Ambient Temperature

[The Cod Father]

Being in Newfoundland means that summer is basically over and gone are the days of 25 + C days , I haven't been able to cast for the last couple weeks because the day starts nice but ends up raining before lunch for an unknown time .
How does the ambient Temp effect the casting of lead boolits? What do I have to do different or does it not matter?

Thanks

TCF

[NVcurmudgeon]

Cod Father, I never noticed any effect or difference in casting because of ambient temperature. It may be that I am just oblivious. I try to cast in the winter to avoid summer heat, but sometimes, like right now, I run out of one or more types of boolit and have to cast in summer. Usually I try to cast during our 60 F summer nights, but I have cast when the ambient is 95-100 F (not recommended for comfort.) I hope this thread draws out some comment by someone who has done some research in this area, so we all can learn something. I infer from your mention of rain that you cast outside? Mine is done in the garage with two man doors open to windward and the big two-car rollup door open to leeward. There is seldom any lack of wind here in Nevada!

[Billwnr]

I know how ambient temperature affects my bullet casting. I do it in my garage and I'm much more eager to cast bullets when the temps in the garage are lower than 70 degrees (F). Above that I'm sweating too much when I'm close to a hot pot.

I wouldn't think it would affect the quality of the bullets. Just my opinion, though.

[Bullshop]

When I cast in my garage and temp is -30 to -50 F my ACWW boolits seam to be harder than summer time cast boolits. Could it be so?
BIC/BS

[felix]

Yes, Dan, especially for the 22's. Smaller the diameter of the boolit the better. Air is acting like water in this situation. ... felix

[montana_charlie]

When I cast in my garage and temp is -30 to -50 F...
If you can melt lead in a garage where the temperature is minus 50, you must have a nuclear powered pot...
CM

[Bass Ackward]

As I am sitting here typing this, there is a really nice buck moving up through the yard that I haven't seen. There is about 4" of horn past his ears so I guess that makes him about 26" spread once the velvet comes off. He should continue to grow until the end of this month. I can see 8 tines, without glass.

Ambient air temp? All I can tell you is that I mold all winter except for one bullet design. All semi wadcutters are molded in the summer. Better, sharper corners and the pot temp doesn't have to be as high.

[jhalcott]

must be a mule deer! Yes I believe ambient temps DO affect the cooling rate of cast bullets. I notice they REALLY cool down quickly when it is very cold outside. yesterday it was 87 degrees on my porch, it took quite a while for the few bullets I cast to cool enough to handle. It may take sophisticated equipment to measure any difference in the bullets bhn though.

[Paul B]

Years ago, when I lived in Winnemucca, I worked for the Weather Bureau. There was a fellow came into the office one day looking for humidity data. Seems his company was doing some sort of casting and apparently, the humidity could affect the quality of the casting. I think that would be more of a problem than the ambient temperature, although I'm not sure I noticed much difference in my bullet's quality. About all I can say is he was adament that the humidity affected the quality of his castings. Whenever he was about to run a cast project, he'd call ever hour on the hour for the humidity data. Got to be a real PITA at times.
Paul B.

[felix]

Casting is much better in a condensing atmoshpere. ... felix

[Bent Ramrod]

I cast out on the back patio. I used to notice that it was harder to cast smaller bullets in very cold windy weather, but that was when I had my little Lee 10-lb pot. Now that I have the Magnum Melter, I don't seem to have the same trouble.

Also, it was harder with the smaller pot to do the trick of alternating two molds and keeping them both at the temperature necessary to get good castings, even though it was still possible to overheat one mold. The larger pot makes this an easy exercise. Cod Father, how much metal are you melting at a time?

[trk]

When it's really hot, the thermostat on my lead pot isn't cooled as much (from the back side) as when it's cold out; so the temperature of the lead is cooler (for a given setting 8-9-10) when it's hot out! (Measured temperature.)

But apart from that, the lead in the pot gets up to a measured temperature - what ever the ambiant.

The mold will cool faster with cooler temperature - better heat transfer to the air.

[The Cod Father]

Bent Ramrod, At the moment I am using a large cast iron pot on an outside cooker and just a 2 cavity mold . I gguess I must have 25+ lbs in the pot , I cast 600 rounds and didn't make a huge dent in it . Just spent 2 afternoons Dip and Cans ,Dip and Cast ..........