starter kit????

[con10der]

:veryconfu :shock: :groner: [smilie=b: is there such thing as a starter kit for making cast bullets,ya know like a reloading kit cept its for casting.i am just trying to figure the easiest way to get started so far i have been told of 7,956,433 different pieces of equipment i need to get started.i dont know if i'm overwhelmed but i am talking to myself in the 3rd person.no your not jim , yes you are !
jim

[leftiye]

Search the past threads, there are many that cover this exact question.

[357maximum]

Michael started projectile casting with:



1. pump up white gas coleman stove
2. medium sized saucepan (do not use aluminum pan please, hurts when it fails)
3. cheap tablespoon bent/drilled and retro-fitted into a ladle
4. old flea market lyman molds
5. One of them lee bang it through size and lube kits with the little pan and cake cutter.

It does not have to be extravagent to work, and work well. Michael in fact still panlubes certain boolits unsized in certain applications because the targets tell him to do so.:mrgreen: I do I do...

[45nut]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=19783

try that Jim.

[45nut]

I wrote this a while back,,,, might help some..


Gents,

Most people feel that casting their own is almost as expensive as getting started in reloading...It need not be that way.

Since day one and ever since the first bullet was sent out of a barrel there have been bullet casters and since guns go back a long way then so has bullet casting. Technology being what it was,back then things were pretty simple....A mould of some sort,fire and lead. How many of you have watched Mel Gibson in "Patriot" making his own round balls out of his dead sons' lead soldiers ? For him,lead was sentimental,fire was his campfire coals,a simple ladle for melting and pouring and a simple mould that was standard in the day. There were no Speers,Noslers or Hornady's back then filling the shelves of the local gun stores and mail order was but a distant thought.

Back to today. To get started you still need a heat source,a coleman stove from your camping reserves will do,a cast iron pot from your local re-sale store or yard sale will do,a ladle from the same source can be had ,a mould in the caliber you desire, Lee Alox lube retails for almost 3 dollars and Lee sizers can be had for a few dollars more.

Moulds can be had from thousands of places and running in cost from a buck at a yard sale to hundreds of dollars for certain specimens.

Lead can be had certainly from mail-order and it will be consistent and EXPENSIVE,I prefer used wheel weights{WW}.There are still a few that will be willing to sell them and some can be had for free,ask your local tire-changer.

Once you get a few things at the ready...things are still pretty simple.

Put the pot one the stove and put in the WW ,depending on the stove you may get 3# or 20# in the pot, make sure that you have a steady base,you don't want this to tip over !!! Fire up the stove and melt down the WW,gradually the "clips" will rise to the surface as "dross" and will need to be picked out or use your ladle to dip them out...When all the WW are melted you will still have some impurities in the melt,these need to be cleaned out in a process known as "fluxing"

Fluxing can be done simply by dropping a crayon or candle bit or some such and stirring the pot to bring the "dross" to the surface to be fished out by the ladle, a few stirs and fluxing will result in clean WW for your bullets.

Now to pour your 1st bullets,dip the ladle into the melt,bring your mould over and pour into the mould,wait a sce while the WW solidifies and ....bring the mould over to a old towel ot soft surface and swing the Sprue Plate open,cutting the excess lead from the bullet,swing open the mould handles and hopefuly your bullet will drop free. Never abuse the mould blocks, you can hit the handles with an old broken off hammer handle to help a stubborn bullet drop from the blocks but never hit the blocks them selves. Let the bullets cool as they drop from the moulds and after a bit you may gather them to one side to make room for more..... after you have concluded your lead supply is too low to continue for the novice it is best to just shut the process down for this session. Never add a WW or any lead to the molten alloy that may have moisture inside ,Any moisture that gets below the surface of the melt will result in a explosive blast as the H2o has nowhere to expand but up and out of the melt !!!

Once you have a new supply of bullets they should be sorted and rejected for defects.....those that have poor fill-out will be obvious,those that may have internal voids are much harder to detect,,,after a few dozen you should see the defective ones easily.

Next, you need to lubricate them for duty in a rifle or pistol,,there are again,many many choices. The most simple is Lee Liquid Alox...you can simply put a couple dozen bullets in a old plastic butter tub,pour in a small amount to Alox and swirl the bullets around until they all have a coating on them and grab them with your fingers and set them base down on a shhet of foil or wax paper until they dry.

The next step is to measure them for consistency. your dial calipers or a micrometer will need to be handy or you can just run them up the Lee Sizers as lubed and cast and let the sizer size them to a perfect fit.

The very next step is USE THEM....

consult your loading manuals for data.....

Feel free to ask for more clarifications,I am not a commercial caster and by no means contend that casting is for dummies and feel you should consult a few more sources before starting out. There are many sources that can be of service. The usual legal disclaimers apply here. I am not bill gates so don't bother trying to sue me ! lol

[RU shooter]

I dont know if the Colman camp stove is better it maybe is i just dont know it ,But a good alternative if you dont want to mess with flames and flamable liquids is a $10.00 electric hot plate from Wally world just plug it in and go!

[IcerUSA]

If you are looking for a ready made kit, look at MidSouth Shooter Supply as they do carry a Lyman kit for casting .

RELOADING / LEAD BULLET CASTING / MELTING POTS & KITS /

LYMAN MASTER CASTING KIT 110 VOLT
This is the perfect kit for the beginner or expert reloader. Save over 20% by purchasing this kit over individual prices. Comes with Mini-Mag 8 pound furnace, 4500 Lube Sizer, lead dipper, ingot mould and Lyman's famous Cast Bullet Handbook.

Item: Status: Quantity: Price:
015-2712000 Low Stock
$143.91


Not the cheapest route but I think everything is there except the mould and the heat source. Or go all out and go to Agricultural Supply and get a big burner with a cast iron pot for smelting and a Lee, Lyman, or RCBS melting pot for casting :) Just a little more info for thought :drinks:

[con10der]

thanx 4 all the suggestions,still not sure which way to go but i feel i have a lot of good info to get started,thanks to all,hopefully i will get this going soon,i have one more project i need to finish before starting another.you guys are a wealth of knowledge,thanks for sharing what you know
jim

[Bret4207]

I dont know if the Colman camp stove is better it maybe is i just dont know it ,But a good alternative if you dont want to mess with flames and flamable liquids is a $10.00 electric hot plate from Wally world just plug it in and go!

This is one of the heat sources I use. If you buy one be advised some are lower wattage than others. Mine is 1200 watts I think. One of the other guys bought one and it was only 5-600 watts. He couldn't get his lead melted. Just FYI.

[RU shooter]

This is one of the heat sources I use. If you buy one be advised some are lower wattage than others. Mine is 1200 watts I think. One of the other guys bought one and it was only 5-600 watts. He couldn't get his lead melted. Just FYI. Bret I believe I have the lower wattage model (500W) You cant possibly melt whole dutch oven full of WW on it But for casting it works fine with some modifications ,I use 5 inch SS flat bottomed bowl I got at dollar mart , wrapped piece of Hi temp. one inch insulation around sides of it,made a sheetmetal shroud to cover insulation. I can melt and keep at pouring temp approx. 6 muffin ingots in half hour's time on high, after liquid I turn it down to 7. may not be alot of lead buy mosts standards but It takes me quite a while to empty with single cav. 30 cal. moulds. Like you said they work but have limitations. better yet would be 220V Hot plate or or find old elec. range top element.