Getting on a roll

[Willie T]

How many of y’all don’t want to stop when you get on a roll in a casting session? My latest roll. 30 pounds of gas check .358 SWC 158’s.
310860
30 pounds of gas check .358 TC 124’s.
310861
Then melted down the latest pewter treasures the missus found for me which netted 10 pounds processed into 40-4 ounce pewter coins to add to the casting supplies.
310862
Willie

[Misery-Whip]

I dont like to stop either. It took time to get the melt ready, good music on, and when its running good, keep goin!

Every 17 times you cut a sprue with a 6 cavity mold = is 100 rounds of good bullets. So I hate to stop unless the pot is empty. But I usually take a break around a half a pot to add more alloy, flux and keep rollin em out.

[makeurownfun]

Once I start casting, I always catch myself saying ok just a couple more and I'm done. Then an hour later I say after this pour, that's it. Usually, my arms tell me to stop.

[stubshaft]

Once I am in the "zone" and everything is at temperature, I'll just cast until I get tired. I usually cast using two different molds so they do not over heat but have been known to pour over 100# of lead in one sessioon.

[charlie b]

You guys are stronger than me. I can only do about 10lb worth in one sitting.

[725]

Once I find the rhythm with mold / alloy / temp and I start producing good bullets, I don't want to stop. I either run out of alloy or get tired before I'll quit.

[Gtek]

Myself being in the fourth quarter, some days are smoke, some days are fire. When all the planets are aligned and all else is right with the world, burn baby burn!

[Thumbcocker]

I usually cast for 2 hours at a stretch for 2 or 3 consecutive days.

[pworley1]

I always need to make just one more cast.

[jdfoxinc]

My back dictates the length of a session.

[mdi]

BTDT! But I don't count alloy used or bullet per hour counts, If there's a nice pile of newly cast bullets on my bench, enough to satisfy my "did I do enough?" thinking, I can stop...

[jednorris]

Once the pot gets half empty the consistency changes greatly and it is time to add lead. That is when I know when to take a break.

[GregLaROCHE]

Sometimes it takes a while to find the sweet spot. When you do, you don’t want to loose it. I try to cast until my wrist and fore arm are about to give out.

[Willie T]

Sometimes it takes a while to find the sweet spot. When you do, you don’t want to loose it. I try to cast until my wrist and fore arm are about to give out.

Me too. Usually casting out of one pot with a second pot of preheated alloy to ladle into the pot I am casting out of so I can keep my mojo on.

[Bigslug]

Usually when the 20 pound pot gets to about 3 pounds, fatigue wins, but there are exceptions:

With the 10-cavity H&G .38 wadcutter mold, emptying the pot twice is possible.

With anything smaller than about 150 grains, it takes so long to get through that 20 pounds that it can almost seem like a death march.

The other challenge to "endurance sessions" is the alloy of the day is usually weighed out and mixed from the raw materials in those 20-pound increments. Starting anew would require a complete emptying or a lesser re-compute, so it's usually a matter of draining out about 17 pounds which is usually when the PID thermocouple readings get wonky, at which point, the butt and back have had enough.

[Boogan1]

I like to run as long as I can once I get my temps right and bullets filling out good. Once I run the pot out I take a break, refill the pot and go again once temp gets back to where I want it.

[lightman]

Once I get started its hard for me to stop. Even being retired I tend to push things.

[1Hawkeye]

When everything is up to temp and running nice I'll go till one of the following happens.
It gets dark, I get bored, I run out of metal, or if I'm using my most popular mold it starts getting fussy.
Then its quitting time so if able I restock the pot and after cooldown pack it all up till next time.