Casting Temp.

[EWOK]

What is a good temp. for casting ww boolits?

[LAH]

Some where between 650 & 750. Most my Keith moulds like 725 by my thermometer..............Creeker

[John Boy]

Ewok ... my 'general' suggestion is between 680 to 730 for WW's. But each mold likes a specific temperature range to fill out the bullet and be below the 'frosty' temperature. So, experiment with your thermometer and your mold will let you know.

[NVcurmudgeon]

My moulds seem to cast best between 700 and 775, with some individual variation. Frosted boolits are not necessarily bad, it's an indication of good fillout. Frost in one spot, often showing up as shrunken spot on one side of one driving band, is bad. (Sometimes a long rifle boolit will give an optical illusion that it is bent like a banana!) Usually it is an indication of too high a mould temperature, and can often be fixed by lowering heat source temperature, and/or slowing the pace of casting.

[EWOK]

Creeker, John, thanks for your replies, the reason behind my question is that I'm just getting into this game but long ago I did make some muzzle loader boolits, don't even remember much about it, but had a lee pot that I dug out of storage and tried it to see if it still worked, it did, turned the dial to 6-7 and used a screwdriver to clean some of the crud out of it, I also have got a thermameter so I thought I'd see how it worked and when I set the pot to 650 the dial was down about 3 and the lead ran real slow from the bottom pour spout, I was trying the 650 setting because I will soon be smelting WW in a dutchoven and want to avoid zinc weights as has been advised here, but don't think this would be an ideal setting to cast with, maybe this therm. doesn't read right but it seemed that 800+ had the lead flowing from the pot smoother, I was just letting it flow into the ladel and putting it back in the pot, anyway I guess it will be just trial and error in finding my ideal casting temp.

[Marlin Junky]

Dipper and bottom pouring methods may require different temperatures as do different alloys and mold materials. I use about 750F with a Rowell#2 and WW+2%Sn when casting with ferrous molds. Lee molds need a bit more heat (780F) and it looks like straight WW metal poured into ferrous molds needs a little more heat too but probably not over 800F if using a big dipper like the Rowell#2. In other words, buy the RCBS thermometer from Midway, start at 750F, cast at a comfortable pace and see how it goes. Don't forget to preheat your mold.

MJ

[dragonrider]

I find 800 degrees to be best but that may be just differences in thermometers.

[Sundogg1911]

I run a little hotter if i'm using 3 or more molds, so the molds do lose temp. usually around 800 to 825F. If it's 2 or less molds it's usually about 730-750F. those temps. are while using Iron molds. aluminum needs a little more tweaking depending on the amount of molds used because they don't hold temp. as long.

[lurch]

For what I've been doing recently, 720F to 730F works best as indicated by my PID controller on a Lee pot using a variety of Lyman 2 & 4 holers. Lyman thermometer reads 60F higher than this. One of these days I'm still going to figure out which one is right. I think I believe the PID controller more at this point though.

[Drifter]

700 to 750 degrees with a bottom pour pot, and again don't forget to preheat the mold. I sit mine on top of the melt for 3 or 4 minutes before I make the first pour.
Drifter

[Cntrmass]

anything hotter and I really have to wait for the Lee Aluminum mold to cool or I get alot of frosting.


too much tin ?

what do you think?

[Dale53]

I had an unexpected result (law of unintended consequences?) when pre-heating an iron mould. I left it in/on the melt for five minutes. Now, the mould was the same temperature of the molten metal. When I started to cast my first bullets, some of the bullet metal "tinned" to the inside of the bullet cavity. Cast a number of slightly damaged bullets. This was unacceptable for precision bullets. Removal was easy once I put my thinking cap on - pre-heatd it AGAIN for five minutes then used a rough cloth to thoroughly wipe the cavity out. I then let it cool for a bit, and continued without further problems.

Now, I pre-heat iron moulds for exactly TWO minutes. Mould is "up to heat" without invoking the "law of unintended consequences". Aluminum moulds, I pre-heat by contact with the molten bullet metal for 30 SECONDS.

Some moulds are just too big to get into the pot converiently. I have a temperature regulated hot plate at my casting station. I use a "pre-determined" temperature setting to pre-heat the mould to EXACTLY my preference. This has now become my default method for all moulds.

Dale53

[Dale53]

Oh, I neglected to answer the original question...

I was tempted to answer with " exactly 737.628 degrees" with some levity (the debbil made me do it:twisted:). However, with great restraint, I am able to give a serious answer, " Each mould seems to react just a bit different to temperature. Each alloy will cast differently to each temperature. However, I seem to get the best results with WW = 2% tin from 700-750 degrees. You are probably best served by using the lowest temperature that gives you the results that you require."

Dale53

P.S. You'll have to forgive me. I just finished a 10.5 hour drive from North Carolina to visit one of our boys in Khaki and his lovely family near Ft. Bragg. I am just a bit "bushed".rdm

[EWOK]

Dale, you weren't too far from my house, could have just stopped by and gave me the answer, but then my therm. aint digital, really thanks for all the comments and I will give'm a try, hopefully soon.

[LAH]

Dale says: I have a temperature regulated hot plate at my casting station. I use a "pre-determined" temperature setting to pre-heat the mould to EXACTLY my preference. This has now become my default method for all moulds.


This is a very good way to do this..........Creeker

[Dale53]

EWOK;

>>>Dale, you weren't too far from my house, could have just stopped by and gave me the answer, but then my therm. aint digital, really thanks for all the comments and I will give'm a try, hopefully soon.<<<

I would have loved to have met you, but since you have no information in your signature, I have no idea where in the world you reside...

You know, this comment made me think (seriously). I know that some of us have reasons for wanting to remain purely anonymous on this forum. I respect that. However, for you that just didn't "fill in the blanks" on your "preferences", you might want to consider putting your area of residence on with your signature. I don't mean you need to get specific, but just the area. As a "for instance" I live in SW Ohio, and it is on my signature. As a result, I have hooked up with more than one person on this forum. That is healthy. If someone lives in British Columbia, the chances of us getting together is remote, simply because of the distance. However, when we see a person who lives far away but is interested in the sport of cast boolits, it might lead us to correspond with them to both our advantages. On the other hand, when I see someone who resides nearby, that is an incentive to contact him/her for further information exchange.

When Bullshop talks about "Forty Below" and I see he is from Alaska, it somehow adds to my day. When others talk about 95 degrees and it is zero here, it peaks my interest.

Just some food for thought...

Dale53

[dbotos]

For what I've been doing recently, 720F to 730F works best as indicated by my PID controller on a Lee pot using a variety of Lyman 2 & 4 holers. Lyman thermometer reads 60F higher than this. One of these days I'm still going to figure out which one is right. I think I believe the PID controller more at this point though.

I'm thinking about doing a PID controller for mine with an Omega CN132, thermocouple, and SSR:

http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=CN132

I may buy a decent dial thermometer in the meantime.

[felix]

Dale, I agree whole heartedly about personal addys. It does not matter if the addy is downright specific. The bad guys, whomever they are, already have your personals anyway. Thankfully, most of us don't have what they want to attatch, legally or illegally. ... felix

[EWOK]

Ok Dale, put it in just for you, don't know about everybody else but it seems there is always more blanks to fill out on everything we do and I just skip most of it, didn't really think you'd come by, hell my Mom lives 4 miles away and she goes to visit my youngest brother that lives in New York City more than me, seems nobody comes by these days that don't want to sell you something or get you to do something for them for nothing, maybe I'm just not that likeable of a guy, I'm about an hour east of Bragg, got a 100 yard range out back so come on down and visit anytime and we will burn some powder.

[AZ-Stew]

Dale53 had it right. Just hot enough to get complere fillout. With WW, I find this to be in the neighborhood of 700-725F with the Lee moulds.

If you have one nearby, visit Harbor Freight and ask them for a Centech 92242 Digital Thermometer with thermocouple. The thermocouple is important. It has a wide temperature range and is a replacable part (less than $2). These units are not available from their web site or by phone order. Only available in the store. It's a nice digital unit about 8"x4"x1.5" with a BIG LCD display. Range is from about 32F to 2000F (yeah, two thousand). Their non-contact IR models don't have enough temperature range.

While the unit won't tell you up front what temperature will cast best, it will allow you to see the temperature of the alloy in your pot and you can make a record of the proper temp once you cast some good bullets.

Regards,

Stew

[Dale53]

EWOK;
Thanks for posting your area. You live in a nice part of the world. I was talking to a friend recently who lives near Indianapolis, IN. He loves where he lives but mentioned that if he were to move, N.C. would be the place (extremely nice beaches on the coast and mountains to the west). We always enjoy our visits to our son and his family near Ft. Bragg and I have back packed for years in the Smokies plus fly fishing and Kayaking the waters...

All right, people. I hope the rest of you consider posting your area.

Dale53

[John Boy]

... ask them for a Centech 92242 Digital Thermometer with thermocouple.
Hear, Here ... I echo Stew's feelings completely. The Digital should be a must buy for casters. Using it, I've found out what temperature each of my molds like to produce 'pretty-filled out-non frosted' bullets. Then I keep it within a 10 degree plus or minus range. There's no looking back to the days of the bi-metal's

FWIW ... I'm casting 40gr peanuts up to 550gr lunkers with single and multiple cavities using alloys from 1:40 up to WW's

[Sundogg1911]

I was thinking about the PID controller also for a Lee 20 bottom drip. Seems like a great idea....but after thinking about it, I'm starting to think it's kinda like puttin' a suit on a Pig! [smilie=1:
I may do it if I can do it on the cheap like Lurch did, and since I work for one of the worlds largest electronic manufactures I may be able to do that. (I got friends in low places) :-D but I'm not going to sink close to $100 into a Lee, i'll just buy another Magma pot.

[LAH]

All right, people. I hope the rest of you consider posting your area.

Dale53

I live just a few minutes from New River, southern WV. Some great smallmount bass fishing and plenty of whitewater. Lot's of coal company & timber land around to explore & shoot on.

[Sundogg1911]

It's funny. A guy that i've been talking to on here (I'll respect His privacy and not name Him) Lives about 3 miles from me. He emailed me and it turns out that we have some of the same friends. It really is a small world! I didn't know there were other people with the same sickness .....I mean hobby [smilie=1:
in my neck of the woods.
:castmine:

[lurch]

I'm thinking about doing a PID controller for mine with an Omega CN132, thermocouple, and SSR:

http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=CN132

I may buy a decent dial thermometer in the meantime.

You don't neet to spend that much. The PID controller I got came from the Evil Bay (second link below) but there are a couple of places to get one just like the one I got. Near as I can tell, they are the exact same controller with slightly different face graphics (the model number - seems to be custom for the particular outfit you get it from, maybe the firmware is different, don't know):

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=14
http://cgi.ebay.com/Universal-Digital-PID-Temperature-Control-Controller_W0QQitemZ7613188701QQcategoryZ50974QQtc ZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Another that looks like it will work is here:

http://www.kelinginc.net/ProcessController.html

The solid state relay I'm using is from Auber:

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=9

When I got my controller, it came with a thermocouple but it appears that is no longer the case. The thermocouple I have is similar to:

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=2

and with a little judicious attention with a welder, you can attach a 1/4-20 nut & spacer to the bottom of the crucible in the Lee pot. A hole in the bottom aluminum cover lets the thermocouple be screwed into the nut from the outside and but up against the crucible. This gives positive contact with the crucible for good temperature sensing and prevents sides of the crucible from getting glowing hot when the lead level gets pretty low. It also lets the controller box be completely disconnected from the pot for storage (or used on another something or other that can be modofied mount the thermocouple)

A few electrical tidbits brom a big box store and a metal box to house the controller and relay and you're in business. I had some of the ancillary stuff on hand (the box, power cord, cable clamps, wire nuts) already and spent something like $60 converting mine.

If you decide to go for it, I'll offer any assistance I can provide if you'd like it.