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How long to wait before knocking off the sprue?

1K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  suryevor 
#1 ·
How long should I wait before knocking off the sprue?

Some have said 4 to 5 seconds. This just sounds to soon!
 
#3 ·
When I was casting my own,years ago,I always used two or three molds at the same time..Fill them all and then pick up the first and knock the sprue and empty and then fill and set down and do same to the next and just keep going.. In this manner it is hard to over heat the molds or knock the sprue too soon..
Didn't have no fancy electric pot back then,used a gas burner and a cast iron pot and a dipper to pour with.. Must have made a million bullets that way,still got a few rifle bullets left after quitting over twenty five years ago..Reason for quitting is a whole nuther story.. Still shooting though..
 
#4 ·
As soon as the sprue turns frosty. That's what I do.

I dip and pour with a ladle into a two bullet Lee mold, and as soon as the sprue turns frosty, I knock it off and right back into the lead pot. Of course Lee molds are aluminum, and they don't over heat like cast iron or steel molds.
 
#5 ·
I usually wait about 8-10 seconds, then knock off the sprue and drop 'em on a folded towel.

But.....don't worry about it much. Any bad bullets just go back into the pot, so there's no waste. Pretty soon, you'll settle into your own "groove" where everything works "just right".
 
G
#6 ·
I always quenched the (filled) mold

in hot water, but then I used Hensley and Gibbs gang molds. Casting is a PITA, so I always went at it as fast as possible, with a propane fired plumber's furnace, and a 100 lb pot of molten lead. I'd do it for 8 hours, have 6-8k bullets when done.
 
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