casting question
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carrottop
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2003 3:00 pm
casting question
For those who have cast bullets longer than I . Which probably includes everyone. I have an electric hot plate with an on /off switch. Is it possible to pre heat an expensive 540 gr mold on the hot plate without ruining the mold. I have a thermometer that attaches to a magnet, and I tried to determine how hot a mold (200gr double 45cal) would get . It registered a little over 300 degrees. but turned the mold a gun metal blue , so I removed it. I would hate to warp my good mold over heating it. Can someone advise.
SHILOH1
Don't no where were going ,but there ain't no use in being late.
Don't no where were going ,but there ain't no use in being late.
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Clarence
- Posts: 2173
- Joined: Tue Dec 24, 2002 7:38 pm
- Location: Hill Country, TX
Carrottop,
Using a mould will cause it to blue, so you don't need to be concerned on that account.
I haven't used a hot plate, so will be interested in responses. I know that a lot of people use them, and are interested if they use ones without thermostats, like yours is apparently, and how they adjust them.
I have cast for a number of years with a home-built gas-fired furnace, and warmed my moulds (yes, custom moulds) in the hot gas exiting the furnace without ever experiencing warpage. I've recently switched to a Waage electric pot, and put the mould on the top of the pot, covered with aluminum foil, while the pot heats, and still need to cast 15-20 bullets to get it up to speed.
I remember reading an article by Lee Shaver some years ago where he attached a thermocouple to his mould and cast at a constant mould temperature. I believe he was talking about temperatures in the upper 500's. Many of us cast with our moulds hot enough that it takes a sprue 10 seconds or more to freeze, and the freezing point of lead/tin alloys is around 620 degrees.
Clarence
Using a mould will cause it to blue, so you don't need to be concerned on that account.
I haven't used a hot plate, so will be interested in responses. I know that a lot of people use them, and are interested if they use ones without thermostats, like yours is apparently, and how they adjust them.
I have cast for a number of years with a home-built gas-fired furnace, and warmed my moulds (yes, custom moulds) in the hot gas exiting the furnace without ever experiencing warpage. I've recently switched to a Waage electric pot, and put the mould on the top of the pot, covered with aluminum foil, while the pot heats, and still need to cast 15-20 bullets to get it up to speed.
I remember reading an article by Lee Shaver some years ago where he attached a thermocouple to his mould and cast at a constant mould temperature. I believe he was talking about temperatures in the upper 500's. Many of us cast with our moulds hot enough that it takes a sprue 10 seconds or more to freeze, and the freezing point of lead/tin alloys is around 620 degrees.
Clarence
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Lee Stone
- Posts: 2817
- Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 2:27 pm
- Location: Lacombe, Louisiana, USA
- Contact:
You might be interested in this high temperature infrared thermometer with the laser pointer. I recently got one and find it extremely useful for determining the surface temperatuy of my melt and also the surface temperature of my mould. The laser pointer lets you pick just where the instrument is reading the temperature.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product. ... Cookie=Yes
By using it in concert and comparison with my two emersion thermometers I can now know what the interior temperature of my melt is simply by a quick reading of the surface temperature.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product. ... Cookie=Yes
By using it in concert and comparison with my two emersion thermometers I can now know what the interior temperature of my melt is simply by a quick reading of the surface temperature.
Lee Stone
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PowderFlask2
- Posts: 285
- Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:18 pm
- Location: Central Illinois