I'm a Blank Chalk Board

[fairview]

On the forum is there any threads or stickies that educate newbies about the hows on cast bullets? Is there a 'bible' out there I can buy? I know how to use a search function and I also hate the troops of new forum members that ask the same also ran questions time and again. My particular challenge is that i don't even know enough information to even ask those questions. I just don't have the knowledge foundation. I used to cast round balls for my MZ but that was a lifetime ago when I was a teenager. I am close to being 60.

Thanks for your time.

[theperfessor]

Almost any edition of the Lyman Cast bullet Handbook is worth having.

There is also From Ingot to Target (?) by Glen Fryxall(?) that somebody will post a link to.

[btroj]

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Best way to learn is to have an experienced cast show you the ropes. If that isn't possible then do some reading in the Lyman 3rd Edition CB manual or the link I posted.

Figure on learning by doing. Cast, size and lube, load, and shoot. See what works and what doesn't. Leading isn't a big deal, easy to remove and a good sign something wasn't quite right.

[williamwaco]

Both of the above are the best advice anyone can give you.

The web site is free. You can get the Lyman manual at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Cast-Bullet-Handbook-4Th/dp/B004DWBKQY/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1417275118&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lyman+cast+bullet+manual

or midwayusa.com

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/867465/lyman-cast-bullet-handbook-4th-edition-book?cm_vc=ProductFinding




or from midwayusa

[BrassMagnet]

Watch in Helping Hands for one of BrassMagnet's Bullet Casting DVD sets to come up for loan.

Here is a thread on how it works:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?238674-BrassMagnet-s-Boolit-Casting-DVD-Library

Books are really great, but sometimes a video has just that little bit more we need to learn!

[blademasterii]

If you post up your location you might find one of us nearby that might be able to give you a few pointers.

[MrWolf]

Also check on you tube for videos that will give you a visual reference to what you have read.

[WILCO]

Hi Fairview!

The NRA Cast Bullet book is a must have for starting out.
Failing to get a copy of it, there's always the free PDF on line:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.castpics.net%2Fsubsite2%2FCla ssicWorks%2FCastBullets-s.pdf&ei=j-p5VIWIB_aOsQTt-4AY&usg=AFQjCNGIofQce6E_dCB-nO5C1mkfhdgzwg

As said before, any Lyman cast bullet book is a great source too.

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the forum. Like many folks here I spent weeks simply reading stickies and threads to the point of information overload. Books are good, some folks prefer videos. If you're in my neck of the woods I'd be happy to walk you thru the basic process and safety considerations but those likely haven't changed since your early roundball casting days.

[dragon813gt]

Also check on you tube for videos that will give you a visual reference to what you have read.

This a double edged sword. There is a lot of information to be had on YouTube. But there is also a lot of bad videos w/ unsafe practices out there. If you're just learning you don't know how to separate the good from the bad.

Fryxell's book is a must read. A lot of it will be over your head at first. But you won't find a better explanation out there. I'm not a fan of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks. But there is some good information to be had from them.

[gpidaho]

Cast Bullets for Beginner & Expert by Joseph F. Brennan Jr. has all the information you'll most likely ever need on all things cast bullet related. It is available through the Cast bullet Assoc. and put together by the best names in the field both here at Boolits and at the CBA . I recommend this as a must have read GP

[Blacksmith]

Start at the home page and read each of the many topic heading on this site including the description, some will interest you and some wont. Start with the Classics & Stickies topic, see below. Each individual section at the start also has threads marked Sticky. These are threads with a broader interest and/or special information and have been "Stuck" to the start so they don't get lost. Most answers to new people questions can be found in the stickies.

The first Topic listed in the home page is the Classics & Stickies section which contains a wealth of knowledge that the group feels is worth special status. Read through the 168 thread titles and some will interest you some wont. As you learn more you will find reasons to go back and read some of the ones you skip the first time.

Sometimes when searching if you go to Google and enter your search as Cast Boolits then your topic, you will get better results than the site search.

[bangerjim]

I learned on my own.........no videos, no mentors, no computers, no web pages! Just get out there and melt some, pour it into some molds, size them and load them. You will learn pretty fast what works and what does not! As long as you have invested in the correct tools & sizes, you are part way there.

The above mentioned books and webpages are excellent help and should most definitely be used, but just doing is 100x better than just reading!

Remember......you can easily overthink this rather simple process. So don't be afraid to just do it....unlike metalworking and woodworking....mistakes DO easily remelt!!!!!!

Most important is common sense and personal safety when working with molten metal!

And do not let "being almost 60" cloud your mind. The day you quit learning is the day they nail the lid on your coffin!

bangerjim

[fairview]

Welcome to the forum. Like many folks here I spent weeks simply reading stickies and threads to the point of information overload. Books are good, some folks prefer videos. If you're in my neck of the woods I'd be happy to walk you thru the basic process and safety considerations but those likely haven't changed since your early roundball casting days.

I'm in Mckinney. Don't know how close that is too you. Right now I'm working 2 jobs, 6 days a week. Trying to figure out which one is the best option.

[dragonrider]

Welcome to the forum, we are here to answer your questions, this forum was founded to advance the knowledge of boolit castng, so ask away. PLEASE if you watch any youtube videos about casting do not jump into what they tell you, come here and ask first. There are a lot of youtubers who should not be allowed near hot lead, or a video camera for that matter.

[montana_charlie]

My particular challenge is that i don't even know enough information to even ask those questions. I just don't have the knowledge foundation. I used to cast round balls for my MZ but that was a lifetime ago when I was a teenager. I am close to being 60.
Your description could fit half of our members ... including me.

I cast round balls for a muzzleloader in the '70s, following the directions in a Lyman book ... then quit melting lead until I turned 60 (seven years ago).

When I started up again, I remembered what I had learned in the round ball period, and carried that on into 'big, greasy, bullets stuffed in brass cartridges'.

I have learned a lot through reading in the last seven years, but never felt like a blank chalkboard that needed somebody else to write on it.

CM

[MrWolf]

I should have added with the You tube to take everything with a grain of salt and use common sense. I know for me sometimes just seeing the visual after the reading can make some things click with the process. Good luck!

[histed]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good advice here already. Like montana said, loads of use are in your age group. I've been at this only about a year, but I've learned a lot - mostly that I have a lot more to learn. BTW, though I'm sure you know this, equipment does NOT need to be expensive. Local thrift shops, second hand shops and "read-neck" malls (my favorite) can be real treasure troves.

[hiram1]

just don't buy no used post holes.they send them to you with the bottom up and you can't get a post in them to save your life

[MaryB]

I got back into casting at 54 after stopping in my early twenties. The basics carry over plus some of the new equipment makes life easier. I read a lot here, ignored youtube yahoo's completely. But I wa sused to working with lead solder so a lot of the basics are the same as far as melt points, alloy hardness etc. Soldered some battery cables yesterday, dripped some solder... okay I am cheap i scraped it up and tossed it in the lead bucket under my desk lol

[sparky45]

ThePerfessor's suggestion of Glen Fryxell is excellent and here is where to read it and more:
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[Blacksmith]

just don't buy no used post holes.they send them to you with the bottom up and you can't get a post in them to save your life

You ordered the wrong part number. They are the ones for the other side of the world. Our members in Australia and New Zealand use them.

Should we warn the new guy we get some thread drift around here?