Pre-Mix Alloy or mix in the pot?? Opinions / thoughts?

[Hotrod99]

Do you premix your alloy and store it... or mix it in the pot just before you cast?

I have a pile of Pure, a pile of WW, and a pile of 50/50 WW/pure. (plus some mono and pewter if needed)

What are the pros and cons of both?

Thanks!

[country gent]

I prefer to mix in large batches and store for use. I melt clean and alloy 400lbs at a time and maybe 3 pots in a day so I may have pot 1 2 and 3 for a given day or 1200 lbs of a mix. when casting the needed number of ingot from each pot goes into the casting pot. This keeps my bullets very close to the same for 1200lbs of alloy. Blending 10 or 20 lbs at a time when casting 360-550 grn bullets is a never ending process.

[Rcmaveric]

Pre mixed:

Con: once mixed, it is mixed for ever.
Pro: more uniform batch alloy.

Mixed in the pot:

Pro: can adjust on the fly.
Alloys are standing by for a use as you need. So if you pure. It is not all ready mixed in a 50/50.

Con: batch to batch differences.

I personaly mix in the pot.

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[Reddirt62]

Right, wrong, or indifferent, I mix in the pot.

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[Mitch]

i mix bigger batches of known alloy.say something like 3%sn 3% sb i can use this alloy for my hier speed loads if needed.or i can cut it 50.50 with pure and it works great for my 45acp loads.this can be done in big batches or at the pot.Just another spin on keeping your options open and what works for me.

[GhostHawk]

Both.

I have some alloy mixed up ahead of time, normally 50% COWW 49% range scrap or soft lead and 1% tin or Pewter.

I also have both COWW ingots and Range scrap ingots and muffin tin Pewter "coins" so I can adapt in the pot as needed.

Waiting for cooler weather to do a big smelt this fall.

[mattw]

I have about 1000 pounds of the 2 alloys I use. Mixed in large batches for uniformity. I also keep a ton of melted ww around, straight lead and lino.

Just easier to add a single bar to the pot.

[Bookworm]

I also do a bit of both.

I have some CWW+1%Sn premixed, I use it for my Mosin match ammo.

I also have some 50/50 CWW/Pb premixed, I add Sn as needed for what I'm doing.

But, I've also just mixed it in the pot.

[lightman]

I would keep those 3 piles separated. The pure has its uses. The wheel weights make good pistol bullets as is or can be alloyed with other stuff. If you find an alloy that you really like you can work out of these separate batches. I don't do a lot of different batches. I use pure for muzzle loaders, wheel weights for most of my pistols and wheel weights plus a little type for rifle.

I do about the same as Country Gent. My smelting pot will hold about 400#. Each batch is kept separate and labeled and dated. On the rare occasion that I do special batches I use a medium size dutch oven.

Rcmaveric pretty well covered the pros and cons. I will add to the cons; In big batches, if you make a mistake and contaminate the alloy you have made a bigger mistake. Thats one reason that I still hand sort weights.

When I have wheel weight scores like you have been posting I sort the clip ons from the stick ons and wait until I have enough to fill my smelting pot.

[hc18flyer]

I too do a little of both. My cast iron pot only holds about 40#. I keep a basic rifle alloy and one for my 9mm pistol. Lately I have been casting plinking boolets for 2 Ruger Blackhawks in 45 Colt, and just mixing in the Lee 4-20 pot. I am running out of my pewter 'coins, and have some 1#'s of tin/lead alloys, likely want to make larger batches? I use Bumpo's alloy calculator a lot, seems to work well for me? hc18flyer

[MaryB]

I mainly use #2 so I do that in 100 pound batches... but I keep a LOT of different alloys around for a custom blend if needed.

[Walks]

I mix in big batches. Use different ingot molds to keep alloy separate. Lead/LEE Ingots, COWW/Pie Shaped from LODGE Scone Pan. 1/20 /SAECO Ingots. #2/LYMAN Ingots. Linotype/OHAUS Ingots.
I have a Laminated Chart listing the ingot identification system with every batch. And I use an old cast iron cupcake mold for unknown scrape.
I Don't get/use much scrap anymore. Too much chance of contamination.
I've gotten picky in my old age. And around where I live, there just isn't any scrap. Although I was lucky once last year.
Just my way.
I also weigh every ingot & write the weight in ounces with a black on that ingot.
I can get an ACCURATE mix that way every time.

[Hossfly]

I would keep them separate so can mix what you want later in the smaller pot. That’s what I do, and mark them as to what they are. I bought some letter and number stamps from Harbor Frt. L for lead, and WW for well you know.

[William Yanda]

Repeatability. If you are unable to reproduce a pot mixed batch you will wish you had premixed a large batch.

[Lloyd Smale]

I do large batches (about a 100lbs). that way when I find some load that shoots well I have lots of the exact same alloy to cast them with. I also keep alloys like 5050 ww/pure 25/75 ww/pure, #2 (well my approximation of it) and 5050 ww/lino in big batches. I probably have 20 5 gallon pails of different alloys and also many 30-50 lb bricks of some alloys.

[Hotrod99]

thanks for all the great replies! For now I'll keep them separate as I only cast in small batches right now. COWW for my 45acp and 38spl. Seems like my 600lbs stash.... is very small compared to most of you...

I am looking for a rifle to cast for... and suggestions? :-)

[lightman]

thanks for all the great replies! For now I'll keep them separate as I only cast in small batches right now. COWW for my 45acp and 38spl. Seems like my 600lbs stash.... is very small compared to most of you...

I am looking for a rifle to cast for... and suggestions? :-)

I've never gotten into casting for rifles very much. I have a 30 caliber mold for my M1 Carbine and I cast for my Ruger #1 in 45-70. I suggest starting with a larger and slower caliber. The small fast calibers can be more challenging.

[Grmps]

The M1 is nice and the 45-70 is a classic BUT, you'll go through a lot of lead with the 45-70, it's boolits run on the large size :)

I'm liking the 300 AAC Blackout, cheap brass (easy to convert from 223/556) smaller cases 30 cal (which can be used for a multitude of guns in the future) easy to load and fun to shoot [sepecially if you are shooting subsonic through a can]

[1616s16]

I shoot for fun all goes in the pot and I shoot what comes out
16s

[JWT]

I have 2 pots. My cast iron pot is used only for dirty work. My RCBS pot is for casting. I mix for casting in the RCBS using bumpo's calculator and a scale that reads in grams.

Lately at the end of the casting session I pour a couple of ingots of alloyed metal to store. I start the casting session by filling the pot with WW, pure, and 63/37 solder to my chosen alloy. I have been using 95.38% lead, 2.22% tin, 2.21% antimony, and 0.18% arsenic (according to the calculator). For my old trapdoors I have been using 20:1 lead to tin ratio.

[country gent]

As to a rifle to cast for the old stand bys 30-30, 38-55, 40-65, 45-70 or smaller cased modern rounds 7.62X39, 7 mauser are more forgiving to start out with I think. The first listed can be a lot of fun to shoot very rewarding to cast for and will do well hunting plinking or in some matches.A single shot or bolt action is probably easier to start loading for in rifles.

[kevin c]

I figure on casting three thousand of the same bullet a month, all for action pistol. I am reading up here about speed casting techniques, and it seems using preheated ingots to continually feed the pot is the way to go. For me that means having a large supply of premixed alloy ingots on hand.

[Hotrod99]

Man... I have an old Marlin 30-30 when I was a kid. loved that gun! my dad has a 32 special... maybe I can talk him out of that one.


As to a rifle to cast for the old stand bys 30-30, 38-55, 40-65, 45-70 or smaller cased modern rounds 7.62X39, 7 mauser are more forgiving to start out with I think. The first listed can be a lot of fun to shoot very rewarding to cast for and will do well hunting plinking or in some matches.A single shot or bolt action is probably easier to start loading for in rifles.

[redhawk0]

I would keep them separate so can mix what you want later in the smaller pot. That’s what I do, and mark them as to what they are. I bought some letter and number stamps from Harbor Frt. L for lead, and WW for well you know.

I do the same thing...PEW, PB, WW, LINO, and RL...I like the 3/8" numbers better than my 1/4" set. They are easier to see with these tired old eyes. I can't remember what I paid for them but if I remember right the letter/number sets are under $10.

I also use different molds for mixed alloys. I use LEE ingot molds, and muffin tins (one is heart shaped for my Pewter) for bulk storage (marked as indicated above)...and then corn cob bread pan molds for mixed bullet alloys (it fits my Lee pot better than full size muffin ingots)...but still I mark with percentages of what I mix in. I do batches of 50-100# at a time.

redhawk

[Bigslug]

I've concluded to mix it when I need it, the logic being that if you keep your flour, milk, eggs, baking soda, and salt all separate, you can make all kinds of things when you need to. Once you make cookie dough, all you can bake is cookies.

As for a rifle to shoot cast through . . .whaddya like? Rounds with a roughly 2000 fps upper limit are pretty much born to shoot cast, though you can load the hotter ones light or get a little more in-depth with your alloys, lubes, and gas checks to go faster.

[ABJ]

I mix in the pot. I keep soft lead in 2.1/2.2 lb ingots and coww in the same ingot pan but it is easy to tell the difference by sight. I pour range lead in another ingot pan which is a 1.3 lb. ingot.
When making alloy additions I use lee small pots with superhard, lino and pure tin in separate pots and use a bent metal measuring spoon to pour little wafers of whatever I want to add using the alloy calculator. I weigh the wafers in grains and convert to pounds for the Excel calculator. Hope the info helps.
Tony

[Smk SHoe]

I shoot for fun all goes in the pot and I shoot what comes out
16s
+1 all day long:mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Hotrod99]

Right now I have a bucket of pure, a bucket of COWW, a bucket of 50/50, a bucket of 1/3 ww 2/3 pure, and a bucket of mono type.

But... I also have about 2000 .452 cast from mystery mix... COWW + Pure + some pewter :Fire:

[Toymaker]

So far my needs are simple. Pure lead is my largest stockpile. Lyman #2 and 20:1 are tied for second place. Each has its own casting pot. I make the alloys in large batches and store them.
Con - once it's mixed its mixed doesn't bother me because that's what I want.
Pro - consistent mix batch to batch.

[DerekP Houston]

I like to premix my alloys as I clean them up. Turkey fryer turns questionable range scrap into nice clean ingots with 2% tin by weight and then I know I've fluxed em good. most of the stuff of S&S here has been good enough to use as is, so I'll alloy that in the pot if needed. My ebay scores and range scrap mixes I like to blend into one big mix just for consistency sake.

[toallmy]

I'm not a real sophisticated alloy mixer but I generally keep everything separated and mix in the casting pot . Handgun cast generally gets a 50/50 mix in its pot / slugs and inline get plumbers in its pot / my cast rifle pot can vary between 50/50 - straight coww but with a little more tin or some type of sweetener added . It's all for the fun of it so I like to tinker a bit .