Pouring a pewter nose cap

[Tim Crosby]

 Great tutorial Ken, I wish I had a cap that needed pouring, I like pouring stuff, lead or pewter. Started when I was a kid  with lead soldiers, progressed to sinkers, balls, knife bolsters, rifle caps and powder horn tips/inlays. Even poured it down an ant hole once, make a pretty neat paper weight.     

Tim C.

[Tim Crosby]

   Dang ken, I got so wound up that I melted my latest auction buy, some kind of an award, had some engraving on it, big sucker, down into a nice sheet...now...what can I make with it?

Tim C.

[Birddog6]

Nice job Ken, well thought out & easy to follow instructions.    

I have no doubts I can spill it everywhere now....... ha ha ha !   In fact, I think I will just spill it right off the bat & just get that part out of the way  !

[t.caster]

Ken, I like your tutorial, but wonder...if you put thatcardboard around your barrel, why do you need to preheat the barrel at all? No cold metal to chill the pewter. I have just put a layer of masking tape along the barrel with good results instead of cardboard. I use a fairly small ladle with a nice small pouring lip for a pretty well controlled pour and very little or no spillage.

[Ken Guy]

Tom,
My thoughts are the warmer you can get everything the better your chances of getting a 100% flow / pour.  Anything that chills the pewter is the enemy. It's not bad in the summer but I pour in my garage and the temps are pretty cold on the mountain during the winter.  Dropping the bolt down the barrel not only heats the barrel but the paper, wood and I think the air inside the cavity.  All of it will be hot enough to make it uncomfortable to the touch except on the fartherest away part of the mold from the barrel.  So if the air temp is 30 or 40 degrees I have to be heating it up a good bit.  I even take a second torch and heat the lip of the melting pot to try and keep the pewter at flow temp a little longer.   
I've tried about anything that I think will help get that 100% flow.  Now I don't know what helps and what doesn't but I have a routine that I follow each time like the pencil lead and the bolt.  Now I'm scared to change.

[t.caster]

Ken, that's all true...points well taken!

[G. Elsenbeck]

Ken, great tutorial on this subject.  I'm sure the basic methods will work on just about project on the table.  I guess the truth is to keep yer flowin.  And nice use of graphite or pencil lead.  Will definitely keep going over this excercise again.  Thanks for your efforts!
Gary