Hot Plate for Moulds

[ashlyngr]

I have read a lot of threads about preheating moulds with an electric hot plate. My issue with this is it is electric, and the heater turns on and off to maintain temperature.

I'm pondering whether a propane hot plate with a small sheet of steel or cast iron skillet would do a better job than electric by keeping a more even temperature on the mould? In so much as possible I would like to work with gas instead of electric.

My thinking is that if I have a gas hot plate at temperature, I can set my mould on it while I tend to pot refilling, and other duties. Hopefully I would able to go right back to casting with a mould that is ready.

Thanks,
Bruce

[CBH]

I've used an elec. hotplate for years without problem. They can easily overheat the mold so be careful.

[Frozone]

put a steel plate on the burner.
That smooths out the heat cycle nicely.

[OuchHot!]

I got ahold of a 6" diameter 1/2" thick aluminum round. I use that as a trivet. I read where one of our group uses a discarded circular saw blade. For my al "trivet" I drilled a thermocouple hole and ultimately ran the hot plate off a PID. That is overkill but I use the hot plate for other things where fine control is required.

[myg30]

El cheepo hot electric plate from dollar store or goodwill works good. If you get the type with the coil element exposed you can also use it as a melter for a small cast iron pot to smelt in. Its not great in real cold windy conditions but I have been using one since I started casting and it serves my purpose.
Some just set their molds on top of the pot to heat up as the lead is melting and getting up to temp. Which ever works fer you is best.

Mike

[bangerjim]

Your mold is a "heat sink" and will hold/even out the temp as the plate cycles. Besides it is not really even that important!!!!!!

As long as it is "spit-sizzling hot" it is good to go. I NEVER check mold temps.

Worrying about the slight variations of hot plate temps is really getting down into the weeds.

Now go cast some slugs!

banger

[376Steyr]

I use a cheap electric skillet to pre-heat moulds and ingots. It only gets up to about 450 degrees, which shouldn't hurt a mould and is still low enough that I can grab an ingot (with my welder's guantlets on) and put it into the pot if I do it quickly.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use a old saw blade and a mod'd steel coffee can to get an oven effect. it alloys me to run it on low instead of meduim.
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/reduced.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/reduced.jpg.html)

[runfiverun]

if i was gonna hi-tek my set-up by adding a hot plate it would end up looking just like jon's

[btroj]

I have one, don't use it much. I find it just as easy to dip the mould it the melt. Once water sizzles I start casting.

[MattOrgan]

An electric hot plate is so cheap and easy to use, I can't imagine a gas burner would be more efficient or user friendly. That aside I've found the use of a hot plate to be the single biggest advance in my casting. I found a very old Montgomery Ward 2 burner hot plate with solid ( non coil) burners at a thrift shop for almost nothing. Turn on the lead furnace, hose out the molds with brake cleaner, set them on the hot plate. When the pot is fluxed I can begin casting and get good bullets from the first pour. When there is any interruption the molds go back on the hot plate to add lead, flux, answer the telephone etc. When I resume casting the bullets are keepers from the first pour. I have found that my bullets are much more constant in weight and accuracy in some of my rifles have improved.

[Boyscout]

I bought a cheap non-coil hot plate at Wally World to warm up my molds. Set on medium, I am able to get good bullets in 2-3 cast. I don't use it once I start casting unless I have to refill my pot or flux. It is a big help

[Dale53]

There are two things I wouldn't be without (in addition to my RCBS Pro-Melt pots:mrgreen:) that is my two burner hot plate and my little manicurists fan. My hot plate has solid steel burners.

I ALWAYS pre-heat my mould while the pot is coming up to temperature - I heat to just below casting temperature so it takes only one or two casts to get perfect bullets. That insures I don't overheat my moulds. Further, in cold weather, cold ingots can cause condensation resulting in a potential steam explosion. Pre-heating the ingots on low before adding them to a hot pot eliminates this admittedly minor problem.

The manicurists fan quickens the sprue hardening (speeding up casting) and also maintains proper mould temperature so I never have to resort to cooling my moulds. I can thank Mike Venturino for this tip. They are less than $10.00 at Target or Walmart in the fan section (may have better availability in the summer during fan season).

FWIW
Dale53

[btroj]

I am a fan of the fan, not always hot on the hot plate.

Get the mould hot and keep it that way. Hot plate, kitchen stove, dipped in melt, just get it hot.

[375RUGER]

I made a coffee can oven much like JonB, except I use a 3/8" steel plate. I get a more even heat-up with the can. Once I start casting I turn the burner off, not needed.

[dragon813gt]

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/TimeToMakeAmmo/E463A94C-15BA-4F4A-98FF-CB07E7074F2F-452-0000000FDC7A6FFF.jpg

Didn't cost much and was worth every penny. Keeps the mold at casting temp when refilling the pot.

[guncheese]

heck i use a single coil hot plate from Wally world for my melter! have a 5" cast skillet on it as the pot
i bent up a tin shroud that wraps around the skillet and around the ring of the element
i really dont have a thermometer but i did have a spare thermocouple for the exhaust temp of the 1000hp ethanol burning jeep that i toss in the pot
hooked up to a multimeter so i can at least watch the temp swings
works a treat!!

[waco]

put a steel plate on the burner.
That smooths out the heat cycle nicely.

YUP! That's what I do also.

[Walter Laich]

my hotplate from wally world has a solid heating surface or covering over the heating element. Works fine and I use it as pot comes up to temp. I thought about a saw blade but with my luck would have it drop on my foot and cut and fry it at the same time
walt

[DavZee]

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/TimeToMakeAmmo/E463A94C-15BA-4F4A-98FF-CB07E7074F2F-452-0000000FDC7A6FFF.jpg

Didn't cost much and was worth every penny. Keeps the mold at casting temp when refilling the pot.

Love the little Quonset Hut you built for your mold. I am going to borrow you idea for my hot plate with the saw blade on that I'm borrowing from some one else's idea. Thanks!

[ben lurkin]

just get one with a solid top. I paid a whole $16 for mine.

90011

Got it at Amazon.

[Buzz64]

I have the same one from Home Depot - $18 plus tax

[w0fms]

I have a PID on an "aroma" hot plate from Amazon... And I use a little sauce pan as a casting pot... I probably should someday get a bottom pour but I am really good with it and can set the mold on the plate at the same time as the small saucepan... Yeah I am that cheap and when I started casting, I couldn't find a proper pot anywhere... My boolits turn out just fine...

[Mike Kerr]

Good, practical, information in this thread. Thanks for helping a reloader become an old age caster.

[dikman]

I must be doing something wrong, 'cos I don't seem to need a hotplate :confused:.
I made a top cover for my RCBS out of ally plate. While it's heating up I sit the Lee mold on top, then when the lead's ready I pour the first two balls, let them sit in the mold for a few seconds to transfer their heat, dump them in the pot and from then on I'm good to go.

I feel like I'm missing out on something here...............

[Chuck_ls]

I was having a hard time finding a hot plate I liked, then one day I was looking at an electric skillet and noticed that the heating element was all in the bottom. I bought a cheap one at a garage sale, cut one side off so the molds would set flat without the handles burning and have been happy with the results. It has a temperature controller that can be set for different temps.
Chuck

[jmort]

"...cut one side off so the molds would set flat without the handles burning..."

I saw your's or someone else's and it makes so much sense. I'm going to copy. Thanks

[snuffy]

I have read a lot of threads about preheating moulds with an electric hot plate. My issue with this is it is electric, and the heater turns on and off to maintain temperature.

I'm pondering whether a propane hot plate with a small sheet of steel or cast iron skillet would do a better job than electric by keeping a more even temperature on the mould? In so much as possible I would like to work with gas instead of electric.

My thinking is that if I have a gas hot plate at temperature, I can set my mould on it while I tend to pot refilling, and other duties. Hopefully I would able to go right back to casting with a mould that is ready.

Thanks,
Bruce

I'd be VERY afraid of putting anything on a propane hot plate. Why?¿ Because you could easily MELT an aluminum mold if you got it too hot! Hot enough to melt AL. could possibly harm a brass or iron mold.

I don't know how you could control a propane heater closely enough to not get it too hot. Appearance of the flame? If using a thermometer, then you'd be spending all your time trying to control the temp of the hot plate instead of casting boolits.

I got a cheap model at wally world, it has the exposed element ring. I put an aluminum plate on top to even out the heat, run it between med-high.

PUTTING AN AL. MOLD ON AN EXPOSED HOT PLATE COIL WILL RESULT IN HOT SPOTS WHERE EACH COIL CONTACTS THE MOLD. IF TOO HOT, IT CAN WARP THE MOLD. IF YOU'RE LUCKY IT WILL COME STRAIGHT AFTER IT COOLS. That's why a lot have built an oven to "surround" the mold with heat.

[OuchHot!]

I like Chuck's idea....very simple and covers the bases really well.

[mazo kid]

Years ago I picked an old hot plate off the curb, now is that inexpensive or what?!. It is cast iron, coated with white porcelain, has two solid heating elements. Controls are two of the heavy duty "snap" rotary switches....high, medium, low, off. I have been using it for 25+ years now, not much for heating molds, but pretty much any other heating chore, from melting raw lead for making ingots, to mixing lubes.