Had to buy new hot plate

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Well after about 8 years my hot plate finally let the last ghost out of it. The terminals would constantly lose the temper and then just fall off. I have replaced them several times. I even had some stainless steel ones for marine environments do the same thing. They lasted a lot longer than the cheap hardware store ones I first used.

There was not enough of the fiberglass covering left to crimp on new terminals. So I ordered a new heater off amazon today. I went with a solid top one instead of the coil like I had. Hopefully it last a little longer than the old one did. But at $17 who knows.

I used the last one a lot. During deer season it would get used everyday to heat up water and clean the barrel on my muzzle loader. I would shoot off the round in the gun every night so I could load fresh the next day. Plus all of the casting I originally got it for.

So if your hot plate dies, check it out inside for the terminals falling off. Easy fix to get it back running till the wires get too short
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Hope it works out for you, but I tried a solid top after using an open coil unit. Wouldn't get hot enough so I went back to an open coil. Maybe you chose a better one than I did.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Both of my $10 Walgreens Specials are in storage. If I need a burner I got the side burner on my grill or the turkey fryer base.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Maybe soldering would correct (if enough wires)

Mine is a cheapo but going on second year its doing fine. Knock wood!
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Maybe soldering would correct (if enough wires)

Mine is a cheapo but going on second year its doing fine. Knock wood!
If it was the right solder, maybe. A screw would be a more likely fix. It's all a lot of work for a $9.99 hot plate.
 

Farmerjim

Active Member
My little cheep hotplate will just melt lead. It does great to preheat my molds, and my ingots so that they don't cool the pot down too much.
 

farmboy

cookie man
Over the years I have had 3 or more coil hotplates but only lasted about 5 years each. Last one is a solid top...works great and has lasted about 7 or 8 years. But it did cost more than twice as much. I think it hasn't been used as much as I am not casting the volume I used to cast.
 

JonB

Halcyon member
I have an old coil type hot plate (judging by the color, it looks like it was made in the 1970s or 80s) that is dedicated to preheating molds, and the occasional heat-staining steel that I like to do. I bought it used at a thrift store a decade ago for 50¢. How are you guys wearing out your Hotplates?
Hotplate mold oven.jpg
 

farmboy

cookie man
I have moved 3 or 4 times in the last 15 years and each time my belongings were stored somewhat haphazardly. Just packaging them and shipping the boxed things all over the place did some damage just from how they were shipped and handled plus some of them were stored where not water-proof, heated, clean or rat-proof among other things. So they may were not worn out from use but neglect.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
My pot is a big stainless job. It holds about 30-40 bls of alloy. I've been using an open coil hot plate to cast with it for years, decades actually. I think this is my 3rd one. If the coils won't glow red, you got the wrong one.
 
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popper

Well-Known Member
Have the closed top cheapy I preheat mould and cook PC. Yup, contacts come apart and lug on coil gets corroded. Heavy use for 5 yrs so far. I'll just get another when it wears out permanently. Silver solder might work, normal will NOT. Contact too hot.
 
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Winelover

North Central Arkansas
During deer season it would get used everyday to heat up water and clean the barrel on my muzzle loader. I would shoot off the round in the gun every night so I could load fresh the next day.
:headscratch:I have kept muzzleloaders loaded for sometimes, more than a year, even in Michigan's humidity. As long as, starting off with a clean barrel. :eek: Never had a rust issue. Plus, I use the dreaded Pyrodex.

Have two hot plates, both open coils. One for each of the two places I may cast. Plus, an old Panini grill that CW recommended, on this forum. In the early days (pre internet) of my casting career, I just preheated the molds with a propane torch............which is always at my outdoor makeshift bench. Key word is judicious use. YMMV
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
my hot plate is mostly used to bond cores and jackets.
i don't know how long it'll last doing that, if it dies it dies, i'll just get another one.
probably not too many out there that'll be worse, but it does the job and that's all i care about.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
This one is 1K watts so it should do ok. Supposed to be here tomorrow. Hopefully no one steals it as I have to make a road trip to go get some Swiss 2F powder and musket caps. Only about 50 miles away but momma wants to go so we will probably have to make some stops somewhere.