Where to get a lead thermometer cheaper?

buttman

buttman

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Hey folks. I'm into casting lead now and something I'd like to add to the tool set is a lead thermometer. Currently I have only smelted small quantities and so temps aren't too critical, because once I have a full melt and have fluxed, I have it all poured and done not much long after. As I continue, though, I'd like to have a thermometer to make sure I don't overheat my melt when I'm casting boolits and such.

The brand name thermometers from RCBS/Lee/Lyman are pretty costly, and I know if I was south of the border I could get a generic item for almost half the price. I have to think there must be some places in Canada who would carry a thermometer capable of the temps I need, but I'm hard pressed to find it.

Anyone know of a place to source these in Canada and save a decent chunk over a retail brand thermometer?
 
have you looked into a PID system for your casting pot?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?34547-How-I-wired-a-PID-to-control-temperature

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?115724-Project-PID-on-Lee-Pro-4-20-furnace

i just built one and it can control the temperature of the lead to within 1-2F once it learns your pot.

i got it cheap off ebay, and it only reads in celsius which is a pain, but i only paid $50 for the PID, SSD, and temp probe.

here is my setup,

Temp Sesor touching the bottom of the pot next to the pour spout.
IMG_20130102_171936_zps536a03c7.jpg


Controller with temp sensor plug
IMG_20130102_171854_zps8dabf2d8.jpg


SSD heatsink and power in/out with an on/off switch.
IMG_20130102_171837_zps7053fabb.jpg



a bit more complex then a thermometer, but i think more useful for better casting sessions.
 
I don't know about Canada, but eBay has several sellers that are offering high temperature K-type probes for under $20. Couple it to the digital thermometer of your choice, and for $40 total you'll have a pretty accurate setup. The probe could also be used for a PID controller instead or in addition to the thermometer. Then you can set your pot for 630 degrees for example, and just walk away. There's also someone selling digital thermometers that include the k-probe (doesn't specify length) with starting bids of less than $10 and $5 shipping to Canada.

I have the old fashioned analog one given to me free by my neighbour. It's likely 100 years old, every rusty (it came with Linotype stuff), and I guess it's probably off by 30 degrees F at 600, which is fine because it lets me know the relative temperature when I'm melting WWs so that I don't melt any zinc accidentally before I can scoop it out.

I don't bother with a thermometer when casting. After a certain amount of experience you know the "feel" of the lead while pouring, how quickly oxidation dross appears (and whether it's white or coloured), and how it comes of the ladle (if you ladle), and how it fills the molds. Then you instinctively know where to adjust the heat setting to use even with the crappiest pot as the level of lead goes down.
 
The thermometer that NOE sells is the tel-tru and work geat! Well worth the money, plus Al over at noe also has the mould thermometer that is nice to monitor your mould block temp during casting sesions.
 
Princess Auto sells a cheapo multimeter that goes on sale for about $10 a couple times a year.

The one to look for has a temperature readout, and comes with a thermocouple.
The downside...It only reads out in degrees Celcius. Not a big deal.

You can buy a replacement probe, or you can run the wires down to the end of a section of stainless tube and crimp them in the end. Take that tube to your friend wth a weler, and have him run an arc across the end with a TIG welder, or otherwise flow out the end to seal it.

The way that thermocouples work, it does not matter where they are fused, as long as both wires are fused to the same end of the tubing. At least for this purpose.

Anyway, I have one that I did so mod. It works quite nicely!

And it's as cheap as cheap gets.

Cheers
Trev
 
I've heard that they wont read properly because the molten lead is almost a mirror surface.
I don't know, I have the thermometer I posted and use it when I cast boolit's.
 
I've got an IR temp gun thing from Crappy Tire. It really doesn't work well at all.

Half the problem with mine is that it doesn't read high enough but also the mirror effect from such a shiny surface prevents good readings. You can use it on the mold or other non-reflective surfaces on the pot but its really not been useful for casting.
 
I heard some talk of using the IR thermometers by floating a "copper " penny on the surfaceof the molten lead, if you try it just be sure that the penny you are using is old enough to be copper as the new ones are copper washed zink!
 
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