Best Pot for very high volume casting

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  • Last Post 20 July 2014
John Alexander posted this 15 April 2014

I just received a letter from CBA member Mike Little in California (who isn't on email) with a question for which I have nothing much to offer except to use two or more melting pots alternatively.

Mike casts pistol bullets for his club which shoots USPSA and he casts lots of what he calls hoseing bullets.  He uses 4 to 10 cavity molds and the pots (Lee, RCBS, or 40 Magma 220) can't keep up with him. He has 28 H&G molds and casts for many styles of bullets in four calibers so doesn't think the big casting machines are the answer and can't afford one.  Can the Magma pot be modified to heat faster?   He has two Stars for the lubing and sizing but the casting is his problem.

Any suggestions? John

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Ed Harris posted this 15 April 2014

Magma Engineering Auto Caster.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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horne458 posted this 15 April 2014

When looking to cast lots of bullets with multiple-cavity moulds, I use a homemade propane-fired bottom pour pot that holds approximately 100lbs of bullet metal. Nothing fancy, just sturdy and efficient.  It uses a Reil-type propane burner, which is very economical, but noisy.  After many years of shooting, I can't hear much anyway, so I really don't mind!   Go to a salvage yard, look for thick-walled steel pipe, and think outside the box.  And cultivate a welder friend. :)

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DaveInGA posted this 04 July 2014

Two things I would offer:

  1. A bigger, home made casting pot custom made to meet the demand.

  2. An alternative would be to use two or even three pots, each mounted on a rack above the others, so that one can open the pour spout and fill the bottom pot with fresh melted lead as that pot runs out. Then refill each of the higher mounted pots with ingots. Cast from the bottom pot as the upper pots melt the ingots in them. Toss the rejects and hot clippings back in the middle pot to speed it along.

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Bud Hyett posted this 04 July 2014

My uncle did this all winter to sell pistol bullets for extra income. He had several H&G eight cavity molds for .38 wadcutters and .45 semi-wadcutters, plus several Lyman four cavity .38 and .45 molds.

He originally welded up a thick wall pot and used gasoline blow torches for heat. He had skirting on the bottom to take the heat around the pot and three blow torches to keep the heat going as he cast. One blow torch was on the pot and two in reserve. When RCBS came out with their pot, he bought two and set up a casting bench. Both pots were side-by-side with a ramp underneath.  He cast from one pot while the other heated. He dropped the sprues into the pot that was heating and the bullets on a carpeted ramp that rolled the bullets into five gallon buckets with dry ice in them to cool the water. The bullets were wheel-weights, the old wheel-weight alloy, and were hard. He would stack ingots, used tongs to add ingots and sprues that missed the pot, and run three hours of casting, two hours of lubing (Star lubri-sizer) and then box them for sale. I wish I had a picture, that would be worth ten thousand words.  

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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fc60 posted this 08 July 2014

Greetings,

I use an older Magma Engineering pot. It holds 90 pounds of alloy and has a bottom pour feature. It was designed for hand casters with big moulds. It is the 220V model with three cartridge heaters in the base. 1000W each, if I recall correctly.

I am able to keep up with most eight and ten cavity moulds I have.

Cheers,

Dave

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Tech posted this 10 July 2014

I wrapped a band heater like this around a pipe with a plate welded on the bottom for an easy 80 lb bulk heater.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/INSULATION-PLUS-PPE-C-68976-5000-WATTS-480-VOLTS-9-5-ID-x-4-7-8-HEATER-BAND-/280915939172?pt=LHDefaultDomain0&hash=item4167e50f64

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Pigslayer posted this 10 July 2014

Wow! That's a pretty neat idea. A guy could make a pretty nice lead pot out of a piece of 6” well casing, a band heater & a PID. Just have to figure out how to make the bottom pour valve. Anyone have an idea on ho to makea bottom pour valve? Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Pigslayer posted this 10 July 2014

fc60 wrote: Greetings,

I use an older Magma Engineering pot. It holds 90 pounds of alloy and has a bottom pour feature. It was designed for hand casters with big moulds. It is the 220V model with three cartridge heaters in the base. 1000W each, if I recall correctly.

I am able to keep up with most eight and ten cavity moulds I have.

Cheers,

DaveDave,      Got any pictures of that bad boy?Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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mike0841 posted this 10 July 2014

Pigslayer wrote: Anyone have an idea on ho to makea bottom pour valve? Pat Pat - look at the bottom pour spout on your pot and I think you will figure it out.  You can probably make it a dual spout to pour two at a time.  The only problem with the heater is where you gonna get 480V.   Mike  

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bliksemdonder posted this 10 July 2014

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Pigslayer posted this 11 July 2014

mike0841 wrote: Pigslayer wrote: Anyone have an idea on ho to makea bottom pour valve? Pat Pat - look at the bottom pour spout on your pot and I think you will figure it out.  You can probably make it a dual spout to pour two at a time.  The only problem with the heater is where you gonna get 480V.   Mike  
McMaster-Carr has those heaters in 240V. I would only need maybe a 1200W Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Pigslayer posted this 11 July 2014

bliksemdonder wrote: I did mine like this. http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/>http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/ Now that is a lead pot!! Do you sell those spout assemblies? Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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bliksemdonder posted this 11 July 2014

Pigslayer wrote: bliksemdonder wrote: I did mine like this. http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/>http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies/cast-boolits/mother-of-all-melters/ Now that is a lead pot!! Do you sell those spout assemblies? Pat Pat, I will make one for you at no cost. Pay it forward is what I like and I see that you have done so with the PID you made for a member. PM me with address and length of stem you want. McMaster does sell band heaters but they are pricy. I get mine off ebay but the searching for pot diameter matching can be a pain. I prefer 240V bands as they are more common in the larger diameters and Wattage.

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Tech posted this 12 July 2014

The band heater is just a resistor guys 480 tells you what the safety factor on the insulation is as much as anything. You can always use less voltage just not more. Just divide the wattage by 4 for the new wattage on 240

Search for band heater on ebay and find one you like.

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dodgyrog posted this 14 July 2014

And I thought 20lbs in 1/2 hour in my pro-melt was impressive!!

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buckbrush posted this 18 July 2014

Tech wrote: The band heater is just a resistor guys 480 tells you what the safety factor on the insulation is as much as anything. You can always use less voltage just not more. Just divide the wattage by 4 for the new wattage on 240

Search for band heater on ebay and find one you like.

divide by 2 I think you meant to type?

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bliksemdonder posted this 19 July 2014

buckbrush wrote: Tech wrote: The band heater is just a resistor guys 480 tells you what the safety factor on the insulation is as much as anything. You can always use less voltage just not more. Just divide the wattage by 4 for the new wattage on 240

Search for band heater on ebay and find one you like.

divide by 2 I think you meant to type? No, divide by 4 is correct.

P = V2/ R

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buckbrush posted this 19 July 2014

bliksemdonder wrote: buckbrush wrote: Tech wrote: The band heater is just a resistor guys 480 tells you what the safety factor on the insulation is as much as anything. You can always use less voltage just not more. Just divide the wattage by 4 for the new wattage on 240

Search for band heater on ebay and find one you like.

divide by 2 I think you meant to type? No, divide by 4 is correct.

P = V2/ R I am using this formula, am I wrong? 

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bliksemdonder posted this 20 July 2014

buckbrush wrote: bliksemdonder wrote: buckbrush wrote: Tech wrote: The band heater is just a resistor guys 480 tells you what the safety factor on the insulation is as much as anything. You can always use less voltage just not more. Just divide the wattage by 4 for the new wattage on 240

Search for band heater on ebay and find one you like.

divide by 2 I think you meant to type? No, divide by 4 is correct.

P = V2/ R I am using this formula, am I wrong? 

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