temperature of the lead alloy

[beppe]

hello everyone!! how do I know if my league is at the right temperature?
I use a lyman big dipper with thermostat.
I imposed thermostat to 3/4 power, and the alloy is well fluid
the bullets come off well from the mold
but if the temperature is too high, the pond evaporates, right?
thanks in advance for your help!!!!! [smilie=s:

[runfiverun]

you have to have a super high temperature [over 1,000-f] for lead to evaporate.
I doubt your pot would even go that high.
if you are getting good boolits keep doing what you are doing.

[Defcon-One]

Pure Lead melts at 621.5° F. The boiling point of lead is 3180° F. No electric melting pot made for lead will ever get that high!

You will however get some problems with oxidation above 850° F, so use that as your highest desirable temperature and don't go above it. I cast at around 775° F (plus or minus 50° F).

Too HOT = Frosting!

Too COOL = Poor fill-out!

Sounds like you are just about right!

[shadowcaster]

Pure Lead melts at 621.5° F. The boiling point of lead is 3180° F. No electric melting pot made for lead will ever get that high!

You will however get some problems with oxidation above 850° F, so use that as your highest desirable temperature and don't go above it. I cast at around 775° F (plus or minus 50° F).

Too HOT = Frosting!

Too COOL = Poor fill-out!

Sounds like you are just about right!

This is good advice..

Also, if you don't have one already, purchase a thermometer. It's an invaluable tool you will use over and over again. I too cast in the 750 to 775 degree range along with preheated molds with a casting pace that keeps the molds up to just the right temp, to produce the best boolits I can.

Shad

[40Super]

If you want to get some rough guesstimations of pot temp without a thermometer you can use the knob on the pot and turn it up in small increment from a cold pot. Give the pot plenty of time to stabilize each increment, and you will get a rough area of the knob setting to where the melting point is of that alloy for future reference. Do this in both directions(once melted, turn up the heat a bit, allow lead to warm up to that temp, them slowly turn down, again giving plenty of time to cool to new setting. Do this till sludge stage sets in. Write down knob setting. Then when casting turn knob to a bit over those numbers. This way you will be less likely to have pot set way too hot and possibly melt zinc if you happen to let some slip in.

You can also do this process of slowly increasing heat once melted till bullets start frosting and then you will have an upper limit to the knob settings. It is best to have a thermometer though, even if just for quick reference.