keeping the pin hot on a HP mold

[sergeant69]

I have been messing around for awhile now w/a lyman .44 mag "devastator" to hunt with, and have found/read/learned that the key to a well filled out nose is keeping the pin hot (big surprise, right). how do you guys do it, besides speed? that doesn't work for me. I have talked in the past w/a guy that used a butane torch on his bench with a rig that holds the pin in the flame between pours. not sure I wanna go that route, or at least find a small as hell torch to keep from overheating the pin. I was using a second pot of melted w/a wire holding the pin in the molten lead but after a few pours the pin coats up. any other ideas/methods that work? THANKS

[Lloyd Smale]

I use a propane torch. Heat the tip till its just about cherry red and start casting at a fast pace and it will still hot enough for 20 bullets or so then repeat.

[kevmc]

I'm new to casting, but this is one mold I've been using.
I use a hot plate to preheat mold, lay pin on coil next to mold.
Put thermometer into Hp hole on mold and bring temp up to about 325 or so.
After that I put the pin into the sprue down mold on the hotplate.
When alloy reaches temp...725* for 50/50 #2/PB,
Pour, cut sprue, remove HPpin, open mold and bullet falls out
Close mold and reinsert pin, close sprue gate and pour.
Pin isn't out of mold for more than a few sec...I don't even put it down.
I empty a 10# pot and after the first few casts get the mold to temp, have no problem filling nose.
If I have an issue, it's flashing around the tip of the HP/pin.

[Mk42gunner]

I used a bent wire to hold the pin in the flame of an idling propane torch.

Casting the 457122, my best efforts came with pulling the pin, then cutting the sprue. I had a few instances of the boolit spinning in the mold if I cut the sprue first.

Robert

[sergeant69]

I use a propane torch. Heat the tip till its just about cherry red and start casting at a fast pace and it will still hot enough for 20 bullets or so then repeat.

this doesn't turn the wooden handle into charcoal?

[dakotashooter2]

I use a brass wire connector (the type with a set screw) screwed to the top of my pot. The pot keeps the connector hot and setting the pin in the connector tranfers heat to the pin. Actually one could drill a hole in the rim of the pot and that would probably work just as well.

[Lloyd Smale]

never has for me. You might get a little discolaring of the wood but its never caught on fire.

[sergeant69]

I used to have a small butane torch for soldering electrical connections. wonder if that would work.