Ordered up several of the skiesunlimited molds in 00, 0, and 4 sizes for me and my dad. We had a heck of a time getting them hot enough to fill out both sides. It seems like whatever we do we can't get them hot enough to actually make nice shot on both sides. Seems that once it gets hot enough, you can't drop all 20 before it cools enough to make "drips" instead of round shot!
We have been using dad's old Lee infinite heat setting bottom-pour pot. We have to max it out to keep it pouring well. Given the current temps I'm starting to think that pouring buckshot is going to be a summer-only hobby
Our last attempt before we gave up was to set the mold on top of the pot with the pot temp set to near-max. After about 20-30 minutes the mold was hot enough that the wood handles were discoloring. It poured "OK" in that every 2-hole pour got one good pour - the one that was directly under the spigot - and one teardrop pour as the lead was cooling off before it could flow into the 2nd hole. We had the side garage door open and a fan blowing to keep the air circulating to prevent lead fume accumulation.
My question is, how hot should we set the lead pot, and how best to go about pre-heating the mold? Also, how best to keep the mold hot? Do you need to hit the mold with a propane torch in-between pours?