Newbie casting questions:

[Quickdraw4u]

Lots of great info here! My questions are after I am done casting do I have to empty the pot completely or can I leave some lead in it for next time? I am going to use an RCBS Pro Melt bottom pour. How close to the pour valve do I want my mould when casting? Thanks, any advice is appreciated.

[rancher1913]

look under your login, should say "welcome quickdraw4u" , now look down to the white box that says "google custom search" in it. type in your question and you will find most of your questions have already been answered multiple times. using this feature will make you fit in around here with out ruffling the feathers of the elders. to answer your question, no you do not have to empty your pot but if your going to change alloys it would be helpfull to empty it. I am a total newbe around here so don't just listen to me, but I have been holding the mold about an inch or so below the valve, enough that I can see whats going on with the pour.

[exdxgxe4life]

I'm far from an expert but I'm not a newb either. I've always been told to leave at least an inch in the pot. Lately I've thrown in a couple of ingots in the pot when I'm done to keep the pot about half full. I could be wrong, but I think it's most beneficial to do so, so when you fire up the pot again, the lead in the pot get's heated a lot fast than if you threw in a bunch of ingots or wheel weights.

As far as how far to keep the mold, I don't think it really matters. The lead isn't going to harden in the few inches it drops. Whatever is comfortable for you and your set up. I know I need to probably raise mine, because my neck can get stiff at times from always craning over to see how I'm pouring.

[rancher1913]

just for grins I type in "should I empty pot after pour" and got like 10 pages of posts, some relevant some not but at least you have a starting point.

[bangerjim]

Helps to be able to read, doesn't it! HA.....ha!

Short answer gleaned from the MANY MANY times this has been cussed and discussed in the past is....leave lead in there to make the next time heat-up faster. If you have ever tried to start a dry pot with ingots in there, it takes waaaaaaay too much time

Personally, I have never seen the bottom of my Lee 4-20 pots in YEARS! I always fill to 1/2" of top B4 shutting down. I draw off a 1/2# ingot and mark it with Bhn (after 3-4 days) for next time.

Welcome aboard!

bangerjim

[country gent]

Leaving some lead in the pot cuts out alot of dead air space when reheating 3/8 to 1/2 full helps the pot to melt up alot faster. This also depends on if you have a dedicated bench for casting or if you are moving the pot before and after each session. As to where you position the mould it pays to experiment a little some like a short drop from the spout some really do weel with the spout tight to the sprue palet some like the mould angled a little to the stream and some like the stream to kind of swirl down the side ot the sprue plates chamfer. Its not cut and dry.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I tend to switch up the alloys for different boolits. So I always empty the pot.

Hey, there has to be at least one in every crowd :razz:

[runfiverun]

I just buy another pot if I need another alloy. [yeah,,, I got 5 bottom pour pots but 2 of them run the same alloy]

I also leave mine full and keep them pretty close to that while casting.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I just buy another pot if I need another alloy. [yeah,,, I got 5 bottom pour pots but 2 of them run the same alloy]

I also leave mine full and keep them pretty close to that while casting.

It's funny you mention that (highlighted).
That's great for Large boolits, but for small boolits (like 22 cal), I seem to get the best results when casting with my Lee 4-20 bottom pour pot, being about half full (with about 1/2" dross for insulation).

[runfiverun]

I use my 4-20 for my 22 boolits too.
I turn down the rate so it dribbles out slower, basically the same effect by two different methods.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

yeah, probably the same. I just have a difficult time cranking down the flow rate on a full pot...there is a sweet spot that I just can't get too. The dribbly slow stream just doesn't cut it and a touch more adjustment and there is seemingly so much pressure, alloy splashes up and out from the sprue plate and onto the work bench. Luckily for me, a half full pot works great.

I only go into all this, in case others are reading with a similar issue with a 22 mold. One thing I learned from being a prolific poster here on castboolits, is there are lots of lurkers.

[runfiverun]

yep that's why I kept up the running conversation.

I remember a long discussion on head pressure based on shape and height of the casting pot a number of years ago on the old site.
one guy went so far as to build a pot that was @ 3" around and about 18" tall [airc] to pressure pour some big 5 or 600 gr boolits.

oh what I done to my pot to slow it down was to build an E-clip looking piece of fence wire to go under the bottom of the pot's handle guide so it just stops the handle from going any higher.
I had to file on it a little at a time until I got things just so.
but now I can just slide it in and out as needed.

[kudoo]

Yes JonB their is a lot of leakers, HEY.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Kudoo, I was hopin' you might add a comment to "cover my back" as well as prop-up your post count :)