Getting ready for my first casting, what am I forgetting?

[Dadswickedammo]

Have been on this road for a while getting information tools and supply a.
Today mixed up and fluxed 20lb of lead best I could. 8ish lb reclaimed bullets five lb super hard ball and 5 slugs of tin. Will be running gas checks
Want to start with some .309 155gr with my brand new lee 20lb bottom pour. I will be water quenching (ice make a difference?).
Once I cast a few hundred if all works out..
What is a reasonable temp to keep the pot at?
Will be running through the .309 sizer die with Orange lube.
I know I'm all over the place this has been a long road.
I really like to take care of things and I understand a layer of saw dust will protect the lead and the pot.
Also weather is bad so thinking of doing this in the garage with a fan going and doors open gonna be ok.
Man I can hardly wait.
Oh yeah thank all of you for being so kind with all my questions that I am sure you have seen dozens times.

[MyFlatline]

What rifle are you going to be loading for?

[Leadmelter]

Did you give your mold a good hot Dawn bath? Rinse and let dry and use acetone or brake cleaner with a q-tip on the cavities?
Did you give mold about 3 cycles of heating and cooling?
Leadmelter
MI

[Dadswickedammo]

Loading for 300blk and no have not done any pre cast prep to my molds. Was under the impression that smoking was the deal.
Going to start scrubbing and heating now. Really like the idea of heating and cooling a few times makes perfect sense.

[wistlepig1]

Find you a cheap hot plate to pre heat your mold, I got a Hplate at Walgreens for $10. It will help you more than you know.
Put a flat piece of metal on the HP if it has coils and have that extends beyond the coil to protect the mold handles, don't ask why I know this. As stated if it's a new mold clean, clean, then clean. I use boiling hot water, Dawn dish soap and an old toothbrush, not the wife's. If you have problem, as questions, provide as many details as you can. People here will help.

[Yodogsandman]

Don't smoke your mold unless absolutely needed, smoking them clogs the vent lines. Cast with the pot 725*F, mold about 375*F. Cast fast, without peeking for the first 20 or so runs. They will be wrinkled, throw them back in the pot later. Watch for the boolits to start frosting over and then slow down a little to to about 3 casts per minute. Leave a big sprue puddle. It should take about 5 to 7 seconds to change color to grey and harden on the sprue plate before cutting the sprue. Dump boolits into a pail of water if you want, ice will speed hardening a little. Size within a day or they will be real hard to push through a sizer. Age harden at least another 4 days id water dropping, longer is better. Orange Magic lube is hard and needs a heater, even in the summer. At 300 BLK velocities, a softer lube like 50/50 alox/beeswax will probably work better.

I've never used sawdust to cover the melt. What a mess! The reasoning is to keep oxides from forming but, testing has shown that the little oxides that do form on top really don't change the composition of your alloy. So, save that trick until you've cast a few hundred pots full and decide you still want to. Be sure to reduce the oxides back in at the beginning of your casting session with some type of a wax or old lube, stirring and scrapping the sides and then skimming off any crud into a metal can.

[Dadswickedammo]

Wow!!! All good info just what I was after. And the Orange lube.... it's what I got. I maybe casting Saturday afternoon after our local gun show maybe can find some lube.
Again thank you!!

[runfiverun]

using yodog's advice and finding your way from there should work out well.

[Dadswickedammo]

Yeah was thinking burning a bunch I saw dust in the garage not the best idea.
But before I get started need a face shield and going to look into a leather apron have all the other safety stuff gloves glasses fire extinguisher boots welding jacket.
Have read about a lot of mishaps near missed and second chances. I have been reloading for years without issue and want this to be as good an experence.

[runfiverun]

I guess I won't mention I cast in my socks, and wear a single cotton glove.

[lightman]

Lots of good advice above. I would start out with your pot thermostat about half way. The numbers may not match the real temp. Skip the sawdust and use candle wax or beeswax to flux. Stir it in and light the smoke. Clean your mold good. Cast a few bullets and adjust the temp as needed. If you don't get good bullets take a few pictures and post them here for more advice. Good Luck and have fun!

[William Yanda]

Your alloy/mix will dictate temperature. Start with just past melted and adjust as necessary. Safety is good. Are you bottom pouring or dipping? If dipping, top of the melt clean is king. Good luck, Bill

[TexasGrunt]

I guess I won't mention I cast in my socks, and wear a single cotton glove.

I make sure I'm not wearing synthetic clothes. I wear eye protection.

Beyond that I'm fine. Been working with hot lead for over 30 years. Common sense goes a long ways.

[seaboltm]

Eye protection. Hot plate. All good advice. I just spray my mold with a healthy dose of carb cleaner. Then I lube it with 2 cycle synthetic oil. Preheat with the setting of 3 on the hotplate. I got tired of my Lee 20 pounder dripping, so I use a Lyman dipper these days. I don't smoke my molds either. I don't run them through heat cycles either. The results? I bought a brand new Lee 6 banger for 45 ACP for Christmas. Perfect bullets on the very first casting. Oh, I run my lead pot at about 750F. Sometimes it climbs to 800F but I dial it back down.

[reddog81]

If you aren't preheating the mold expect quite a few rejects before the mold start producing good bullets. Don't get discouraged. To get the mold up to temperature try and cast, drop and re-pour as quickly as possible. Once the mold get up to temperature it's much easier to get good bullets.

The first casting session is like an internship. Even if you don't produce a bunch of perfect bullet you will learn a ton.

[mdi]

Jes wonderin', with the mix/alloy mentioned and water dropping your bullets are gonna be pretty hard (20s?). Why so hard?

[gwpercle]

Water hardened boolits are harder to size and sizing the lead just works the surface which in turn softens it . Some machines suffer damage from the hard sizing operation . Suggest you just air cool them, attach a gas check and size and see how they do. Your mix should be hard enough for your needs without the ice water song and dance.
Gary

[popper]

If that is roto super hard you need another 40# of range scrap. If hardball, you're about right, it will cast ~720F. they will run ~1900 fps at full load from a carbine. LLA probably won't work good - you could pan lube with the orange. Shake & bake PC works decent but you need the oven or hot plate (H.P. works better for me). Cold tap water will work, ice water will get them harder but probably not needed. Size the next day, maybe need a tad of lube if they cast large. Wait a week to shoot.

[WRideout]

Eye protection. Hot plate. All good advice. I just spray my mold with a healthy dose of carb cleaner. Then I lube it with 2 cycle synthetic oil. Preheat with the setting of 3 on the hotplate. I got tired of my Lee 20 pounder dripping, so I use a Lyman dipper these days. I don't smoke my molds either. I don't run them through heat cycles either. The results? I bought a brand new Lee 6 banger for 45 ACP for Christmas. Perfect bullets on the very first casting. Oh, I run my lead pot at about 750F. Sometimes it climbs to 800F but I dial it back down.

Two-stroke oil is good but only lube the parts that need it. Don't get any in the cavities, or it will be a pain to get it clean again. Lube only the alignment pins, and the top of the mold where the sprue cutter slides.

Wayne

[gloob]

If you aren't preheating the mold expect quite a few rejects before the mold start producing good bullets. Don't get discouraged. To get the mold up to temperature try and cast, drop and re-pour as quickly as possible. Once the mold get up to temperature it's much easier to get good bullets.
This +1.
If you are using a Lee alumiunum mold, in particular, you don't even have time to check while you're casting, really. The mold will cool down while you inspect. Just keep a tin/pan by the pot in which to dump the first 10 or so bullets (and the sprew cutoffs). Don't water drop these first 10, so's you don't have to get wet to retrieve all these wrinkly, bad bullets. Stop and check the last bullet or two you made. If good, then start casting more, dumping the first 3-4 into the waste tin, again, then continue on into the bucket of water. Anytime you stop to take a break, drop a few into the waste bin when you start up again, exact number depending on how long you let your mold sit/cool. And what I do is set the mold on top of my pot when I break.

Casting bullets is all about rhythm, so it may take awhile to figure it out. This why you want to get everything setup right. Pot full, molds clean, screws tight. So once you start dropping good bullets you can keep it up.

Personally, I know the temp is right when the bullets are filling out good, but they're not too frostly. A bit of frost is fine, too. You can't really be too hot. The reason you don't want it TOO hot is that you may have to stop to add more flux if it's over hot... and you will have to wait longer before you can cut the sprue and dump the bullets. Generally, with a bottom pour, though, it doesn't much matter how cruddy the top gets. So the frost is the sign you're definitely hot enough for good fill, but you might be hotter than strictly necessary.