TXBRILL
04-30-2012, 06:06 PM
I have been reloading about 40 years and always have managed to avoid casting. The only reason being I needed another hobby like a third armpit. I have purchased cast from many different vendors over the years and am pretty familiar with loading them...But I have succombed to the lure of doing it myself.
After reading many posts I decided to go with this set-up. A coleman stove, a rcbs over-priced melting pot, thermometer, and a Rowell ladel. I had read so many negative posts that I was not ready to purchase a Lee Bottom pour yet. There seemed to be many posts from ladle pourer's that said they have been ladle pouring for years and had no regrets.
I got a hold of a Lyman 358345 that makes a 115 grain SWC, I had no boolits in that weight so I could justify saving all the money I spent on everything else. I also bought a LEE 311-100-2R that is a bullet I wanted to fool around in my various surplus rifles with Red Dot for plinking. I also wanted to evaluate the difference between the steel and aluminum molds.
So I fire up the old Coleman and put my little pot of range lead on the big burner and put a old sawbade on the other burner with the lyman mold on it to warm up.
I am ready to go I have used candle wax to dross the lead is at 750 the mold is plenty hot, in my opinion the ladle is ready to go. I try the first pour and I can't seem to pour the stream into the hole in the sprue plate. I am 60 but I did not think I shook that much, I found that if I rest the mold and only try to pour it does work better but it is not pretty. I did cut the rod in half on the Rowel.
I decide that the problem is the ladle combined with my age. I next purchase a RCBS ladle and repeat the process again, This time I do not try to pour into the sprue hole I turn the mold sideways and connect it to the spout, turn it right side up wait 5 seconds or so and VOILA I have a pretty good boolit on the first try. I am using that Lyman and things are moving along quite nicely my arm gets tired and I switch between holding the mold handles from the top and from the bottom but I an still getting tired so I rest the mold on a piece of wood and pour some more. Now I am curious to try the Lee mold, well that mold is as light as a feather, I begin to pour and the same thing everything is fine the boolits are dropping just fine. The thing is whenever I try to pour from above instead of connecting the two it is a disaster.
Now after that long winded account of my experience, I am curious if there is any trick in holding the ladel above the mold that I don't know, is there any real advantage to holding the ladel above the sprue hole. When I do it the pressure way there is hardly any puddle but the bulets come out ok.
I have been doing all my casting outdoors and would like to move into my garage where it would be more comfortable. My dilema is should I buy a Lee 20 lb bottom pour and try it or just buy a 20 lb Lee Pot and continue to use the ladel. The price difference is only a ten dollar bill or so.
After reading many posts I decided to go with this set-up. A coleman stove, a rcbs over-priced melting pot, thermometer, and a Rowell ladel. I had read so many negative posts that I was not ready to purchase a Lee Bottom pour yet. There seemed to be many posts from ladle pourer's that said they have been ladle pouring for years and had no regrets.
I got a hold of a Lyman 358345 that makes a 115 grain SWC, I had no boolits in that weight so I could justify saving all the money I spent on everything else. I also bought a LEE 311-100-2R that is a bullet I wanted to fool around in my various surplus rifles with Red Dot for plinking. I also wanted to evaluate the difference between the steel and aluminum molds.
So I fire up the old Coleman and put my little pot of range lead on the big burner and put a old sawbade on the other burner with the lyman mold on it to warm up.
I am ready to go I have used candle wax to dross the lead is at 750 the mold is plenty hot, in my opinion the ladle is ready to go. I try the first pour and I can't seem to pour the stream into the hole in the sprue plate. I am 60 but I did not think I shook that much, I found that if I rest the mold and only try to pour it does work better but it is not pretty. I did cut the rod in half on the Rowel.
I decide that the problem is the ladle combined with my age. I next purchase a RCBS ladle and repeat the process again, This time I do not try to pour into the sprue hole I turn the mold sideways and connect it to the spout, turn it right side up wait 5 seconds or so and VOILA I have a pretty good boolit on the first try. I am using that Lyman and things are moving along quite nicely my arm gets tired and I switch between holding the mold handles from the top and from the bottom but I an still getting tired so I rest the mold on a piece of wood and pour some more. Now I am curious to try the Lee mold, well that mold is as light as a feather, I begin to pour and the same thing everything is fine the boolits are dropping just fine. The thing is whenever I try to pour from above instead of connecting the two it is a disaster.
Now after that long winded account of my experience, I am curious if there is any trick in holding the ladel above the mold that I don't know, is there any real advantage to holding the ladel above the sprue hole. When I do it the pressure way there is hardly any puddle but the bulets come out ok.
I have been doing all my casting outdoors and would like to move into my garage where it would be more comfortable. My dilema is should I buy a Lee 20 lb bottom pour and try it or just buy a 20 lb Lee Pot and continue to use the ladel. The price difference is only a ten dollar bill or so.