How long do I wait???

[Six Shooter Steve]

Time for the newbie questions to begin :killingpc How long does one have to wait when using a ingot mold before you try and drop the ingots out? I have a Lee ingot mold that I am going to use when I smelt down some wheel weights but I dont know how long to leave the lead in before I try to empty the ingots out? I also recieved my mold for 480 ruger and I know I need to lube it up before I use it, do I need to use the lube that is recomended in the instructions, or is there a better way? I have been reading all the stickies I can from the site, but these are a couple answers I couldnt find. Thanks for any help you fellas can give a newbie

[fatnhappy]

This might seem like a smart ass comment, but it isnt. You wait until the ingot solidifies. You be able to tell quite easily. I usually smelt 100lbs at a time. Even that small an amount will keep the ingot mould so hot it will 30 seconds or longer for the ingot to solidify. I use an old towel drenched in water lain flat on the ground to cool the mould and speed the process.

Don't water drop your ingots unless you plan to preheat them prior to casting. You should plan on that anyways for a couple reasons, not the least of which is avoiding the tinsel fairy. It also helps keep your melt temp up when adding ingots.

My smelting operation is small potatoes compared to most of these guys.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/003-5.jpg

[hoosierlogger]

You will know if you drop them out too soon, as they will crumble and fall apart.

On a side note, If you are using the smallest lee Bottom pour to cast with, be advised that standard sized cup cake ingots will not fit in it. I poured about 200 of them one weekend before I tried to put them in the pot.

BTW welcome to the forum from Brazil, IN

[Six Shooter Steve]

Hey thanks guys, I figured the cupcake ingots wouldn't fit in my little lee pot, sos I got the smallest bar ingot mold from lee. What do you guys lube your new molds with? Instructions say use a bit of bullet lube and I have some dardas blue lube on hand I was considering usuing.

[excess650]

I used LBT mold lube (colloidial graphite in beeswax, I think) prior to trying Bullplate. I won't go back!!!

Some say that Bullplate is synthetic 2 cycle oil, but I don't know for sure. Whatever it is, it works!

[captaint]

Steve - As soon as the puddle on top of the ingot solidifies, you can dump them. I, too, keep a

wet towel under the ingot molds. And, do keep it wet. They dry up pretty quick.
Hey, fatnhappy - that looks like a CastBoolits ingot mold you got there. I got a couple too. Wish I had got a couple more. enjoy Mike

[fatnhappy]

Steve - As soon as the puddle on top of the ingot solidifies, you can dump them. I, too, keep a

wet towel under the ingot molds. And, do keep it wet. They dry up pretty quick.
Hey, fatnhappy - that looks like a CastBoolits ingot mold you got there. I got a couple too. Wish I had got a couple more. enjoy Mike

Yup, and that smart elbow blammer customized mine. They're good ingot moulds but I recommended that the draft angle be increased. The ingots fall out easily but I believe a knife edge between cavities is a better mousetrap. Splatters and drips from ladling in the mould created a bunch of small lead flakes I had to continually clean up and throw back in the pot. Mostly an annoyance but could be avoided by a slight design change.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/004-2.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/008.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/005.jpg

[canyon-ghost]

When I started with ingot molds, I used two (Lymans) and alternated them. If it solidifies some, wait a couple of minutes and turn it upside down on a towel and whack with a mallet. I used parafin wax to start mine, didn't take very much. A knife edge is a good idea, if you have a knife or thin screwdriver, sometimes you can just pop the ingot out. They tend to shrink as they harden.

[Ohio Rusty]

Yep ...I second the comment after the top solidifies and turns solid .... you can turn the mould over and dump the ingots. Now .....re member that the ingots are hotter than Hades ..... do,'t turn them over onto something that will burn or melt. And after you turn them , you have to wait an hour or two before you can handle them.
I put my ingot mould on the cement floor and pour the lead into the mould. I can turn them out onto the cement without burning anything.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[geargnasher]

Pure lead or lead/tin binary alloys with less than 1% tin will "core" as they cool, which means they will get a hard outside and still have soft, chewy center with a higher concentration of tin like a cortial cherry. They can break open and spill the "filling" everywhere if you dump them too soon. Most of our boolit alloys will have some antimony, and it makes the alloy solidify more evenly, but will still cool the center last naturally and they have to be pretty much set-up before you dump them or the ingots will break into pieces. Your first pour gets the mould hot and will take the least amount of time to cool to the point you can dump. Subsequent pours will heat the mould more and more until you het perfect alloy fillout and it seems like it takes forever to cool. Multiple moulds is the only way to go.

Gear

[Muddy Creek Sam]

I just got enough molds to empty my smelting pot and empty them after I refill the pot. Works well for me. I have a 6qt DO and it holds about 150# of lead.

Sam :D

[Six Shooter Steve]

I used LBT mold lube (colloidial graphite in beeswax, I think) prior to trying Bullplate. I won't go back!!!

Some say that Bullplate is synthetic 2 cycle oil, but I don't know for sure. Whatever it is, it works!

Where do ya get the Bullplate lube from?

[frankenfab]

I know it has taken longer than usual for ingots to solidify in the past 30+ days of 90 degree weather!

[Doby45]

Bullshop (http://bullshop.gunloads.com/)

[Springfield]

5 minutes is usually plenty of time. If Bullshop doesn't have any or is too backed up a have a small sample I can let go. It is the best stuff!

[HeavyMetal]

For Bullplate Lube got to the Bullshop logo at the bottom of the page and click on it.

DO NOT follow Lee's instructions on lubing a mold! Bullet lube makes a nice sticky crusty brown crud on the mold that never comes off!

Clean the mold in extremely hot water and Dawn dish soap, let it soak for about 10 minutes or so then dry and clean with a Q tip and rubbing alcohol.

Then use either the bullplate lube or Antiseize and use either very sparingly and keep it out of the cavity!

[lylejb]

Hey thanks guys, I figured the cupcake ingots wouldn't fit in my little lee pot

The trick for the lee 10 lb pot and cupcakes is to only fill the cupcake half way. This makes an approx. 1 lb ingot, that will fit to the side of the valve rod.

works for me.

[Six Shooter Steve]

So is Bullshop a call and order buissiness? Didnt see a place to order online.

[Bill*]

Nope...Ya gots ta send em a check. But it's well worth it

[wistlepig1]

The trick for the lee 10 lb pot and cupcakes is to only fill the cupcake half way. This makes an approx. 1 lb ingot, that will fit to the side of the valve rod.

works for me.

Bolt cutter cut them in half, then they fit a 10 lb Lee drip-o- matic!