dipper technique help

[44man]

Right there, 44man said quite a lot. I start by plugging in the little ladle pot then, I gather my tools and molds. I wait until it shows liquid at the surface until I drop a chunk of wax on top. It takes a few minutes for the white smoke to start then, I light it. I let it all burn down until it goes out leaving a blackish crust on top. It burns the dross down to nothing. Then I skim it off with a long handled teaspoon with about 6 little 1/4" holes drilled in it. I stir it a little and drop the ladle in. Preheat your ladle or you get a solid chunk of lead stuck inside, you'll see.

When the ladle is floating by the heating element without any lead clinging to it, it's time to pour. I leave the mold on the edge of the pot but, it's usually the first dozen pours that bring it up to temp. Then, it's time to pour like a madman! I watch carefully when the lead on the sprue turns dull and give it an extra 30 seconds.

One thing I do differently that I don't even recommend, I pour from the ladle with about an inch between the sprue and ladle. I never got used to pressing the ladle to the sprue plate, just felt clumsy. I do most of this with long handles and generally stand. I don't wear gloves either. I rely a lot on my own perception and co-ordination.

I hear a lot of people tell me that they don't have time to ladle into two cavity molds. Aren't they the same ones that stare blankly into a TV for four hours?

Good Luck,
Ron

It is funny but teaching friends to cast with a ladle gets crazy!
Most want to turn the mold while tipping the ladle off. I laugh and ask if they can do two different things, like chew gum and talk.
If you look at cast iron molds, they have very long risers before the sprue. I wonder why?

[HangFireW8]

Actually, although it is intended to keep lead from sticking to a mould, Bullplate is a better 'lubricant' at a pivot point than NRA 50/50 ... or any other concoction containing wax.

My experience with Bullplate is that it makes an excellent conditioner to prevent lead smears on the bottom of the sprue plate, and to keep the lead from sticking to the top, but I have to reapply it much more often to the pivot point compared to NRA 50/50- which may be half wax, but it is also half high temperature industrial lubricant as well, designed exactly for these kinds of applications.

EDIT- I might add that not all labeled "NRA 50/50" lubes are the same. I use Javelina on the pivot point.

HF