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Thread: Fast casters, who’s got hot hands?

  1. #41
    Boolit Master
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    The Cast Boolits/Redneck Gold bar ingots (2 to 2.5 pounds) are stable sitting on the pot rim for preheating and several will go into the empty pot set end on. They also can be held with pliers or vice grips for easy lowering into the melt.

    The mini loaf pan ingots (2.5 to 3 pounds) don't sit well on the rim, are harder to lower into the melt with vice grips or pliers, and will only go two or three into an empty pot.

    It matters to me how well I can control adding ingots to a partly filled pot: sometimes a complete ingot will overfill the pot so being able to keep firm hold of what I don't want to drop into the melt as the submerged part liquifies is important. My ingots are stored in my unfinished basement and are exposed to moisture from the air and ground both, so preheating is to drive out any water as well as speeding melting with minimal temp drop.

    The small loaf pan ingots (9 to 10 pounds) don't fit my casting pots at all, though they probably will go into a monster pot like the Magma. I cast those out of scrap for ease of storage and for batching and analysis.
    Last edited by kevin c; 06-21-2021 at 03:15 AM.

  2. #42
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    If you are casting small boolits maybe you can speed up without any ill effects, but I cast mostly 400-500 grain boolits these days and if I speed up, my wrist gets sore and I end up stopping. With an easy does it method, I end up with a lot more good boolits at the end of a casting session.

    If you have a hot plate for keeping your molds at temperature, you can put your ingots on it to pre heat them, so they melt faster and don’t bring down the the alloy temperature as much.

  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    Yesterday I tried to pre heat my ingots with my really old hot plate, no temp control, and melted some ingots and had to disassemble the hot plate to get all the lead out of it.
    That was the only problem with a all day casting session , I cast 72 lbs of 204gr .45 ACP bullets.
    Today I will Hi-Tek coat and bake them.

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim22 View Post
    I ain't much into speed. I find going fast always magnifies the troubles. YMMV.
    I'm with you on this one. Practice will get you going faster, but trying to get faster increases the rate of accidents. Which you do not need when handling molten metal and measuring explosives and such. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Getting it right is much more important that getting fast at it.

    Bill

  5. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by ioon44 View Post
    Yesterday I tried to pre heat my ingots with my really old hot plate, no temp control, and melted some ingots and had to disassemble the hot plate to get all the lead out of it.
    That was the only problem with a all day casting session , I cast 72 lbs of 204gr .45 ACP bullets.
    Today I will Hi-Tek coat and bake them.
    You need to get yourself an infrared thermometer. They are really inexpensive these days. You don’t want want your hot plate too hot for your molds either. However, don’t count on it for the temperature of the alloy in your casting pot. It’s never accurate. Probably because there’s always some flux or debris on the surface, that insulates the alloy from the outside temp. It will always read low.

    I have a hot plate, but haven’t started using it yet. I’m not certain, but I don’t think the hot plate needs to be as hot as the molten alloy. Perhaps others can confirm this.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    im a wimp i cast 2-3 hundred an hour using 2 or 3 molds .

  7. #47
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
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    Got you all beat, did about 60 with my beagled Ideal 308-329 single cavity yesterday morning and then about 60 more today. About a small Lee pots worth each day. I’ll do another pots worth tomorrow, should hold me for awhile. Don’t know how long yesterday but today I was out in my shop for about 45 minutes actually casting. Waiting for some bigger sizers to show so I can build some accurate lead bullets for my latest Enfield remilitarization build.

  8. #48
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    I welcome the pot gettin low, reloadin it gives me a chance to get a cool drink!

    I read about the Bruce B or wet sponge thing before but guess I missed the point,
    it's for coolin the sprue. I usually stand there doin nothin while lettin the sprue cool
    so they won't smear on top of the mould. Usually I cut the sprue with gloved hand and
    drop it back in, figure I spent the propane to heat it up, better get it back in the pot.
    Yeah I'm cheap like that. Might try the wet method though.

  9. #49
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    In business I could do 1200 per hour using 4 each 4 cavity moulds under my Master Pot but the total for 5 hour runs were more like 5000.

  10. #50
    Boolit Master Victor N TN's Avatar
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    I cast until my shoulders start getting tired. Stop and take a snack break. Repeat... At my age, my body tells me when to quit.
    Be careful,
    Victor

    Life member NRA

  11. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by GregLaROCHE View Post
    I’m not certain, but I don’t think the hot plate needs to be as hot as the molten alloy. Perhaps others can confirm this.
    I've asked here and been told to shoot for a mold temp around 400°. The hot plate will be a bit more than that. IIRC, my 1100 watt job will give me the desired mold temp when set near max, coil glowing dull red, with an infrared measuring it at around 800° (that reading seems low; most references I checked said the redness appears in heated objects at 900+°).

    My understanding is that maintaining the optimal temp range in the mold sets the cadence, and that varies depending on alloy temp, mold size and material, casting environment, and specific cooling measures used like fans and the wet sponge sprue cooling technique.
    Last edited by kevin c; 07-05-2021 at 12:48 PM.

  12. #52
    Boolit Man
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    I can overflow a 8 inch pie pan with 38s or 9mms in about 2.5 hours, with a single 6 or 8 cavity mold. Figure around 700 or so.

    It's not super fast, but it's just enough work that it doesn't get boring.

    ETA just looked at my join date, I can't believe I've been casting for almost ten years now!

  13. #53
    Boolit Master

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    How does one properly compare casting speed?

    If you're cranking out 2000 tiny airgun pellets from an 8 cavity mold in an hour. . .

    . . .and I'm dropping 148 grain .38 wadcutters from an old 10-cavity H&G armory mold that makes HUGE sprues, all of which take longer to cool. . .

    . . .and we're both running a 20 pound pot and I need to pump the brakes to remelt or refill. . .

    . . .how do we compare overall productivity? You get more shots, but my pile weighs more.
    WWJMBD?

    In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by 45-70 Chevroner View Post
    Going on 80 now I can work for about two hours after heat up and can cast about the same amount now but have to quit and put things away and go rest. Age is no fun sometimes, but try to keep on plugging.
    Lordy, ain't that the truth!

    Half a life time ago I thought 60 would be old and 80 would be anchient; I was so right! Don't do a lot of things now but, by the grace of God, I still get a kick out of life.

  15. #55
    Boolit Master

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    By the grace of God indeed, me too!
    God Bless, Whisler

  16. #56
    Boolit Master Drew P's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevin c View Post
    I've asked here and been told to shoot for a mold temp around 400°. The hot plate will be a bit more than that. IIRC, my 1100 watt job will give me the desired mold temp when set near max, coil glowing dull red, with an infrared measuring it at around 800° (that reading seems low; most references I checked said the redness appears in heated objects at 900+°).

    My understanding is that maintaining the optimal temp range in the mold sets the cadence, and that varies depending on alloy temp, mold size and material, casting environment, and specific cooling measures used like fans and the wet sponge sprue cooling technique.
    Bingo. The faster and more efficiently you run, you find that other factors will limit speed rather than the operator. This is mostly cooling time of the mold, and yes my small pellets are able to cool quickly on my steel plate. Some add a second mold to give something to do during this time and yes heavier Bullet’s will warrant this more than my pellets. The ultimate way to make production efficient is of course to remove the operator and extend the session time. Then, even a much much slower rate per hour will still be much faster if it can run all night. But, that’s not the focus of most in this group.

  17. #57
    Boolit Master Drew P's Avatar
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    I need to put a fan on my steel cooling plate.

  18. #58
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    I cast at about 4 beers per hour!

  19. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by slohunter View Post
    I cast at about 4 beers per hour!
    That will make you illegal to drive!

  20. #60
    Boolit Master 358429's Avatar
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    If you cast while you are driving, your hands are hotter than mine!

    Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check