Bullet Casting ideas

[Thomasss]

I've been "running ball" for over 30 years and have come up with some nice ideas while casting bullets mostly with Lee 2 cavity molds. Mostly helps keeping my casting area cleaner.
1) I built a 4 x 6" Slag wooden box with open top using 3/4 pine scrap. I have several sides that can be easily opened when the box is full and dump the slag into a quart size sandwich bag and take to the scrap yard. (Nice to get some money back for slag lead.)
2) Again, I used scrap wood to make a wood slide about a foot long to catch the sprue lead so I can allow it to slide back into the pot without splashing hot lead all over the place. The slide has high 2.5 inch sides and is 1/4 inch less than the diameter of the furnace.
3) I just noticed today while casting .357 SWC that when tapping the handles the bullet that is facing up is more likely to loosen and fall when turned over than the one that is face down to begin with. Funny how that works and how long I've doing this before realizing it.
4) I'm known for watching out for roofers in my neighborhood when they re-roof a house and replace soil pipes with lead shielding. I will offer them 10 to 15 cents a pound more for their scrap lead than the scrap yard. They don't have to turn the stuff in and they like the "instant" cash.
You have some other ideas?

 

[jmorris]

Two I came up with. The top one is a plate steel/box tubing, automatic, duplicate of a manual cast iron machine Magma makes. At least as close as I could get by looking at a picture.

 

[troy fairweather]

Should tap the mold at the pivet keeps from hurting the mold.

 

[bullseye308]

Ask if you can mine the berms at public ranges. Some will let you at least get the top layer off if you don’t hurt the backstop. It adds up quickly.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Instead of a wood box, I use a discarded aluminum ice tray. Splatter doesn’t adhere. Bullets are easily slid back into melt when they accumulate.

Indeed! Strike the hinge pin, NOT the mold!

 

[Hondo 60]

I just use a cast iron skillet for slag & another very small one for the sprues.
The lead doesn't stick & the sprues gently slide back into the furnace

 

[kcofohio]

I'm still fairly new to casting. I bought stack of aluminum foil half loaf trays that the slag goes into. I use a cake pan with a water soaked towel to drop the bullets on one side and the sprues on the other. I don't like the chance of splatter because the cat may get to curious around my feet.
@Thomasss, I never would have thought that the scrap yard would take slag.

 

[bullseye308]

I just throw the sprues back in as they come off the mold. Any bad pours go right back in too and been doing it for years that way.

 

[troy fairweather]

I put some wax on top of the spure plate, helps the spure fall off easier if they start sticking.