Want to start casting have some questions

[jeeptim]

My next stop is cast boolets form.
Thinking about the lee mold and their press sizer in .452 to started. I have the stove pot ladel a crap load of lead.
anyone using this set up and hows it working out.
Thanx







l

 

[cfullgraf]

I used this basic setup for a long time. It is a good way to get started.

I like the Lee aluminum molds but it is easy to get them too hot.

I finally upgraded to a bottom pour pot and it is much better than dipping lead.

I still use the press mounted sizers but I powder coat my bullets instead of lubricating them.

 

[Cannibul]

1. I'm really against pouring lead inside the house and in an area where you cook and prepare food. It's also a pain to try and keep the lead at the correct temperature on a stove.

2. Even an inexpensive drip-o-matic Lee bottom pour pot will greatly increase your speed.

 

[reddog81]

I would definitely recommend the Lee bottom pour pot. The price is dirt cheap considering how useful it is.

I would recommended the 6 cavity Lee molds. You have to buy the handles separately however they can be moved from mold to mold and many of the custom mold makers have based their designs on Lee's handles.

The Lee H&G #68 200 grain mold should be a good one. I have the tumble lube 230 grain mold but never use it. The .452 sizer is correct.

 

[BigBore45]

Can be done with out all the fancy stuff to see if you like it. Then get a 6 cavity mold and a bottom pour pot. Just use tumble lube for now with the Lee sizer. One thing I would suggest is to get some lead with tin in it or some 95-5 tin/lead solder to mix with your lead. Tin will help the mold fill better and release easier. Also read the instructions from the mold you buy and follow it exactly. Lots of research for BHN (Brittle Hardness) Of the lead and in a 45 8-10 BHN is a good spot. You will find that all the bullet companies that sell cast bullets make them far to hard.

I never did it the way you are going too as my dad cast bullets for a long time so I new what I needed or wanted. But should be doable without any headaches. Just slow. And Lee's 230 RN bullet mold is not the best as it's ogive is somewhat hard to load you end up having to seat it deep to feed in most guns. I like there 230 turnacated tumble lube design the best.

 

[J-Bar]

Invest in a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and read it. There are some safety considerations to be aware of, like no water (or sweat) near the pot, ventilation, etc.

I used the $60 Lee bottom pour pot and Lee molds for a long time. Just recently upgraded to an RCBS furnace and love it. Midway has it on sale and RCBS is running a rebate but it's still a lot more expensive than the Lee.

Don't put scrap lead in your casting pot without cleaning it up first. Even highly pure scrap will have some crud on it. Melt it separately, flux it with sawdust or paraffin, and pour it into muffin pan ingots for future use. Goes double for wheel weights.

I'm lucky that the bullets drop from the mold without the need for sizing in my guns. For smokeless powder cartridges I use Lee Alox and tumble them. It is easy to overuse Alox...I dilute it with mineral spirits and use just enough to get a slight dulling of the bullet surface. Just knock the shine off. If the bullet is really sticky, you are using too much and it will foul up your loading dies.

For blackpowder cartridges, I dip the bullets in a beeswax/Crisco mix, deep enough to cover the lube groove, again without sizing. It works for me.

When casting balls or bullets, I like to run hot and fast. I open the sprue cutter as soon as the surface is frozen and thumb pressure is sufficient. I do not like to pound on my molds with a mallet, and running fast makes it unnecessary. Keep the molds clean and the balls/bullets will shake out easily. Don't be afraid to let a lot of excess molten lead run out on the sprue cutter while filling the molds. You want to keep the sprue cutter hot, otherwise it will chill the molten lead as it enters the cavity, making wrinkly bullets. Avoid putting anything other than a wisp of smoke from a lit match in the mold cavity. I used the aerosol graphite lube the first time I tried casting...a messy mistake.

Harbor Freight has welder's gauntlets for about $10; a good investment.

 

[mdi]

Yep temperature control is a problem when melting lead over a flame. But, I started with a stainless steel pot, on a Coleman stove, used a slotted spoon from the kitchen for skimming (nope I didn't reuse it), a Lee 240 SWC in .44 cal., a Lee ladle, and fluxed with candle wax. I had access to a lot of wheel weights and lubed with alox, and used this set up for several months. I found an old Lee lube/sizing kit on ebay ( a small round pan, 4", a tube of lube, a cookie cutter a push through "die" in .430" and a punch). These new tools taught me pan lubing. Used the stuff to cast, successfully for over a year before I went to a bottom pout pot. Today I have 14 bullet molds, a Lee bottom pour, but still dip lubt, pan lube, tumble lube and powder coat bullets that are sized with Lee push through dies. So far this has worked for 6 handgun calibers and 3 rifle calibers...

Over the years reading stuff on forums about casting and the associated procedures, there are a ton and one half of old wives tales out there concerning lead and the precautions to take (everything from a drop of sweat exploding an entire pot of molten lead, to lead poisoning from being in the same room as a pot of molten lead). Much is unreasonable fears, and just parroted from something a new caster read on line. I have been casting bullets for several years (and cast 3.175 metric tons of sinkers as a teenager on Ma's stove to my mid 40's). I've had annual testing for heavy metals along with mandatory physicals annually for a former employer and my blood/lead levels have been well within "normal". My last test, 2 years ago was around 7 (?), fairly low IIRC. So, just use common sense, take facts from a published casting manual/test, and you can cast tons of bullets for many years without worry of being poisoned or disfigured by molten lead...

 

[Wis-Harpo]

I can attest that water and lead do not mix. I worked my way through High School and University in a machine shop. The summer before my Senior year, I worked full time , and had to do anything the older machinists did not want to do. One of them was to melt lead and make cylinders of lead to use to make certain that whatever they were milling was bottomed out in the vice on the mill. The cylinders would look like mushrooms from continued use. The boss showed me how to melt the lead, let it cool, and hit the mold to drop the hot cylinders into water. You can guess what happened when some water splashed into the mold. The next pour was an eruption of lead. I had lead burns on both hands ( Back then gloves were for sissies, and were not offered ). My boss was looking over my shoulder, and luckily he wore glasses, otherwise he would have lost site in one eye. When they got cold in the winter, they turned blue for years. The next week I went on vacation with my parents, and my mother had to cut up my meals for me. Can you imagine being 17 years old and having your mother cut up your food ? SO YOU CAN NOT TELL ME THAT WATER AND LEAD ARE FRIENDS .

 

[THe Dove]

All the above remarks are spot on. The most helpful thing in casting boolits for me was to find a mentor and watch him and learn hands on. The Lyman Cast Bullet handbook is nice and very informative, but for me there is nothing better than hands on learning. JMHO The Dove

 

[Swampman]

If you're going to be pouring from a ladle I suggest that you get a good one.

The design of the Lyman casting ladle makes it much easier to use and will give you better bullets than open top ladles like the Lee.

It costs almost four times as much as the Lee ladle, but it's still under 25 bucks.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/286579/lyman-lead-dipper

I've had an RCBS Pro Melt for more than 25 years, but I still prefer to use my old Lyman dipper when I'm casting large bullets or shotgun slugs. The design allows you to "pressure pour" filling big single cavity molds faster than is possible with any bottom pour pot that I've tried.

 

[jmorris]

I use a Lee push through sizer on a single stage press that I automated, works fine.

 

[clearcut]

JeepTim I'm using the Lee 452 w/ bottom pour they work great strait out of the mold w/ the tumble lube.

CC

 

[mdi]

FWIW, water must be completely surrounded or in a confined space to have any effect. When I was making sinkers on Ma's stove I would cool the lead pot by slowly pouring water on top. The water danced on the surface of the molten lead and evaporated until the lead cooled. I've done the same with my current casting equipment, no explosions, no "Tinsel Fairy" visits. But if you can get water below the surface of molten lead, then the water instantly turns to stemn, greatly expanding and causing an eruption. Nope a drop of sweat ain' gonna do nuttin', and spilling yer beer on the pot ain't gonna do nuttin' either. But if you drop a wet chunk of lead in the pot that sinks fast enough, you'll get a steam eruption...

(started casting lead sinkers when I was about 12, cast lead hammer heads in Jr. High School, cast sinkers/jigs through my 20s-40s and started casting bullets about 18 years ago)...

 

[Hondo 60]

Had the tinsel fairy visit once.
Believe me once is far more than enough!

Still got lead on the ceiling in my garage.
I honestly thought the "bad" bullets were dry.
I found out the hard way that they weren't

Absolutely no water near my casting.
I just knock 'em out on a pair of soft leather gloves

 

[Dog Soldier]

Don't downplay the water dangers. Just follow the old rules no water around your casting area. You can discuss the causes of water and rapid expansion with your surgeon as he treats your massive burns.

 

[jmorris]

I also had an "eruption" from lynotype with ink still on it, hit a 19ft ceiling and I was glad to be paranoid that day and wearing my full welding leathers and other safety gear.

From that moment forward I always started from a cold pot without any more drama. I don't need all of it in one day anyway.

 

[Phlier]

I use a Lee push through sizer on a single stage press that I automated, works fine.

Always love to see your home built machines, Mr. Morris. Would really like to have that one.

 

[mdi]

Well, you're seeing the "horror stories" of eruptions, but you'll have to make up your own mind, either believe the scare stories or use common sense and cast bullets for years without any burns...

 

[jmorris]

either believe the scare stories or use common sense

I don't see it as an "either". You can recognize that there are dangers involved when working with molten lead, same as reloading or shooting in general and use common sense when doing things that can result in injury.

 

[Bula]

I just melted down 160 pounds of clip ons and pure. It's been a while, maybe 5 yrs since my last smelt. One word of advice, NEVER let your face get directly above the pot. Cover up your face and wear long shirts and pants with leather boots and gloves. I always wear a hat too. I'm going to pick up some full face shields at harbor freight soon too. Just be extra careful, especially when you're new.

 

[Wildfire]

Some of this is funny because I been there and done that. Yes, you can get burned and pretty bad and likely will sooner or later. Everyone screws up at least once casting bullets.
Water and cold metal are your enemies. The rest has been said plenty of times. I have cast hundreds of thousands of bullets. But would not even consider doing it with a ladle system.
Mold temps can be important for good looking rounds. The safest way for starting low budget is with that bottom pour pot. It is pretty close on temp and while small will do just fine. Keep the lead clean and clean it often for nicer looking bullets. Dumping a cold ladle in a hot pot will result in a very fast lesson on how never to do that again. While some down play this, others seem to have been there and got burned. I too have metal on my ceiling. Glad I had glasses on. The kitchen stove idea is not very smart. But then that book they told you about will explain why. You got plenty of very good answers here. Who knows, some day you may own a Magma. I love mine. Good luck.

 

[res45]

In my High Point 45 ACP carbine I shoot the Lee 200 gr. SWC as well as the Lee 230 gr. TL RN bullet. I cast those bullets from 50/50 Wheel weight / Lead with a pinch of tin,powder coat them and size them to .452 through a Lee push thru sizer. Target from last weekends back yard shoot.


I've been casting off and on for around 30 years,the past 10 or so on a pretty regular basis. I have around 14 Lee molds and only had one bad one but it was an easy fix. I have a few old Lyman/Ideal molds I've picked up here and there at estate sales as well as a few custom NOE molds that cover bullets that I can get from Lee. I always keep a Lyman ladle and a cast iron pot around just in case I have to go old school but pretty much the Lee 20 lb. bottom pour pot is what I always use.

You don't have to but I use a lead thermometer,many of my molds made from different materials have temp ranges they seem to work best in so it just makes it easier for me to set my pot temps by using the thermometer but that just me. I also use a small hot plate to preheat my molds while the pot is heating up,usually after a couple of pours I'm casting good bullets.

Although most all my molds are aluminum I do have a few that are made from iron and all the sprue plates are steel as well. To keep them from rusting I give them a coat of USPS Mineral Oil,Ed Harris gave me the advice. Mineral Oil is non toxic and will burn off completely leaving no residue whatsoever with just a whiff of white smoke while the mold is heating up. No cleaning of the mold to remove any of the mineral oil is needed. I also lubricate my molds with synthetic 2 cycle oil as prescribed here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...-Lube-Instructions-(works-with-BullPlate-too)

As to lubing bullets I tumble lube with thinned Alox or Xlox or I make my own version of TL using one of the above and cooked down Johnsons paste wax. I also powder coat using shake and bake mostly or on occasion I will use my PC gun depending on the powder an bullet I'm coating and I also have a RCBS Lube A Matic that I use on occasion to gas check size an lube all in one step as well it really just depends on what I'm working on as to how I lube and size my bullets.

 

[Wildfire]

Looks very good. And yes, there are so many ways of doing the same thing. I rarely hand cast. I have a Magma Master Caster & Star Luber and usually make decent enough runs that I do not need to run it as often these days.

 

[joed]

I started with the $60 Lee 10 lb bottom pour furnace. It worked but it did drip from time to time. Also it wasn't very consistent on temperature. I finally sold it and went to a Magma Master Pot that held 40 lb of lead. The Magma even had 2 spouts.

Molds. Never tried aluminum molds, I did Lyman and RCBS Keith style bullets. My thoughts were 4 cavity molds which allows you to produce mountains of bullets in less time.

For a sizer I went back to Magma and bought their product. The reason for this was it lubes 1 bullet with a downward stroke. The others required a down and up movement for each bullet.

It was a good thing that I went the above route because in 6 months I started a casting business. I may have started at a good time as the business did well for 2 years.

If I were in your position I would buy an RCBS bottom pour furnace, it's a better product then Lee because of the consistent thermostat.

 

[Wildfire]

Yes, Magma makes very nice stuff. It is on the pricey side when just starting out. But then I must say it last a life time. While it has been done by many, casting bullets using a ladle is just no fun and takes forever. The possibilities of a mishap are way up doing it that way. Bottom pour pots are really a safer way and you will get way more cast doing that. Some use the thermometers and that too is a good idea. The Magma Master caster is more of an investment and one would need to do a lot of shooting to justify that or set up to sell bullets which is a difficult market these days. Mine will cast around 400 255 grain .45 rounds per hour and about 700+ 200 grain bullets. I bought this set up back when my son and I were shooting IPSC every week and using up a 1000 rounds per week in practice alone. I think you will have fun with this no matter how you get set up. Back when magnum alloy was .52 / lb we went through a lot of it. Now at over $2.00 /lb it has slowed that down some. I get a hardness of around 10 from wheel weights and they work just right in my .45s. ACPs and even my .45 colts. Too hard of bullets and accuracy falls off. I have seen no leading in any of these rounds.