Ladle Casting

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Idaholewis

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Which Ladle do you use? I really need to get my ladles out and give ladle Casting a try, i have a Lyman, and a Rowell bottom pour Ladel. I have 2 RCBS lead pots, i think 10 pound capacity is all? They are awfully small little pots! Hopefully I’ll run across a Dutch Oven this Spring/Summer at a Garage/Estate sale, What do you guys use? And What is your heat source?
 
I use a gas camping stove and a stainless steel kitchen pot. It works for me. Also use muffin pans to make ingots.

Sent from my ME301T using Tapatalk
 
I have an old Lyman ladle. Used to use a small RCBS cast iron pot too (RB's) but got a 20lb Lee pot now.

Like Herschel, I make my ingots on a gas camp stove with dutch oven and muffin pans.
 
I have both Lyman and Rowell bottom pour... I prefer the Rowell for the capacity and ease of use, but it is a little large for some using small pots... over the years I have found larger capacity pots so the Rowell is my mainstay...btw Lewis, just sent in another felt order... good to go for a long time
 
themoose said:
I have both Lyman and Rowell bottom pour... I prefer the Rowell for the capacity and ease of use, but it is a little large for some using small pots... over the years I have found larger capacity pots so the Rowell is my mainstay...btw Lewis, just sent in another felt order... good to go for a long time

themoose, This felt is some REALLY nice stuff!! I just made up some wads for my 45 Last night, i have my .45 LRH 1:30 Twist ‘Hotrod Hawken’ loaded now, i plan to Group shoot both sizes of Felt Wad material soon to see if i can tell any difference? I’m gonna bet not? This is some VERY nice dense stuff! For my .45 i went with 1/2” .500 Wads, i have always used an oversized Wool Felt Wad. Looking forward to getting out and testing! The bullet is my only concern, i plan on testing this new larger 475 Grain Lyman Bullet, it is unproven in my rifles, but sure looks good! I actually think it will do best in my 1:18 Twist, but stil have to try it in my little 1:30, so far that particular rifle has shot everything I have tried in it from good, to excellent.
 
I have an old propane plumbers stove, with a pot that I use to melt up 40 lbs. at a clip for fishing gear. I can’t tell you how many 1000’s of pounds I melted through that rig over the years. I recently got a Lee IV bottom pour electric that I love to use because I don’t have to wear my headphones to silence it. It pours enough for my needs so far. I have ladles from 5 lbs. down to 6oz. Depends on the project,smelting ingots, casting bullets.
Casting bullets is a completely different process from casting fishing weights and lures. I’ve come to learn more about it from guy’s on here and the other place but I’m still learning and stay open minded.
Idaholewis mentioned once about coating his empty pot with oil when finished casting. What do others do ? Would using melted parriffin be better (easier to let melt into the next pour)? Not meaning to get off topic, Magnum.
 
My simple setup.
 

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Magnum said:
I have an old propane plumbers stove, with a pot that I use to melt up 40 lbs. at a clip for fishing gear. I can’t tell you how many 1000’s of pounds I melted through that rig over the years. I recently got a Lee IV bottom pour electric that I love to use because I don’t have to wear my headphones to silence it. It pours enough for my needs so far. I have ladles from 5 lbs. down to 6oz. Depends on the project,smelting ingots, casting bullets.
Casting bullets is a completely different process from casting fishing weights and lures. I’ve come to learn more about it from guy’s on here and the other place but I’m still learning and stay open minded.
Idaholewis mentioned once about coating his empty pot with oil when finished casting. What do others do ? Would using melted parriffin be better (easier to let melt into the next pour)? Not meaning to get off topic, Magnum.

I’m not sure about melting the Paraffin in the pot for preservation? Might be a slick way to go if it coats and seals good? No need to clean/degrease the pot before starting, let it smoke and burn itself off. Rust on the pot sidewalls is the ENEMY of a bottom pour! My way of using oil in the pot after a Casting session is in all honesty a NUISANCE, But it works very well, being a bottom pour it’s important to maintain it! I try and plan my Casting session out to try and use up the pot full, and whatever i dont use goes in an ingot mold, with the pot empty and cooled down i coat it really good, Motor oil, anything is better than nothing. The big pain of a bottom pour is Rusted sidewalls that inevitably contaminate, resulting in the bottom spout clogging up. By doing the above procedure with oil a bottom pour is basically trouble free, and in my opinion a slick, and REALLY fast way to cast High quality bullets.
 
Yes Lewis that was my thought about the pariffin. I use it as a lubricant and rust preventative on my woodworking tools and machines. It may be old school but that’s who I learned from. It might preserve the steel pot and burn off quick like you say. Maybe I’ll try it out. I guess beeswax might keep the rust at bay?
Magnum
 
I have 5 different post of various sizes. biggest is a demilled 20 lb propane tank with the top cut off right at the shoulder. Smallest is a "dumpster find" of a SS pot with a really thick bottom the handle was broken off guess that's why it was discarded put perfect for "smelting" my pewter and solder finds into mini ingots or doing small runs of bullets or fishing gear. In between have 2 different dutch ovens and another SS pot. For heat I use my propane "fish cooker" for big stuff, ye old Coleman multi fuel stove for the dutch ovens and I have a wood fired fire ring for the big jobs like turning scrounged lead into easily handled ingots.

I have always used ladle and have several of different sizes with the smallest with the snoot for casting directly into the mold and the big one holds up to 3 lb and mostly for making the ingots. I use muffin tins and some SS dog/cat food dishes too.

W
 
I finally gave up on my Lee bottom pour pot, the last couple of times I’ve poured bullets I didn’t empty the pot and lubricate it (BIG no no with a Lee Bottom Pour!) i tried pouring some bullets from my new BACO GG mold and was getting pour results from contaminates. Yesterday i fired the pot up and emptied it, i striped it down and did away with the bottom pour features, plugged the down spout with a screw, Now my intentions are to use it as a melting furnace only. After getting my lead back in the modified pot, melted, and fluxed good (with a long paint stick) i tried my hand at Ladle Casting, it’s gonna take me some time to get a good Rhythm with it, it didn’t take me to long and i was pouring good keeper bullets, but it’s definitely a WAY different method than i am accustomed to, when the bottom pour fearure is working properly it is a hard to beat method in my opinion, but what a NUISANCE to maintain the pot after each casting session! I will get this Ladle Casting down, it’s just gonna take some more trial runs :yeah:
 
The digital is my only concern as well. I like the idea it tells you what temperature the lead is at all the time. But what happens if the led burns out or it breaks? Curious if any one has any experience with them? There are no reviews posted at this time for the product at Midway. I may have to call RCBS and get more info.
 
Bring nobody has been able to obtain one nor has any one done a review and I don’t think any RCBS sales rep has seen them I’m going to stick with the Lee Magnum Pro melting pot. My first Lee pot served me well no reason why the Magnum pot won’t. Plus it looks save s few dollars that I can put to good use.
 
I would bet the PID they are using is the same as the one in the Pro Melt and it has been around for years. Lyman also uses one in its pro pot too, possibly the same one. On the other casting forum those guys were building them and attaching them to Lee pots.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/20850 ... e-120-volt

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/26766 ... e-115-volt

The PID ( proportional–integral–derivative controller) has been around for quite some time on other things. I Mostly see them on Misting systems at one of my accounts (for Humidity control). Never saw one of them go bad but I guess its like any other electronic device and could always fail.
 
I use Le pots exclusively for my jig making. One is a 10 pound bottom pour and I would not recommend this unit for bullet casting because the lead flow and delivery likes to ribbon and medium to large bullets will have a layered look. The bottom pour might work ok for sday a .32 caliber bullet I also have a pro 20 pound pot that I ladle dip and cast jigs to 3 ounces using a 6 ounce ladle. I get excellent results on all jig sizes though using the ladle and seldom use the bottom pour except on molds that have pouring and filling needs that demand a pseudo injection of the lead.

RCBS pots are nice and are pretty much drip-free but they are pricey and repair parts are very hard to get. Lee pots have a unique warranty. They will accept a return of a pot that needs repair outside of the purchasing warranty period and for I believe its twenty dollar they'll simply send a new pot. I have three of the 20 pound ladle pots, one new and in the box yet along with one that's six years old and another that I use maybe four time a week yet that's 30 years old and never been sent in. I also have two of the 10pound bottom pour pots...again one new in the box and the other older than the oldest 20 pound unit but it has a slow drip at the nozzle which doesn't hinder casting a bit when I use it on 1/80 ounce jigs.

If I were filling single or double cavity bullet molds I'd use a 4 to 6 ounce ladle. The 6 ounce would maybe be good for a 4 cavity if the caliber wasn't too large and the bullet weight real heavy. I'd crank the heat to the max and keep the lead and ladle very hot so the flow into the mold is steady. I've never fluxed any of the lead I use so I can't address what might be needed with bullets. I use only pure lead in my jigs except the 2 and 3 ouncers which will have lead with some antinomy in it. I also cast 12 pound downrigger weights and use mixed breed lead for those and melt the lead in a 40 pound cast pot on a propane stove and pour directly from the pot to the mold....very heavy gloves for this trick. And yes I have a pair of very well leaded shoes.
 
Tom, I fully agree on the bottom pour pots being good for smaller bullets, when the spout starts to clog and the stream of alloy is more of a tricle/ribbon it’s stil plenty enough to fill a small bullet mold, with the smaller bullets it’s not near as critical as say a Large 400-600 Grain Bullet. I have what i call a small 292 Grain .458 bullet mold that stil worked REALLY well even when the lead stream started to ribbon from a slight Clog, Where my Big 400-600 Grain molds were a no go. The big molds need the Alloy in them as quickly as possible. Once i get a good Rhythm with the Ladles i will be MUCH MUCH better off, 99.9% of my bullets are BIG Muzzleloader Bullets, Starting at about 400 Grains and up to 650
 
I gave my Ladles a try, Came back in the house and ordered a new bottom pour :lol: Ladles are NOT for me, they work great for filling my ingot mold, but not so great for my bullet molds. No doubt It’s a Rhythm/technique thing but i sure couldn’t get a feel for it. This new Bottom Pour Pot will be well cared for, emptied and lubricated after EVERY use (no exceptions!) which is key to trouble free use with Bottom pour pots :yeah:
 
I use 3 different pots. A bottom pour RCBS for smaller bullets and 2 other ladle pour for larger bullets, Ladle pouring is an easy task once you get a rhythm going. Pre heat your mold either on the edge of the pot or a hotplate. I use a lyman ladle when casting bullets , also preheated. fill your ladle to the same level every time. Rolling your ladle into the mold from right to left(right handed folks) and count to 5 while pouring. Slightly pull back your ladle and leave a puddle on top of your sprue plate. As you see the melt harden start counting to 10. At 10 open your sprue plate dropping your sprue to one side and your bullet . Repeat. Total casting time should be 45-60 sec per bullet.
 
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