What do I need to start casting?

[Tomspanks]

I have a good chunk of lead from plumbing- old roofing boots for pipes that go through the roof.

Also have an m14 type rifle and I think the holidays would be a good time to get into casting for this.



so what do I need to start casting 308 folks? budget?

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

THe first thing you should buy is the Lyman cast boolit handbook

There is a ton of info here on this topic a little searching will get you started, then ask about what you cant figure out.
All you really need is lead, a mold, a pot, heat source, and a ladle. The mold and the ladle is likely tho only thing you'll have to buy for real money.
any steel pot from thrift stores will work, a cheap hot plate, or used camp stove for heat.

[w5pv]

Remember there is no cure for the addiction there is no rehabs just feed the habit. Welcome and a lot of luck.When I first started I use a Coleman camp stove for heat, an old soup ladle and a lot of determination.

[trixter]

First off get, as said above, Lyman cast boolit handbook. A must have

If you think you are going to continue with this, get a Lee 20# bottom pour pot, Lee mold (the new ones are great!!) and read everything you can get your hands on about how others are doing it. You can make some decisions based on the amount of money you want to spend. Should you decide it's not for you, you should to recoup your money.

[brtelec]

The Lyman handbook is a must. Other than that all you need is some money, some spare time and an understanding wife.

[OuchHot!]

The lyman manual, a sense of humor, a ladle and a pot. If you want to try bottom pour, then an electric pot is helpful but more money. I have both the lee 20# and Pro melt pots and both are good but I cast a lot of bullets using just a pot on a stove and a ladle. I think if I were starting over, I would wait to see what the Lyman electric pot is about as it has more capacity and PID, but is still not on the market. I have had very good luck with every brand of mold that you can think of so I cannot really say buy this over that. The pot, a good ladle, and an old spoon for removing dross, is about all that you must have.

[dbosman]

For smelting, and it could be used for casting if needed, I use a used stainless steel commercial condiment pan and a used commercial sauce ladle. I use the ladle to skim the dross. I also use it for an ingot mold.
The pan is heated on a Coleman gas stove.
Electric pots are really nice, but can wait. Lead casting ladles are really nice, but can wait.
Really dry sawdust or dry leaves for fluxing are free or nearly so. Paint stir sticks for stirring and scraping are usually free at the paint counter. An old towel to catch and cushion the boolits won't cost much.

[bangerjim]

All the above are needed...but you will also need a source of TIN. Everything you have is pretty much pure lead. It will not fill molds out well. Download the alloy calculation spreadsheet on this site.

Also...........a mold or molds for the cal's you are casting for. I have on average 4 molds for each of the 5 cal's I load for. Lee molds are very inexpensive and drop very accurate boolits. As you move ahead, you will be tempted to buy those very expensive molds.......I see no need!

Just spend as much as you can comfortably spare. Personally I buy tools and supplies under the philosophy of------buy the best.....it will last a long time! And you will have better success than cutting corners.

Good luck and welcome to the fun and madness!

bangerjim

[462]

1. One of the four editions of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook, and read it through a couple time.
2. Willingness to experiment.
3. Patience.
4. An open mind.
5. In your spare time, peruse the site's archive. The link is at the bottom of every page.

[gwpercle]

I started casting on the cheap with:
Lyman 1-cavity boolit mould .
An old pot my mother gave me because the handle was broken.
A Lyman casting ladle ( has the spout on the side)
wheel weights , scrap lead and some 50/50 lead tin bar solder.
A Lee pan lube and size kit.
Heat source was my mom's gas stove...I had a real good and understanding mother.

That was all that was needed to get the ball rolling.
Get that Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and a catalog from Lee and jump in.
Making boolits are fun...Gary

[Tomspanks]

interesting- much less intimidating than I had always thought. Im gonna canvas some tire places and see if I can get some lead.

In the trades we call metal used for heating ducts "tin". Is this actually useful tin for my purposes or no?

Also- what dies are necessary?

Should I get a hardness tester?

[gspgundog]

don't do it please don't start casting. Sure it sounds nice first you think you are going to save money but noooo now you are shooting more because boolits are cheap right? Then casting for the M1A is not enough and you start casting for maybe a pistol. Thats when the alloy strikes and it is all down hill from there, pretty soon the Post Office has your address with an X on it because of the number of 50 -60 boxes of used coww arrive on a regular basis. See it already is getting you, I see your last post you are asking about a hardness tester don't start because the end is not pretty. If you live in a state where they still allow lead coww you will find yourself walking around tire shops to look for cowws that were not proper installed and then the day will come when you find your self in your storage area looking around saying to yourself OMG I only have a ton of alloy I must get more. I need more, I must get more!!!!!!
:kidding:

Welcome

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

462's advice above, particularly, 2,3, & 4.
There is a 1000 ways to skin a cat, you'll have to find the one that works for you.

[OuchHot!]

Tin can be sourced from lead/tin solder or genuine pewter. You can also buy a small amount of tin from rotometals. There is no great reason for more than a couple of percent by weight tin. You can try a sizing die from lee, they work well and are cheap. Lubrication can done using lee liquid allox or melting one of the million recipies in the lube section. One thing to keep in mind is this site is occupied by a lot of very knowledgeable and experienced people but as Jim put it....there are many ways to skin a cat. Most of us started with very little equipment and made lots of very good boolits. The experience was priceless...you don't have to have lots of equipment.

[MtGun44]

Read the Lyman book and then read the stickies here to correct the Lyman errors.

Bill

[Bret4207]

You don't need a hardness tester. In fact, the very best thing you can do is forget "hardness" altogether. "HARD CAST" is the biggest boondoggle in the cast boolit game. "HARD" means.....what? No one can tell you exactly, ask here like I did and you'll get answers from 15 Bhn to 35+. Elmer Keith thought 12 Bhn was "hard" and he wrote the book on a lot of what we do today. Besides, "hard" doesn't tell you anything other than one number. I can take the same lead alloy, treat it 3 different ways and get you 3 different numbers. Or I can take 3 different alloys and, given enough time, give you the same Bhn from all 3. So just don't worry about it for now. All you need is a heat source, a ladle, a mould, some appropriate alloy, a dry wooden stick and some initiative. It's that simple. All your doing is pouring molten metal in a mould, it's not brain surgery. If you can pour gravy onto your potatoes without burning yourself it's a pretty good bet you can cast at least a few decent boolits.

[dbosman]

I've never met a tin knocker that worked with tin.
I worked in a steel mill for three summers, but the factory I worked at made iron.
Iron workers work with steel beams.

Casting tin will probably be most readily available as solder or perhaps pewter.
A pound of 50/50 bar solder will alloy or sweeten a lot of wheel weights.

A hardness tester is nice, but probably not needed depending on your source of lead and your budget. There are stickies that tell you how to make pretty good estimates or guesses about the alloy.

As to dies, you need some sort of die set to re-size, possibly shape the neck, and seat your projectile.

If you know anyone who is a regular garage saler get them involved in looking for deals for you.


...
In the trades we call metal used for heating ducts "tin". Is this actually useful tin for my purposes or no?
Also- what dies are necessary?
Should I get a hardness tester?

[taco650]

Here's what I smelt and cast with. Not pictured is a Lee push through sizer and the liquid alox lube that comes with.
88308 88309

1. 900 watt electric single burner (~$20)
2. 2 quart stainless pan (~$7.50)
3. steel slotted serving spoon (~$1)
4. steel ladle (~$3)
5. steel muffin tin ($1)
6. tea light candle for flux
7. old needle nose pliers for picking out empty bullet jackets

The burner, ladle, stainless pan and slotted spoon I got from WalMart. The muffin tin is from the dollar store. In the pan are used bullets I picked up at my local public range FOR FREE. I got 4 ingots of lead from those used bullets. Its pretty soft because its closer to pure lead than wheel weights. I will mix with WW's to harden it up some.

This is a very basic set up but it meets my needs and I have less than $50 in the whole setup (including the Lee sizer). You'll also need a mold and I recommend Lee for affordable basic casting unless you can find a good deal on Lyman, RCBS or other top shelf molds. Hope this helps.

[mold maker]

I've saved so much money, I really do get mail addressed to the Poor House, Started with a Coleman stove and a Lyman cast pot. I only had one mold, and it progressed from there. Now I couldn't haul it all in a pickup, and that doesn't include the tons of lead.
I feel sorry for you, and your pocket book, but I envy your youth and all the fun your gonna have.

[chambers]

Might add a lube sizer/die/lube. Would by this used to start out. Cheaper first cost mold would be Lee. May also need some gas checks. Is there someone close by to show and walk you through this it would be helpful. People here are very helpful.

[jmort]

"I've saved so much money, I really do get mail addressed to the Poor House"

So very true. It's like when I go Sam's Club/Costco and as I'm checking out, I think, I can't afford to save any more money.

[leadbutt]

You mean to tell me that with all the "safety preachers" here no one has mentioned GLOVES? Git yourself some really nice thick welding GLOVES. Dont even try to melt anything without GLOVES. Saftey glasses would be nice as would an apron. Gloves, git gloves. Good luck with your new "interest" lol. Soon it will be an obsession. Be safe.

L. Bottoms

[WILCO]

First off get, as said above, Lyman cast boolit handbook. A must have

Ditto for me. Read and read and then read some more of the many pages here at Castboolits.com.
Don't buy one piece of equipment until you understand your goals and requirements.
After that, it's Katie, bar the door!!!

[taco650]

You mean to tell me that with all the "safety preachers" here no one has mentioned GLOVES? Git yourself some really nice thick welding GLOVES. Dont even try to melt anything without GLOVES. Saftey glasses would be nice as would an apron. Gloves, git gloves. Good luck with your new "interest" lol. Soon it will be an obsession. Be safe.

L. Bottoms

"Git"?

Yes, leather solid leather gloves, safety glasses or face shield are going to save you a trip to the ER. Melted lead is ~700 degrees. That turkey in the oven is cooking at 350.