to look or not to look

[splotch]

Hi - how do you guys handle bending over and look at the mold and the spout of a bottom pour pot to get them to match up. After casting awhile it gets to me in the back twisting over and looking - I have thought about raising the pot to eye level but that didnt seem like a good answer - ideas thanks

[JSnover]

I don't. My aim improved in short order. Some people like to have the sprue a little bit off so they get a 'swirl' effect as the cavity fills. Some people hold the sprue plate right up against the spout and pour until a few beads of lead squeeze out around it.
I just eyeball mine in from a normal standing posture. It helps if you have something to rest your mold on and a stop to bump it against.

[frankenfab]

I always cast sitting down.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I cast while sitting down,
I mounted the pot in an elevated fashion,
bottom pour spout is just about eye level.
Jon

[Inkman]

I put the pot and a couple trays on a folding table so the drop spout is about chest high. Works for me. Hands and arms get tired long before my back does.

Al

[buyobuyo]

I cast/reload standing, but my bench my bench is 40" tall and my casting pot is setup on another box that raises it another 2-5/8" above the top of the bench. This allows me to work with my arms in a comfortable position, and I can see under the pot without bending to align the spout/mold.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I used to cast standing up on my hind legs. Now with old age thundering at me along with a bad back and knees, I cast sitting down on an old wood bar stool. I have my RCBS bottom pour pot mounted on various thickness pieces of planks. The planks and the pot are anchored down to my bench so a potential accident doesn`t happen. The pot is about eye level for the spout and mould being filled. I wear safety gear on my face and upper body, hands and arms - also just in case.Robert

[Bret4207]

Use a ladle, problem ended! Or, elevate the pot. I sit my SAECO BP on a 8"x8" block on my rib high bench and I can almost see the spout while standing. I can't cast sitting, no way. My intention is to piggy back my 2 SAECOs in a welded metal framework and extend the op handle down so I can just reach and pour easily while having them high enough to see things clearly.

Lack of being able to see is one of the main downsides to a BP IMO and one of the chief pluses of a ladle.

[theperfessor]

I sit on a home-made tractor-seat stool in front of my steel welding table. My Lyman Mag 20 sits on 4" thick stack of MDF blocks which sit in a large aluminum cafeteria tray on the table. This positions things where I can see the spout w/o stooping but not raise my arms to an uncomfortable height.

[mold maker]

I was once 8 tall and bullet proof, or so I thought. At some point in the last half century I realized that doing things in a comfortable position, was just as mocho as pain.
I cast seated with all my BP pots set on a sturdy table so that I can see the tip of the spout easily.
The use of mold guides and movable stops, make for longer sessions, and painless production.
Funny how the pain of age shows us what we should have known as youngsters.

[GP100man]

I also cast sitting down with the pot on a 2x12 on a 40" hi table ,& sit on a bar stool with the legs cut to just the rite height so as not to fatige arms .

At first I placed a peice of 1x4 under the front of the pot to tilt it a bit , it worked up until I got a six banger & the length & the need to fill the pot completely made me change up.

I purchased a Lyman mag20 pot & the front is beveled to expose the spout It sits flat , no 2x12.

I`m a hands -on ,gotta see it kinda feller !!

[mazo kid]

I use the mold guide on my Lee 20#er.

[mdi]

I made a small "table" to sit my pot on. 2X4 legs with a 12"X24" 3/4" counter top. A hair over 4" tall and solid. I cast sitting and with my stool adjusted just right, I can see the top of my mold as it's in place...

[dragonrider]

Sitting down with the pot at a convenient height.

[dagger dog]

It's kinda like peeing , you let the stream flow and you can see where it will hit, if your aim is good it'll hit the toilet (sprue plate)!:bigsmyl2:

[Iron Mike Golf]

I have my pot elevated so the top edge is eye level. A compromise between being able to look into the pot and under it.

[41mag]

I have my pot elevated so the top edge is eye level. A compromise between being able to look into the pot and under it.

Mine is similar. I raised the pot level years ago when I only used it to pour up large surf weights for shark fishing. Since then I have found it convenient that it sits up this high and allows me to sit in a chair with the top just below eye level and I can still see the spout easily. Setting up some aluminum flat bar and channel, allows me to regulate the height of my molds perfectly and have a nice flat place to close them on. If I happen to have a run over or over fill of a mold the alloy cools instantly so returning it to the pot it easily done.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/41nag/Shooting/Cast%20Boolit%20Loading%20and%20Shooting/th_P6040205.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/41nag/Shooting/Cast%20Boolit%20Loading%20and%20Shooting/?action=view&current=P6040205.jpg)

[Cherokee]

I cast standing and the pot is elevated to where I can see the match up of mould to spout. Be sure the base is solid, don't want a tipsy pot of hot metal.

[Echo]

I cast sitting on a fairly tall stool, as I built my workbench a shade taller than average because >I'm< a shade taller than average. Barely have to duck my head to align pot spout and sprue plate.

[a.squibload]

I use a ladle. My burner / stand is tall so I can stand while casting.
So why do I put my ingot molds on the floor???
Hadn't really thought about it 'til now, need another garage sale table or something.

[casterofboolits]

I cast sitting down and built a casting table that is comfortable to use H&G Eight cavity moulds with my RCBS pots.

[Suo Gan]

I kind of shoot from the hip after I get a feel for a mold. I sometimes adjust the mold guide but I rarely if ever touch the mold to the spout. This invariably causes freezing and I need to clear it by lighting a torch and heating it. The correct alignment is more a matter of feel than anything else, but I do bend over frequently enough to always stand while casting. I rarely do over a 20 pound pot anymore.

[milprileb]

I mount it eye level as stated, use a mold guide and put a roller system on top
of mold guide so mold rolls along and I can smoothly fill cavities with little effort.

Steel 4 cavity mold blocks and handles even with a mold guide are tough on my old
wrists but that roller system works to erase any stress or fatique on wrists.

Roller: smooth bolt with washers on each end. Put mold on it and roll it along. Yeah..its
not really exotic or special but it works !