FC Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 <p>Good price at this site. The only thing I worry about is how close your hands are to the lead with the short handles. I want to use this for buck and ball loads in my muskets, and for balls for my little revolver. The sprue cutter is included in the ~$35 price. <a href="http://www.buckshotmold.com">http://www.buckshotmold.com</a></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 My guess after having cast thousands over the past 25 years. If the heat gets to you through the wood handles the mold it to hot. Gets to hot to handle, let it cool. I've never worked with a mold that big but usually molds cool down from to hot to just right in about a minute or less. Maybe a bit longer for the large, multi cavity mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 When I'm really into the swing of casting, I keep a medium wet sponge off to the side and touch the mould to it if it is too hot. That is, boolits coming out frosted, cool it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted October 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 Actually I was thinking about a spill of lead. You hand is close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I always wear leather gloves when casting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I wear a glove on my right hand, safety glasses and shoes I don't mind ruining. I used to have an apron made of floor carpet but it turned ripe. If you're going to water drop your castings. Load the top of the bucket with Styrofoam packing pellets. The pellets prevent water splashing into the smelting pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted October 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 I may have to crack down and buy a lead pot instead of heating lead in an antique ladle in a boxwood stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Hess Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 I've used a RCBS cast iron pot on a gasoline camp stove. I prefer the smaller electric melting pot. Lee and Lyman, I think, have identical ones. I used the Lee since the mid 70's, when it finally went bad on me and I replaced it with the Lyman last year. have the big Lee pot also, but I don't care for it. It leaks. I may just need to run it dry and clean it all up real well. Anyway, the smaller pot does fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 25, 2016 Report Share Posted October 25, 2016 Lee has a few low cost electric pots that do the job. From what I've seen on the CastBoolit board. Lee's are often called leak o matic. I've never worked on a Lee pot but when my RCBS starts dripping I disassemble it and clean the valve. Last time steel wool wouldn't remove the build-up. From a web recommendation I heated the needle portion up as hot as I could get it then the crud was easily removed with coarse steel wool. I lucked into my RCBS lead pot and some other casting accessories from a yard sale. The seller was trying to raise money to bail his wife out of jail for passing bad checks. He was also selling a class 3 Mac-10 but it was way out of my toy budget. I've had the used RCBS pot since the mid 80's. Only time it failed was due to operator error. I spilled molten lead on the cord. RCBS wanted a small fortune plus shipping. I took it to a small appliance repair shop. Think I paid 6 or 7 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted October 25, 2016 Report Share Posted October 25, 2016 Tony find yourself a location outside or if melting lead in an enclosed area put up a couple fans to keep it well vented. If you put a fan directly on the pot you'll have trouble maintaining the temperature. I do my casting on my carport and turn fans on full blast until it quits smoking. Using wheel weights every now and then I wind up with a tire valve in the mix. The rubber, oil, grease and what ever winds up with the weights creates a stomach turning stench. Since lead/antimony wheel weights are being phased out of existence. I have to inspect each and every weight now to cull the zinc. A slow process but I keep the junk and stench out of the mix. Watch for zinc weights as it only takes one to ruin the entire mix. Steel weights wont melt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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