How big is your spru?

[mugsie]

No guys - it's not what you think so get your minds out of the gutter! I'm relatively new to casting and although I seem to turn out acceptable bullets, I was wondering ---- When I pour, using a Lyman laddle, my lead seems to pour all over the top of the mold. I'm using a two cavity Lyman mold for 45 Colt (Or any other for that matter). The spru seems to get all over. When I knock it off, I do so right over the pot so that it immediately falls back in and gets reused. If I didn't I'd be filling the pot every few bullets! Is it unusual to have a large sloppy puddle dripping all over the mold (this is almost xxx rated!)? somehow I envision a neat little puddle from everyone else who casts. Is what I'm doing normal? Should I go slower and be neater?
Thanks.....

[felix]

Does not make any difference whatsoever. If the boolits are identical to one another, that is your ONLY objective. ... felix

[Orygun]

Mine usually are about the size of chocolate chips. My buddy likes to pour with a continous stream linking them all together. They do fall off easier in one piece, but I'd rather have the smaller ones and thus not depleting the pot quite as fast.

I don't dump the sprues back in until later so I don't get a splash back, and I can cast faster that way too. Using a 20# RCBS furnace.

[montana_charlie]

With a little finesse, you can learn to cut off the stream from your Lyman dipper to make neat sprues. I have developed that ability, but it doesn't appear to be a valuable skill.

My best bullets come from pouring the cavity full, and letting the sprue run freely...even dripping back into the pot in the final stages. The 'sprues' I cut off are little works of art, sometimes.

Not that I know anything about art...I just know what I like.
CM

[NVcurmudgeon]

I like a generous sprue for ladle casting, at least as big as a nickle, and sometmes almost covering the top of a 1 or 2 cavity mould. I cast at around 750 F, and like to pour extra so that the mould will take extra metal if it needs it. I REALLY dislike round bases.

[44man]

Most beginners turn the mold along with the dipper when they tip the ladle off. Hold the mold level and just tip off the ladle, letting it roll.
Keep the nose of the ladle clean, also the hole.

[cbrick]

I agree with Felix, doesn't matter but I'll add that as long as your bullet bases have no voids caused by alloy shrinkage from not having enough sprue to draw from.

[KYCaster]

Quite a variety of responses, huh, Mugsie.

If really pressed for an opinion I'd have to say that all of them are right.

It all depends...(I've heard that before) on lead temp., mould temp., sprue plate temp. and how you like to do things. If it works for you, keep doing it...if it doesn't work for you, change it.

After some experience with various molds and alloys, you should be able to fairly quickly determine if a change in temperature or tempo or technique will improve anything.

Just keep at it and let us know what you find.


Jerry

[sundog]

When I dipper pour, like I've been doing the last week or so with a 314299, the sprues are about #2 shot size but not round. That's because the sprue puddle is in the dipper, and big.

When I ladle pour I make sure there is enough puddle to feed the cavity. Often times the sprue hole diameter is a culprit in not allowing a cavity to fill well. Also, I control the sprue plate temp by how big a puddle is poured.

Every mould is different.

Other things that affect it are alloy and atmospheric conditions..., and MOJO. From one day to the next you can get good boolits, and then crap boolits. I've been casting for 35 years, and I cannot tell you yet, any of the parameters. It's more like you just gotta have a 'feel'.

[Sprue]

Just shut the pot down. Here's a couple pics. I was using my RCBS bottom pourer but poured a few with a ladle.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh266/spilihp_2007/SprueBig.jpg

[44man]

I love those handle decorations! :bigsmyl2:

[Sprue]

I love those handle decorations! :bigsmyl2:


I haven't had this mold too long. It came from an ol timers estate. There appears to be coils of copper wire under that tape. He's probably delighted that they are being put to good use.

[nemo]

I must be odd,I pressure cast pot or ladle. RCBS ladle holds more metal and heat. i use a bottom pore Seco pot most, for ladle 80% full,hold cut off plate frum under nozzle then hold handle up 2 to3 sec no spru to speak of.On a ladle roll mould and ladle 90 to cast and back little spru no big wast?? a little trick to do less loss Also use a damp to wet rag to drop boolets in I don`t like a bucket of water arond a hot pot,one drop and 20 lbs on you and all over..

[John Boy]

When I pour, using a Lyman laddle, my lead seems to pour all over the top of the mold.

With a little finesse, you can learn to cut off the stream from your Lyman dipper to make neat sprues.
Charlie speaks truth and to speed the finesse, one may want to do this:
On the spout of a Lyman or Rowell dipper, use a file to cut a V channel in the pour spout. The channel allows the melt to go into the sprue hole faster without it flowing over the the plate. Another improvement is the melt maintains a higher temperature when poured into the cavity