious to know what temperature you were using in the past. You know ... the NOT 'high temp castin' .

CM

[geargnasher]

Now that you have settled on 700 F. I am curious to know what temperature you were using in the past. You know ... the NOT 'high temp castin' .

CM

Me too, many alloys (like 50/50 WW/Pure lead) NEED 700 degrees to pour correctly. I checked a batch the other day and it didn't get past the phase change to full liquidus until about 607 degrees. If there is the slightest hint of calcium or zink contamination, higher temps between 700-750 are needed to compensate also.

Gear

[UweJ]

I used to be around 630-650 Fahrenheit , added some solder and it worked out ok. not as good as it does now.What gets me is that I can cut the sprue with my fingers instead of whacking at the sprue plate with a wooden dowel.

[475BH]

I used to be around 630-650 Fahrenheit , added some solder and it worked out ok. not as good as it does now.What gets me is that I can cut the sprue with my fingers instead of whacking at the sprue plate with a wooden dowel.

That's what I do also. I just started w/ a lyman 4 cav. and all I have used is my fingers, I don't know what all the fuss is about using a wooden dowel.[smilie=1:

[geargnasher]

The only thing I use a mallet for is freeing the occasional stubborn boolit that sticks in the mould, just a light whack on the handle hinge bolt does it. A gloved right thumb is for cutting sprues.

Gear