1st attempt

[triggertreat]

You will probably need something else to calibrate that NOE thermometer.  On the I have, the dial spins very easily and got out of calibration before I could even use it.  I finally got it calibrated using a PID controller, then put a lot of superglue on the back of the spinning dial piece to lock it down.  I would not recommend that thermometer.

Thanks for the heads up triggertreat. Curious did you try returning it or notify NOE of the problem?

No, I built a DIY PID controller instead, which I use to control the pot temp automatically and to calibrate the NOE thermometer before gluing the two parts in place so it doesn't turn with the slightest touch.

[miksatx]

So my bottom pour stopped pouring. I figured I'd clean it up and see if I could get it working. Ended up making it worse it seems. Had it all back together melted bout 4 lbs was flowing great. Pulled the plug figured I'd get a fresh start in the morning. Next morning disaster awaited me 4 lbs lead every where but in the pot.
Now I can't get it to stop leaking. Did buy a cast vintage cast iron melting pots I can at least catch the leaking lead. So I'm open to any suggestions.
Oh nice setup triggertreat!
It's latest creation!

[miksatx]

Fixed! So when I got this unit the pin that fits in the bottom was bent. Figured it was supposed to be. So I pulled it stuck it in a vice and straighten it out. Chucked it up in the lathe polished it. Put it back together no leaks.

[KnifeMaker]

Mike, there is good reason why they are called the Drip-o-matic. They are famous for it.


I turned mine on ione morning, went to walk the dog while it came to heat. I returned to find my work bench covered with 20 lbs of lead. Double GRRRRR!!!


I ordered the RCBS Pro Melt the same week. Never any issues again. Nearly two years later, no issue of any kind. Steadier heat, easier to use.


Sadly, RCBS no longer carries their well loved unit. The new on is no longer made by them, but a much more cheaply made Chinese made unit. It does have a built in pid, but poor quality over all compared to the Original Pro Melt.


Mike/Knife

[BackStop]

Mike, there is good reason why they are called the Drip-o-matic. They are famous for it.


I turned mine on ione morning, went to walk the dog while it came to heat. I returned to find my work bench covered with 20 lbs of lead. Double GRRRRR!!!


I ordered the RCBS Pro Melt the same week. Never any issues again. Nearly two years later, no issue of any kind. Steadier heat, easier to use.


Sadly, RCBS no longer carries their well loved unit. The new on is no longer made by them, but a much more cheaply made Chinese made unit. It does have a built in pid, but poor quality over all compared to the Original Pro Melt.


Mike/Knife

Never had that much of a drip, but I never leave my Lee hot (10 pound model, used and not in good shape) pot alone when on.

However, the "drip-o-matic" moniker is absolutely correct.  I have only poured fishing jigs (1/16 oz mostly) and no matter how you take care of one, it WILL leak.

[triggertreat]

Fixed! So when I got this unit the pin that fits in the bottom was bent. Figured it was supposed to be. So I pulled it stuck it in a vice and straighten it out. Chucked it up in the lathe polished it. Put it back together no leaks.

Cool!  I was wondering why you were having so much drip.  My 20lb doesn't drip very much at all, and is typically only right when the pot temp is right at the beginning of the lead melting point.  I may get a thimble sized drip amount, but then I wiggle the rod and it stops right away.  Glad you got it figured out.

[miksatx]

Tried casting today total fail out of 200 pellets 2 were fully formed. My guess I'm not getting my mould hot enough. Not getting the pellet skirt formed. Lead was 800 degrees.

[Hobbyman2007]

Tried casting today total fail out of 200 pellets 2 were fully formed. My guess I'm not getting my mould hot enough. Not getting the pellet skirt formed. Lead was 800 degrees.

Do you know how much tin you have in the mix or are you using 100% lead ?  You’re probably right with the mold temp not being hot enough . My first couple thousand cast were not that great but found that adding a bit of tin really helped with fill out as I leaned about timing and got into the grove . I’d say about 3% would be about max . Keep at it , it will eventually all come together . You might want to try Wayne’s pressure poor method . He’s getting awesome results .

[miksatx]

Do you know how much tin you have in the mix or are you using 100% lead ?  You’re probably right with the mold temp not being hot enough . My first couple thousand cast were not that great but found that adding a bit of tin really helped with fill out as I leaned about timing and got into the grove . I’d say about 3% would be about max . Keep at it , it will eventually all come together . You might want to try Wayne’s pressure poor method . He’s getting awesome results .

All the lead I'm using is recycled pellets I've picked up out back. So no idea how much tin maybe in them.

[miksatx]

Modified the spout on my bottom pour. Getting about 50 good to 50 bad pellets per run. Getting my mould hotter so that seem to have helped.

[triggertreat]

Michael, Are you dumping the slugs into the water to cool them off and make them harder?  I wouldn't have any water next to my pot.  That's asking for trouble if any splashes in the hot pot.

[miksatx]

Michael, Are you dumping the slugs into the water to cool them off and make them harder?  I wouldn't have any water next to my pot.  That's asking for trouble if any splashes in the hot pot.

I do drop them in water but the water is sitting on the floor when casting. It just sitting on the bench when I'm not working so I don't kick it walking by. I'm very aware of the reaction of water in molten lead believe me!

[triggertreat]

Michael, Are you dumping the slugs into the water to cool them off and make them harder?  I wouldn't have any water next to my pot.  That's asking for trouble if any splashes in the hot pot.

I do drop them in water but the water is sitting on the floor when casting. It just sitting on the bench when I'm not working so I don't kick it walking by. I'm very aware of the reaction of water in molten lead believe me!

I hear you!  My brother was telling me recently how he had an explosion of sorts when just his sweat dropped in the pot (at least he thinks that's what happened).  He said the molten lead went all the way up to the ceiling.


I do try to be very careful myself.  I learned to even place my dipper on top for a spell before dipping.  I've got a reaction not doing that in the past.  The hot lead no like no water at all.

[Kinetic45^]

Lots of centerfire powder burner bullet casters drop their cast bullets into water TO HARDEN THEM. (And it limits damage from bullets striking and denting each other) I don't know of ANYBODY safety conscious doing water drop that has the water close to the pot. Usually it's a pot or bucket a good body swing away (45 degrees) or on the floor besides your legs so no splash ever reaches the molten lead. And lots of people use a slit towel over the top of the bucket so the bullet hits the cone of cloth and rolls down into the slit. Any splash hits the underside of the towel.

But generally we air gunners do not want hard bullets because they are harder to chamber but mostly because most shooters find harder bullets are less accurate.
So water drop / quench is NOT usually a good idea.
Put 4 or 5 layers of old towel down and drop atop that, not on top of other bullets.  Or a cake pan with an inch of sand with a towel on the surface cushions the dropping bullets and keeps them clean where they can cool off slowly. I use a 10x16 square cake pan and every so often lift one side of the towel to roll the cast bullets to a pile at the other end.

Note that pellets are not always pure lead, some brands can have hardening agents, I have found melting down reclaimed pellets and testing the resulting ingots and them hitting Brinell hardness of 12 or 13.  Why would it work for pellets being hard? Because pelets interact very different than slugs do in the bore. It's apples and oranges. Don't assume all pellets are pure lead.

Secrets to good casting
1. Clean OIL FREE molds (key to getting good fill out)
2. Clean / fluxed alloy
3. Temperature appropriate to the type of mold material, style of bullet, volume of cavities... any one of these and/or a combination can change the best temp up or down. (another key to good fill out)
4. Pour technique through the spru plate into the cavity which keeps mold temp in proper range for getting good fill out and reduce internal void bubbles
5. Head pressure and shrinkage reservoir puddle of lead on top of the spru plate to push more lead into the cavity and continue to feed the core as the bullet solidifies from the outside in.

NOTE: Yes, tin helps fill out but above 750 F that property rapidly starts decreasing. And at higher temps above 750 the tin oxidizes much faster, reducing the percent. Countering that is that higher temps make more fluid alloy so it balances the loss of tin's properties.
If you are going to use an open pot and dipper you must flux the tin back in frequently.  With a bottom pour pot you can clean/flux and then cap the melt to protect it from oxigen by using something like borax or sawdust.
Further, lots of tin oxide mixes in with the molten lead and can adversely affect fill out.

[Wayne52]

I never have used water for muzzle loaders or pellets myself, I have my pellets drop in a soft pair of shoehorns that came with my last pair of tennis shoes, no dents to speak of and very soft like I want them.

                                                 

[miksatx]

Not trying to make them harder. this morning run 86 good 52 failed my inspection.

[Airgunhunter73]

I use a cake pan with a dish towel in it I then spray the towel with a water bottle with a slit in the top to dampen the towel works great for me, a friend of mine used to use a paint roller pan with a piece of carpet for a liner he used that for ever.

[miksatx]

This mornings run.

[KnifeMaker]

I use a magnetic 4x9" Snap 0n tool tray in front of the pots tray and dump the bullets in it, with a chefs 3 tall tray with the RCBS Pot in it, and all sprues go in it. 


the lead cannot harden when dropping into water unless it has antimony, or a few other types of alloy in it. Pure Lead with no tin or with tin is unaffected.


Lead with Antimony also can age harden.


Yes, tin added, no more than 20-1 can greatly increase the fill out an give much cleaner bullets. Staves off oxidation on the pellet/bullets as well.


A drop of sweat cannot cause a melt to explode, unless it is some how introduced under the surface where it will be converted to steam. Which will expand to over 1000 percent (seems much more, can't remember the number), of its volume instantly, hence the explosion.


Water is much less dense than lead. It will not simply drop under the surface on its own. Most explosions are caused by either moisture being present in pores in the lead being introduced. or a dipper that has surface moisture on it. Simply being a humid day is enough. Alway allow anything being introduced into the pot to come to heat before putting it into the pot. Having borax or some types of flux on the stir spoon  in notorious for causing issues. As the Borax attracts and holds moisture.


Sweat dripping into a pot, unless stirred under or dripping into the pot whole introducing new lead, cannot slip under the surface. It will only instantly vapor off the surface.


tp prove this to yourself, back well off of the pot, and use a simple spray bottle and squirt a small amount on the melt. Watch what "Doesn't" happen. there will be a slight cloud of steam come off the lead. That is all.


always wear proper eye protection and gloves, Aporn while smelting and casting.
Enjoy!!!

Happy July 4th people. Almost 4 AM so heading out to cast. Best time as Central texas is way too hot during the day for casting. LOL

Knife


   

[miksatx]

Yesterday after I got done casting that last batch was recycled pellets had 290 failed 260 good. I poured off what recycled lead. Melted 4 lbs from rotometals pure lead. Bout a hr ago I run a batch of 160 and got 133 good and 27 failed. No doubt pure much better casting then the recycled pellets. Feels great!