New member and a casting tip

[Ohio Rusty]

This is my first post and I go by Ohio Rusty on most forums I'm a member of. Although I haven't done much smokeless bullet casting, I have been heavy into black powder sports since the early 70's and I have run my own round ball and conical bullets for 30+ years. I recently acquired my Ohio CCW/CHL, so I'll be starting my casting and reloading for a cc revolver I plan on aquiring by summer. I truly enjoy making all my own bullets and gear, not only for the cost savings, but also for the pride and craftsmanship of making your own 'stuff'. Here is my casting tip I hope will be useful to the list: One thing I discovered a long time ago that while casting, the stirring and pouring tools were hot and would damage or burn anything on the bench if they made contact. To solve that problem, I scavenged several bowling trophy's that had the real marble bases. These marble bases have a hole drilled in the bottom for the attachment bolt to go thru. When you use one or more of these marble bases on your casting bench, it is heat proof, and the hot casting tools set perfectly in the drilled hole and won't roll around to burn anything. They are the perfect answer to setting hot tools on !! Here is a url of my casting area and you can see the marble bases in action: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/Workbench.jpg
I'm looking forward to reading all the great archived info as I get into casting smokeless bullets and I hope to be a help to other listmembers.
Ohio Rusty
Hocking County Ohio

[KCSO]

I've been at this for 40 years and I learn something new all the time. Thats a good tip, thanks and welcome.

[Nueces]

A most hearty Welcome Aboard!, Rusty. Thanks for the tips and photo. This boolit bum confidently predicts that this'll soon be one of your favorite sites. Everybody helps everybody here, so hop in.

Mark

[floodgate]

Rusty:

Good tip! A couple of years ago we were doing a kitchen remodel and I got some samples from the tile shop. One that we rejected (too expensive!) was an 18" square of marble. I now use it as the base for my casting operation.

New people = new ideas! Welcome to the madhouse, where the inmates are in charge.

floodgate

[medic44]

I've got several 100 12x12 clay floor tiles thanks for the idea

[madcaster]

Welcome aboard brother smokepole man!
That's a really helpful tip,I had been using a brass plate but i think your idea will work better.
Jeff.

[carpetman]

Welcome Rusty--Darn am I going to have to learn to bowl good enough to win trophies? Now at first glance of the picture you posted,I figured you will be another(like me)deprived poster. Deprived in that you use an ingot mold. Us ingot mold users don't get to tell stories of all the creative things we use other than ingot molds for making ingots. Now I have a LYMAZ(Backwards N)mold so I can tell a few stories. I don't know what type yours is,but guessing from the handle possibly Lee? Certainly not a backwards N Lyman so you are really deprived. Not only do you not get to tell stories of the creative things you use but cant join in on all the creativeness in finding muffin tins. But you do have one card in the hole. You have antlers by your casting pot. You could build all kinds of stories there. For example you use them for fluxing. The sky would be the limit as to who else might have done this and what mineral content in the antler required etc etc etc. Think I'm kidding? Turds and buffalo chips have been the topic---good for several posts too. Anyways welcome aboard.

[piwo]

As providence would have it, I recently had my basement finished, and there are several nice squares of marble that were improperly cut by the tradesman, and left. Me thinks I found a use for it (provided it can be drilled through on a press). I'll check..

Thanks, and welcome! :drinks:

[VTDW]

Are you using those antlers for flux?:mrgreen:

Dave

[carpetman]

Piwo--You found a use for the scrap marble--BTW what are you going to mount to make the bowling trophies?

[Scrounger]

Piwo--You found a use for the scrap marble--BTW what are you going to mount to make the bowling trophies?

Ray is always interested in mounting trophies...

[357maximum]

Ray is always interested in mounting trophies...

mutton to it...


welcome rusty......

[Topper]

Great tip.
Now I have a use for that scrape piece of marble I've been hanging on to.

[Diamond-City-Bob]

Carpetman,
You most likely are going to take up bowling for access to mortar amunition

[9.3X62AL]

Good idea, Rusty--and welcome to the asylum. Please note that the moderators are inmates, too. Maybe we're like "trusties", or something similar.

[44woody]

welcome to the board Rusty these inmates are the best bunch of people that I know of when it comes to casting there is alot of knowledge here if you need any help with anything all you have to do is ask and someone will have a answer or a opinion on the subject one thing about this board people like to help other people here :castmine: 44Woody

[PPpastordon]

Ohio Rusty;
Welcome Aboard!
Pay no attention to the rest of those people, they aren't up to being trusties yet! Anyway, none of them bothered to ask the most important question about your workbench photo: "Duh; why are you making felt (?) floor drain covers?" LOL
Thanks for the tip on the marble. Now we all will be expecting other "words of wisdom" from you!
This is a forum where everyone does help everyone, and there is a wealth of casting wisdom here. They got answers to questions I didn't even know existed - and, BTW, I started my casting days back in '71.

[Ohio Rusty]

Thanx all for the warm welcome !!! I make different items I use for my black powder shooting or for trading with others. The antlers I use for making hollowed powder measures, buttons, and the main beams with crowns I use for antler handled knives - primitive type knives like a frontiersman carried. The felt rounds with the punch outs are actually felt cushion wads I was punching out for my Navy Arms 12 gauge SxS black powder shotgun. There is a bowl of .690 round ball for the shotgun sitting there also. I hate to buy stuff if I don't have to. I prefer to scavange leather and wood and make much of the BP related accoutrements I carry use or trade. Therapy for those in the same asylum like yourselves !! I still have alot of archived reading to do with all the great info that has been posted. I see there has been quite a few posts about bullet lube. I'm kinda anxious to try a T/C bore butter mixed with beeswax as a lube for smokeless bullets. It is all natural, made specifically for bullets and barrels, and I think it will smoke alot less than the heavy petroleum based lubes. Time and testing will be interesting to see if this holds true. Besides ...I have three tubes of the T/C bore butter lube, and it gives me a good excuse to use it up.
Thanx again, and I look forward to sharing with the list members.
Ohio Rusty

[Shepherd2]

Ohio Rusty - Welcome and thanks for the tip on the marble. I've got a couple 12x12 pieces that I didn't have a use for until now.

I used to be your next door neighbor. We lived in Perry County until
we bought a larger farm in Noble County in 1998. Lots of elbow room around here. I've always thought Hocking County was the most beautiful area in Ohio.

I got my CCW license in 2005. I was glad that the state legislature over rode the ex-governor's veto of the law that eliminated some of the problems with the original law. Concealed carry around here is a rifle behind the seat of your pickup but it is comforting to have a handgun along when I go to the big city.

I haven't shot black powder in years but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Before long I'll be digging out those BP guns from the back of the safe.

[carpetman]

See I told you. In Ohio Rustys second respose he did not say a word about ingots---totally deprivated in that catagory.

[dagamore]

Welcom to the forum, from a long time lurker.

Thats a great idea, another one i will add to my list of things to do when i get back to the States (currently in Germany)

I thought i read something about you casting/handloading for your CCW, and I would advise against it for defensive ammo, load/reload away for plinking stuff, but i would not want to explain to the police about using hand loads. With the wrong DA it might turn a clean self defens shooting in to Pre-Meditated murder.

just my 2cents.

[carpetman]

dagamore---We have some law enforcement and retired law enforcement type here that have testified many times in courts. The consensus seems to be that none have ever seen a case where handloads were an issue. I think if you used a gun the ammo would be a minor concern.

[piwo]

The felt rounds with the punch outs are actually felt cushion wads I was punching out for my Navy Arms 12 gauge SxS black powder shotgun. There is a bowl of .690 round ball for the shotgun sitting there also.

Does it look something like this, minus the deer:-D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/jsquaredjcubed/Percussion_Buck.jpg

I didn't have the skill to do any checkering, so left the stock plain (but real smooth ;)) I also shoot .690 roundball from it. A flying ashtray if there ever was one!

Welcome, and thanks again for the tip!

[dagamore]

dagamore---We have some law enforcement and retired law enforcement type here that have testified many times in courts. The consensus seems to be that none have ever seen a case where handloads were an issue. I think if you used a gun the ammo would be a minor concern.


I hope you are right, and that i am wrong, or beter yet that everyone never has to use a ccw. I get your point, and i have not found anything to suport my point. Was just puting in my 2cents.

No hard feelings on my part.

And once again welcome to the forums Ohio Rusty :drinks:

[ktw]

...The felt rounds with the punch outs are actually felt cushion wads I was punching out for my Navy Arms 12 gauge SxS black powder shotgun.

Where did you get the large felt round you were cutting those wads out of? I would like to cut some (thinner than yours) and would be interested in finding a cheap donnor item for the project.

-ktw

[Ohio Rusty]

The thick felt rounds are actually the garbage left over from the making of felt gaskets for earth moving machinery. I had a friend that worked to make the gaskets and he acquired for me a shopping bag full of those felt rounds years ago. Each one was where the cylinder hole was. I have punched out 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge felt cushion wads over the years from them. There is a company that has available about any thickness or stiffness of pure wool fet you might be looking for. The company is named 'Durofelt', and you can find them on the internet. I also find 100% wool felt hats at the thrift stores. The stiff ones you can get for about 99 cents, and those hats make the best felt wads for black powder pistols in .31, .36 and .44 calibers. All three caliber sizes are in a standard punch set you get from a discount tool store. I'm real careful to find 100% wool felt as felt that has a blend of synthetics have a tendency to melt in the barrel like plastic and gives you fits trying to clean it out of a gun barrel. I hope I helped answer your question ....
Ohio Rusty

[joatmon]

Welcome Ohio Rusty, and thanks for the tip! I went out last night and found a nice big piece of marble that should work good, got it home and washed the dirt off one end(was standing on end?) one side is too smooth but the other side has some guy's name and a couple a dates chiseled on it so it will hold casting stuff real nice. Man that thing was heavy, like to a never got it on the bench!

[carpetman]

Using aluminum tape to make a mold a little bigger has became known as Beagaling. I guess using a marble slab for a hot pad will become Ohio Rustying.