Maybe I'm OCD or just anal, but I always use my Lyman thermometer when casting. I just want to know what's going on, and that things are as they should be.
Maybe I'm OCD or just anal, but I always use my Lyman thermometer when casting. I just want to know what's going on, and that things are as they should be.
After using a Lyman for a while I thought to to be too inaccurate to bother with. I'd look into one from TelTru.
Never used one for lead. Do use one for bismuth shot making. Shot size varies as an inverse function of temp.
All you really need are the basics. But things like a bottom pour ladle, thermometer, PID, and most other bits and pieces just make it easier to have a good product.
I have a Lyman ladle that I do not use often, but when casting alloy samples from a melt, it does a great job of getting clean alloy into the mold.
I have a lead hardness tester that I do not use every day, but it does help me sort mystery scrap lead in a more reliable manner.
I have a thermometer that is helpful when blending antimony into the melt, as well as not overheating the melt when cleaning up scrap lead.
The PID gets used every casting session, not because it is essential, but gives me the ability to monitor the melt temperature and stay within the best casting temperature range if I add ingots during a casting run.
While I certainly can do without these extra tools, their benefits certainly encourage me to use them. Your situation may be different and that is as it should be.
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 |