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Mal Paso
07-23-2011, 11:40 PM
I've used various lights to see what I was doing under my Lee 20# Bottom Pour, none of them very good. The trouble is the POT is right where the Light needs to be. I found a 12V 3 Watt LED Phillips Landscape light at Home Depot for $12 and today I did something with it. Even my old Lee Pot is shiny on the bottom or a pot could be easily cleaned and used as a reflector. I beveled the ends on a 3" scrap of 3/4 copper water pipe and soldered it to a piece of 1 1/2 x 1/4 bar stock to make a mini spotlight. The hood is rotated slightly toward me to keep the light out of my eyes as well as protection from hot lead. 12 volts was Way Too Bright, 7 volts was about right. I put the 2 LEDs on the lamp vertical so the Pot Support Rod casts a sharper shadow giving me a line up indicator. I adjust it so when the shadow touches the edge of the sprue hole the nozzle is centered. And I can See Too!

buyobuyo
07-24-2011, 09:36 AM
Very cool setup.

zuke
07-24-2011, 09:48 AM
Sound's like a great idea!

blikseme300
07-24-2011, 09:52 AM
Mal,

Nice work. Good visibility of any work area greatly affects the final product. The subtle nuances of the cast cannot be seen with bad lighting.

My setup is such that the top of the mold and casting spout are at eye level. Good visibility and much less back strain. My lighting is a cannibalized LED mag light powered by a power supply, similar to yours.

The tinkering and other pursuits surrounding cast boolits are much more than simply cast, load & shoot.

Bliksem