lead temp??

[chevyiron420]

hey guy's i was taught to cast bullets just hot enough to get good fill out but not hot enough to frost. but the was a long time ago and we used iron molds. now im casting with more aluminum molds. should i rais the temp up? i dont have a thermomiter and aint likely to get one in the short term. im useing a lee bottom drip and am useing a setting from 6 to 7. i thought i read somewhere here that bullets should be frostey??? help get me up to speed fella's, i plan to cast all day tomorow.--phil::-D

[dubber123]

I'm sure you'll hear some for and against, but I have always cast hot and gotten frosty bullets. They have been more uniform for me and shoot great as well. Some don't like them, but I'm not gonna mess with success. I tried turning my Lyman Mag 20 down a little a few weeks ago, and while it worked great with some molds, it didn't with others. Hot seems to work with all of them, so for now mine stays cranked up.

[DLCTEX]

Your mold will tell you what temp to use, it will vary from mold to mold. If you don't want frosted boolits, reduce temp, cool the mold between boolits, or slow casting pace until it gives you what you want. If you have fill out problems, you may have to increase temp or add tin. I will accept frosted boolits before adding tin, but that's just me.
As for the setting on the pot, the temp will vary from pot to pot on the same setting and can change with time or bumps and vibrations. There is no way to tell what an individual pot temp is at a setting without a thermometer, and that will change with the level of lead in the pot.
You should keep a log of your casting with each mold, alloy, setting, and note any changes with lead levels to save having to repeat experimenting again to have satisfactory results.
This is why I enjoy casting, the learning never ends. Dale

[454PB]

Most all of my WW boolits are frosty. The only time my boolits aren't frosty is if I'm using linotype, or a mixture using linotype above about 30% of the alloy. I suspect it's the additional tin that allows lower temperatures and prevents frosting and yet allows good fillout.

Years ago when I started casting, the published information made it sound like frosty boolits were rejects and reducing the temperature was the cure. I personally strive for the higher temperature frosty appearance and get better results.

[pdawg_shooter]

Im like dubber. Make mine frosty. Gives complete fill out, uniform weight, and good accurcy. If you want pretty bullits polish them with a paper towell after you load them.

[snowtigger]

Personally. I like mine with sharp crisp edges on the grooves. If that means frosty bullets, then, so be it! PS: I think the frosty ones are purty..

[dubber123]

Frosty IS purty!

[Junior1942]

Another vote for frosty.

[buck1]

All my molds like to make nice sharp frosty boolits with most all alloys!!

[Springfield]

I like mine slightly frosty. But why do you have this aversion to thermometers? Seems silly to ask what temp to run when you aren't gonna know if you are there or not anyway. Kinda like having a race car without a tach and asking the mechanic/tuner at what RPM the horsepower is best. They just aren't that expensive and they make life so much simpler.

[chevyiron420]

springfield, i do not have a adversion to thermometers, i may not have not worded my question as well as i should have. i never needed a thermometer before, and new my iron molds well. i have two aluminum molds that are new to me, and im trying to get the hang of them. i am trying to get a feel for the temp setting on my lee pot verses bullet aperance and casting speed. i want to use the equipment i have, and have some fun wile i can. i simply dont have the money for a thermometer right now.-phil

[MT Gianni]

I would be surprised to find two pots with the same temp at the same settings. I start my 20 lb lee on a high 7 low 8 and move to high 6 as the level drops trying to keep temps the same. Gianni

[Poygan]

Agree with Dale. Each mold is different and I adjust the temp until I get satisfactory boolits. When they start getting frosty, I may back off the temp a bit although I don't mind the frosty part. I bought a Lyman thermometer and have maybe used it a couple of times. For me, its a solution looking for a problem.

[lovedogs]

While I have a thermometer I don't find it too helpful. Part of the reason may be my own fault. I'm always dumping sprues back into the pot as I cast. What has worked best for me is to run the temps up until the bullets start to frost then back off just until they don't. I don't have any problem with frosted bullets, it's just that they seem to weigh more evenly at just below that frosty state. If I get too cool they start not filling out or getting wrinkley. So I just try for a happy medium and it works fine. It may be weird but I've found the right temps vary much between different moulds and even humidity seems to have an effect. I always cast better bullets on cool, damp mornings than at other times. We'll probably never understand all the idiocyncracies of casting. It's like Pat Ryan of Saeco says... bullet casting is becoming a lost art. Well, fellas, we must do our best to see that it's not lost. Keep the silver streams flowing!

[Sundogg1911]

Frosty bullets shoot as well as shiney. I like to strive for shiney when possible. (It's probably just another OCD of mine. ) [smilie=1: When I use my Magma pot I only use a thermometer to see if i'm up to casting temp. Once I am that pot stays at temp, unlike my Lee pots that vary by the amount of alloy in the pot. I try to cast at the coolest temp that give me good boolits. If I can't get the boolits to fill out by adding some tin, then i'll raise the temp. If the result is frosty boolits.....so be it. I still have a few hundred pounds of tin, and a few hundred pounds of Lino. I'm guessing that when it's gone (Unless I can luck into a really great price again) my boolits will be frosty. As long as they shoot well....who cares? When I cast for other people I strive for shiney. I find that the look of a boolit and the hardness will sell a boolit a lot faster than accuracy.....never quite made sense to me :confused:

[azcoyhunter]

I find that lube sticks better to the Frosty boolits than the Shiny ones.

Clint

[BluesBear]

A thermometer is really helpful when smelting wheelweights.
Since zinc melts at a higher temperature than lead, keeping your temp a little lower than maximum ensures that your ingots won't suffer from zinc poisoning.

[USARO4]

I have a Lyman thermo that I bought from Midway for $30.00 and I keep it in the pot the whole time I'm casting. I've found the temperature in the pot will vary depending on how full it is and whenever I add sprues or more ingots. The thermo helps maintain a consistent temp. I cast at 750 and can vary the temp up or down depending on type of mold, alloy used, results etc. I find it helpfull by removing one more variable from the process.