Metronome

Rockydoc

Well-Known Member
I have heard of using a metronome to time cutting the sprue when casting. Is this a device or an app?
What would you recommend?
 

Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
In earlier days, it was mechanical, just wind it up, set the weight on the arm to the correct beat per minute and start the pendulum swinging. The tempo is variable to keep the musician playing at the correct tempo. For casting, just get a cheap noisy battery powered clock and set it over a box to echo the sound and listen to the clunk as the second hand ticks off the seconds.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
I just google “metronome” on my iphone and it pops up in my safari web browser.

Looks like this. Slide the bar to change the time setting. I use it when I anneal brass.
18436C94-194F-4568-84D6-955D450FC76F.jpg
 

JonB

Halcyon member
I count...I think its a obsessive compulsive thing, as there are many things I do, that I count while doing it...most of those things don't need no counting,,,but here I am counting while doing it, LOL. Even when cutting with chain saw, I count to see how long the cut takes, then the next cut, I count again and compare...Crazy Huh?
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
JonB, not really. Everyone has something going on in their head ever second they are awake, unless drugged. Counting is one way to stay focused. When we were operating in triple canopy jungle in RVN, one guy in the squad like to count the steps and use the beads to measure distance. He didn't have to look for trip wires, bunkers or anything else, just stay in the middle of the line and the guys in front and back took care of the rest.
 

david s

Well-Known Member
The metronome after awhile becomes white or background noise. Your not really aware of it after a bit. That said subconsciously (?) you begin to operate at it's beat. I'm pretty sure this is it's intended purpose after awhile you just function to it automatically-ish. That's makes it pretty simple to do things on time with a rhythm. It works well when annealing or timing sprue plate cuttings.
 
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462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I count stuff -- stair steps as I climb them, ducks, geese, and pelicans as they fly by, revolver and pistol shots (I single load rifles) come quickly to mind.

I get lost in my thoughts while casting so don't count. I just wait for the change in the sprue's appearance.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I know what a metronome is, and I understand the concept of developing a repeatable rhythm to the casting process – But I think this may be getting a little too far into the tall weeds.

If you open the sprue plate too early, you will smear molten lead across the top of the mold and the bottom of the sprue plate. If you let the sprue cool too much, you will need a little more force to cut the sprue as you open the sprue plate (probably not the end of the world). Your brain is capable of dealing with that input and adjusting the speed to fit the process. In fact, it is capable of doing that on the fly and constantly adjusting the timing as the temps change.

The temperature of the alloy is going to be a bit variable. The temperature of the mold is going to be very variable at first, but it will settle down as you get farther into the casting session.

Adding a metronome to the process, whether it is a mechanical musician’s device or an electronic timekeeper, is just adding yet one more damn thing to fool with while casting.

Sometimes you just need to say NO to the good idea fairy.

You are going to have a pot of molten metal within some temperature range.

You are going to have a mold or molds warmed up and hopefully operating within some temperature range.

You are going to have a mallet, stick, whatever – to open the sprue plate.

You are going to be filling the mold(s) with a bottom pour pot or ladle.

You’re going to be constantly changing your rhythm and timing until you match all of those temperature swings to achieve good bullets.

You are going to be dealing with finished bullets, sprues and cold alloy.

And now you want to add some ticking device to the process ? No thank you. I’ll make it all work without the additional complication.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
18

Bought him in Chicago, not sure how he is gonna help?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Timing is a teaching tool. When someone says they can't get a mould to fill out no matter what they do or how hot they get it, I suggest they set their furnace to 725⁰F and cast at a rate of four complete pours per minute for five straight minutes---timed with an analog wall clock--- and find that to their amazement they didn't have any idea what casting quickly or getting the mould hot really meant even though they had been SURE of it before. Oh, and in 15 pours the bullets were FROSTY! After getting over that "hump", all you have to do is pay attention to the nuances of color and timing which indicate speed up, slow down, stop and fix something, grab the manicurist's fan, turn down the furnace, touch up the sprue plate lube, or whatever.