OMG I saw the light and it was a hot plate

[bruce381]

I have always dipped molds in the melt but have had trouble with 1 Lee 6 cav.
My Iron molds and 2 cavs work fine the 6 not so much lot of wrinkles.

So got my $16 hot plate today and WOW got mold to about 400F per laser temp thing.

Drops real nice just at the frost point real nice fill makes this Lee fun now.

Bruce

 

[STIHL]

Definitely a difference, get them to 400 ish and they will throw good boolits on damn near the first poor. If not the first pour.

 

[Mitty38]

Do not have a thermometer, but the toaster oven has a thermostat so thinking of trying that.

I usually just lay the mould on top the pot then cast till they fall good and keep on casting.
But I only have cast on 2 cavity 30 caliber and up.

I am thinking that I just might be having problems with the 3 cavity .224 mould. )(More Mass)
Guess I will find out in the morning.

 

[fiver]

if you start with the first 1 or 2 cavities and add one in as the front two/three/four start looking good it doesn't take long to level out the whole mold.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Its getting briter in here for sure!

 

[dale2242]

Using a hot plate to preheat molds was one of the greatest advancements in casting I made.

 

[quicksylver]

above

 

[JonB]

Using a hot plate to preheat molds was one of the greatest advancements in casting I made.

Yep, same for me.

 

[RBHarter]

Brace for blue thunder .......
4 cav 25 cal moulds are a P I T A to keep hot and running there's just not enough heat exchange per pour to do it .
I had a 5 c 225-37 4-5 pours an back to the hot plate even when rested on the pot during pours .
I get 12-15 up to 20 with the 225-55@62 gr 5C on warm days resting on the pot during pours a few more if I manipulate pours , touch corners , etc before it goes back to the plate .
YMMV as always .

 

[CZ93X62]

I haven't brought on board a hot plate (yet). Most of my moulds are 1- and 2-cavity designs that come up to temp pretty readily. Heat is DEFINITELY your ally in this game, so a hot plate can be a real asset in some situations with some mould blocks--as RBHarter states.

 

[dale2242]

I use the hot plate for ALL my molds from single cavity to 6 cavity.
I like getting good bullets on the first pour.

 

[Jeff H]

I have always dipped molds in the melt but have had trouble with 1 Lee 6 cav.
My Iron molds and 2 cavs work fine the 6 not so much lot of wrinkles................................

Bruce

You know, it's funny..... I never made that connection. I never thought about a hot plate before I started using Lee 6C moulds. There was a learning curve with them - getting them up to temp, but the hot plate does away with some dinking around. I was never able to get a LEE 6C up to temp all the way up to the last cavity by "dipping" it. I could cast five good and one not so good for a while before I got that 6th cavity up to temp by casting.

Now, I just set all of them on the hot plate, 2Cs, 4Cs and 6Cs.

 

[Jeff H]

Brace for blue thunder .......
4 cav 25 cal moulds are a P I T A to keep hot and running there's just not enough heat exchange per pour to do it ......................................................

I suppose if you had a big enough pot, you could submerge the whole mould under the molten alloy until the bubbles stopped coming up....


Sorry, RB! I KNOW you're not a dummy. That image just spontaneously propagated in my head and I couldn't hold it in there.

 

[popper]

Had a 30/30 6x RD Micheal mould that worked OK but I got a hot plate right away. Only do 2x rifle and 4x pistol moulds now.

 

[RBHarter]

It's a 257412 , 4c . I like the bullet , dislike the mould , like that it makes a bunch when I can keep it running .

 

[Mitty38]

X

 

[trapper9260]

Years ago i learn about the hot plate and never look back , use it for all casting no matter how many is in the mold . You find that it makes it easier and fun to do

 

[Walks]

Having a Hot Plate on the bench is a lot better then warming molds on the kitchen stove, and running back out through the house with a hot mold in each hand.
Especially when some one closes the patio door before you get back outside with the molds.

 

[Jeff H]

It's a 257412 , 4c . I like the bullet , dislike the mould , like that it makes a bunch when I can keep it running .

Oh, I have a few "possessed" moulds myself. They mock me until they get bored, cast a nice pile and go back into their evil sleep.

 

[Wolfman]

This is the setup I use. The hot plate is a lab grade that I bought for twenty bucks at a junk shop. I put the thermocouple in one of the cavities and like most everybody else when it hits 400F I start casting. I agree,hot plates are great!