Speak of the Devil... so to speak lol, your the guy I was reading about using salts.
Annealing in a Casting Pot?
- Thread starter jethunter
- Start date
Speak of the Devil... so to speak lol, your the guy I was reading about using salts.
I treated 120 - 9.3x57 brass made from 8x57 brass today. It took just under 40 minutes. For me it's simpler and faster than the flame method. Dip, count to 7, drop in the water bucket.
I've annealed with a butane torch for years and always thought it was a PIA. For me the casting pot is easier and temperature control is much more precise. It's obviously only going to be practical for those of us that have casting pots.
calgarycanada
CGN Regular
- Location
- Calgary, Canada
I was told that you can't melt lead within city limits, is it true? Is there bylaws or something prohibiting that?
That is pretty fast. It normally takes me ~30min to do 50 cases. I guess I'd have to buy a temperature probe for my pot to know what's going on though.
I generally only anneal cases in batches of 50 and only have to do it once or twice a month at most so a propane torch isn't too much of a bother. If I had to do a mountain of cases at once it could really help though.
Did a quick Google search and found a bylaw for Toronto. It says you can't carry or use a fire on sidewalks or streets unless you are a tradesperson and are doing it as part of your job (such as a tinsmith, plumber, etc.).
Even adding Calgary to the search and "-snow" (so snow melting doesn't come up) there isn't anything.
Who told you that? And why would you even ask?
Is it possible to ship this stuff? Would you be willing to send the proper mixture? Compensation for materials and your time obviously would need to be worked out.
juanvaldez
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, Ontario
any hydroponics store should carry it
calgarycanada
CGN Regular
- Location
- Calgary, Canada
I didn't specifically ask, older guy at Bass Pro shop was having fit against stupid gun laws and such, he said its against law to melt lead within city limits coz its hazardous. So far I don't cast so haven't even looked into it. This thread reminded me of that chat and so I asked.
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Gun counter talk tends to be more imagination than reality for most people.
They will carry the proper mixture used by BattleRife? I'm thinking he came up with his mixture as a result of some knowledge and experimentation that works well for him. I'd like to duplicate his exact set up.
BattleRife
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- of No Fixed Address
I am not using a mixture, I am using 100% potassium nitrate. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some sodium nitrate but at this point I haven't judged the benefit to be worth the effort.
The choice of salts came from a very credible source: A US Milspec that lays out salts for heat treating. This is MIL-S-10699 and it's and oldie, I speculate left over from the days when most guns and ammunition were made in government arsenals. The spec covers nine different salts, capable of temperature working ranges low enough to solution anneal aluminum right up to hot enough to austenize steel.
For the KNO3 based mixtures (Classes 1 and 2) the science is readily enough available, here is a diagram illustrating the solubility and melting point effect of sodium nitrate on potassium nitrate:
I have a couple kilograms of potassium nitrate, but I am not willing to part with any until I have figured out how to replace it. I bought mine at a grocery store pharmacy, but since then government legislation on "explosive precursors" has put a chill on the over-the-counter market for this stuff. It's worth noting though that Americans seem to buy it with ease, and you can easily find it on Amazon and Ebay.
BattleRife, are you using the stock thermostat on that Lee pot or has it been modified?
Very interesting and efficient method. I have one of those pots collecting dust since I got a bigger one...hmmmm....interesting indeed.
Thanks for any info.
The temperature control on the Lee pots is not a thermostat. To know what the temperature actually is you'd need to use a thermometer. Lyman sells them for $50.
Sure it is. It turns on when the pot cools, it turns off when the pot warms up - that's a thermostat.
A thermometer on the other hand, that it ain't.
??
A thermostat controls temperature within a usable band; When you set the thermostat in your house, you don't expect the temperature to range between freezing and 40C. If it did, you'd say there's something wrong with that thermostat.
Temperature in a LEE casting pot can swing hundreds of degrees F without touching the dial. These things attached to the Lee pots DO NOT control temperature in a usable range or practical sense, nor are they meant to. That's why you need the thermometer - so you know what the temperature actually is. But you wouldn't know that if you don't have a thermometer, LOL.
You LOOK at the thermometer. If the temperature is starting to get too high or low - you tweek the knob appropriately. In effect you become the thermostat and you will be making small adjustments every couple minutes if you expect to keep the pot within a 10F band, like you want to try and maintain when you are casting bullets. Ask me how I know this...
If you want your LEE pot to actually maintain a predetermined set temperature,m then you will have to install a digital temperature controller. It's not hard to do if you're interested.
Hope that's clear.
??
A thermostat controls temperature within a usable band; When you set the thermostat in your house, you don't expect the temperature to range between freezing and 40C. If it did, you'd say there's something wrong with that thermostat.
Temperature in a LEE casting pot can swing hundreds of degrees F without touching the dial. These things attached to the Lee pots DO NOT control temperature in a usable range or practical sense, nor are they meant to. That's why you need the thermometer - so you know what the temperature actually is. But you wouldn't know that if you don't have a thermometer, LOL.
You LOOK at the thermometer. If the temperature is starting to get too high or low - you tweek the knob appropriately. In effect you become the thermostat and you will be making small adjustments every couple minutes if you expect to keep the pot within a 10F band, like you want to try and maintain when you are casting bullets. Ask me how I know this...
If you want your LEE pot to actually maintain a predetermined set temperature,m then you will have to install a digital temperature controller. It's not hard to do if you're interested.
Hope that's clear.
Yeah.
But it's still a thermostat. A crappy one, but still a thermostat.
What would you call it?
I'll call it whatever you want man, I just want to know what BattleRife used on his.
