taking the casting plunge

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Tinpan58

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purchased a lee bottom pouring furnace yesterday so I can started making balls, also a 25lb bag of lead shot to get started, going to do it out side getting a fan, welders gloves, hopefully a leather apron, plain on wearing leather work boots and safety glasses, need to find something to stir with and skim the top also something to place under the spout to catch any dripping, the instructions say to use a pea sized pice of wax for flux. I have the molds going to start with 20ga mold for my howdah, I have read to burn a candle to get soot on the inside of the mold as a per treatment. So am I missing anything to get started? any help or tips would be great thanks.
 

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Tips..

1. Keep all souces of water far away from molten lead

2. Next time you get your oil or tires changed, ask for wheel weights

3. Expect your bottom spout to leak and read up in advance how to deal with it.

4. Cast Boolits forum is a great resource

5. Eye protection is a must
 
You need something to whack the sprue plate with such as an old hammer handle. Do not use anything made of steel because you will ruin your mold.
 
Thanks junkman almost forgot about wooden handle of some kind for the spruce plate, and thanks SSN did read about twisting the valve rod for the spout leak and it also said u can use a straitened paper clip and a pair of pliers to clear obstructions in the spout if need be. I also read in a thread about having a damp towel to drop the balls on to cool them and prevent deformities.
 
Wheel wts if air cooled are a little hard, but not near as bad as water quenched, which I used for years as a teen with my kit Kentucky pistol. With patches, the harder lead is no problem, the problem arises with the difficulty of seating them in revolvers, as swaging with the loading lever is extremely hard with hard lead.
 
I use nothing but wheel weight alloy in my muzzle loaders. As was said, in a front stuffer it is not even noticeable as the patch does all the compressing. In my revolvers, I load the cylinders off the guns on a cylinder loading press, as the harder lead is harder on the loading lever assembly and on your hand.

Here is my cylinder loading stand....

attachment.php
 
Ok did my first casting, filled the pot about halfway, used a small pice of candle for flux, skimmed off the crud on top but more keep appearing during the process is that normal? The first balls were going well then I started running into a sticking problem, had the furnace turned up about half way #5 or so, mabe to cold? Only made 26 this first time, need to work on abetter set up, and need something better for skimming the pot is very small and with the valve rod in the way not sure what to use for skimming, all I came up with today is a table spoon not the best thing I don’t think? the instructions say you can leave about 1 inch of lead in the pot will help melting time the next time. It was a new experience for sure! that stuff gets hot for sure! and I am surprised how long the mold holds the heat. I thought lead shot was lead, so is it to hard for my revolvers?
 

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Since your pot is a bottom pour, you do not have to skim, unless you plan on emptying the pot as into ingot molds. You can put a little clay cat litter or even charcoal on the top to absorb the impurities and stop the heat oxidation of the lead, which is what you're skimming after the 1st skim. An occasional stir will insure that the impurities will rise to the top. I've been pouring lead since the 60's and still find it relaxing.
 
I have been casting for over 30 years and I still use the same tablespoon inserted into a one inch piece of dowel to do my skimming.
Once you have fluxed and skimmed off any crud, the lead is clean. What you are probably seeing is a cooled down 'skin' of lead on the surface. I believe you may need to make your lead a little hotter.
Sticking can mean several things. The mold may be over heating. Are the balls coming out frosted? You can cool down the mold by placing a filled mold on a dampened sponge to maintain an even temperature from cast to cast. You will find that temperature will effect the weight, size, and hardness of your cast balls.
 
Pure lead in rifles is a must, especially with Minie ball designs. But, in my revolvers, I use range scrap of unknown alloy, works fine.

I've had a 10 lb Lee furnace for 30 years, now, and have had to replace a few metal screws in the top, but not a problem, still using it. To stop the spout from dripping/leaking, just keep a screw driver handy to twist on the valve stem at the top with.

Of course, if you change alloy, you'll need to drain the thing into ingot molds, but it'll keep just fine IN the pot, otherwise.
 
That first statement is not entirely true. The only time I use pure dead soft lead is with the minie balls. They have to be soft for the skirt to obturate into the rifling since no patching is used. With a patched round ball, be it rifle or pistol, a harder ball can be used since the patch is what is compressed into the grooves. I thought this was already mentioned. Looking back....it was! :cool:
 
Get a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and read it.

4/0 steel wool will remove the crud that accumulates on the plunger that controls lead flow, and the spout itself.

I use a little 2 inch by 3 inch miniature bread loaf tin I found in a kitchen supply store to catch any drips from the spout, and a cast iron muffin pan to make small ingots when I drain the pot.

I run my Lee pot about setting seven on the dial. Getting the melt and the mold hot lets me crank out balls in a hurry. As soon as the visible sprue on top of the mold solidifies, I open the sprue plate by putting my thumb on the side of the mold and my finger tips on the sprue handle and just squeeze it open...no need to knock it with anything. (Wearing welders gloves of course.) A thermometer would be useful, but I have not found it essential.

When initially starting a casting session, I will speed up the melting of the ingots with a propane torch directed right on the ingots. Cuts about 15 minutes off the waiting time with a 20 lb. pot. You can also build a fire inside the pot with your fluxing wax and heat the unmelted ingots faster while fluxing the melted mass in the bottom of the pot. Just let the wax start to smoke and stick a match in there. If you are casting in a cold garage and the spout gets too cold and plugs up, the propane torch applied to the spout will put you back into business quickly.

Lee molds cool quickly if you get them too hot. I don't like any water, even in a sponge, around my pot. Lube the mold as directed in the mold manufacturer's instructions.

I use pure lead for cap and ball revolvers, any other mix for bullets used in black powder cartridges. Your melted shotshell shot will work, but will be harder to seat in a revolver than pure lead.
 
Cool thanks for all the info, The mold I was using was one made pedersoli and is made out of brass and stayed very hot for quite some time after casting, which may be normal, I don’t know, I have other molds for my revolvers made by lee and they are made out of aluminum, didn't get a chance to try them today. I really want to get the howdah to the range, I have had it for 2 weeks now and itching to make some smoke with it.
 
airgun lead is really soft due to the skirt needing to flare and engage the rifling (if the airgun is rifled) and it works for making bullets. the lead cores on jacketed bullets are soft lead too for the most part. it's to help the bullet expand. save the copper jackets and sell the scrap copper to the salvage yard or trade it for more lead.
 
That first statement is not entirely true. The only time I use pure dead soft lead is with the minie balls. They have to be soft for the skirt to obturate into the rifling since no patching is used. With a patched round ball, be it rifle or pistol, a harder ball can be used since the patch is what is compressed into the grooves. I thought this was already mentioned. Looking back....it was!
Click to expand...

I just DID get a rifle with a 1:48 last year to shoot patched ball and so far I've only shot store bought as I haven't gotten a mold for RBs. With Minies, soft leat is mandatory. It's also preferred with the Lee REAL mold since it helps to start the bullet into the rifling if it's soft. I have two conical shooters, 1:24 and 1:32 twist, and the new to me CVA Plainsman I've been doing patched RB with.

Again, on revolvers, I just used range scrap of unknown alloy.
 
Where I live hear in so cal round balls are hard to come by, I have purchased all the .454 & .375 rbs that I can find locally, one range I go to dose replace their stock but it is 55 mile drive in LA traffic so I don’t go there that often & the price of them on the internet is much higher. Cabelas guns are priced fantastic, but 14.99 for 100 balls is insane. I am going to get some lead from the link below, I got it from another thread about a week ago, the price is a little over 2.00 a pound but I don’t have the time right now to go around to to scrap yards, so if they are a reliable company and have good quality ingots I can live with the price and get 50 lbs that should last for awhile, I will probably still buy some when they are around, I do like the Hornady RBs, I have about 1500 on hand for my revolvers, but last time I went to the range I went thru 160 rounds thats a record for me.

http://www.rotometals.com/Lead-Products-s/20.htm
 
I run my Lee at 7 or 8 on the scale for RB.
The Lee WILL leak. At inch or so high section cut off of the bottom of a soda can(Pepsi for those that call it POP) will catch the drips. I run dead soft lead after I realized that my chain fires were coming from too hard lead balls with casting flaws that did not swage out in the loading process. The flaws left openings for a spark from the next chamber to fire an unwanted one.
As was said, the shot may be too hard for revolver use. Pour a ball and try to cut it with your thumb nail. A soft ball will allow a deep cut to be made. Harder balls will allow only a shiny spot instead of a cut. The softer the better.

Another consideration while using shot is the graphite coating on the smaller shot sizes can actually prevent the shot from melting. I was given 300Lbs of #12 shot to melt for round balls. I wound up selling and giving it away. It was too much work to get it to melt. I was successful only by washing the shot in a solvent to remove the graphite. That was more hassel and stink than it was worth.
 
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How do you all handle the sprue nub after cutting? Just face it down into the cylinder? Grind it off? Does it hurt accuracy?

To prevent chain fires, if you're having that problem, perhaps use a larger ball that shaves more lead. .457" ball WILL load in my '51 and my '58 and they shoot straight. Also, I use filler under the ball, no powder directly behind the ball. Some use ox yoke lubed wads behind the ball. Either helps prevent flash over at the front of the cylinder. Also, if you're getting very bad casting flaws, that's not good for accuracy. It's usually a cold mold or lead isn't hot enough when you get these. I used to use crisco over the balls because of all I'd read about chain fires, but that's messy and I don't really consider it necessary using filler and good, tight fitting balls. I've yet to experience a chain fire, knock on wood.
 
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