Plaster Bullet Molds?

[Oyeboten]

Just occured to me...

I used to cast Babbet into Moulds I made in a refractory Plaster, for making multiple identical small entities for Ganging on Foundry Patterns.

They cast up perfectly, and the Molds were easy to make.

I wonder how this would work for casting Boolits?

One could make an entity out of anything, coat it, make a two piece Mold with a center part line and indicing 'nubs'...

Be fairly easy to do, and, hollow Nose or Hollow Base assessories would be easy enough to have also.


Anyone ever heard of this being done?

 

[JustinCglass]

never in my time, but I'm only 27...
that sounds pretty cool. I've done a similar process for glass molds.
probly work like a champ
good luck with that!
keep me updated!

 

[Oyeboten]

Well...they would not be especially durable compared to say Brass or Aluminum or Iron, but, certainly if one was careful, quite a few Dozen Boolits could be done. Rounded annular Lube Grooves would be easier on the Mold than sharp bottom sorts.

I used to have a couple hundred Pounds of Refractory Plaster, long gone now though darn it.

 

[qajaq59]

I suppose it could be done. But it sounds like it might be a one off deal. Plaster is pretty fragile compared to iron, brass or aluminum.

 

[GP100man]

Lookie here , $20.00 will get ya a 2 holer !!!!


http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=164178


I know it would`nt be as much fun though !!!

Good luck with your project & keep us updated!!

 

[qajaq59]

Of course, once in a while someone says, "I wonder if?" And if it works, we progress further.

 

[1SOW]

M A N Y years ago, I cast my own fishing sinkers using the same method with plaster of paris. Usually my molds were for maybe 5 or 6 at a time.

I funneled the pour opening (even inserted swivels) and they worked nicely, but the molds were fragile.

You could (multiple) cast any bullet you already have too.

 

[scythefwd]

They use plaster for 1 time use molds for gold jewelery... I don't see why they wouldn't work well. I'm not sure how well they would work if you wanted to make them reusable as you described it... but I'm not in possession of that skillset anyways.

 

[rogn]

Ive use plaster to make moulds for fishing lures and it works well for that application, but the durability factor is low, and the level of precision is limited unless you have a cherry to cut your bullet.You could probably cast a limiited # of bullets before dimensions started shifting. Experimentally viable, production no

 

[Leaky Waders]

Years ago I made a mold from bondo - it was a 1 inch ball for a small brass cannon I had made. (I used to be a patternmaker in a foundry). It was durable and worked quite well.

Use a couple of pins to align your mold or make facing edges irregular shaped so they align easily.

I don't know where the bullet mold went but the cannon is sitting as a decoration in my Father in Laws house - still in working order.

 

[joneb]

I used to be a patternmaker in a foundry

Esco ?

 

[Oyeboten]

The Gang entitys I used to make for Foundry Fall Boards, I cast in Babbet, and the Molds I made were of a very hard Refractory Plaster, vastly harder than Plaster of Paris.

I was sort of thinking of this more for either experimental Boolits or odd kinds or sizes where a Mold otherwise would be expensive or difficult to obtain...and, because, it would be fun and relatively easy to do.

If careful, one would get a good result, but the Mold halves would need to be centered very carefully of course for the Cast Boolit to freely release with no chipping.

One could Cast Brass or Bronze this way very easily also, if making Parts for something.

 

[Oyeboten]

Hi Leaky Waders,


How cool you were a Pattern Maker!


I love that stuff, and wish I could have done more of it.

Did a few things, had good results.

I made a set of Patterns years ago for having Alluminum Alloy Cylinder Heads cast for the 1931 - 1934 Indian Chief Engines, which otherwise only came with Cast Iron Heads and tiny Cooling Fins...so I made Mahogany Patterns allowing Tall thin Cooling Fins, and, a slightly different than usual 'Ricardo' type Combustion chamber...made also a set allowing for two Spark Plugs for each Cylinder. Of course guys used to grind down later Heads, on the sides, and fit those, but, these would have been dedicated.


What I really wanted to do also, was to make a Patten set for allowing a single or dual Over Head Cam conversion Head, for the 1936-1952 Buick 320 CID Straight 8 Engine...

Oh well...golly...sure would have been fun.

Who knows, maybe once I have moved, and have ROOM to do things again, I might get back on those.

 

[Leaky Waders]

"I made a set of Patterns years ago for having Alluminum Alloy Cylinder Heads cast for the 1931 - 1934 Indian Chief Engines, which otherwise only came with Cast Iron Heads and tiny Cooling Fins...so I made Mahogany Patterns allowing Tall thin Cooling Fins, and, a slightly different than usual 'Ricardo' type Combustion chamber...made also a set allowing for two Spark Plugs for each Cylinder. Of course guys used to grind down later Heads, on the sides, and fit those, but, these would have been dedicated."

Wow that's impressive!

Yeah being a pattern maker taught me a lot. I've forgotten more than I could ever know. But it's nice to look at something and say, "I made that...well the pattern for it."

It still happens every now and then.

If I were going to make a ghetto bullet mold I'd do like you suggested in post #1, but instead of making 'nub's, just drill through the whole mold and insert machine pins for alignment before seperating them.

I'd try bondo...it is very durable and could be repaired easily if something were to happen to your mold. I've had some success with it like I said with lead. You have to tamp it or vibrate it to remove the air bubbles when making small blocks with it...or fill the air-bubbles in afterwards.

If you were really in the mood for something you could make your initial mold from plaster, or whatever, add a little draft and them mold up you plaster casting and get it poured with aluminum.

Then wet sand it etc to smooth perfection and go to town. Your time probably wouldnt be worth it though for what new aluminum molds sell for. Still, for some oddball cartridge it may be viable.

 

[qajaq59]

This gets more interesting as it goes along.

 

[Palehorseman]

Soapstone bullet molds have been around for centuries, and talk about fragile, think talcum powder.


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...ed=0CBcQBSgA&q=soapstone+bullet+molds&spell=1

I use quickset hard plaster for rubber mold pours of fairly large objects and it sets "HARD", when dry and thumped with a finger, it rings like a bell. Make sure of your layout positioning, or the word quickset will come to have great meaning, don't ask how I know.