Lead thermometer

[woodse guy]

How bad do I need a thermometer. I have always used the plugin style with the heat element under the pot so I couldn't adjust the temp. My wife bought me a new lee 20# bottom pour pot. And now I can set the casting temp.

 

[bubba.50]

I use a 10 pound Lee pot & mostly Lee aluminum moulds and pure lead for the balls/bullets. I just run the temperature wide open & pour as fast as I can get the mould opened & closed and back under the spout. works good for me and after the first 10 or 15 to get the mould hot it makes for nice smooth shiny balls/bullets. if yer usin' lead alloyed with other metals a thermometer might come in handy. luck to ya & have a good'en, bubba.

 

[necchi]

It's kinda important if your going to be casting bullet for modern even some of the long distance bullets for ML with alloyed lead.
But if your going to cast primarily ball with pure or close to pure lead you'll be able to learn where you need to set the temp for a good cast within just a few sessions and a little experimenting.
I use a Coleman stove so my casting temp is set by looking at the fire,,
I bought a thermometer years ago when I first started just to see where I actually was,, but I haven't used it much since. I can tell what I need to do by the look of the melt and my cast ball.

 

[Rifleman1776]

For soft lead round balls, I have never felt a need for one. When my balls begin to show frosting that is an indication my temp. is correct. Too much frosting, temp is too high. Wrinkles and temp is not high enough. However, many here feel a thermometer is essential. Let yer budget be yer guide.

 

[matt denison]

There's nothing like having the right tool for the job. I stumbled along casting for several years guessing my temp. Once I invested in a thermometer (only $12.00 at the time) many of my woes went away. I also use it for pewter work and even for Niter Blueing (wash it off real good when done) I found the right setting for my pot so now I just pug it in, set it, wait half an hour and I'm ready to start casting.

A side bar: I had a Lee bottom pour 4-20. I started having bad problems pouring with it. Something was wrong and I couldn't nail it down. I bought the thermometer and stuck it in there and found that even at the lowest setting I was over 1,100 degrees! The thermostat had given up on the pot. I wouldn't have known without the thermometer.

 

[jamesthomas]

I have never needed a lead thermometer also Bottom pour pots are nothing but trouble, they will start to leak and drip, I set my Lee 20 LB. dip pot at around 7 to 7 1/2 and it makes very nice round balls. I find with a dip pot you don't have to be in such a hurry.

 

[Billnpatti]

A lead thermometer is not an absolute necessity. Many guys never have had one and do just fine without one. I do have one and I do use it even though I know that I get a good casting temperature with my electric pot set at about 8 on the scale. If you are melting your lead over a fire rather than with an electric pot, a lead thermometer becomes even more handy to keep your lead at the best casting temperature. Still, there are many folks who melt their lead over a fire and find no need for a thermometer. Like I said, it is a very handy thing to have but not an absolutle necessity. You can learn to control your lead temperature by watching the appearance of the lead in the pot and the appearance of the balls that you are casting. If they are wrinkled or deformed, the lead and/or the mold is not hot enough. If the balls are frosty looking, the lead is too hot.

 

[crockett]

Me too. (Or I also?). Frosting and wrinkles. Just re-melt the rejects. I've never used a thermometer.

 

[Billnpatti]

ff :hmm: Since you asked, "I also" is the more grammatically correct form. However it is seldom used and "Me, too" has become an accepted part of the modern lexicon and is the more often used term. It seems that grammatically correct English is receiving less emphysis in schools today and, as a result, is now circling the drain. :idunno:

 

[tozzybum]

the cheap thermocouples we are suffering at work means the thermometer is used more and more as your lucky if 4 out of ten dont lie.so as a back up a thermometer is a good investment imho.And totally agree english is dying as a spoken language .our factory is 70% eastern european so pidgeon ingleesh is now the norm

 

[M. De Land]

They are not necessary for round balls as these projectiles are very easy to make right over a pretty wide envelope of heat and technique but when you start casting very long and heavy bullets a thermometer is pretty essential to not only get bullets to look right but to weight the same or very close.
When one gets to where they can consistently cast 500 plus grain, grease groove bullets, and inch and a half long, with in a half grain +/- of each other you have pretty well figured out top level casting nuance.

 

[jfaldo]

Have one and use it regularly and would replace it immediately if something happened to it.

 

[woodse guy]

Thanks for the information.

 

[fleener]

I cast very good bullets for shooting out to 1,000 yards. My quality has to be good if I want to shoot well.

Since I got a Waage pot I no longer use my thermometer. The Waage made my casting go from OK to great. The temp control on this pot is extremely good. I leave it set on the temp I want and start casting. I also use a hot plate to heat my mold up while my lead is getting up to temp. I am able to start casting good bullets right away.

Fleener

 

[mooman76]

Is a thermometer essential? No, not for most people. I have been casting for over 40 years and still don't use one. It is a tool just like other items. Probably nice to have but not a must have. After awhile you can tell if your lead is the right temp for casting by the way it casts. If you do get one don't get too hung up on the temperature. I've seen guys that had trouble casting and couldn't understand why they couldn't cast good rounds or bullets at xxx temp when they did last time they cast. There are allot of variables to casting as far as temp goes.
Some moulds cast better at different temperatures than other and it also depends on how fast you are going and your alloy. Pure lead takes a higher temp to cast good than an alloy with tin in it.

 

[jfaldo]

Since I got a Waage pot I no longer use my thermometer. The Waage made my casting go from OK to great. The temp control on this pot is extremely good. I leave it set on the temp I want and start casting.

Bought my Waage some years ago and it's very consistent, but I still use my thermometer regularly. I cast so many different bullets and different alloys that I do vary my temps and just feel better knowing exactly what I'm getting. My thought is in all the tons of money I have put into this for various things the thermometer was fairly cheap investment. One consistent thing about anything to do with shooting, loading, casting and everything else is everyone has their way and they are as varied as the people involved. Really boils down to we must do what works for us in the end.

 

[necchi]

I cast so many different bullets and different alloys that I do vary my temps and just feel better knowing exactly what I'm getting

Yep, that's exactly when you need one.

 

[MSW]

ff :hmm: Since you asked, "I also" is the more grammatically correct form. However it is seldom used and "Me, too" has become an accepted part of the modern lexicon and is the more often used term. It seems that grammatically correct English is receiving less emphysis in schools today and, as a result, is now circling the drain. :idunno:

ok - I confess!!
ff ff ff

check out the dreadful grammar used by broadcast and print journalists - especially when they're "live" and they're not just reading the teleprompter and doing their "talking head" thing.

it is a sad day when mill workers sit around the break room and 'pimp' the grammar of the local newspaper, but we do it all the time.

by the way - get the thermometer: you'll find it money well spent, imho.

 

[Rifleman1776]

You are all wrong. :nono:

The only acceptable response these days is:
"Well, um...ya know.....I mean....."



Sad really.

 

[jfaldo]

I thought it was in a text :td: