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lead spoon options

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paradork

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Want to cast some lead RB. Lent my lead spoon out and its MIA. Can I use a standard kitchen spoon or will it melt and release something into the lead making the lead useless for cast. I don't want to ruin a batch of lead, but I want to shoot and need RBs. Other options or ideas appreciated.
 
Cynthia is right,
Any common stainless steel kitchen spoon or ladle will do the job in a pinch,
The steel is harder than the lead and nothing will come off the metal.
 
Alright, sounds good. Not sure they are stainless tho. Just cheap spoons from the dollar store ya know. casting .311 RB so I don't need a very big spoon.
 
Just make sure you have enough to fill the mold and have a sprue with one pour.

If I used a silver spoon, I'd probably get neutered by my wife. :td: She's pretty easy going but using the family silver would not get me any brownie points.

What you probably need to do is get a lead ladle with a wood handle for pouring lead, that spoon may get pretty hot.
 
My favorite ladle is a very large and long aluminum spoon. I think I found it in some of my camping stuff, probably handed down from a couple of generations. It's like something you would find on a chuck wagon, used to feed a lot of ranch hands or a group of hungry hunters. I dented one side to make a pouring spout. It holds a lot of lead at a time, so the lead stays hot as you pour. And it has a long handle to keep the user away from the pot and the heat or any potential accidents.

They are fairly cheap at big box sporting good stores. If you use one of those commercial melting pots, it may be too big to work efficiently though. Maybe something in between a large and small spoon would be available. And as mentioned before by our own Miss Cynthialee, once used on lead, it can NEVER be used for food again.

All regular silverware (except for the fine silver) is made from stainless steel, lest it rust and corrode from use. If you find a cheap SS spoon that works, by all means use it. Look for something with a long handle, you'll love it. And you may want to take a cold chisel and hammer in a pouring spout on one side. Check flea markets and yard sales. Good luck. Bill
 
When I began roundball casting as a kid, I made a ladle from a black iron pipe cap. I ground out the threads, and filed a pour spout on one side. I drilled and threaded the cap on one side, and threaded an old stove poker - the kind with a long round poker having a handle made of roundstock wound to form a handle with airspace - it stayed cool to use throughout even the longest casting sessions. You could easily just thread a piece of of round stock and insert the free end into wooden dowel material to make a handle.

I've used a stainless spoon before, and its' a waste of effort, since it cools down too quickly to produce any volume of quality castings.

The spoon does work well for fluxing the pot and removing dross. It's one of a set of tableware my ex's grandma gave her that she left behind when she ran off to take up with her boss, so there's satisfaction plus utility in using it ...

The pipe cap, is much heavier and holds heat much better.
 
Before I got into shooting and casting round balls I used to cast fishing sinkers and, more recently, small lead parts for modelmaking. I used a soup ladle, bent the handle at the bowl to give a better angle and twisted a pouring spout in the edge with a pair of pliers. I could either melt small quantities of lead directly in it or use it as a scoop for larger amounts.
 
There is any number of stop gap measures that you can take to dip your lead but eventually, you will want to get a proper lead ladle. Cut to the chase and go to some place like Midway USA and go ahead and order a proper lead ladle. You will save yourself a lot of aggravation and possibly some burned fingers. :2
 
I agree (speaking from experience). While my ladle works, I soon found that it lacked the control needed when using Lee twin-cavity molds. Due to the high cost of the Lyman ladle down here, I made my own with a narrow pouring nozzle.

Pouring is much easier. The Lyman ladle is pretty cheap over there, and is probably the best option.
 
I agree, I'm going to buy a laddel. When I bought my pot and lead from midway they didn't have the lee dipper in stock. I have to place an order from track for a new ramrod and will get one there. First time casting tonight, 31 out of 50 are shooters. The bad ones I knew were bad before I opened the mold. Its a learning game, had fun tho.
 
Yeah, I invariably have some that go back into the melt. If you can afford it, the Lyman dipper will be far better to use than the Lee.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
I use a bottom pour pot so I don't need to dip the lead out.

I have a Lee bottom pour pot which means I have to dip. :rotf:

Obviously you're not doing something right. I cast everything up to .54 Minie's with my 35 year-old Lee bottom pour pot, and never have any issues with quality or pour volume.
 
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