Best pot for a laddle caster.

[Hickok]

I am a ladle caster. I have tried bottom pour, but it just doesn't work best for me. I always go back to a stove and cast iron pot.

What is a good pot/melter for ladle casting? I have an old Lee 10 pound pot, but the opening is too small for ladling, and I use it to melt down sprue when casting.

I was looking at the Lee 20 pound pot/melter, and it looks like it has a big opening that would allow the ladle to get to the melt. I don't want any melter with a bottom pour spout.

Any of you fellows use the ladle method?

[Maven]

​I've been using the Lee 20 lb. furnace with a Lyman ladle for years and have had no problems with either the furnace or ladle casting. Full disclosure: I removed the bottom pour mechanism and plugged the bottom spout because I couldn't stand the dripping and got better results with the ladle with all but one mould.

[country gent]

I have several diffrent pots I have used, first was a dutch oven that did a decent job but the flat bottom made it hard to really get most or the lead out. A 30 lb pot from buffalo arms does great and has a rounded bottom tht allows you to ladle fead down much farhther. Last is the cut off propane pot larger dia but onlt about 5-6" deep and rounded bottom this pot wrks real good large dia 12-13" makes fluxiing filling and using easy ( at times there are 3 of us casting together over it) the rounded bottom allows it to be emptied to a decent level for handling and such. The cast iron dutch ovens or if one can be found a cast iron bean pot works good, just remeber with anything cast iron to warm slowly to temp to avoid it cracking. A steel pot does fine ( a buddie uses a stainless Stell dogs water dish for casting rounded bottom ring around outside for good support and probably 12-15lbs capacity.He setis it on a coleman stoves rack and it does good for him. I perfer my big cut off propane cylinder, HOlds alot of lead for casting big heavy bullets, is easy to fill ( almost any and all ingots fit into it) easy to get into to work with. and empties down to around 5 lbs remaining.

[carbine]

The Waage K 4757 $150 can only be ordered on the phone. Outstanding 20 pounds , holds temperature. I love it

[jmort]

I use a ladle and have the Lee Magnum Melter and their 10 lb unit. A few months ago I got a Waage K4757 which is not in their catalog but made just for us casters. It is a step up from the Lee which really is an 18 pound pot and the K4757 will hold 25 lbs. Obviously they are not $150 any more, and it is a 25 lb pot not 20, but still worth it. I'm glad I got it , but the Lee Magnum melter works just fine. Got my K4757 in April 2015

We manufacture the K4757. ~#25 pounds, temperature 800 °F; 115v We maintain the price affordable for the re-loaders. The item is marketed via the re-loader blogs.
1. The K4757 melter is scheduled to be manufactured within the next 10 business days.
2. The price is $198.00 + S& H of $30.00 .
3. Payment is via visa/mc, please call with the cc number to place the order. 800-922-4365 (tel:800-922-4365)
5. The charges are not applied to the credit card, till the K4757 is shipped.
6. A picture is attached for information
7. Shipping is via UPS ground to middle earth sales and service.
8. Please call with the cc number.
The estimated manufacturing time is 2-3 weeks.

153378

[ZippyHillbilly]

While I am new here I have a couple. I have a heavy cast pot for process work and bought the Waage mentioned above. The price is now $230 or so shipped. I plan on a bottom pour when my skill level with this increases. I dunno. Worth mentioning ... The waage pot is a rather commercial type pot that should hold up for many years. The less expensive models would seem to be more occasional use. Not knocking them. Just my first perceptions.

[VHoward]

http://www.magmaengineering.com/cast-master/
Or you could get the cast master from Magma Engineering. It does have a bottom pour feature, but it large enough for ladle casting. 90 pound capacity.

[Spruce]

If your laddling over a stove or other heat source, a stainless steel cooking pot, sized to fit your needs. Any thrift store or search the interweb for commericial pots from schools or restaurants.

If your looking for a melter, then the waage K4757, or a Lyman Magdipper might fit the bill. The Magdipper has a 4&3/8ths. ins. opening for reference.

A larger opening would be nice.

[Hickok]

Good to hear about the Lee Magnum Melter , as that is what I was considering. Try as I might, I just could never get the results I wanted with bottom pouring, I always went back to the stove, pot and ladle.

[montana_charlie]

One nice thing about the Waage K-4757 ...
The thermostat is adjustable in that you can bring the pot to a temperature that you choose ... then reset the knob so it points to the temperature (on the scale) that agrees with the one being produced by the heater.

[NavyVet1959]

In my opinion, an ideal pot for ladle casting is one that is relatively deep compared to it's diameter. That leaves less surface area exposed to air and reduces oxidation.

This won't work with some ladles though due to their handle angle. I prefer a condiment ladle with a hole drilled in the bottom to make it a bottom pour ladle. Because of the angle of the condiment ladle's handle, it works well with a narrow, but deep pot.

Here's a video of FortuneCookie45 trying out my ladle idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZQQ159QJCo
He is not using a condiment ladle though and it is larger than necessary. Also, the shallow pot he is using does not take full advantage of the condiment ladle.

[waarp8nt]

The best in my opinion is what will be cost effective for your budget and what works for you. I have used a hot plate, cast iron pot and ladle for years, casting many muzzleloader projectiles. I ended up getting a second cast iron pot when I started casting for handguns and wanted to use harder lead. The most expensive thing was the lyman ladle. Everything else came from a auction for maybe $10 total, for certain $40 or less with the lyman ladle.

I currently run a lee 20lb bottom pour for handgun (but I am honestly not impressed) and still use the hotplate for muzzleloader. If you like your current set up, with the only exception being the lead pot mouth, you may look into getting a new larger mouth lead pot.

[ArrowJ]

Will the hotplate not work for handgun?

[waarp8nt]

Will the hotplate not work for handgun? Yes, a hotplate works fine for the harder stuff I use for handguns. Done it many times.

[Hickok]

I have been doing the stoves of various sorts, propane, Coleman you name it since the 1970's. I toss my sprue into the LEE 10 pound pot while casting, and refill the main pot and reflux when needed.

Been layed off due to bad coal market, so finances are restricted, thankfully the wife has a good postal job. BUT recently I had a good offer from the wife, "What do you want for Christmas?"[smilie=w:Now you married guys know what what I am saying, "Aha, I see good opportunity here!":bigsmyl2:

So just thinking that a nice electric melting pot with a large opening for ladle casting would be a great convenience over stoves and appliances using an open flame. And the Lee Magnum melter has a "thrifty" price.

Just needed to here if you guys had ever used one for ladle casting, and it sounds like it fills the bill nicely. THank for your replies.

[gwpercle]

Get the Magnum Melter, holds an honest 15 lbs. with enough room to keep dipper in melt. Melts a cold pot full in 20-25 mins. and can find them on amazon $58.98 with free shipping.
I tried the bottom pour thing and came back to ladle...better boolits.
I was going to plug the spout of my bottom pour pot but for $60.00 I just ordered the Magnum Melter . I wish I had gotten it years ago instead of the bottom pour. Much easier to cast with than the small electric pot. I got the small one 1973 and it still works...the magnum truely is bigger and better.
Gary

[Hickok]

Another ladle caster![smilie=s:

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

For the cost the lee magnum melter is hard to beat. It's also great for premelting/preheating alloy to keep a bottom pour pot running without any warm up time

[EDK]

I've had poor results and a lot of frustration with bottom pour pots....LEE and LYMAN. I have used ladle pots...SAECO and LEE MAGNUM MELTER...very happily. I have a HENSLEY & GIBBS ladle that is 35 years old...looks like a gravy ladle rather than the RCBS or LYMAN types with the sprout.

Get the LEE MAGNUM MELTER and live happily ever after. You can get some replacement parts if necessary. ME, I'd give it to someone who wanted to tinker with it OR see how far I could throw it and go buy another one for under $60 plus shipping from GRAFS.

PS I enjoyed your videos on YouTube, I joined the local gun club with outdoor range after my divorce. I scrounged so much 9 mm brass that I bought a GLOCK 17 and 34 plus traded for a GLOCK 26. A lot easier on the powder and lead supply than 44 or 45 caliber.

[Hickok]

EDK, wish I could take credit for the youtube videos, as they are good, but that fellow is Hickok45 I believe, heck I am shortly going on 61 years old, so I am Hickok 61 I quess!

Glad to see another ladle caster. I thought maybe I was one of the "few and far between" who could get good results with bottom pour.

The Lee Magnum melter looks like a value for price. My old Lee 10 pound melter has endured many years, but I plugged the bottom pour spout and removed the other hardware.

[white eagle]

started out ladle casting and never saw any reason to change
I started out using a coleman stove and small cast iron pot
them moved to a single burner camp stove
I ended up with a Lee electric pot (not sure the model)
but its the cats meow :lovebooli
sounds like your headed in that direction so I won't
waiver you but I will say that mine works like a charm

[georgerkahn]

All above posts are great! I acquired a cast iron dutch oven and it works very well! The lid, inverted next to it while I'm using it, makes a wonderful holder for ladle, dross-spoon, and even a place to drop that occasional wheel-weight piece of steel. One of the first things I did upon electing to use this pot for melting alloy was to use an electric vibratory marker to etch my crude rendition of the "POISON" symbol on the lid's top, as well as three equally (almost :) ) spaces on its outside. Once used to melt lead, it is imperative whatever vessel one uses NEVER EVER be used for food.

[gwpercle]

Another ladle caster![smilie=s:

Feels good to find out there are others beside's myself, that still use one and two cavity moulds and a dipper.:drinks:

[slohunter]

Feels good to find out there are others beside's myself, that still use one and two cavity moulds and a dipper.:drinks:
You mean there are other method ways to make boolits?

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I recently purchased the Lee Mag Pot and a Lyman ladle. I'm not sure it's the method I like, just can't seem to get the hang of it. I throw away, recycle, a lot of cast bullets. I haven't given up on it though, but I have brought my old Lyman bottom pour inside to see if I can restore it. The pot works as it should, most, if not all, of my casting problems are operator error. :-)

[gwpercle]

Casting has a definite learning curve and no one technique will work for everybody. Just keep trying different things. More art than a science with a bit of voodoo and black magic thrown in. And to complicate things is each mould likes to be cast in a different way...hotter, cooler, slower, faster....They all remind me of fickle women. Just when you think you've got them all figured out, they change what they like and leave you scratching your head.
Gary

[chrisstophere]

I think I found a way to cheat...a PID and a hot plate with a steel warmer box...it sure makes it a bunch easier than a simple thermometer

[country gent]

One little trick with your ladle is to drill a nut out for a press fit o its shaft. this gices a stop to hook on the pots edge. Instead of sitting ladle beside pot dip it into lead and let the nut hold it handle away from heat. Always have hot lead to pour that way.

[RogerDat]

Feels good to find out there are others beside's myself, that still use one and two cavity moulds and a dipper.:drinks:

If it ain't broke I don't see how I can fix it. Far as I can tell the ladle ain't broke. :bigsmyl2:

I have used a hot plate and still have it but of late have been using a small pot on the turkey fryer I use for smelting.
I just drop in those three rusty pieces of 1/2 x 1/2 angle iron so the pot has something to sit on. Pull them out for dutch oven when smelting.
157528

One of these days I may get around to buying an electric melter, I use 2 and 1 cavity molds mostly, except for a couple of 4 cavity. I guess I'm not yet convinced that I would like to spend the money on molds with more cavities so I could take advantage of the bottom pour to really increase my production. Of course by the time I have the melter I may have many 10's of pounds already cast so will have little incentive to spend money on faster production molds. That burner heats fast but throws a lot of heat out into the air, nice this time of year but I think the electric would be more comfortable to work around for much of the year.

[Viper225]

I started with a 10 pound Pot, then got a Lyman Electric bottom pour 20 pounder, I believe. The bottom pour locked up on it. I was not all that impressed with it anyway.
I found a 10 Inch Lodge Cast Iron Pot with lead in it and a dipper at a Flea Market. I do not see me ever using anything else to cast bullets. I put the pot on a Turkey Fryed Burner bring it up to 700 and go to town. I am using a long handle RCBS Ladle. I have thought about getting a better ladle, but so far I am still using the RCBS.

Bob

[cstrickland]

wow I am late ( as usual ) to the thread. I was torn when I first started casting about a bottom pour or ladle. I watched videos , read post and in the end started cheap. small propane camp stove, SS 2 quart pot and a Lyman ladle that was a Christmas gift from my lovely mother.


I do not cast a lot. cast only a few thousand bullets or so a year for 9mm, 300 blk and 223. I usually only run about 10 - 15lbs of lead at a time, but the ladle works so well I have not seen a need for anything else. Only thing I am upgrading is to an electric burner. Easier to keep in the garage and no fuss for me. Just plug in and go

I also only use a 2 cavity for the 9mm / 300 blk and a 4 cavity mold for the 223. the Lyman ladle holds jus the right amount. I must say the ladle with the hole in the bottom looked like something worth trying for the $1 cost of a ladle

the lee melter mentioned in the thread are nice looking , but I like the ability to pick up the small stock pot when I am done and pour all the remaining lead out into an ingot . Maybe if I casted several thousand at a time it would be different

[jimofaz]

"The Waage K 4757 $150 can only be ordered on the phone. Outstanding 20 pounds, holds temperature. I love it"

+1 on the above advice.

Mine is set-up for 220V.

Jim

[jmort]

I got mine in April 2015 and this is what my 4757 cost. See post #5. Well worth the $$$.

The price is $198.00 + S& H of $30.00 .