Productivity with different cavity moulds

[FISH4BUGS]

I just finished a series of 3 (or was it 4?) 2 hour casting sessions with a Hensley & Gibbs #331 6 cavity mould, and a Lee 20 lb pot. Mix was 5lbs ww to 1lb linotype.
After culling the bad bullets out (and there were not many) I came up with about 3700 (by weight) 124gr 9mm rn bullets. That should feed my submachine guns for a few range visits.
I took my time, preheated the mould on the stove, and kept adding ingots on the fly. I'd preheat the ingots on top of the pot then put them into the pot to melt when it got low. That slowed production a bit.
It set me to wondering. If I did 3 sessions at 2 hours each, I did about 600 bullets per hour. If it was 4 sessions, it was about 475 per hour. (The lesson here is to track my time in casting so I know the productivity).
What kind of productivity can one expect (on average) from a single cavity, double cavity, 3, 4 6, 8 and 10 cavity moulds? Has anyone ever kept track or is this just a useless mental exercise?

FROM RESPONSES:
1 cavity =
2 cavity = 180-240 per hour
3 Cavity =
4 cavity = 600 per hour
6 cavity = 500-600 per hour
8 cavity =
10 cavity =

[upnorthwis]

There is some use to the mental exercise as I will not go back to a single cavity unless forced. I started out with single cav. Lee to see if I would like this casting thing. After buying a two cav., I doesn't take long to figure out that with only a two second addition to the cycle that production is doubled.

[RogerDat]

I like to be productive but if I have to do a time sheet that friends an neighbors is too much like work. I'll cast until my back starts to hurt too much or until the pretty pile of bullets looks like enough to meet my needs. That is what makes it a hobby my being able to work to suit my desires.

That and number of cavities can only be compared apples to apples against same general weight & style of bullet. Mold material would be another variable that would make compares hard. Your 9mm mold would probably have a different optimal casting rate for a good alloy than say a 200 grain 30 caliber or even heavier 45 caliber mold. If the alloy is much different that would change things too. I find there is a difference in rate between a 30 caliber spire point 160 grain and a 45 caliber 255 grain round flat. But then I don't generally use a wet towel to control mold temp so production rate has to "go with the flow". :-)

On the other hand I mostly feed wheel guns and bolt action so.... let us just say 1000 rounds is a lot more on my bench than it is on yours doing an auto loader. [smilie=s:

[bangerjim]

Pre heat all your molds to FULL casting temp (not just "warm") on an electric hotplate B4 starting and you will save time. Use that same hotplate to preheat all your feed ingots to just below "slush" temp and they will melt in your pot in no time! Again, saves lots of waiting time while feeding the pot.

I do not worry about the number of boolits I cast. I use 4-5-6 cavity molds almost exclusively and cast until I get tired. Never count or weigh them or worry about it. I know they are in the many MANY hundreds at a time.

Putting time-sensitive measures on a hobby.........not something I ever do. By putting "production time" on a hobby, it rapidly becomes a job and NOT fun for me! I relax doing all my hobbies, and do not run a race against a clock or a units/time basis. When I start doing that, I need to find another hobby!

bangerjim

[tazman]

A lot depends on the individual mold and it's operating characteristics.
How quickly it opens and how easily the boolits drop out makes a difference. How heavy the mold is and how easily it handles also makes a difference.
I use both aluminum and steel molds in 2, 4, 5, and 6 cavity configurations. Some of the 4 cavity molds are hollow point designs which operate a bit slower.
My production ranges from about 300 per hour to 600 per hour depending on the particular mold I am using.
I have a 20lb pot and can usually get all the casting I want done before the pot need more lead.
At the end of the session, I add all the sprue metal back in as well as enough lead to top off the pot before I shut it off for the day. If I decide to continue, I will take a break to let the lead reach temp before continuing. During this time I will make sure the mold get up to casting temp before continuing.
I will not count the boolits until after I am all done casting. I only count the boolits as a reference since I am curious about my production.

[mdi]

All that math gives me a headache. :cry: I have a favorite single cavity mold, an Ideal 429421, '70s series. I'll cast until my fingers cramp and stop. I may do this several days in a row, but I have no quota and cast for fun, and never count my boolits...

I don't like to put production numbers nor costs on my hobbies, or else they wouldn't be fun...

[freebullet]

For 9mm my lee 6 banger will drop 2000+ in about 4 hours. For rifles and mags I slow way down maybe 200 per hour. It depends on how perfect you want your boolits.

[mongoose33]

There's a sort of law of diminishing returns with 6-cavity molds; even though the first cavity you fill might be ready to cut the sprue, you have to wait for the last cavity before you can do it. So the question is where the line is drawn.

A 1-cavity mold? Very slow. Two cavities better, I like 3- and 4-cavity molds the best. I have a Lee 6-cavity mold, but I suspect that the larger the mold (esp. w/ Lee), the more difficult to retain proper heat. But that's just a suspicion.

I found that with a 4-gang mold I could get about 2 1/2 dumps per minute, which is about 10 boolits per minute, which is 600 per hour.

The only way I can see this exercise being particularly useful is if you had to pour "X" amount of bullets in a limited time; at least knowing production tempos would let you know if it's possible. But that doesn't seem all that likely.

If you *really* want to be productive, get a second pot and pre-melt your ingots and simply ladle them into the production pot.

[FISH4BUGS]

I am not trying to make it like work. It was just a mental exercise. That's all. I can see a use for this information, however. Let's say I am going to go shooting and I need 1000 rounds. I can add up the casting, lubing, sizing and reloading time needed to produce 1000 finished rounds and know roughly when I need to start the project.
My typical MO is to cast until I get sick of a caliber then change to another one. Size, lube and reload is another game altogether.
I like to have a couple of thousand rounds in stock for each caliber and take what I need when I need it.....kind of like going to the grocery store. When I get low I do another run.
I am begining to think i like the manufacturing of the ammo more than using it up....except on full auto. Nothing beats that!

[country gent]

I find my "production" rate is better when casting with 2 moulds in tandem. fill set down and fill second, cut sprue and drop bullets from first fill, then second. This saves the time waiting for lead to solidify and the mould to be ready to drop. With my brass moulds this still allows a somewhat relaxed pace as the brass holds heat well. With cast iron I have to move a little faster. The draw back to this is unless you have 2 moulds the same your sorting bullets after the session. I normally cast a 2 cavity 550 grn 45 cal bullet and a 2 cavity 400grn 40 cal together. I preheat the moulds on the side of the pot while it is heating up and they are normally ready to go when the lead is. They set on this rack when cooling also. I have another rack on the side ( actually 3 racks around it). I cast in a session around 4 -5 hours long and may run 4-6 moulds thru the session. The next 2 are on a rack warming while I run the first 2s production. I have considered a scales to set my drop pan on to have an idea of the run of bullets (100 550s = 8lbs of bullets 100 400s = 5 3/4Lbs) a scales under the drop pan and towel would allow a close rough estimate of quanities at a glance. casting together 16 lbs would be 100 550s and 100 400s. I normally set the top towel of every hour as its getting enough bullets to risk dings ad dents from quanity in it.

[williamwaco]

I have two's, four's, and six's. I like the four's best. They all have one feature in common. None of them produce enough.

[bangerjim]

I am not trying to make it like work. It was just a mental exercise. That's all. I can see a use for this information, however. Let's say I am going to go shooting and I need 1000 rounds. I can add up the casting, lubing, sizing and reloading time needed to produce 1000 finished rounds and know roughly when I need to start the project.
My typical MO is to cast until I get sick of a caliber then change to another one. Size, lube and reload is another game altogether.
I like to have a couple of thousand rounds in stock for each caliber and take what I need when I need it.....kind of like going to the grocery store. When I get low I do another run.
I am begining to think i like the manufacturing of the ammo more than using it up....except on full auto. Nothing beats that!

I personally never worry about taking a certain # of rounds of anything. I grab 4-5 boxes of 50 of each cal/design I will be playing with that trip and when they are gone, I am gone. Loading is fun. Shooting is fun. I hope to keep it that way.

[smilie=w:

[tazman]

I personally never worry about taking a certain # of rounds of anything. I grab 4-5 boxes of 50 of each cal/design I will be playing with that trip and when they are gone, I am gone. Loading is fun. Shooting is fun. I hope to keep it that way.

[smilie=w:

I like that attitude. Sometimes I work on accuracy, sometimes I just go out and blast away to watch the dirt/cans fly. It's all fun.

[Victor N TN]

I've got a couple of H&G molds. But my favorite is the 6 cavity 230 grain 45 acp bullet. When I was casting with it all the time I was using a Lee 4" lift bottom drop. Back in the 1970s that's the best I could afford. But I always set the molds on top of the pot when I first turn it on. By the time the lead is hot enough to cast the molds are hot. But when I started casting... The pot temperature never shut off again. That thing almost sucked the lead out of the pot.

Victor

[Mytmousemalibu]

I just run the pot till I get too sore & tired. Usually my back is what is the limiting factor, I can only sit there for so long before it throws in the towel! I don't bother much to keep track of my output, what I can do is all I can do and thats usually plenty!

[emorris]

It's hard to say for me. I have two, three, four, and six cavity molds. I also have hollow point two cavity molds, buckshot, and some molds that for some reason I havent used yet. They range from light 223 to heavy 45. I have some that are the same caliber and manufacture, but different disigns. The one thing that I have found is that each like to be ran different. I dont cast every day and most of my casting is done in the fall and mid to late spring with a few smelting projects in between. I have enough notes to keep up with as it is so I dont keep notes of how my molds like to run. Therefore the first part of a casting session is dedicated to remembering how the mold likes it. Besides that is one of the fun things about casting and it's like having a new mold each time. I dont keep count as I cast and I found that trying to powder coat as I cast is a lost cause. The mold has cooled too much by the time I get the bullets stood up and coated. Most molds get into their sweet spot just as the timer runs out and it time to stop again. Well the mold cools again so start all over.

[SSGOldfart]

I slowly cast but I have to go about it differently than most do,due to having only one hand,I did drop about 1200 224/and 243 boolits this morning in about 4 hours I guess a rate of 300 or so a hour isn't to bad with one hand.:bigsmyl2:

[quasi]

with a 6 cavity I can get about 1800 in 2 hours, then I am done for the day.

[220]

I actually went through this when I was trying to work out what I would need to charge if I was to start selling boolits.
I theory with a bottom pour and 3 6cav I can do 1200/hr or I should say the rate I emptied the pot equated to 1200/hr trouble is the time to get the pot back full and up to temp again.
I don't have trouble keeping alloy molds up to temp when using 3 if anything they end up running almost to hot, my trouble is keeping up the lead supply, really need a second pot to either cast directly from or to feed into the primary pot.

[bedbugbilly]

All of my molds are either single cavity or double cavity - aluminum and steel. I'm a "low tech" caster and have been doing it the same way for 50 some years. Propane hot plate, 10# pot and Lyman bottom pour dipper.

The only time I like casting from a single cavity is when I'm forced to - some of my older Ideal molds in the boolit designs I like to use are single cavity. I have finally been able to replace most of my singles with doubles when I've been able to find them and it's surprising how much faster even a double cavity goes.

I don't really keep track of who many I can do in an hour though. I preheat my mold as my lead is melting and have very few beginning pours that I have to throw back in the pot. This year, in my casting sessions, I found myself counting my pours as I went along and usually made twenty pours (40 boolits) at a time and then took a couple minute break to let the mold cool down some and to sit as my back would get sore.

My casting sessions usually lasted about 3 hours or so as that's about all my back could take . . . it's hard getting old! At the end though, I found I usually had anywhere from 500 to 600 rounds depending on what I was pouring. Seems like the larger 250 gr boolits for the 45 Colt would slow things down just do to the more grain weight which is understandable.

Like tazeman points out - a lot depends on the individual mold and how it casts. I have a 358 double cavity WC mold that just does not like to let 'em go easily. I use the Lee TL 358-158 SWC in my 38s quite a bit and that mold for me is slicker than goose grease. Quick pour, cut sprue, open and they drop like gum drops.

I have gone to storing my cast boolits in plastic peanut jars. I end up casting enough of whatever boolit I'm casting to fill the jar up and then switch to another design. I then tumble lube 'em and when the jar's empty - it's time to cast again. I've given some thought to getting an electric pot but in reality, the way I do it now gives me plenty of boolits to match the amount of shooting I do. I enjoy the casting, loading and shooting equally - a great way to relax!

[ShooterAZ]

I use an RCBS Pro Melt...which holds an honest 20lbs + of lead. I cast until there is around an inch or so of alloy left in the pot, or when I get tired...whichever comes first. I'm more concerned about the quality of my boolits than quantity...so productivity to me means getting good boolits. I don't keep track of the number of boolits/hour...just too many variables with diameter and boolit weight and casting tempo. I just strive to make a big pile of beautiful boolits.

[hollywood63]

I've come to the conclusion that quality is more important then quantity also. I just can't get the hang of a 6 cavity and it takes more time getting it to drop then its worth.

[Harter66]

It doesn't seem to matter what moulds I'm running, I hit 1.5 pours per min. Long average for typical sessions. That gets me with pot reloads 60-90/hr . Obviously the pistol boolits at 175-265 gr in 6C moulds need to be filled more often than the 50-230 gr 2 and 4C rifle sets . I only cast I think 5 singles and 100 Maxi balls last several years .

Presuming an average of 75 pours ;
75 singles
150 doubles
300 from the quads
450 from the 6 plex

Typically minus 5% because I have a couple of rifle moulds that just don't want to talk to me mostly due to not being able to pour fast enough to keep them hot.

[Trapshooter]

Ken Walters published results of some of his testing in "The Art of Bullet Casting" book published by Rifle and Handloader magazines. He compared productivity of single, double, and four cavity iron molds (Lyman 452374), using both bottom pour and dipper furnaces. He also tested 4, 6, and 8 cavity H & G 34 molds with bottom pour only. He came up with a "relative speed factor" which was the ratio of good bullets produced per half hour of a two hour casting session, compared to the same test using a single cavity mold with a dipper. He separated the bullets produced into 30 minute groups, and used the best half hours figures as his basis for measurement.

With a single cavity using a dipper, he made 155 acceptable bullets of 222 total in a 2 hour session. For the best half hour, there were 40 acceptable.

The same data for bottom pour was 167 good of 307 total, and 70 good for the best half hour.

Comparing 1, 2, and 4 cavities:

His results were as follows:

1C Dipper 1.00
1C Bottom 1.75
2C Dipper 2.35
2C Bottom 2.48
4C Dipper 1.20
4C Bottom 5.20

Comparing 4, 6, and 8 cavities bottom pour only
4 Cavity 5.80
6 Cavity 6.00
8 Cavity 9.10

So, he got 1.75 x more good bullets, going from dipper to bottom pour with a 1 cavity, and up to 5.2 times more with a four cavity mold.

The article has some other interesting analysis of his observations, compared to the conventional wisdom of the day (1960's to 1980's).

Trapshooter

[snuffy]

You fellas actually count how many your pour!?:veryconfu I'm busy casting, no time to count.


mongoose33 (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?37489-mongoose33)
A 1-cavity mold? Very slow. Two cavities better, I like 3- and 4-cavity molds the best. I have a Lee 6-cavity mold, but I suspect that the larger the mold (esp. w/ Lee), the more difficult to retain proper heat. But that's just a suspicion.

If by that you mean the bigger the boolit, the longer it takes and, the harder it is to maintain the temp., then it's the exact opposite. A small cavity in a lee 6 banger takes forever to come up-to-temp. On the other side, a large boolit comes up to temp quickly, the big reason is; the blocks are the same size for both. Getting a mold up to temp. is by pouring hot metal into the cavities, the more lead the more temp.

I too use a hotplate to break-in the cold mold, but I'm scared of warping an empty mold, so I just run med/high on the electric hotplate temp, then 2 casts it's up to casting temperature. I use a PID for the pot, I plan on getting another PID set-up for the hotplate and my 450 luber. I'll have to see how much $$$ is in the Christmas stocking!

Just guessing, I'd say I can do 300 9mm 124 TC in an hour with the Lee 6 banger. With a rejection rate of 5%, that's enough in 2 hours for me for 2 months of shooting. That's IF my son's supply is good enough, might have to double it to bring him up to snuff.

I thought I was alone with the backache from doing stuff out in front of your upper body??!¿:? 3 hours of that is all I can do, then head straight for the Vicodin bottle. Gettin old ain't for sissies!

[accunlmtd]

I slowly cast but I have to go about it differently than most do,due to having only one hand,I did drop about 1200 224/and 243 boolits this morning in about 4 hours I guess a rate of 300 or so a hour isn't to bad with one hand.:bigsmyl2:
Thank you sir for your service. Just curious, what is your process for casting single handed.

[dragon813gt]

It's really mold dependent. I have a 45 caliber MP mold, don't remember the model at the moment, that will rain bullets. It's not real particular about cadence or alloy temp. I have other molds that finicky and can spend a lot of time getting it into the sweet spot. I usually cast a pot to a pot and a half a session, 20-30 pounds. If this takes an hour great. If it takes four hours I'm probably a bit aggravated because the mold isn't running right. For me it's more about the mold than the number of cavities.

[Bradley]

I just finished a series of 3 (or was it 4?) 2 hour casting sessions with a Hensley & Gibbs #331 6 cavity mould, and a Lee 20 lb pot. Mix was 5lbs ww to 1lb linotype.
After culling the bad bullets out (and there were not many) I came up with about 3700 (by weight) 124gr 9mm rn bullets. That should feed my submachine guns for a few range visits.
I took my time, preheated the mould on the stove, and kept adding ingots on the fly. I'd preheat the ingots on top of the pot then put them into the pot to melt when it got low. That slowed production a bit.
It set me to wondering. If I did 3 sessions at 2 hours each, I did about 600 bullets per hour. If it was 4 sessions, it was about 475 per hour. (The lesson here is to track my time in casting so I know the productivity).
What kind of productivity can one expect (on average) from a single cavity, double cavity, 3, 4 6, 8 and 10 cavity moulds? Has anyone ever kept track or is this just a useless mental exercise?

FROM RESPONSES:
1 cavity =
2 cavity = 180-240 per hour
3 Cavity =
4 cavity = 600 per hour
6 cavity = 500-600 per hour
8 cavity =
10 cavity =

I think that there is an article about that in the 2010 Gun Digest.

[RogerDat]

I guess one might want to have some idea of the relative value of more cavities when buying a mold. More cavities generally cost more but sometimes only a modest cost for each additional cavity. Being able to have some idea of what size best meets you needs for productivity without wasting money on more cavities than you need or buying less cavities than you really need might be useful.

[mdi]

I guess I'm out of touch with the "popular" ways to enjoy a hobby. From most of the posts it seems like the only way to enjoy casting bullets is if a certain quota or BPH (Bullets per Hour) is attained, and by analyzing the cost of each bullet. For me casting and processing my cast bullets is extremely satisfying and fun. In other words it's a Hobby. But, perhaps some don't think of bullet casting as a hobby, but as a necessity for shooting? If I sit down in front of my casting pot and only cast 100 bullets before my hands cramp, or my back gets tired, or I just wanna stop, that's perfect for me. If I have to push beyond that point, it becomes work, a drudge, and is no longer fun.

For me a Hobby is something that gives me pleasure, a pass time that is satisfying and even if the finished product or results of my time have no value to anyone else, its my Hobby (as defined by dictionary.com; an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation). Perhaps more folks could get more satisfaction and fun if they stopped counting or justifying the results of their time...

So, not a complaint or rant, just an observation...:neutral: ;)

[FISH4BUGS]

I guess I'm out of touch with the "popular" ways to enjoy a hobby. From most of the posts it seems like the only way to enjoy casting bullets is if a certain quota or BPH (Bullets per Hour) is attained, and by analyzing the cost of each bullet. For me casting and processing my cast bullets is extremely satisfying and fun. In other words it's a Hobby. But, perhaps some don't think of bullet casting as a hobby, but as a necessity for shooting? If I sit down in front of my casting pot and only cast 100 bullets before my hands cramp, or my back gets tired, or I just wanna stop, that's perfect for me. If I have to push beyond that point, it becomes work, a drudge, and is no longer fun.
For me a Hobby is something that gives me pleasure, a pass time that is satisfying and even if the finished product or results of my time have no value to anyone else, its my Hobby (as defined by dictionary.com; an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation). Perhaps more folks could get more satisfaction and fun if they stopped counting or justifying the results of their time...
So, not a complaint or rant, just an observation...:neutral: ;)
So noted. And I agree about the HOBBY thing. But this was more of a curiosity question than anything.....and that article summed it up quite well.
Thanks to all that responded.

[FISH4BUGS]

Ken Walters published results of some of his testing in "The Art of Bullet Casting" book published by Rifle and Handloader magazines. He compared productivity of single, double, and four cavity iron molds (Lyman 452374), using both bottom pour and dipper furnaces. He also tested 4, 6, and 8 cavity H & G 34 molds with bottom pour only. He came up with a "relative speed factor" which was the ratio of good bullets produced per half hour of a two hour casting session, compared to the same test using a single cavity mold with a dipper. He separated the bullets produced into 30 minute groups, and used the best half hours figures as his basis for measurement.

With a single cavity using a dipper, he made 155 acceptable bullets of 222 total in a 2 hour session. For the best half hour, there were 40 acceptable.

The same data for bottom pour was 167 good of 307 total, and 70 good for the best half hour.

Comparing 1, 2, and 4 cavities:

His results were as follows:

1C Dipper 1.00
1C Bottom 1.75
2C Dipper 2.35
2C Bottom 2.48
4C Dipper 1.20
4C Bottom 5.20

Comparing 4, 6, and 8 cavities bottom pour only
4 Cavity 5.80
6 Cavity 6.00
8 Cavity 9.10

So, he got 1.75 x more good bullets, going from dipper to bottom pour with a 1 cavity, and up to 5.2 times more with a four cavity mold.

The article has some other interesting analysis of his observations, compared to the conventional wisdom of the day (1960's to 1980's).
Trapshooter
PERFECT! This is what I was looking for. Now my curiosity is satisfied. THANKS!

[mongoose33]

You fellas actually count how many your pour!?:veryconfu I'm busy casting, no time to count.



If by that you mean the bigger the boolit, the longer it takes and, the harder it is to maintain the temp., then it's the exact opposite.

Nah, that's not what I meant, but I can see how you might have gotten that from what I wrote. What I meant and didn't say very clearly was that while you're starting on one end of a large mold, the other end is in the process of cooling.


A small cavity in a lee 6 banger takes forever to come up-to-temp. On the other side, a large boolit comes up to temp quickly, the big reason is; the blocks are the same size for both. Getting a mold up to temp. is by pouring hot metal into the cavities, the more lead the more temp.

I did some 200gr .45 ACP yesterday and that mold was dead on at the start--but I gave it a head start with a mold oven. :)


I too use a hotplate to break-in the cold mold, but I'm scared of warping an empty mold, so I just run med/high on the electric hotplate temp, then 2 casts it's up to casting temperature. I use a PID for the pot, I plan on getting another PID set-up for the hotplate and my 450 luber. I'll have to see how much $$$ is in the Christmas stocking!

Just a thought--my PID has a plug socket into which the temperature probe is plugged. I have a small temperature button epoxied to my lubesizer, and it's connected to another plug. When I want to use the PID I just plug in either the temp probe from my pot or the temp button from the lubesizer. One PID, two devices, only one cost.

154314

My lubesizer sits on a heating plate which is not shown; I figured that location was going to give me a fair indication of the temperature which I believe it does.



I thought I was alone with the backache from doing stuff out in front of your upper body??!¿:? 3 hours of that is all I can do, then head straight for the Vicodin bottle. Gettin old ain't for sissies!

Snuffy, you are NOT alone. I was hurting pretty good last night after four hours of casting. I have a bad disc in my back and it wasn't talking to me last night, it was SHOUTING. I have to figure out a different way to do this. It's not too bad while I'm casting but later on--ouch.

[tazman]

I cast seated in a comfortable padded chair with the pot on a table at the perfect height for handling the molds. I turn slightly when I dump the mold. My chair has wheels on it so i don't have to do it all with my back.
Even with all the advantages I can only cast for about an hour normally before my back makes me quit. On a good day maybe an hour and a half.
Those four hour sessions you talk about would disable me for a couple of days.
If I do one session in the morning, I might be able to do another in the afternoon but no more than that.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The article by Walters in The Art of Bullet Casting is of course a classic study and comparison of different size molds. It can be used as a guide by those interested in production and rate. I began in the realm of bullet casting with a stove fired Lyman pot and ladle and it was later in life when I was able to afford a bottom pour. Working with one and two cavity molds was also the norm for me and I found that the old advice of G. Loverin was a good star to steer by. He said, "Watch the quality and not the clock". I realize that production is of importance and necessity to many casters and if your quality is also good then you are doing well. Molds of 4,6,8 and 10 cavity design do have their advantages and place in the casting world and using them to achieve a a high rate of production is an art in itself. Of course a high capacity bottom pour pot is a convenience, but in a day long gone I was able to achieve a decent rsf with 4 and 6 cavs using only a soup ladle type pourer and an old Saeco model 34 melting pot and got excellent results despite a lot of splashing and grotesque sprues. I recommend practice and patience and realistic goals as factors to accompany your endeavors. LLS

[Leadmelter]

I make use everything is ready the night before. I put the mold on the hot plate and turn on the Pro Melt and have breakfast.
I put on my casting clothes, apron, and gloves. I flux the melt and have at it
I set a timer for 120 minutes. With my asthma, that is about my limit.
I make minor adjustments as I go but stop with the alarm.
Works for me. A hot mold, hot lead and some rock n roll and I can do 10-15lbs.
Leadmelter
MI

[prs]

Fish4bugs and the cautions he received about NOT turning fun/recreation into work reminded me of my nephew. He loved to fish, we took him often and with some age he took himself and life was bliss. Then he got into tournament fishing. That easy going good natured country boy was no longer. Fishing was a worrysome thing for him them. Gotta do this, gotta do that, gotta buy this, gotta buy that. Gotta win, gotta catch more, gotta catch bigger, gotta get there quicker.......... On and on and on. I am not sure he fishes anymore.

Then there was me. I always target shot or plinked when the notion hit me. Then I tried cowboy action. At first it was great. Good people having a ball at blasting away, but soon more and more of the shooters were trying to do things to gain an edge in some fantasy quest to win; mouse phart charges under pea sized boolits and ever more tricked out guns, such tricks having no connection to the Old West. I lot of us, including me, began to care less and I have not gone to an organized shoot in years. I shoot target or plink when the notion hits me and I am full of notions.

prs

[tazman]

May you forever be full of notions.[smilie=s:

[quasi]

For some reason the author of the casting speed article, Ken Walters, is banned here. I wonder why?

[10mmShooter]

For my casting I always do it on a day off, my routine is get up get an early start turn on my Lyman mag 20 and hot plate on at around 7-8 am cast till noon stop to eat and go again for another 3 hours or so call it quits around 3- 330 thats about the body will take, thats about all I can do, since I cast standing on the concrete floor.

I cast using two RCBS 2-cav for most calibers, .32 .357, 10mm,.41, 44 , I have brass 3 cav and brass 4 cavity molds. Running the 2x 2 cav, I'm some where around 250-275 good bullets an hour. I can exceed that with the 3 and 4 cav molds.

At the end of the day if have a nice pile of bullets around 1000 to 1500 pieces, since I normally go about 7 hours including setup and teardown. I guess I'm around 200+ per hour normally. Not setting any record for out put. But that include stopping to eat lunch and bathroom breaks.

Never really felt the need to go to 6 cav's. I cast because I enjoy it, and I can shoot more :)

[Trapshooter]

Re: Ken Waters banned,

If my recollection is correct, it was a different person with the same name. I remember seeing the user name on several posts, and posts supposing it was "Ken the author", followed by posts of "no, I'm not that one". I can't place it in time, and a quick search didn't bring up anything useful. Does anyone else remember this?

Best Regards
Trapshooter

[snuffy]

Nah, that's not what I meant, but I can see how you might have gotten that from what I wrote. What I meant and didn't say very clearly was that while you're starting on one end of a large mold, the other end is in the process of cooling.



I did some 200gr .45 ACP yesterday and that mold was dead on at the start--but I gave it a head start with a mold oven. :)



Just a thought--my PID has a plug socket into which the temperature probe is plugged. I have a small temperature button epoxied to my lubesizer, and it's connected to another plug. When I want to use the PID I just plug in either the temp probe from my pot or the temp button from the lubesizer. One PID, two devices, only one cost.

154314

My lubesizer sits on a heating plate which is not shown; I figured that location was going to give me a fair indication of the temperature which I believe it does.



Snuffy, you are NOT alone. I was hurting pretty good last night after four hours of casting. I have a bad disc in my back and it wasn't talking to me last night, it was SHOUTING. I have to figure out a different way to do this. It's not too bad while I'm casting but later on--ouch.

154470

154475

Mongoose, I have the same plug on my PID, so that I can regulate temp on my 3 pots, and my lubrisizer. That works great because I'm never sizing boolits while I'm casting. But I do use the hotplate at the same time as the pot so no way to regulate it's temp. I need a separate PID so I could control the hotplate temp. The thermostat that's built into the hotplate allows massive swings in temp, I never bothered to measure, but it's got to be 75 - 100 degrees. That TC has ¼-20 threads, so a quarter twenty tap and a #7 drill was all I needed to install that thermocouple.

On the 6 cav. question, all of my 6 bangers are Lee, and all are handgun boolits. They all run off the bottom pour from the 4-20 Lee's , and are poured by a push straight through under the stream of lead. Some work better with a pull out with the first cavity being the one closest to the handles. Total time to cast all six maybe 10 seconds for heavy 45's, less for smaller boolits. That results in the sprue hardening as one continuous chunk, I watch to see it change color, then cut it. I would never get a rifle boolit in a six cavity because I usually ladle pour those. I did try to ladle pour one six cavity mold, I never got it to work, kept spilling over to the next cavity!:oops::mad: AND by the time I got to the last cav. the first one had probably cooled too long.

[therealhitman]

I always alternate two iron 2 cav molds at a pace that keeps both at a reasonable temp for 30 minutes or more, then a five minute break. Sprue cools while I drop and pour the other. That time overlap has to add to production, right?

I have decided to try two Lee 6 cavs (.452 and .356) to up my auto-loader boolit output. Midway has shipped, should see them Friday. Just in time for my Christmas-New Year's vacation. If I can make aluminum work for me with the cheap molds I'll spring for some Accurates from Tom down the road.

[TXGunNut]

It's an interesting question fish4bugs but my casting experience doesn't give a good answer to your question. If the stars line up right I can alternate two 2-cav moulds and achieve a similar production rate as I can with a 4-cav or even 5 or 6-cav. I cast until my shoulders get tired, then take a break and try again if I still need more boolits. Some moulds seem to like to go faster than others and that messes with my production numbers as well. It seems my effective rate after culling/sorting is generally the same regardless of how many cavities the mould in my hands has.
I'm not a high volume shooter so I'm usually happy with 200-300 "keepers", I spend a fair bit of time fiddling with the mould before I start but can usually meet that goal in about an hour.

[toallmy]

I need to shoot more I am casting faster than I am shooting with some 2 and 4 cav molds . o my then I will nead a faster reloader no the little darling will not go for that agan . I did that with shotgun reloading now I have a cuppel mic 9000s that have not been used in 2 years .I loaded crates full of shells still got thousands , might git out the shotguns and try to fix that problem . But about casting I can empty a 4/20 lee with a 2 cav wile putting back the sprue at about that time it is not fun so I stop .