Hotplate suitable for heating the mould?

Would probabally work good enough to pre heat moulds but not smelt lead. They didnt list how many watts the plate would produce. This is where the heat comes in. You need 1100 watts minimum and then can only handle small amounts at that. I have 2 1100 watt units and only one will melt lead and in a small shallow cast skillet. Great for heating moulds though. set a pot on them and stand the moulds on their nose , they get hot, no lead on the mould blocks, no burnt handles from trying to rest them on the edge of the smelter and the best bonus is using a hot plate you almost never get any rejects when you first start casting with a well pre heated mould and can be heating a second mould while casting with the first . Get it at that price unless you can find a better one.
 
Perfect , you`ll have to find the sweet spot ! Just don`t turn it wide open & leave ya mold on it , also if ya got aluminum molds I use a metal plate of sorts , I just don`t like laying aluminum molds directly on the element !

Also if ya preheat ingots on it use smething big enuff to catch it if it melts , some use an old frying pan.:cool:
 
I always thought the pot was a multi-tasker, melting lead and heating molds. Anyway, I'd have to find a flat spot on my bench and that gets tougher every day.
 
salvadore

The plate allows the first cast be good & I built another bench , easier than cleanin up & not being able to find nuttin:o:D
 
You have another bench that has flat spaces? I have two benches that I clean up everytime I go downstairs...start puttin things up, decide I need to size, load, or cast before I get too far along and end with a bigger mess. Anyway, I rest my molds in the metal supported by my dipper and let em heat up, sometimes it gets a little too hot, especially the aluminum ones, but if I pay attention I can start casting good bullets right away. I may get a chance to shoot a little bit, it's gotten all the way up to +4 this morning, 24 degrees warmer than a couple of mornings ago. Hope the banana trees dont start bloomin.
 
I have never understood the reason for needing a hot plate. I just set the mold on the side of the pot and in a 1/2 hour when the lead is melted, the mold is up to temp too.
I will admit that once in a while I have to hit the mold quick with the torch to boost it up a little more, but who cares. At the cost of electricity around here, I'm even thinking of getting a pot for the Coleman stove instead of using the electric pot.
 
I think I am going to try it, thanks for all the comments. It should help with casting in the cold garage during this winter.

Joe
 
Quantrill- just curious what is the wattage on that one? Kind of immaterial since I am just using it to preheat the mold.

Joe
 
Joe,
I had to dig out the hot plate. Here is what it says, "Table Stove, 1100watts, model SBS110." It does not have the brand name on it. My wife says we got it at Walmart. It is made in China. I use it to heat iron, alum. and brass molds from SC to 6C. It has a variable control. Hope this helps. Bill
 
Perfect thanks Bill. Only our Walmart no longer has the single burner ones just a huge double burner that will take up too much room! guess i will get the one at HF.

Joe
 
Hard to understand what the application of the hot plate would be. :confused:
Heating the mould is the least difficult part of casting. Just set on top of pot, or lay in the lead, it will float. Or as I often do, just start casting. You will get rejects but the mould heats quickly.
 
Takes a lot of rejects to get my BPCR molds up to match grade bullet temperature. A little while on a hotplate or stove eye while the lead melts is a labor saver.

There was once a discussion of using a steel junction box on a hotplate to make a little oven to uniformly preheat bullet moulds. I think on the Shiloh board.
 
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