Lead melting temp

[Griz44Mag]

Read my last post, use lead from the ladle to fill and not the sprue.

READ MY LIPS!! I read your last post - and if anyone could find a harder way to get an easy task done - well, that would be you.
You just happen to be one of those crusty old f#$ts that thinks you have the only answer to the meaning of life.
I've been casting since the late 50's - many decades as well, and don't have any issues dropping out 200 round balls an hour and not a single reject with less than .3% deviation.
I fill and dump and refill 4 and 6 cavity molds faster and more accurate than you can cast a single ball. So don't quote my posts and say it's not a good way to cast.
I'll run circles around you for quality and quantity any day of the year.
I don't use a single cavity mold without a sprue plate like you seem to like so much.
That's your choice and you have the right to cast any way and any time or as long as you want. Don't try to BS a seasoned caster. That dog don't hunt.
I reserve ladle casting for large items like trot line weights. Which by the way - I have also cast a lot of over the years.

 

[French Colonial]

Well…
As I said earlier I like my Waage pot over the Lyman or Lee and the bottom pour pots that I have I have taken the bottom pour mechanism out of them and plugged the holes so they are dipper only.

That being said, I use a ladle for everything from the 32 up to the balls for the Brown Bess that I used to have but the most demanding are the conical for BPCR.

BUT, the ladle never touches the mold, and I do that on purpose, not because of hand eye coordination or anything else, it’s what works the best for me with almost zero weight variation.

Do what works best for you.

 

[Whughett]

And here’s me 15 years and 10’s of thousa

No. Best for pure is 800 degrees but the mold will cast at 500 just fine. Getting the mold too hot will change the dimensions as the cavity is not a hole in solid metal. bullets and balls will get out of round. cast by holding the spout of the ladle tight to the mold until the cavity takes all the lead it needs from the ladle, NOT the sprue. Tip off the ladle quick to leave a small sprue and it should only shrink a tiny amount (just sprue shrinkage.) My friends can't do it as they don't seem to get one hand to move without the other! I tell then to keep the mold level as they tip away the ladle. The other gets lead all over the mold and inside too. He never adjusts the sprue plate if it loosens and gets bad fins. Then balls stick so he beats harder and longer so I will refuse to loan him my molds.
I have been casting from sinkers to bullets for close to 80 years and can cast a full 20# pot without a single reject. I was about 10 when I made my own sinker mold. Darn did I catch the perch from lake Erie.

Well what the heck, 20 years and 10’s of thousands of bullets and balls and I’m doing it all wrong, wrong temperature, wrong ladel technique, wrong alloy it’s a wonder I can hit the target let alone hold groups like this with all them improperly cast round balls, them being out of round and having a hole in them to boot.

Sorry gents, just spoofing a bit. Lead casting ain’t rocket science. We tend to complicate this sport a bit.

 

[45man]

I sure didn't mean to reject or downplay anyone, so I apologize. I just want to make it easier. My friend uses a bottom pour and there will be more lead on his floor and bench then a pot holds, He spends more time jumping from splashes then casting.
By the way if needed I use as many as 3-two cavity molds at once.

 

[Crow-Feather]

I run my Lee wide open & pour fast as I can open and close the mould. Works for me.

Do you weigh your finished product? (see how i skipped the weigh your balls comment)

 

[Crow-Feather]

I tried one of those "point the red dot at the object you want to find the temperature of thingies" I found that the closer to the side of the melting pot, the hotter the lead.

 

[bubba.50]

Do you weigh your finished product? (see how i skipped the weigh your balls comment)

No sir. never felt the need. If the mould fills out that's close enough for me. And they've always shot as accurate as I can shoot.

 

[bubba.50]

I tried one of those "point the red dot at the object you want to find the temperature of thingies" I found that the closer to the side of the melting pot, the hotter the lead.

That's where the heating coil is.

 

[Crow-Feather]

In a bottom pour pot, it might be best to run some of the lead from the bottom of the pot over the thermometer to get the actual temp, and dip the thermometer into the lead in the lead dipper.

 

[Whughett]

For those concerns regarding lead temperature a thermometer is the basic way of knowing. I used this starting off until I knew what settings on the pots control to use. It may be interesting to note what the suggested temps are for the alloy type. A lot lower than whats

been suggested in this thread.

 

[Whughett]

Deleted double post.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Do you weigh your finished product? (see how i skipped the weigh your balls comment)

Absolutely yes I weigh my product. Out of every 100 pieces cast I randomly select a sampling of 5 pieces and enter them into a spreadsheet to calculate averages, min and max deviance. From that I calculate the deviance percentage - any batch that is not less than 1% deviance from average gets re-potted.
Here's a sample of my .490 run from last week.

Ball Weight	count	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	AVG	Drift (min)	Drift max	MAX %
.490 RB
#cust #	102​	176.7​	176.8​	176.4​	177.2​	177​	176.82​	-0.42​	0.38​	0.22%​
#cust #	102​	176.2​	176.1​	175.3​	175.9​	176.9​	176.08​	-0.78​	0.82​	0.46%​
#cust #	102​	176.5​	176​	176.6​	176.2​	176​	176.26​	-0.26​	0.34​	0.19%​
#cust #	102​	175.3​	175.6​	175.4​	175.6​	175.7​	175.52​	-0.22​	0.18​	0.10%​
#cust #	102​	175.3​	175.6​	175.4​	175.6​	175.7​	175.52​	-0.22​	0.18​	0.10%​

 

[tom_in_vt]

750 is what I shoot for.

 

[nhmoose]

I've got a thermometer on the bench, still in box.
I'm gonna need it soon for some alloys and 500 plus grain long skinny bullets.
I've got #2 babbitt I'm going to use for tin content and the alloyed copper is going to need control.

Invest in a PID to control your pot temp. What's a PID go to Castboolits folks there have the answers and guys who make them.

 

[Reno]

If I can cast bullets and balls anyone can. I did get a second Lee pot for pure lead that way I can keep pure lead for muzzle loaders separate from different mixes for bullets for center fire. To me it just seems simpler that way.
I try a bit above the temp that lead melts at.
it is relaxing to me to cast bullets.

 

[Griz44Mag]

If I can cast bullets and balls anyone can. I did get a second Lee pot for pure lead that way I can keep pure lead for muzzle loaders separate from different mixes for bullets for center fire. To me it just seems simpler that way.
I try a bit above the temp that lead melts at.
it is relaxing to me to cast bullets.

My choice as well.
I have 3 pots - two marked for specific use, the third for casting quantity when needed for bigger batches.
And yes, it is much simpler that way - not having to empty and clean pots when changing alloys.

 

[Crow-Feather]

										​

Absolutely yes I weigh my product. Out of every 100 pieces cast I randomly select a sampling of 5 pieces and enter them into a spreadsheet to calculate averages, min and max deviance. From that I calculate the deviance percentage - any batch that is not less than 1% deviance from average gets re-potted.
Here's a sample of my .490 run from last week.

										​

Nice,

Since I am just doing for myself, I just weigh them all and keep those plus or minus 1 grain.

 

[Griz44Mag]

										​

Nice,

Since I am just doing for myself, I just weigh them all and keep those plus or minus 1 grain.

I would find it interesting to know what size/weights you are casting. More for my own reference than anything else.
I see a lot of folks using that 1 grain thing. +/- 1 grain would be a 2 grain window.
On small items like a .310 ball (45 grain) - the 2 grain will be 4.4% exceeding the 1% margin. That's a very large inconsistency for a round ball.
+/- 1 grain on a .310 ball would result in an occluded ball being acceptable.
On much larger items like the .735 round ball (595 gr), 2 grain will be .33 % - Basically a difficult goal to reach but doable. A caster will likely have a reject rate of over 30%
Say an average user uses a .490 (177 gr) or .530 (230 gr) ball that would be .57% and .43% respectfully - both being a good quality and matched set of balls.
Since I do cast projectiles for sale and I know my customers will be shooting for scores and tight groups, I have tried to find a fair and acceptable method of quality control.
This 1% comes from my experience (limited) with PRS at ranges reaching out to 1300 yards, where 1 grain can make the difference between an impact and a miss.
Beyond that I have seen shooters choosing bullets with error margins in the .1% range. Ever watch "King of 2 Mile" ? AWESOME!
I did cast one batch of 16BH round nose for a competitive shooter (440 grain) and his criteria was .2 grain. (.05%)
I cast over 250 rounds to get a batch of 50 that met that criteria.

 

[Crow-Feather]

I would find it interesting to know what size/weights you are casting. More for my own reference than anything else.
I see a lot of folks using that 1 grain thing. +/- 1 grain would be a 2 grain window.
On small items like a .310 ball (45 grain) - the 2 grain will be 4.4% exceeding the 1% margin. That's a very large inconsistency for a round ball.
+/- 1 grain on a .310 ball would result in an occluded ball being acceptable.
On much larger items like the .735 round ball (595 gr), 2 grain will be .33 % - Basically a difficult goal to reach but doable. A caster will likely have a reject rate of over 30%
Say an average user uses a .490 (177 gr) or .530 (230 gr) ball that would be .57% and .43% respectfully - both being a good quality and matched set of balls.
Since I do cast projectiles for sale and I know my customers will be shooting for scores and tight groups, I have tried to find a fair and acceptable method of quality control.
This 1% comes from my experience (limited) with PRS at ranges reaching out to 1300 yards, where 1 grain can make the difference between an impact and a miss.
Beyond that I have seen shooters choosing bullets with error margins in the .1% range. Ever watch "King of 2 Mile" ? AWESOME!
I did cast one batch of 16BH round nose for a competitive shooter (440 grain) and his criteria was .2 grain. (.05%)
I cast over 250 rounds to get a batch of 50 that met that criteria.

You are a good supplier. In 32, which I no longer have, I did go with a narrower margin. With my 40 also. But the 45 and 54 it's +- 1 grain. (won't own a fifty)

 

[Griz44Mag]

You are a good supplier. In 32, which I no longer have, I did go with a narrower margin. With my 40 also. But the 45 and 54 it's +- 1 grain. (won't own a fifty)

I'm just curious because I do have a couple of 50 cals, so why no 50's?
FYI - my favorite caliber is the .54 and my next in line is the .58's (I have 3 of those and one is a double barrel)