Couldn't take it any longer, had to cast SOMETHING

[ratitude]

I have been lurking this on this forum for about 2 years and finally joined earlier this year. I have been reloading for about 15 years for both rifle and pistol, including boolits in my 357 Mag. I have been collecting lead for a year and a half and collecting casting equipment for over 8 months. I have been waiting for the Lyman Mag25 furnace to be released so I do not have a proper casting pot yet. I have scrounged some nice ingot molds, picked up a propane burner on clearance at Menards, added a sheet metal wind/heat shield to it, "smelted" some unknown "soft" lead, fluxed with yellow pine saw dust, and have a nice start to a pile of relatively clean ingots. I have three boolit molds but no sizing/lubing equipment or supplies yet.

This evening I could stand the suspense any long and cast my first boolits! Many are ugly and a few are very nice, yet all are beautiful even though most will get recycled. I cranked up one of my little single coil electric hot plates with a small 6" cast iron skillet on it and melted about 6-7 pounds of my cleaned ingots. The Lee 6-hole 255 grain RNFP mold won the honors for first cast. It got cleaned in hot water and dish soap with a touch of ATF to the guide pins and sprue pivot after preheating on a second hot plate. My ladle is a $.99 special from Goodwill that holds about 1-1/2 pounds of lead and works great for skimming in the big pot or filling the stainless condiment cup ingot molds, but far from a great casting ladle. I do not yet have a lead thermometer and the hot plate barely keeps the little skillet of lead fully liquid as the sides will start to freeze up when the element cycles off. Below are the raw results of my first casts. It was an exciting time and I can't wait to cast more for the rest of my life. Thank you all for sharing all of your knowledge!

85907
85908
85909
85910
85911
85912

In the last image I selected what I believe is the best representative of the lot next to a commercial cast 250gr RNFP as purchased including the partially missing lube. I may be a bit partial but I like mine better. This one weighed in at 257 grains as cast.

[geargnasher]

SUCKA!!! Yer hooked now!

Speed up the pace a bit and focus on getting the mould hotter, that's where your wrinkles and rounded edges are coming from. Everyone's first boolits have those issues, but not everyone ends up with any keepers the first go 'round, so keep up the good work. You'd be surprised how well an "ugly" boolit can shoot up to 25 yards, so don't let a few little wrinkles keep you from going shooting at first. I'm a compulsive perfectionist, but much of the time it isn't necessary except for one's own satisfaction.

Gear

[codgerville@zianet.com]

Well done.

[Bzcraig]

Sounds like the kid got in the candy store.

[Garyshome]

Wish I would have done some of that today.

[WallyM3]

My first bullets look like that...at the beginning of every session.

[ultramag]

Pretty impressive, especially considering you had no "proper" casting equipment. I'm with Gear on shooting them. Give 'em a whirl, I bet they surprise you.

[bhn22]

A fine start! Consider a Lyman or RCBS casting ladle as a next purpose. They really make casting easier, and along with a touch more heat will really improve your cast bullets.

[captaint]

I'm pretty sure everybody's first boolits looked like that. I know mine did. Lilke folks have said, hotter mold and you're well on your way. Good job!! Mike

[ratitude]

Thank you guys, I appreciate it. I just wanted to share my experience in case there are others still sitting on the side waiting. Wish I had done this months ago... :)

[Smoke4320]

for the equipment you described I think you did great..
keep it up and in no time you will be pouring more good than bad
its a learning curve..
the guys on here are great to answer questions over and over and I for one thank them for that..
when you have time cruise thru the stickys there is a wealth of info there but don't the afraid to ask
its a great community we have here

[45-70 Chevroner]

For crude equipment, and lack of good heat source, the results looks pretty good. Shoot um and smile. As bhn 22 said a Lyman or RCBS laddle will help a lot. Lee makes a open top laddle that holds about an ounce or two and works ok but for a six cavity mold it will be to slow. For six cavity molds I like a bottom pour Pot.

[John Allen]

There is something special about the first time you cast a bullet.

[Jack Stanley]

If you have your casting gear out of the weather , you'll find rainy days will attract you to the molds and lead .

Mine is in the basement and .................... oh look it's raining outside !!

Jack

[gwpercle]

You are doing just fine...keep it up.
One suggestion is get a little casting ladle with a spout on the side, like Lyman's, you fill the ladle, then press the spout to the sprue hole and tilt it over to fill...makes a beautiful cast bullet. I started out with one in 1967 and am still using it today. Tried open spout pouring (Lee ladle) and bottom pour pot but always come back to the spout dipper. I like my boolits to look good and that method gives me the best , completely filled out and perfect boolits.
Truth is I started out casting on the kitchen stove, excellent heat source but a Lee 4 lb. electric pot got me out of the kitchen and is hard to beat for the price. Then I upgraded to the Lee production pot, thought I would make more and better with bottom pour and 10 lb capacity, it is fixing to get it's bottom pour hole plugged so I will have a 10 lb. pot to dip out of. The bottom pour made more but the quality was bad, so many had to be thrown back...just never could get it to do right. So I,m sticking with the old spouted dipper.
Don't you just love turning dirty old wheel weights and scrap lead into those perfectly formed shiney boolits? Like you I enjoy casting and was hooked after doing it the first time.
Keep on keeping on...the practice will make em perfect.
Gary

[Wolfer]

I cast for years on a Coleman camp stove. Still do sometimes. Even with lots of expierence you'll still get a few that look like some of yours. I can tell by the shiny boolits your alloy is a bit cool. I've never had a thermometer but when my edges are rounded and my boolits are shiny I turn up the heat a little. When they start getting frosty I turn it down.
You get some wrinkles if any oil or even smoke from the oil gets in your cavitys. Something you soon learn though.
Wrinkled boolits usually shoot just fine.
Shiny boolits usually shoot just fine as long as their not undersized.
Frosty boolits shoot just fine.
I only reject pistol boolits if they don't have a good base.
Woody