bottom pour or dip

[Tom Black]

Not trying to derail this topic, but when I try and cast balls using my Larry Callahan .585 mold I get a hole in the ball where the metal runs in.  Don't have this problem with my smaller molds made by Larry or with modern made molds.  What am I doing wrong?  I've been casting bullets/RB for 42 years and never had this problem.  Thanks.
Tom Black

[Pete G.]

Not trying to derail this topic, but when I try and cast balls using my Larry Callahan .585 mold I get a hole in the ball where the metal runs in.  Don't have this problem with my smaller molds made by Larry or with modern made molds.  What am I doing wrong?  I've been casting bullets/RB for 42 years and never had this problem.  Thanks.
Tom Black

Pour more metal onto the sprue. The contraction when the ball cools is causing the voids.

[Tom Black]

Pete,
Thank you sir.  I'll have to give that a try.

Tom Black

[DaveP (UK)]

Far longer life and less problems with a dipper pot.

Better product too.

I've noticed the problems with bottom pour and have a good mind to convert it for that reason alone.
I don't understand why the this might improve the results. Could you explain a little?

[yip]

 the thing I can't understand is, with a bottom pour pot, impurities should float to the top, keeping the pour clear. only letting the pot go low would contaminate the spout. just my thinking...........yip

[Don Getz]

When I was still shooting those chunk gun matches, we always used a pot and a ladle.  I would hold the mould on a slight
angle and pour a whole ladle full of lead right into the hole, the excess would run off of the mould.  By doing it this way we
would get more uniform balls.  I would than weigh the balls and would keep the ones that were within a few tenth's.  I also
did the same pour method while using  a double cavity mould.  When weighed, each hole would throw a slightly different ball.
..........Don

[dagner]

  yip- you get a slag chip that will go to bottom.you would think the darn thing would melt but  it don't.fluxing and skimming will not remove them it don't happen often but when you clean a leaking bottom pour out their it is.more I think about it it probably a steel or little piece of iron that forms the slag chip.

[Hungry Horse]

 I've have owned two bottom pour pots, and currently use one of them. I dip out of it though, because it, like its predecessor, is an accident waiting to happen. I rarely have had a casting session that didn't end well before I reach my goal, because the pot either plugs up, or decided to spew hot lead all over the shop. I also pour .58 cal. minis, and 12 ga. balls, that tend to come out wrinkled when poured from my bottom pour pot, due to the small size of the hole in the bottom of the pot. A big dipper is much better.

                Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

I used to bottom pour for all of them, but when the periodic leaking finally got me totally frustrated, along with having too many "out of weight" limitations, I went to dipping. Now, almost EVERY one of my casts (unless I short-pour), bullets or balls are within my 1/2gr. parameters - been doing this for a long time.
Dipping does give a superior end product.

[yip]

well, looks like dipping is the way to go. now I'm looking for a large dipping pot.

[Dphariss]

Far longer life and less problems with a dipper pot.

Better product too.

I've noticed the problems with bottom pour and have a good mind to convert it for that reason alone.
I don't understand why the this might improve the results. Could you explain a little?

Its far more uniform to pour bullets with a ladle the "head pressure" is the same. I would not carry a free bottom pour home if I had to use it. If I could sell it to someone yes. Use? Nope.
But to get uniform results the caster has to develop a system the produces good bullets then use it. I never add metal other than the sprues to the pot. I try to cast the whole pot full in one setting, if I need that many. If I have to walk away for more than a very few minutes  I break the batch of bullets into before and after the break batches for weighing.

Dan

[Dphariss]

Not trying to derail this topic, but when I try and cast balls using my Larry Callahan .585 mold I get a hole in the ball where the metal runs in.  Don't have this problem with my smaller molds made by Larry or with modern made molds.  What am I doing wrong?  I've been casting bullets/RB for 42 years and never had this problem.  Thanks.
Tom Black

Bag moulds are bag moulds.
I have not used one since I was a kid. Several reasons I will not enumerate here.
You need enough molten metal at the sprue that the shrinkage taking place can pull this metal into the void.
Bag moulds usually don't have a good provision for this. Bigger the ball the more metal is needed. This is why I make SURE I have a large puddle on top of the sprue plate and that is stays liquid for a few seconds after I remove the ladle.

Dan

[sloe bear]

i too like to dip tried the bottom drain as much , doesn't seem to make much difference in the speed or quality of the process,like most of you all said it's still a messy process, keep pouring