Help..been a long time

[30calpal]

Since I have cast my own. Last weekend I decided to break in some new equipment. I was outside and it was COOL. I was using wheel weight and a few sinkers. The melt kept skinning over and the mold blocks just would not get hot enough to fill out. I have a two hole mold and the rear hole never did make a decent boolit. I think I got 10 boolits that looked usable out of 6-7lbs of melt. Rest had to go back in the pot for another day. The Lyman melt pot was set at 80% but my Harbor Freight infrared thermal temp gun registered only 450*. Will lead pour at 450*? I was looking for 650-680. Maybe my temp gun is off? Maybe my pot was not getting up to temp? Next time I'll put the mold on a hot plate to keep it warm. What am I doing wrong, or right? Your opinions and info are greatly appreciated. I got hungry guns to feed!

[Echo]

Well - casting outside in cool weather will test your abilities, for sure. I have a little room (used to be a store room) off my garage that will warm up, sorta, with a space heater, and will be out there momentarily. If you can work indoors, dat's da ticket, even if you have to work under a range vent fan.

[gwpercle]

My first thought is your pot is not heating properly. Get it going again and measure temp. with a thermometer you know works. It will be ok to bring the pot indoors just to test it.

My casting is done in an unheated garage, mostly during winter, because the heat and humidity of a Louisiana summer is unbearable. I have never had any problems but I don't know how cold your outsides were that day.

I have cast when the tempt. was in 40's and 50's and had no problem but I was protected from wind. If it was cold and breezy that day it could explain the heat loss.

If the pot's heating unit is up to snuff you're just going to have to wait for awarmer day.

[mdi]

Sounds kinda like you need more heat in both the melt and mold. I'm not sure but, I may have read that infrared thermometers won't work well on liquid surfaces?? Both the temps you quote are way low for bullet casting...

[sqlbullet]

An infrared will not work to measure the temp of that lead. The technology is not compatible.

Acquire an immersion thermometer. Lyman makes one that can be had for around $20 as I recall. For that matter, one of the grill thermometers they have at Lowes/Home Depot will probably work good enough.

When I cast in the winter, I am in an unheated garage. I run my pot, filled with isotope lead, between 700 and 750 according to my Lyman therm. When it hits 750, I drop the sprues in and that generally pulls it back down to about 710 or so.

A FAST cadence is needed to keep an aluminum mold hot in freezing/below freezing temps, even with still air. Outside where the air will be moving at least a little, this would be far worse. Definitely you need some kind of wind screen.

[Cherokee]

To little heat in pot and mould. I always cast indoors.

[BulletFactory]

Do you preheat your mold?

And no, lead wont pour at 450, you need at least 621 for that. It usually becomes liquid at 625, cast at 675 to 725 and you should be in the clear.

[ku4hx]

Living in the sunny South I cast only in cold weather. But ya know, cold here is usually not so cold for my wife's home state of Michigan.

Sounds to me like your heat source is insufficient for the task.

[30calpal]

Thanks all for your recommendations. I am in Alabama, it was in the upper 40's to low 50's and breezy on the day I tried to make a few. Did not know about the infrared temp guns NOT working on a hot liquid surface!! Thanks. I will invest in a thermometer. I tend to think that the pot was doing OK, because the lead melted in just a few minutes and was nice and shiney on top until it skimmed over with the gray stuff. I have some asbes**s blanket left from back in the day when I was a welder. Prob help to wrap a little around the melt pot on cool days, ..OR..would that heat up the elements too much and prematurely end the life of my pot?