Question on ladle useage?

[Mike W1]

This is just for my own curious noodle. How do you guys physically cast with one?

Back when I did it it was mold in left hand, fill mold with ladle. Lay down ladle and pick up stick and cut the sprue and empty the mold. Then repeat of course.

When I bottom pour I never have to lay the mallet down and have wondered how others used ladles. Been wanting to ask but never remembered when near the computer.

[country gent]

I ladle pour all the rifle bullets I cast and believe it gives me better bullets overall. I cast over a big pot similar to a plumbers pot ( 130 lbs capacity) while its hard to describe Ill simply give my procedure. I start the pot heating and set moulds on its warming shelf. I cast with 2 moulds together in a session. When the pot is up to temp of 750* I flux with sawdust and parrafin mix stiring it good. I then pick up the first mould and fill it. Set it back on the warming rack and fill the second mould. When I pour I have the mould in left hand ladle in right and I dont pour for a sprue but pour a full ladle of lead into the openings letting the excess run back into pot. I also have a collar on my l;adles shafts that allows me to set the ladle in the pot with the collar catching on the side of the pot. This keeps the ladle hot and up to lead temps. I use a rowel #1 ladle. I then pick up the first mould and cut sprues and drop bullets refill it and repeat with second mould. I run like this for 3-4 hours. When pouring bullets from 365 grains to 550 grains in 2 cavity moulds it takes alot of lead to run a session.

[runfiverun]

when I ladle pour I use the touch and twist method mostly.
one of my molds demands I pour the lead in just like a bottom pour pot would fill it.
I open the mold by hand so I got nuthin on the beater stick.

[GLynn41]

I dip put the dipper to the mold which is angled-- straighten it up, pour and then put the dipper into the melt again while I pick up hammer handle and cut off the sprue-- I knock the sprue directly into the melt and repeat-- I have done this for 40 years---it is fine for me--

[Mike W1]

Guess my point would be, is there any other way using a ladle to avoid the picking up and laying down of the ladle?

[GhostHawk]

None I know of.

For me ladle goes into pot, sprue tapper is sitting on edge of casting table, while sprue is hardening I am swapping.

[RU shooter]

Guess my point would be, is there any other way using a ladle to avoid the picking up and laying down of the ladle?
not unless u got a few extra fingers on yer right hand . Try just using a gloved hand to cut the sprue ,don't need a real heavy thick welders glove either a simple lined leather or cotton glove will do .

[country gent]

You might try modifying your ladles handle. A longer wooden handleMight act as a sprue malletby just rocking / swivel;ing the ladle in your hand. But then the HOT ladle will be out in the open and it wont be in themelt staying hot. Also any hot lead sticking to itmaight be knocke loose and land on sensitive areas. Getting a routine going and running it it becomes a muscle memory thing and second nature. Always setting up the same way, setting tools in the same basic location and orientation, and having every thing in the same spot and a couple sessions its just there and no thinking to do it. Repitition makes for smooth easy operation of a process. Watch a new production worker on the line the 1st week he needs a trainer to help him keep up, the 2nd week he barley keeps up, 3rd week he does it with a seconds to spare, the 4th or 5th week hes reading the paper while doing his job LOL. Its all in the learning curve.

[RogerDat]

I pour, set little dipper ladle back in pot (maintain ladle temp) when the sprue flashes I flip the mold over and use my gloved hand to twist the sprue handle to the side (like I'm opening a jar lid). The sprue falls into my gloved hand and gets dropped back into the pot. Pop mold open, give a little shake, if bullets don't drop I pick up mold mallet and tap.

I figure whatever I lose from having to pick up the mallet sometimes is offset by having the sprue drop into my hand for easy feeding back into the pot. I should add my largest molds are four cavity with the largest being for 303 British. The big 45's come from two cavity. It might be that a six cavity would be a challenge to twist open, if anyone wants to send me a six cavity 158 grain .358 Lee TL mold in SWC or RN I will test my approach and report back ;-)

I tend to get the impression that the bottom pour come into their own with more cavities, or more molds. Single mold with two cavity I don't think one would see much productivity increase from bottom pour. Me I have a hard time focusing on two molds but have done it with a pair of 45 two cavity molds, was less fun and more work.

[Blackwater]

I used to be more concerned with production rate than quality of my bullets, and held the mold level, and poured slightly extra hot lead into it with the ladle, then put the ladle back in the pot to keep it heated good, pick up a wooden whacher and smack the sprue open, turn sideways and drop the bullets onto a towel folded over several times, and try to angle it all so the fresh bullets rolled off the towel to leave room for the next cast, close the sprue with the wooden stick while swivelling back to the pot, drop the stick and pick up the ladle, and do it all over again.

Now, I'm more demanding of my bullets, and I learned to turn the mold sideways, put the spout of the full ladle on it, than turn up vertical. I'm getting better bullets this way, and I can use a lower melt temp to get good bullets. They're not often frosted like they'd always been before.

I also used to drop my sprues back into the pot, and had to flux more often, but have dropped that and now only drop the sprues back in after the pot's as empty as I can get it with the ladle. Once you've established your own habits, it becomes something you just do naturally and without real thought. And this affects time between pours, which can affect quality of bullets, and heat needed in the pot to get perfect bullets.

Mostly, I'd just recommend to have at it, notice what you're getting, and modify and adjust the technique and timing as the lead and bullets and mold give you the clues to do so. Little things do matter, but it's not rocket science, and if I can do it, anyone ought to be able to do it. I don't use any bottom pour pots. I just have a deep seated prejudice or maybe superstition about a pot full of very hot lead leaking out. It's hot enough to cause a fire, easily, and .... I guess I'm just overly concerned about it, but .... I also like using a ladle. I tend to think I have a little more control about how I cast. Call me a knuckle dragger, I guess, but as long as we get good bullets, who really cares how we go about it? And even us old dogs CAN learn new tricks, so just keep your eyes open and your mind going, and it'll work itself out pretty quickly, I believe.

[44man]

I have used the tip and pour for over 60 years. I don't want a leak of lead. I tip up and hold the ladle for enough time for the boolit to take all the molten lead it needs from the ladle, NOT the sprue.
Dipper goes in the pot. It MUST be hot and don't stick the nose under lead. Wipe the nose with a cotton rag if it has lead on it. Keep the hole clean.
Cut with a glove and lead is too soft yet. Get smears under the plate and mold top. No WHACK on the plate. Tiny little taps with the stick.

[Landy]

Guess my point would be, is there any other way using a ladle to avoid the picking up and laying down of the ladle?

Maybe.

I'm an absolute beginner, as my many questions elsewhere show; but this, for what it is worth, is what I'm working with / at for my technique where the ladle and mold remain in my hands:

Ladle in left hand.

Mold in right hand.

Sweep and dip.

Pour, generously.

Lower ladle sideways sweeping into clean melt.

Cut sprues by pressing / tapping sprue plate tab against a wood pad adhered to a patio post.

Drop sprues in one pan, then bullets into another - tap handles on pad edge if needed to drop bullets.

Repeat.

Seems to work, with a caveat that I'm so new that I've no frame of reference.

[OnHoPr]

Back when I was a teen and cast 5000 muzzle loader boolits a week, all iron molds and pure Pb. Mold left hand, ladle gloved right hand, pour, ladle back in pot, solidify, twist off sprue, open and tap on wood boolit box to drop boolit when necessary. With the Lee molds and alloy I have used the bottom poor and ladle, but seemed to get a part line twist smear with the glove opening, so I went to the whacker method. I try to make sure the sprue plate is in vertical line before the whack or I get part line smears with the V blocks.


Cut sprues by pressing / tapping sprue plate tab against a wood pad adhered to a patio post. from Landy

Interesting

I might try something like that. Put a hole in a piece of hardwood in some configuration or aluminum and mount it like a Coke Cola bottle opener. Wait for the sprue to solidify, stick sprue plate lever in hole and twist. It would save having to pick up a whacker or patching gloves all the time or getting a new right hand glove leaving you with a bunch of new left handed gloves.

[44man]

A soft boolit will twist in the mold. Let it harden more.