Bullet Casting (The cheap way?)

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ojibweindian

ojibweindian

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Union Grove, Alabama
I'd like to get into casting bullets for my Springfield 45, and for the 45-70 I'll eventually buy (NEF Handi-Rifle).

I don't want anything electric. And I'd like to go as cheaply as possible (because I'm a cheap b*st*rd :D)

I was thinking that I could make do with some sort of aluminum or stainless steel sauce pan, the kind that can be had at Wally World or K-Mart, and some sort of heat source, i.e. a Coleman camp stove.

I'll be getting Lee bullet and ingot moulds, and some sort of ladle.

Whatever opinions you may have, remember, I want a very inexpensive set up, and I won't be casting thousands of bullets a week.
 
Do NOT use an aluminum pot for melting lead. The bottom can break through.

You don't need to buy an ingot mould. A cupcake pan will do.
 
if you going to buy that much stuff to cast bullets with you just as well get a lle production pot..... the small ones aren't all that much and they are well worth it.............
 
K. I'll use the cupcake pan for an ingot mould. Didn't know I could do that.

And I'll pass on the aluminum pot and go with a cheap stainless steel or cast iron pot.

I don't want to rely on electricity as an energy source. Power outages here in the 'Grove aren't uncommon, and besides, I'm short a camp stove now that my old Coleman gave up the ghost a few years ago.

Is it possible to generate enough heat with an outdoor fire pit using a heavy steel grill to set the pot upon?
 
Is it possible to generate enough heat with an outdoor fire pit using a heavy steel grill to set the pot upon?
Click to expand...

Although you can cast this way, temperature is a critical element to getting some molds to cast. It is easier if you have some consistency and control.

David
 
ojibweindian,

Grab a Harbor Frieght catalog, or jump on their website. They have small LP burner's and cast iron pots for little or nothing, that would work fine for you.
The burners are small frame type, but just make sure they'll hold the weight.

Many other caster's I've advised and spoke with go with these as they are cheap and work exceptionally well.

Good luck,
Bob
 
Thanks, Bob!

Went to the Harbor Freight web site. Got a two burner cast iron stove for $22.99. I'm gonna go to a Goodwill store to find a steel pot suitable for casting.
 
If you can find one, a cast iron is preferable due to it's ability to retain heat. On the opposite end, some ingot moulds are made in aluminum for the opposite reasons.

I started this way when I was a kid using my uncle's stuff. If you flux off the melt well, stirring it when you're doing it, you should have pretty "dirt free' casting sessions. Since the antimony and tins that are in most alloys (most anything except pure lead, naturally), are lighter than the lead itself, they will rise to the surface and need to be fluxed back into the mix using any acceptible fluxing method.
You'll see the top start to turn a dull greyish hue, and after fluxing, it'll be nice & shiney like chrome. Once it starts to head back to that dull grey look, flux it again, or soon after.

A good lead thermometer is invaluable in reading your lead temp's. Keeping specific alloys in a given heat area, as well as a steady casting cadence, and consistent mould tempuratures, are paramount to making good well filled out bullets.

Good luck amigo !

Bob
 
It's nie on impossible to maintain a steady temperature while using a gas burner to heat lead. Even with a thermometer, you will spend a lot of time chasing the temp of the melt because of the rough adjustment of most gas valves.

While you WILL be able to cast some bullets using the pot/ladle method, they won't be consistant in fill-out and/or weight because of varyations in the temperature of the lead.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=476462

This little lee melter is thermostat controlled and is made for ladle casting. I can understand wanting to get away from the need for electric melter, in a SHTF scenario, electric power may not be available. For that, I have a simple lyman cast iron pot that can sit on any heat source.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=855578
 
ya the harbor freight thing will work...as long as you can get 600 degrees, which shouldn't be too tough. I personally think the $10 hotplate at walmart is a good choice, but it IS electric. here propane aint cheap and you've still gotta refill all the time.

Remember, it's 600 degrees not 6000. It's kinda like cooking french fries, but about twice as hot. You may be able to get by with a fish fryer...but I very strongly doubt it has the heat potential.

If you get a cheap hot plate then you can make your own ethanol with just a few additional components.
 
Lead melts at 625 degrees F. You'll need to reach that temperature. I suspect those double burners will get the job.

That said, if you're interested in doing lead bullets on the cheap, go to cast boolits and ask those other cheap b@#$%&ds. How do I know they're cheap? Because I'm one of them.

Regards,

Dave
 
I have an old cast iron lead casting pot and a bent spoon ladle that was my grandfathers who was born in 1880. I used it to cast lead fishing weights 30 yrs ago on an old Colman stove. The pot must be at least 70-80 years old. My grandfather was a mechanic in the 1910-50 era and I think he used it to renew lead babbitt bearings. Of course I still have his .22 1906 Winchester pump he gave my dad who in turn gave it to me, his workbench he built over 70 years ago, wooden mechanics tool chest which is so oil soaked the wood could never rot and all his tools which I still use, some which I have never seen elsewhere except in a museum or collection, and the dining room table which now has it's sixth generation of the family sitting to eat at it.
 
you must remember lead gets very heavy real fast when loading ingots into the melter...... you got a lot of guts scrat casting that way in shorts and flip flops!!:what: i always wear gloves and eye protection when i cast bullets from lee production pot...... i have seen the greif a bullet casting accident can cause first hand........... it ain't pretty!!! let's be careful out there!!!
 
if you going to buy that much stuff to cast bullets with you just as well get a lle production pot..... the small ones aren't all that much and they are well worth it.............
Click to expand...
I'd have to agree with this. Mainly because the propane for the Coleman stove will end up costing you a fortune. Plus, it is hard to regulate the temp of the lead. Been there, done that.

Also... wear long pants, gloves, safety glasses and some shoes that will protect you from spatter. Molten lead hurts.
 
You can get decent bullets cast over a gas stove, or other heat source that isn't thermostatically controlled, it just takes practice, and the ability to gain some experience.

I did it for years when I started. Getting a Lyman pot with a thermostat made things a whole lot easier, but it was do-able. Eventually, back in the late 70's or early 80's, I switched to bottom pour pots, and never looked back.

Alloys melt at various temp.'s depending on the amount of antimony in them. Lino (containing the highest levels of antimony) melts and freezes at 464 degrees with no slushy appearance. It is probably the only alloy that doesn't have a transitional "slush look" to it when it turns liquidous.
Pure lead melts at 621 degrees and WW's melt at slightly below that due to their 3-4% antimony levels.

While a good temp. controlled pot is preferable, the old rudimentary utensils can still be used, but can make casting more a challenge.

For what you're gonna pay in other things, Lee makes a good cheap pot that'll probably serve you better.

Bob
 
i have cast over a few thousand bullets this same way. just takes time and patience. cool part is i got this valve from harbor freight tools a few years ago. i connect it to my big propane tank and then hook up the small tanks and it fills them up. with one quick turn. so i never feel the cost of propane. as for the heat. it just takes experience. today i casted over 150 bullets. wearing shorts tshirt my dumb sandles in the back yard again. same set up. thousands of bullets later and i still havent had a burn yet.

just takes discipline patience and experience.

why change what isnt broken
 
wearing shorts tshirt my dumb sandles in the back yard again. same set up. thousands of bullets later and i still havent had a burn yet.

just takes discipline patience and experience.
Click to expand...

You will eventually gain the 'experience' that tells you to wear long pants, shoes and a long sleeve shirt while casting. Experience is often gained through pain, I hope your pain isn't very great;)
 
Casting your own is a cheaper way to reload, which is a cheaper way to shoot.

Casting cheaply is by purchasing good equipment inexpensively, scrounging enough wheel weights and keeping safe.
 
out of curiosity... what kind of burns does a fella experience from lead splatter?

I worked in a fast food restaurant in my youth and the fryers were kept at 300 degrees. Oil doesn't cool very fast, even on skin. If you got hit with a big enough blob of oil, it'd give you a good sized blister. I know a fella who got scorched (ya, some still call him Scorch) after some idiot who worked there threw a potato into the fryer right in front of him...it splatter him fromt he shoulder down to his wrist in 300 degree vegetable shortening. Gave him some MONSTER blisters, but no scar... I think he gave the potato throwing guy a couple of scars though.

I used to weld quite a bit. Occasionally when using oxy-acetalene you'll get a 'pop' of molten metal. This burns through your t-shirt and into your skin, leaving a nice little burn. Doesn't hurt too bad. Also, when arc welding...you'll get splatter all the time, again...it burns through anything that isn't leather before it gets to your skin...when it does it hurts like the dickens for a few seconds then stops. It's like getting a tattoo, just if they don't move the needle.

Is lead any different? Does it hold heat better? How long does it take for lead to solidify in a mold? Is it like other molten metals where it can take hours to solidify again in a sand mold?
 
Kellyj00,
I didn't like the 'feel' of casting with gloves. One session a drip of lead spat out of my pot and hit my ring finger nuckle. It was bearable but it felt like a bee sting. It stung for a while and it was only a drop. Taking a pot full on a flip flop with a foot in it, will definately require an ER trip. Cast carefully.
 
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