Rancho Roy Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 Casting Lead bullets with my "Lead Still"....A quick video...https://youtu.be/JvHHQJYjhps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 I have a 25 lb casting pot with a built in PID and usually run two molds to keep either from getting too hot. I have a 20 lb Lee "drip-matic" also, but its just for casting pure lead BP balls or conicals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 Thanks for watching! The larger the pot, the higher the delta in weight between a full pot and a half full pot. I have a 25 pound pot I played with that showed wide variance in weight in bullets over 250g from a full pot to half empty. Actually, the small ten pound pot when used alone, showed a rather slight deviation in bullet weight from full to half empty, but of course that is only a 5 pound of lead difference. In a 25# pot that difference would be 12.5 pounds! And adding lead as you go, to keep the weight constant, just slows things down as you wait for the added lead to melt. This is why most long range lead bullet shooters use a ladle to pour into the mold. Much more accurate weight. But then again, all this really only matters with bullets over 250g and shooting distances of over 100 yards or so. It's a fun hobby that can keep you occupied for decades! When using a brass or steel mold, I will sometimes use two as you do. But I find with Aluminum molds they give and take heat rapidly and I can modulate it quite easily......At one point I drilled holes into the molds and inserted a BBQ digital meat thermometer to see what the mold temperature was.......I need to get a life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 I like your set up! I use the Lee 6-gang molds and they will use up lead fast. Your system would keep me casting longer before running out of lead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 13 hours ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said: I like your set up! I use the Lee 6-gang molds and they will use up lead fast. Your system would keep me casting longer before running out of lead I started putting the sprue right back into the pot. By doing it as I went along it didn't impact the temperature of the lead and it took a lot longer before I had to stop and refill the pot. Especially when casting round balls with my 6 cavity mould. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: I started putting the sprue right back into the pot. By doing it as I went along it didn't impact the temperature of the lead and it took a lot longer before I had to stop and refill the pot. Especially when casting round balls with my 6 cavity mould. I do the same with the sprues. I'll stop and flux when my mold gets too hot. Gives it a minute to cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Six Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 I admit to throwing the sprues back in the pot too. Even when using my 40 lb. plumbers furnace, running a couple of 5 cavity molds does use up the lead pretty quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 I had to slow the video down to make sure, but you're directly hitting the aluminum mold block with the axe handle to shake the bullets loose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G W Wade Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Would have liked to see more about the premelter. Tried this several years ago but the Lee out I was using emptied so slow it didn't help. Have not been to find any way to speed up the Lee. GW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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