Lee pots

[coloradoclyde]

I use an old cast iron dutch oven for smelting old lead and revovering range diggings. Once clean and fluxed, it gets dipped into 1# Lee and Lyman molds. There it sits until I cast bullets or sinkers. I use a 10# Lee bottom dumper for that. Since I usually cast at a steady rate, every time I see the level drop a bit, I add another 1# ingot. The Lee pot almost instantly melts it. I do not pause or slow down on my rate of casting. It is in all aspects, a bottomless pot. I have a 2 burner GE hot plate sitting on the table. It has flat burner tops with a smooth surface, I sit my molds on the burners when I set up to cast, and the molds reach the perfect temp by the time the pot is ready. It is rare that I have rejects on first cast. As I cut sprues and drop the casts, I use a pair of needlenose to pick up the sprue and drop back in the pot before filling the next cast. Once you work out a tempo, this can be kept up as long as you want to keep casting. At least for me, casting is very enjoyable and relaxing. It quiets the mind.

Wow Griz....Except for the hot plate part I could have wrote your exact post myself, word for word..... :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[azmntman]

Clyde needs a hot plate :haha:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Clyde needs a hot plate :haha:

Thanks for the concern....But, I've got one somewhere.....Just don't need it... Most of my molds are single cavity and heat up quickly.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Thanks for the concern....But, I've got one somewhere.....Just don't need it... Most of my molds are single cavity and heat up quickly.

I usually cast several different projectiles at each siting. A couple of them are 6 holers and take a long time to warm up. This way I can keep all of the molds I will use hot and ready to cast. For hollow point and/or hollow base a hot plate is a great thing. Those molds are really finicky.