10 pound pot and dipping

[happyhunter]

I am new to casting. I bought the Lyman casting kit with a 10 pound pot and ladle set up last summer. Seems to work OK. The problem is I really do not get to cast 10 pounds of boolits before I need to refill the pot. What really happens is I cast about 5 pounds then need to refill. I have problems scooping lead out of the bottom half of the pot.

Am I doing something wrong or do others go thru this too? I have thought about tipping the pot a bit but that just seems to violate commons sense when working with hot liquids. I have a bottom pour pot on order but in was don't like the idea of a malfunction and hot liquids running around.... Anyone make a big dipper pot?

Thanks,
HH

[Ben]

I really like my Lee 20 pound capacity magnum melter. I use a ladle exclusively.

http://leeprecision.com/magnum-melter.html

[Mk42gunner]

For purely ladling, Waage is supposed to be the Cadillac of pots. The Model # is K4757-1, and you have to call them.

I have dipped several hundred pounds of alloy from my Lee 4-20 bottom pour. I usually let it get down a few inches then put in another preheated ingot to bring the level back up.

Robert

[williamwaco]

Ten pound pots are simply not up to serious casting of lots of bullets.

Remember all ratings are full to the rim. Any pot will likely hold only about 80% of its rating and still leave room to stir flux.


If you want to cast a few hundred bullets at a time. You are fine with what you have.
Don't worry about getting the lead out of the bottom. Leave an inch or more in the bottom when you turn it off. Next time you turn it on, it will melt much quicker.

If you want to cast bullets 1000 or more at a setting, you really need a 20 pound pot.
I use the Lee because I don't feel I can justify the cost of the RCBS or the Lyman.

The Lee is a really cheap, poorly constructed piece of gear. BUT: It works perfectly and lasts a long time. And you can buy six of them for the price of one of the "Brand" names.

If you really want to go fast, buy two of the Lee 20 pound pots, and cast from one while the other is re-heating.

Using this method, you easily could drop 4000 bullets on a Saturday afternoon and still finish early enough to take your wife out to dinner.


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[retread]

Williamwaco. My Lee 20 has been good to me except for one irritation, dripping at the dump valve. Do you happen to know if this is a common problem?
Retread

[GLL]

WAAGE K4757-1 20 pound pot is outstanding but not cheap. Worth every penny ! :)
http://www.fototime.com/DF1271887CEBA67/orig.jpg

I follow Ben's lead and also use a ladle exclusively.

Jerry

[pdawg_shooter]

Williamwaco. My Lee 20 has been good to me except for one irritation, dripping at the dump valve. Do you happen to know if this is a common problem?
Retread

Common? It is standard equipment! I have 3 drip-o-matics, all have the rod removed and the spout welded shut. They make great dipper pots that way. I have a different alloy in each one. I ALWAYS dip, get much better bullets that way.

[mdi]

Happy, to answer your question, no you ain't doing nuttin' wrong. It's just the shape/size of the interior of your pot. A ladel needs a certain amount of room to fill with each dip and you're prolly hitting bottom dipping lead and the angle of the handle limits how deep you can go when the melt gets low...

[williamwaco]

Williamwaco. My Lee 20 has been good to me except for one irritation, dripping at the dump valve. Do you happen to know if this is a common problem?
Retread


Yes, I happen to know.

It is a common problem.

You can reduce it by cleaning it out with a paper clip while it is melted and flowing. (KEEP YOUR FINGERS ABOVE THE SPOUT. MELTED LEAD RUNS DOWN HILL. HOLD THE PAPER CLIP WITH PLIERS) If you go so far as to disassemble it, chuck the flow control rod into your electric drill and "drill it" into the downspout to help match them closer together.

after it is clean, NEVER scrape the bottom of the pot, never let the pot get empty. Most of the dirt gets into the spout when the last few drops flow out the pot into the spout.

[retread]

williamwaco,
Thanks for the tips. I'll try them out.
Retread

[drklynoon]

I have the same pot as you and I would not recommend tipping it. The element is in the bottom of the pot , making it even more difficult to get to the bottom. I wouldn't worry about it. Another factor is that our pot has no temp control to speak of and the lower the pot gets the hotter the lead. This makes the last inch or so practically useless because it is too hot and usually distorts the driving bands. It is still a good pot and I like it a lot. The opening is bigger than many allowing for easy dipping.