Author Topic: Pressure Bottom Pouring with a Lee Pot (Read 7383 times))

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #20 on:** January 30, 2019, 08:00:25 AM »

Quote from: Wayne52 on January 30, 2019, 02:47:15 AM

Dang Bob that's better restults than I've been getting, maybe a bottom pour pot will be in the future for me

Wayne, I think you would really enjoy a bottom pour. One of the biggest advantages is much less dros on and in your lead, as you're not introducing oxygen into the melt every time you dip your leadle into it. Really keeps the pots melt clean!

Lani52 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2019, 08:54:13 AM »

I am a ladle caster, and I refuse to shoot wrinkled bullets...which is why I seldom buy commercial bullets and prefer to pour ny own.

That said, I started using 40-1 years ago on the big black powder cartridge bullets, transitioned to airguns and although I tried pure lead, I did not like the results. 40-1 just worked better and you who know me know my results.

Now I have a NOE mold for 22 pellets coming, am I going to have to use pure lead?

40-1 without antimony does not harden much, but will it work? Please no guesses, no I think so answers, you folks that tried to use 40-1, what were your results on those pellet skirts and did they expand to fill the bore?

Roachcreek

Sbak · « **Reply #22 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:40:44 AM »

Quote from: Lani52 on January 30, 2019, 08:54:13 AM

I am a ladle caster, and I refuse to shoot wrinkled bullets...which is why I seldom buy commercial bullets and prefer to pour ny own.

That said, I started using 40-1 years ago on the big black powder cartridge bullets, transitioned to airguns and although I tried pure lead, I did not like the results. 40-1 just worked better and you who know me know my results.

Now I have a NOE mold for 22 pellets coming, am I going to have to use pure lead?

40-1 without antimony does not harden much, but will it work? Please no guesses, no I think so answers, you folks that tried to use 40-1, what were your results on those pellet skirts and did they expand to fill the bore?

I've been casting NOE 25s. I've used pure lead, 40:1 and a pure lead/40:1 50/50 blend. All of which expanded just fine. I was hoping to use pure lead, but my problem with the pure lead was the pellets were dropping with undersize head diameters. They still shot ok through a choked barrel. The 50/50 blend ended up being a good compromise of the two. Just fyi, if you are ladle casting as I do you will find the pellets are not that difficult to cast, even with pure lead

Roachcreek

Lani52 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:58:48 AM »

Thanks for the reply.

I bought a bottom pour pot, took the linkage off, plugged the hole and ladle cast with it out of habit and the fact that I Brail cast now a days due to not being able to see the bottom spout, with the ladle I can walk it to the sproue plate holes.

Of course you can imagine the frustration I give my poor wife and kids about this.

Bob try 40-1 and a ladle, you can control the pressure and 40-1 just fills better.

Roachcreek

Wayne52 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2019, 01:42:11 PM »

I've had my ladle for 40+ years and still using it.

Lani52 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 30, 2019, 03:22:24 PM »

40 years? How many of those 40 years were you casting in salt water my friend

Holding the mold on it’s side to pour the first cavity is hard to do with a bottom pour pot also.

Roachcreek

T3PRanch · « **Reply #26 on:** January 30, 2019, 04:12:40 PM »

By modifying my pour technique with my Lee 20# pot I am down to about a 1% reject rate on the NOE .25 Heavy Hunter 38 grain.
This makes me very happy.

Lani52 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:13:38 PM »

That reject ratio would make any bullet caster happy.

My last Lee pot was mounted permentrly on my bench with the base reversed to pour directly into a Corbin core mold mounted permentry below it to make cores for a Corbin 22 o or set up for the grain .224 bullets.

Roachcreek

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #28 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:18:30 PM »

RC, the 40-1 and 20-1 work very well with the NOE pellets. Wouldn't use anything else.

Mike

Lani52 · « **Reply #29 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:22:08 PM »

Mike,

Good to read that, I had prepared myself by visiting Rotometals site this morning to buy pure lead, looks like I won’t have to now.

Roachcreek

Wayne52 · « **Reply #30 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:35:12 PM »

Lani I've never owned a bottom pour pot, got a Lee that's the same age as the ladle.

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #31 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:36:16 PM »

Mike,[/size]Good to read that, I had prepared myself by visiting Rotometals site this morning to buy pure lead, looks like I won’t have to now.Roachcreek

Whew! That was CLOSE!!!

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #32 on:** January 30, 2019, 06:40:18 PM »

Quote from: Lani52 on January 30, 2019, 06:22:08 PM

Mike,

Good to read that, I had prepared myself by visiting Rotometals site this morning to buy pure lead, looks like I won’t have to now.

Roachcreek

Whew! That was Close!

Lani52 · « **Reply #33 on:** January 30, 2019, 08:55:38 PM »

Wayne,

And the great thing about that Lee, is the only thing that wear out is the element, which is readily available.

When I had my mountain place it was so far out that I had to make my own electricity. I called my first bull elk I shot with a cast bulletis my solar elk. I was still bottom pouring at that time, but the owner of Buffalo Arms in Idaho, Dave Gullo, got me ladle pouring and using a cast iron pot on a propane stove. I think Mike ended up with my last propane bullet casting setup.

Mike, I used to havre three different alloys I used on the vineyard, glad I can stick to just 40-1.

Roachcreek

Vee3 · « **Reply #34 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:04:11 PM »

Quote from: Wayne52 on January 30, 2019, 06:35:12 PM

Lani I've never owned a bottom pour pot, got a Lee that's the same age as the ladle.

So.... I guess no app available to control that one from your phone?

rsterne · « **Reply #35 on:** January 30, 2019, 10:13:57 PM »

I use 40:1 exclusively now for all my casting, bullets and pellets.... The skirt expands fine to fit the bore, and in bullets it is still soft enough to expand at airgun velocities....

The last run of pellets I did, I cast 280 pellets and only had TWO where the skirt wasn't filled out properly.... I think the pressure bottom pour is working just fine.... and I'm down to 760-780*F now, instead of over 900....

Bob

T3PRanch · « **Reply #36 on:** January 30, 2019, 11:35:30 PM »

I am doing a 20:1 pure lead to COWW. Makes some nice projectiles. Shiny, well filled and not too much increase in hardness.
Wayne that ladle looks like mine of similar vintage but my handle is a bit toasty nearest the business end from not being careful enough around open flames years ago on a Coleman stove.

Wayne52 · « **Reply #37 on:** January 31, 2019, 01:29:04 AM »

I sent a fellow member some pellets for testing and they were all 4BHN which indeed tells me what Rotometals says about their product is true. It's going to be a long time before I use up that pig ingot I ordered back in June last year, I've still got quite a bit left (probably 10lbs) of the first half I started with and the enitire second half to use up yet. It weighed 58lbs when I got it. I started out hacking chunks of it off with a hammer and axe head but a hatchet head works much better and that's what I've been using.

when this supply gets low I'll try some of the small ingots with 1% tin in them to see how they do.

KnifeMaker · « **Reply #38 on:** January 31, 2019, 05:52:07 PM »

Wayne, when I ordered some that way, I used an old wood chisel and a 5 lb hand sledge. GRRRRR!!!!

Lani52 · « **Reply #39 on:** January 31, 2019, 05:57:52 PM »

Bob,

When you got your mold, and washed it in hot soapy water, did you remove the pins?

If you did not, maybe oil was trapped between the block and the pin, and is offgassing up between the block and pin and preventing lead from flowing into the skirts.

Roachcreek

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Pressure Bottom Pouring with a Lee Pot

Author Topic: Pressure Bottom Pouring with a Lee Pot (Read 7383 times))