PIDs, Plates & Lees

[Mike W1]

Never could cast with a Lee but bought a DC 452-252 to learn how and have a little entertainment in the bargain. Built the little heater cabinet to sit atop the new hot plate. Ended up bypassing the hot plate thermostat as it interfered with the new Mypin PID. Shouldn't have but it did! Then made a little adjustable jig to ensure good mould contact on the bottom. Cabinet is fitted with a screw-in type TC as well as a TC that just senses the air temperature. Yes I realize this is overkill!!!

So this morning I set the cabinet for 400° with the screw-in TC plugged in. The lead pot for 700°. About 20 odd minutes the bottom of the mould was reading around 320° with a surface reading TC and the VOM. Cast 2 good bullets first pour, ran another 6 casts and the mould was around 400° by then. Continued to cast awhile and never did get a bad bullet. You guys are right, at least far as a Lee mould anyhow, a hot plate is a necessity. Before when I'd tried (years back) didn't have all these toys but I'm sure I never managed to get a mould hot enough to do a good job.

The setup for this seemed to maintain ± 2° on the cabinet bottom and air temperature in there around 301° - 312°. Not necessary to be that close I know but have the goodies to keep an eye on things. May add a thicker bottom to the cabinet, some 1/2" instead of 1/8" aluminum that I did have on hand. And will make a run letting the PID regulate temperature with the air probe instead of the screw-in one just to see if it makes any noticeable difference in end results. Having a good time and learning a bit.

[bangerjim]

Funny, this.........I do that all with my simple open-top 1000w flat surface electronic hotplate, ANY of my 35+ lee molds and a Lee4-20 pot. perfect pours from the 1st one.

And I DEFiNITELY use the hotplate to preheat all my several brass and Fe molds to full casting temps. Works for all molds. Al just heats faster.....and cools faster too.


No t/c's, no surround furnaces, no controllers needed here. And I sell all that electronics stuff in the company I own. FREE to me.

Glad you figured out what works for you and your molds!!!! :-D

The single most important thing in your set-up is the hotplate! No serious caster should even fire up their casting pot without a hotplate for molds and ingots. Amazing thing those hotplate! Someday mabe you and I will be able to convince everybody out there to spend the lousy $10 or so and get one and quit moaning & groaning about wrinkled boolits. And by then, Hades will probably freeze over!!!!!!!

:drinks:

banger

[Mike W1]

Hot plate definitely made a believer out of me for Aluminum moulds. Never had that kind of success before without one.

Next time I'm casting with my Lyman's which rest on a warming shelf gonna see how long it takes to get them to full temperature. Always get good bullets right out of the chute with them but I know they get hotter after a few casts as I generally alternate moulds and even then they get parked on the cooling fan shelf fairly quickly.

Still think I'll regulate the hot plate with a PID though. And looks like for sure that I get tighter regulation using the mounted TC versus one that sense's the air temp. I assume that the mould is getting it's heat from the bottom plate anyway not the hot air above it though it wouldn't lose temperature as quickly with the heated air above.

After supper gonna see if I can run down a piece of 1/2" aluminum for the bottom.

[bangerjim]

You will definitely see a gain in mold heat-up this winter!!!!!!!!! Love those c-c-c-c-c-cold Iowa winters!

Once you get brass and Fe molds up to temp, they do hold longer than Al.

Now get out there and cast some of those bad boys!

banger