Good size ingot for RCBS ProMelt?

[novalty]

Grafs is going to be shippin gmy RCBS ProMelt soon. What would be a good sized ingot mold to get for the pot?

[bobthenailer]

IMO 1lb to 2lb ingots

[novalty]

IMO 1lb to 2lb ingots

Thanks for the quick response bobthenailer. I was considering a large mould, but worried about adding a large ingot to the melt. Been looking at Lyman & RCBS molds too, and looks like the Lyman would be preferred with the handle setup.

[cbrick]

I can fit up to 5 pound round ingots into mine. I use the RCBS 10 pound cast iron pot to make ingots, filled full it will make 10 pound ingots but the 10 pounders will not fit into the RCBS pot.

64144

Rick

[BruceB]

My ingot mould is welded-up from 1.5" angle iron. The triangular-section ingots are 10.5 " long, so that they fit in a .50-caliber can with space for a finger to lift them at the end. The ingots weigh about three pounds.

When casting with the RCBS pot, I place four ingots above the melt to pre-heat. TRhey get hot enough that I DO NOT have to stop casting after adding an ingot to the pot, which I do as soon as there's sufficient room to add an ingot.

In this way, I keep the pot nearly full, and the available heat in the molten alloy quickly melts a pre-heated ingot. No spout freeze, no delays....roll on, brother!

[bobthenailer]

Thanks for the quick response bobthenailer. I was considering a large mould, but worried about adding a large ingot to the melt. Been looking at Lyman & RCBS molds too, and looks like the Lyman would be preferred with the handle setup.

I prehat my ingots to around 350* or so, sitting on top of a piece of 1/2 " steel plate with a old coleman single burner propane camp stove and sometimes a electric hot plate.
To elimate the effect of pot freeze . when im useing moulds over 358 dia and useing 4 cavity to 8
moulds .

[badbob454]

i use a 3" c channel 6" long welded to make 4-6 lb ingots this way i can slowly ease them into the pot without having to drop em in and have a tinsel fair visit drop 1 in and continue casting no pot freeze 4-6 inches depends on how full you fill them ... store easily like a stack of bricks

[novalty]

Thanks for the suggestions. Never thought of pre-heating the ingots before adding to the melt. As mentioned in a separate post, I have a Coleman stove that I will be smelting on so I can just set that up for keeping my ingots warm beside the ProMelt.

[shadowcaster]

I can't say enough good things about the cast iron corn wedge pans... Right at 2 pounds, they are the BomB!

:guntootsmiley:

Shad

[wymanwinn]

i smelt to 6 up castiron mini muffins pans...about 2-1/2lbs each....i have scads of them...:)

[seagiant]

Hi,
You used to be able and buy Lyman,RCBS or Seaco 1lb ingot molds for like a couple of bucks each at Flea Markets but everything has gone wacko in the past few years!

[Mk42gunner]

My ingot mould is welded-up from 1.5" angle iron. The triangular-section ingots are 10.5 " long, so that they fit in a .50-caliber can with space for a finger to lift them at the end. The ingots weigh about three pounds.

When casting with the RCBS pot, I place four ingots above the melt to pre-heat. TRhey get hot enough that I DO NOT have to stop casting after adding an ingot to the pot, which I do as soon as there's sufficient room to add an ingot.

In this way, I keep the pot nearly full, and the available heat in the molten alloy quickly melts a pre-heated ingot. No spout freeze, no delays....roll on, brother!

I have been doing this ever since Bruce posted it several years ago. I was dissatisfied with the muffin style ingots, (more the cheap pans disintegrated) and I am too cheap.. I mean frugal to buy what I can weld up from the scrap heap.

While I haven't tried it with my Promelt yet, with the Lee 4-20 that I used the long ingots would self feed after sticking them into the melt; just a gradual slide into the molten alloy.


... Never thought of pre-heating the ingots before adding to the melt. ...

You will the first time you stick a semi cool ingot into the melt and it starts burbling. Yet another reason for long ingots, you may be able to grab it with your handy channel locks and get it out before the tinsel fairy comes to visit.

Robert