Newbie Casting Equipment List?

[Jumping Frog]

I need to buy another 1000 lead bullets .40 S&W and another 1000 in .45 ACP and realized I could buy all the equipment I need to cast my own for about what the bullet purchases would cost me. Hmmmm.....

What do I need to buy? I am quite happy with my Lee Loadmaster press, so was leaning towards getting the Lee 4-20 Melter and some molds. Online prices for the Lee Melter run around $60-65, whereas I'd be looking at $300 for an RCBS. Figured I'd start off with the Lee. If I like casting, I can always spend to get a second furnace down the road.

Anyway, here is a start towards an equipment list. Will this get the job done or are there other items I need to add:

An inexpensive garage sale cast iron pot to smelt in (from wheel weights to clean ingots).
a Lee Pro 4-20 melter.
Lee double cavity molds for each caliber.
Thermometer-Lyman or RCBS
Slotted ladle for skimming dross
Leather gloves (already have)
Safety Glasses (already have)
Ingot Mold of some sort
Postal Scales (already have)
Heat source for smelting lead/alloys
Stiff brush for cleaning molds
beeswax candles or Marvelux or some other flux.
Lee alox

I was thinking of starting with simply using Alox and shooting as cast instead of buying a sizer.

Am I catching everything?

[docone31]

If you do not slug your bore, you will not ultimately enjoy the benefits of casting.
Lee Sizing Dies, which I use exclusively work great.
I use the 200gn flat nose .45 for my ACP. Great casting, great patterns.
Definately on the 4/20.
I would get a casting ladle for making ingots from the premelting, a cupcake tin for the ingots.
I have not used the Alox yet. I make my lube. I am extremely satisfied with the lube, pan lubing, and sizing. The push thru dies smooth the lube where it might be uneven, make the castings all the same. It also gives a second chance to cull defects.
So far, you have quite a shopping list. I do not use gloves, or glasses, or thermometer. No postal scale, or stiff brush. The castings clean the molds as you cast.
You wanna enjoy, and get results?
Keep it simple.
The 200gn Lee Mold, casts so well for me it is boring!
I use the kitchen stove for premelting for casting. I also use an hot plate for premelting. The hot plate is really simple. Plug it in, melt the lead, turn it off when done. At full tilt on the hot plate, it melts real well for a cast iron pan, or pot.
A lot of people talk down Lee. I personally like their stuff. If it doesn't work, they fix it.
So far, the only fix I have needed is to open up my sizer die for my .303 British. If I was using jacketeds I wouldn't have had to. I paper patch so the measurement is different.
Such is life.

[Calamity Jake]

Lyman Cast Bullet Manual. Forget the Marvelux it draws moisture.

[docone31]

Yeah, the Cast Bullet Manual.
It has more information about lead alone, surface conditions, heat effects, alloy conditions.
That manual is the casting bible!!!
Some good formulas also.

[mooman76]

You don't neccissarily have to get all that stuff right away. If you want to get it by all means get it but to start out you don't ned a thermometer. You can cast from a cast iron pot. An old Coleman stove or a propane turkey frier works great as a heat source. I use the regular lee ladle to skim the dross but about anything works. I got a slotted spoon from the dollar store to skim off the dirt and wheel weight clips. Looks like you got a good handle on things and like you said you can always get more and better stuff later on. Good luck!

[dwtim]

Welcome aboard! I'm kicking myself for not getting my own casting rig sooner. I never figured in the fact that scrap lead saves such a large amount of cost! I, too wasted money on commercial bullets and regret it. (Case in point: lubes. Bullet lube shouldn't be so hard that it cracks when you press it. Sheesh.)

That's a pretty good basic list. The only free accessories I would add are a metal dross bucket, and a chunk of wood to knock the mold's hinge pin. And why would you need to scrub a mold?

I use the Lee casting ladle for my skimmer. I think a slotted one wouldn't be able to pick out the junk. It's small, but then I melt range scrap and casting ingots in the same pot.

In the safety department, I'd dig up some scrap sheet steel to cover working surfaces, and get some good cotton casting clothes.

EDIT: I see that someone mentioned Lyman's Casting. Yes, that's a definite. Sorry.

[mooman76]

I always have a brass brush handy. I use it lightly. I bought a set of those small ones, brass, steel and nylon. I don't use the steal but the brass lightly. When the mould is still hot it cleans off the little lead splaters and stuff. The nylon can be used for heavier scrubing when the mould is not hot.

[Jumping Frog]

Thank you, people for the replies. I'll order the Lyman manual with the equipment. Boy when I look on the internet, it seems everyone is out of stock. There has been a lot of panic buying for everything firearm-related since the election.

[94Doug]

Even pick up an old Lyman reloading manual, like a 45 edition or even older, casting was more the norm back in those issues.. the information is timeless. They are fairly cheap.

[MtGun44]

No need for the thermometer. No need for slotted ladle, Lee ladle is
tiny but fine for this.

Lee push thru sizer once you decide on your size, but maybe
Liq Alox (AKA Mule Snot) would be good enough, exp if double
dipped and keep it off of the nose (messy).

Cake cutter with 50/50 ALox-beeswax is a good way to go, too.

Bill

[Wayne Smith]

Check out Johnson's Paste Wax for lube. It will work at .45 velocities, I think it would be adequate at .40 velocities. Cheaper and you don't have to wait to get some, just go to Walmart or your local hardware store.

I found that a thermometer gave me useful information and that my bullet weights stabilized as my heat stabilized. Of course, I'm using a pot on a Coleman stove and ladeling so I don't have a relatively stable temp like in an electric pot, but even then you want to know the temp you are casting at and the effect of adding sprues, etc, to the melt.

Anything that burns and contains carbon is adequate for flux. Marvelux was designed to stay on top of a pot, but cat litter is much less expensive if you want to go that way. There is a lot of information on this board about using cat litter, do a search. Candle wax, sawdust, old motor oil, or most anything else with carbon can be used - just make sure it's dry! I've several times submerged a dead bug (wasp) in my melt and hear the popping and see the bubbles from the little bit of water in it. Even a green stick can be a problem. That's why I like candle wax, other than, of course, that I have so much of it, making my own candles.

[Castnshoot]

Check out Johnson's Paste Wax for lube. It will work at .45 velocities, I think it would be adequate at .40 velocities. Cheaper and you don't have to wait to get some, just go to Walmart or your local hardware store.

I found that a thermometer gave me useful information and that my bullet weights stabilized as my heat stabilized. Of course, I'm using a pot on a Coleman stove and ladeling so I don't have a relatively stable temp like in an electric pot, but even then you want to know the temp you are casting at and the effect of adding sprues, etc, to the melt.

Anything that burns and contains carbon is adequate for flux. Marvelux was designed to stay on top of a pot, but cat litter is much less expensive if you want to go that way. There is a lot of information on this board about using cat litter, do a search. Candle wax, sawdust, old motor oil, or most anything else with carbon can be used - just make sure it's dry! I've several times submerged a dead bug (wasp) in my melt and hear the popping and see the bubbles from the little bit of water in it. Even a green stick can be a problem. That's why I like candle wax, other than, of course, that I have so much of it, making my own candles.

I see you mentioned motor oil, I have about a gallon of used motor oil, but you also say it must also be dry. This may be a dumb question, but everything else there is solid and this is the only liquid, can/should it be used in liquid form, or would it be a good idea to have something submerged in it and dried?

[John Boy]

Am I catching everything?
Add ... The 8-Phase Casting Cycle ... http://www.longrangebpcr.com/8Phases.htm

[Jumping Frog]

Add ... The 8-Phase Casting Cycle ... http://www.longrangebpcr.com/8Phases.htm
Fascinating article.