I mostly cast COWW + 2% at 730-degrees.
I’m about to mix that 1-1 with pure lead. What’s a good casting temp?
I’m thinking since there’ll be less tin overall, it’ll need to be a bit hotter.
Printable View
I mostly cast COWW + 2% at 730-degrees.
I’m about to mix that 1-1 with pure lead. What’s a good casting temp?
I’m thinking since there’ll be less tin overall, it’ll need to be a bit hotter.
I cast 50/50 +2% and use 725 for solids, and 750 for hp’s. Some molds I may bump up to 760-775, if they are small bullets.
I never owned a high temp thermometer.
I get the pot going kind of on the hot side until the boolits just start to frost,
then turn it down a little at a time until it stops.
I cast everything at about 715-720º.
Just leave the temp setting alone, it is the mold temp that will determine the quality of the casting. Just pick up the tempo if needed. Repeating, IF needed.
This is one where you'll get such a variety of answers that you might as well just try something and see if it works for you. I set my PID at 800 but it rarely ever achieves more than about 780. When I stop to add the sprues back in it dips considerably. This temp works for me and if the mold becomes too hot - i.e. starts taking too long for sprues to harden - I slow down a bit. If the mold gets too cold I sit it on top of the pot for a bit then try to speed up my casting some. I always pour a very generous sprue to keep the sprue cutter hot. We are all doing subtle little things differently is why I think we use temperatures that vary yet all get good final results.
There is also a need for the spru-plate to be sufficiently hot. The alloy cools as it is poured through the plate and boolits may wrinkle in the mold as it hardens prematurely.
See From Ingot to Target A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners Chapter 8, Idle Musings of a Greybeard Caster…, Heating the Spru Plate.
This is very true.Quote:
Originally Posted by 35 Rem
To the OP, If you are casting in ideal conditions (room temp and no breeze or fan), the suggested pot temp is 100º above the liquidus temp of the alloy. But if you are casting outside on a cool day with a light breeze, you may need to set your pot temp at 200 to 250 over liquidus temp. Also, it seems every mold has it's own set of rules for pot temp and casting cadence.
Good Luck.
Pretty much where I am with any alloy I cast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jtarm
Cast them right at frosty ... lets call it slight frosty ... or lightly frosted .
The slightly textured surface realy helps with powder coating sticking to boolit and the slightly frosty is at a temperature that gives good sharp fill out to all the edges and helps with hollow point casting too .
I find casting a little on the hot side to be preferable to casting on the cool side .
I've been casting since 1967 (50+ years) and never used a thermometer ...so sorry I dont have a temperature for you ... I just go by what the boolits show me and what the boolits tell me ... listen to your boolits !
Gary
I made a PID controller that I set to 680 degrees and stop worrying about the and focus on the tempo and just crank out lots of bullets.