What to do with the Sprue?

[Ben-WSU]

Do you drop the sprue into a pan next to the bullet pile? Or, do you drop the sprue back into the melt?

I have been learning to cast with a Lee 6-cavity mold, so I have pretty good control of the sprue.

When I drop the sprue into a pan I can cast fast and keep the mold hot. But the pot sure empties fast.

I was trying to drop the sprue directly back into the melt today and had mixed results. I didn't have a pile of sprues to drop back into the pot after 20 minutes, but my rhythm slowed a bit so I had some trouble keeping the mold hot.

My mold only like to drop bullets easy when it is HOT. Since I don't mind frosted bullets this isn't a problem.

[sheepdog]

You can mail all the sprues to me. Theyre unusable. ;)

I drop spures back in, no issues.

[imashooter2]

I fill, cut, drop, fill, pick up last sprue and return to pot, cut, drop, fill....

There's 10 seconds wasted while the sprue cools, may as well use it.

[theperfessor]

I know where you're coming from. I usually put the sprues from 1 and 2 cavity molds in an old stainless steel mixing bowl and then add them back to the pot as a way to take a short break and maybe start with a different mold. This keeps my casting speed up and fatigue level down.

With 4 or more cavity molds I usually pour a connecting puddle that keeps the sprue in one piece (most of the time) when I cut it off. I wear welders gloves and just pick the sprue up and at it back to the pot right away. No sense wasting all that heat and you're right about how fast a large caliber 6 cavity Lee can drain a pot.

The one thing I have learned NOT to do is to cut off the sprue off directly over the pot. It will splash often enough to make it an unwise procedure in my opinion.

[Daddyfixit]

I just keep casting untill my pot has about 1/3 left then put the sprues back in...this way I can keep my rhythm up

[cheese1566]

I drop the six cavity sprue into a pan. Then after 5-6 castings, the sprues and rejects go into the pot.

I found if I wait too long and dump a lot back in, the mold cools, the pot cools, and the spout "freezes" on my Lee 20.

[No_1]

I keep the top of my melt covered in kitty litter. When I cast I drop the sprue straight on top the kitty litter. When it is ready it sinks below the kitty litter. It does prolong my casting session by a pretty good amount.

R.

[Mk42gunner]

I do pretty much the same as theperfessor; the one and two cavity sprues are too small to consistantly catch and return to the pot.

I wear plain leather gloves and don't hold the sprues very long. I lose to much dexterity with welding gloves.


Robert

[JeffinNZ]

I run two pots. A 20lb and a 10lb. The 20 is the primary pot. The 10 is the top up pot and the sprues go in it.

[mooman76]

I drop the spue back in right away while it is still hot to keep the level up. Since the 6x sprue is so big I wail a little longer so I don't burn my fingers through thin gloves or I use pliers to drop it in.

[HeavyMetal]

I use two pots one bolted above the other and I have a hot plate set on medium next to the pots.

In use one mold is filled and set side ways on the hot plate ( custom plate made to keep molds on there side and from falling off) while I fill the second mold. Molds are switched number 1 is sprue cut and the sprue put in the top pot, boolits dropped and mold refilled, repeat as needed!

When the bottom pot falls to the 1/3 down level I open the top pot and drain hot lead into the filler pot. Then keep adding sprues and fresh metal to the top pot.

I can make a lot of boolits with this technique!

[243winxb]

I drop the sprue back into the melt using Lee 10lb pot.

[Shiloh]

Save them until there is a pile. then put them beck in. Keeps temps consistent.

Shiloh

[Blackhawk Convertable]

Lee 20#'er here and the sprue goes straight back into the pot with each cast.

[docone31]

I keep Kitty Litter on my pots. I also use only 2 cavity molds.
I pour, cut the sprue, then plop it directly onto the Kitty Litter. As said by another poster,
when it is ready, it melts back in.
I have developed a natural rythym for this.

[mpmarty]

LEE twenty pound bottom pour pot. Two hole LEE mold.
I wear regular work gloves (leather) and after pouring I wait for color change and then cut the sprue with my gloved hand (no beating on sprue plate), catch the sprue with same hand and drop back into pot. Then open mold and drop boolit(s).

[RobS]

I put the sprue in a pan beside the bullets as I don't like it when the sprue splashes lead out of the pot when putting it in directly from the mold. Later I will put them back in after the session or when I am wanting to refill the pot.

[kelbro]

LEE twenty pound bottom pour pot. Two hole LEE mold.
I wear regular work gloves (leather) and after pouring I wait for color change and then cut the sprue with my gloved hand (no beating on sprue plate), catch the sprue with same hand and drop back into pot. Then open mold and drop boolit(s).

I do the same.

[Guesser]

I just started using a new Lee 10# as my 30 year old one gave up the ghost before Christmas. When I shifted over from dipping to a bottom pour I simply kept my open top pot on the hot plate and used it to melt alloy while I am casting out of the bottom pour. All my sprue and rejects go in that pot along with make-up ingots of what ever formula I'm using. When my bottom pour runs low I simply pour the heating pot into my bottom pour and continue casting with pause to add ingots to the melt pot. My bottom pour never cools down and I do any fluxing or tin adding in the heating pot. This procedure has worked well for me for over 30 years.

[ciPeterF]

Let 'em build up in a pile till the mold shows signs of heating (frosty boolits), or pot running low. then pick them up (of course you get to "discover" the fresh ones), and put them back in the melt. Let it come back to temp, while mold cools off..

[That'll Do]

I let my sprues pile up while I'm casting.

I'll cast until the pot is 1/3 full (I use a Lee 4-20), then add all the sprues and enough ingots to top off the pot. This gives me a break, and allows the mold to cool off.

[Recluse]

You guys have sprues?

Hell, I pour my molten lead just right up to the edge of the base, lick my finger and swipe it real quick-like over the base to make it nice and smooth.

You folks are sure wastin' a lot of good lead.

:coffee:

[lwknight]

If I'm casting single or double cavity, I just save up the sprue till I'm done.
With a 6 cavity I throw em back in the pot when I get 8 or 10 stacked up.

[prs]

You guys will think I'm totally nuts, and you are correct; but being a fellow who runs Lee 6 cavity molds for 250gr PRS boolits and further that I run two such molds at a time and further being that I and my molds love H-E-A-T, its a real challenge to keep enough hot lead going to feed my need. Like another poster above, I pour with heavy spru strips as I cast - thus the spru are all connectd and the strip is relatively large. I cast fast and open the spru cutter as soon as possible without wiping liquid lead, so that spru strip is HOT and still near melt temp, so I DO cut the stip right over the active Lee 20# pot. Its wasteful of heat energy to let it cool first, but I can't tolerate splatter either, so I use a nice thick layer of oil dry clay granules as flotsum on my pots. This flotsum preserves heat, prolongs the flux state, and quells the splatter. The hot spru strips land on the flotsum and slowly sink through it, quick sand style, and add to the lead reserve without placing too much demand on the heating coil. Actually, I run two Lee 20# pots like this, as one gets down to where it will just barely cover muffin ingots, I switch to the other as the first melts the muffins and recovers to full temp. Once you get in a rythm the molds stay nice and hot and the boolits really pile-up fast; hot 'n frosty, jest the way I likes 'em.

PigeonRoost Slim

[XWrench3]

I have a 20 pound pot, and even so, with the six cavity molds, that pot does empty rather quickly. Especially if you are casting large 45 caliber boolits. I cast until the pot is almost 2/3's empty, then i turn the heat wide open. When the lead gets to a little over 800 degrees, i start spooning the sprues back into the pot. Then i go ahead and fill it back up with ingots, so i have a full pot to start with. I suppose, if a guy was to plan it out right, he could probably cast two molds full (12 boolits), then recycle the sprues, and keep casting without ever giving either the lead or mold enough time to cool down enough to make any difference. But i am just not that coordinated.

[Nora]

LEE twenty pound bottom pour pot. Two hole LEE mold.
I wear regular work gloves (leather) and after pouring I wait for color change and then cut the sprue with my gloved hand (no beating on sprue plate), catch the sprue with same hand and drop back into pot. Then open mold and drop boolit(s).

I do exactly the same thing. :cbpour:

Nora

[blikseme300]

Reading the posts here reminds me why I built a big pot and a PID temperature controller.

http://bliksemseplek.com/images/boolits/potandpid_lg.jpg

I use 2 Lee 6-bangers at the same time when casting. The 230grn 45's sure can drop the level quick, but I have cast enough boolits to last me the whole summer. (It gets too hot here in the RGV of Texas to cast in summer.)

Also, I have modified the sprue plates on my molds by milling a connecting groove. This has sped up my casting a lot. (Pics to follow.)

Bliksem

[JIMinPHX]

I put mine right back in the pot...otherwise my little 10 pound pot runs down too quick.

[billyb]

I use the Lee 20 lbr. I also use a 10 lbr that I use to refill the Lee with it get's low. I cast out of the Lee until the level get's low and stop, refill the Lee out of the other pot put the acumulated sprue's into the spare pot and throw in a ingot or to to top of the pot. The lee is full of hot alloy and ready to cast from after a quick fluxing. Bill

[Tazman1602]

Save them until there is a pile. then put them beck in. Keeps temps consistent.

Shiloh

Same as Shiloh. Get a pile, put them back in and take a break and let the pot heat back up. Gives me a break and molds stay hot on hot plate on workbench so no waiting once melt is back up to temp.

Just seems easier to control heat, If I drop back into the pot it tends to cool it down (Lee 20 lb'r BP) too much for my liking.

[Goatlips]

When I started this addictive nonsense I took a few lessons from Pigeonroost Slim (howdy prs) who used a bottom pour and a feeder pot; now I have a lee dipper pot into which I drop all my sprues and ingots; when my Snakebite six holer empties the bottom pour halfway I ladle fresh lead from the feeder pot. Seems to keep everything about the same temperature and I never need to heat my molds. I drop sprues and boolets onto the same towel and when it gets crowded I grab all the sprues and toss them back into the feeder pot. :Fire:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/casting.html

I just wear one string glove for sprue grabbing and work too fast for the heat to bother my hand. :bigsmyl2: Works for me.

Goatlips

[Echo]

I throw them back into the pot. (Bottom) Pour, and while waiting for the sprue to set up, pick up the sprue from the last cast and drop it in. Ogle boolits, push them into the completed pile, cut the next sprue, and repeat. Overall, about 15 seconds, +/-.

[Hillyard]

Save them until it is time for the restroom break. throw them in wile I am on the break. When I come back , take the mold off the hot plate and continue casting

[Taylor]

Same here,when the pot gets down and I have a pile of sprues I load her up again,this gives me a chance to get a cup of coffee while I'm waiting on it to get back to temp.

[Bret4207]

If I'm using my ladle pot the opening is big enough and there's enough mass (30ish lbs)that dropping the sprue back in from the mould seems to work fine. With the 10 lb SAECO I recently started using I collect them to the side and put a bunch back in at once, let the heat come back up and get back to it. Not anywhere near as nice as the big pot, but it works.

[DLCTEX]

I drop them right back in my Lyman 20# and Lee 10# pots, cut and caught with a gloved hand.

[Jayhem]

I used to drop sprues in the pot. After one sprue drop splashed molten lead on my arm...I drop the sprues on a cotton towel to the left of my water drop bucket.

[dakotashooter2]

My pot sits in a shallow "brownie" pan. I just knock the sprues into the pan till I get enough to fill my skimmer spoon then shovel them back in.

[TCLouis]

I always cut the sprue right back into the pot. Once ya get the rhythm down it works well and pot temp stays pretty stable. I fed in 3-4 1 pound preheat ingots in the pot as I make room at first and then pour off the last 3-4 pound in a 20 pound pot. I try to do casting sessions of at least 20 pounds per boolit lot.

[ghh3rd]

While the pot is pretty full I drop the sprues onto my table top, and add them back about every 5-10 casts. As the pot gets lower, I add them back more frequently, so as to lessen the effect on the melt temperature. By the end, I'm adding them back every cast, to recycle the heat from the sprue and have minimum impact on the temperature of what's left of the melt.

[Gunslinger1911]

I just let them pile up. My casting sessions normally run 2 Lee 6 bangers and a 2 banger. Lee 20 lb pot.
Crank pot temp wide open, when up to 750 deg start casting - fill first 6 banger, set aside, fill second 6 banger, set aside, fill 2 banger, set aside, cut sprue and drop boolits from first 6 banger, re-fill, set aside, procede to second 6 banger, etc.

Now heres the cool part - I think - when temp gets to 800 deg drop in 1 lb ingot that was sitting on the lip of pot, temp of pot now 750 deg, replace lip ingot, cast away, repeat as needed.

If I'm really moving the 3 molds, the cumulative level slowly goes down, when about 2/3 full, add sprues to top it off, wash hands, have smoke to let pot get to 750 again.

Sounds complicated reading it - quite easy doing it !!!

[bohokii]

i drop it right back in my skillet not much splash but a skillet is shallow