What Hot Plate to Purchase

[heavyd]

I have a stubborn mold that takes a lot of casting to get it up to temp. Looks like it's time to invest in a hot plate. What hot plate do you like and where did you purchase it?

Or, is there another cheaper method to heating molds? I am afraid to dip my mold in the melted alloy.

[Carolina Cast Bullets]

Most any electric hot plate with a variable heat control works. Can be had at most Dollar Stores or WalMart fairly cheaply.

I use one with an 8" square piece of 1/4" steel plate on top of the heating element. Putting
the molds on the steel plate to heat up at the same time you start your lead pot has the molds
up to heat almost at the same time. Good bullets almost from the first pour.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

[41 mag fan]

Got mine at the Farm Fleet Store...or Rural King as it's known here for $10

Ironic...the last coal mine I was at they called me heavyd

[jmsj]

I believe I bought mine at Walgreen's for about $8.00
Good luck, jmsj

[LUCKYDAWG13]

wallmart $10. ish a piece of steel on top and a big soup can over the mold
acts like in oven

[MikeS]

I find that a hotplate that doesn't have the exposed coils, but rather a metal surfaced heater (I don't know if that's the actual heater, or just a cover over the old fashioned open coils) works better, as no extra piece of metal is needed to put the moulds on. I got mine on Amazon, it's the Aroma brand, and cost I think $17.00 or so. With my old hotplate (with the open coils) I had a flat skillet on it, and I had to keep it a the max setting to get it to heat the mould enough, but the new one I got from Amazon I have to set slightly below the Medium setting, otherwise it heats the mould too much.

[Bret4207]

My experience is just the opposite of Mikes. I prefer the open coil type.

[Rockchucker]

I don't know if it makes much difference which type you have, Open type or enclosed type, but the hot plate sure make a big difference. Mine is the open coil type and I use an aluminum plate on top that works great. I picked mine up at K-mart awhile back and don't remember the cost but it wasn't very much.

[dragonrider]

Dip a corner of the mold into you lead pot untlil the lead no longer sticks to it when you lift it.

[Longwood]

I have a single and double hot plate with the big plate on them.
They will barely boil water or cook anything.
The single one is the second one from Walmart. I took the first one back because it did not get very hot only to find out they don't sell hotplates, only "Fairly-warm" plates, these days.
I wish I had one of the old open coil spring type like the one that I used to solder stuff on.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

What hot plate do you like and where did you purchase it?


to answer your questions ...Cheap ! and the thrift store

if you can see the price tag in the photo...it's $1.00
add a old saw blade and a modified coffee can.
I put the mold on the blade and cover with the can
and set the hotplate on Low, when I power up the melter.
both are ready to go in 20 minutes.
Jon

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/reduced.jpg

[SAJTU]

I picked up an open coil design at Big Lots for around $8.00. They also had some two element hot plates for not much more.

SAJTU

[edler7]

I have a Sylvania I picked up at Walgreens. With a piece of 3/8 aluminum on it and set on medium, it will melt an ingot that is pre-heating if I leave it on there too long.

[bosterr]

I have 2 open coil hot plates, one to preheat molds and to keep them hot while eating lunch or waiting for more metal to melt, and one to melt ingots to have ready to pour in when the pot needs refilling. But I also use them to melt wheel weights into ingots. They are 750 watts and do ok, but if I need to replace one or two someday, I thought I would spent a little more money and get a 1200W or even a 1500W.

[letsmeltlead2693]

If you look at my avatar, that is what I use to smelt my raw lead into ingots. The hotplate is a 1000W hotplate. Will melt lead in less than 20 min and that is not even on high setting. It is right before you get to the high setting when lead melts.

[mktacop]

I use an Oster that I picked up at Target for about $15. I turn it on just past medium when I turn on my Lee pot. When the lead is up to temp, the molds are as well.....first cast are all keepers. VERY worth the expense since it saves me a lot of time.

[doctorggg]

I just started casting boolits in January 2012. I am learning so much from this site. Thank all you guys for the learning experiences.

[DLCTEX]

I have not been able to find a single burner hotplate at Walmart in Texas or Oklahoma in the past six months. I saw a 2 burner one a few weeks ago for $30, but decided to shop for a single. Now that store no longer has even the double. I will go to Amazon.

[A pause for the COZ]

I just got one of these. What can you say. buying from a chair is easy.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/260721865784?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[JohnFM]

I've noticed that those electric hot plates that really produce the heat, like a 1000 watt or so, are seeming to be hard to find new in stores anymore.

Some new safety ruling I suppose.

[Jal5]

Mine was from Harbor Freight a single burner open coil type. Not sure if they still carrry these now. Joe

[heavyd]

Neither my harbor freight nor any of my local WalMarts had a hot plate. So, I got a single burner Aroma brand hot plat off Amazon for $16. It is 1,000W and will melt a 1 pound ingot on medium heat. It was an excellent investment without about. I can't believe I use to cast without one. Thanks everyone!

[largom]

My experience is just the opposite of Mikes. I prefer the open coil type.


+1 on the open coil. Whatever you get make sure it is at least 1000 watts or more. All hot plates are not created equal!

Larry

[Lance Boyle]

I'm a newb and just got a $9.99 hot plate from a overstock discount blowout type store.

I put a old stainless steel revere ware pot on it that's about 7-8" wide. It did melt lead WW's but it was dodgy when i added WW's, the outer edges of the pot would harden/slush up with the temp drop. Would take about 10 minutes to come back up to temp where my straining spoon wasn't plated by a dip.

I fluxed 2x with pine sawdust and let it cool right in the pot. My ingot molds are still en route and I really don't wan't to lead up any more kitchen ware that won't be permanent casting equipment. Well that and there no handle on the pot! There's a reason this pot was in the garage and available for smelting.

today I'm going to try the coleman stove and see how she does. I'm thinking a bit better as the flames will lick up the sides of the pot unlike the electric. At least with the electric I'm betting there is no freaking way I got hot enough to melt any zinc.

[JohnFM]

So, has anyone run across any full 1500 watt models lately. Without paying a mint for a commercial or lab model.
My old one finally burned out after many years of use. It was a USA made Presto, so that kinda tells you how old the thing was.
I was in town the other day looking around. The highest rating I could find was 750 watts on any single heating unit.

[dbarnhart]

Here is the one I have from Target.com:

http://www.target.com/p/AROMA-Single-Hot-Plate/-/A-10155042#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

I think it was only $16 when I bought it. I set it on medium to heat my brass mold.

It will get hot enough to melt lead if you want. I put an ingot on it to warm it and got distracted. Next thing I knew I had a puddle of lead to deal with.

[L Ross]

I found one at a garage sale for cheap, an open coil model. I put a piece of 5/16" thick steel on it and prop up the mold handles to level the mould so the back of the block are making full contact. Most of the time my first bullet from the mould is a keeper for ordinary handgun use. I also use the hot plate to keep the mould at operating temperature after refilling the pot. I read an article where the author made a double thickness aluminum foil temp to put over his heating mould and he used an infrared thermometer to check his mould temp. If I recall correctly he was shooitng for 475 on the blocks.

Duke

[L Ross]

Pardon a correction in my post. I meant to type "an aluminum foil tent" to put over his heating mould.

Duke

[JohnFM]

Most of the hot plates available now are barely suitable to heat a tea pot.
I'm changing to propane, even though the cost is outrageous now. Over 3 bucks a gallon here.

[myg30]

I purchased mine at Walgreens drug store and its a 1500watt, $10.99 ? It was the open coil type, dont waste money on the covered type for melting lead it wont get hot enough and if by chance it did when there is a breeze blowing then the pot goes to slush.
A lid on the pot really helps alot. Propane is hotter, but it does work if that is what you got !

Mike

[JohnFM]

I think there's a common reference to compare electric element watts to propane burner BTUs, but I don't remember how it works anymore.

[454PB]

1000 watts equals 3412 BTU.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I got a brand new Proctor Silex one at my local Tru-Value Hardware store for $14.95.

I put a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate about 6x10" on top of it. It works well although someday I might make an aluminum box/oven to sit atop it for a little better better efficiency.

This single item has increased the quality of the boolits I make more than anyother thing except nice custom moulds.

Well worth the $15!

Randy



Randy