Newbie with a few questions

[Alaskan100]

Hello All,
I am just starting out putting together casting equipment and I need a little advice. I will be only casting bullets for my black powder guns, ( a few hundred bullets a summer). I plan on using a double cavity mold. I also plan on melting down all my scavenged lead in a cast iron pot on a fish fryer burner, then pouring ingots.

Here are a couple questions I have:
Would a bottom pour Lee 10lb pot be more headache than its worth, or should I just get a pot and a laddle and pour away?

I will be trying to get wheel weights for my lead most of the time. But would range lead be to dirty for a bottom pour pot?

Any help you folks could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Alaskan100

[winelover]

Here are a couple questions I have:
Would a bottom pour Lee 10lb pot be more headache than its worth, or should I just get a pot and a laddle and pour away?

I will be trying to get wheel weights for my lead most of the time. But would range lead be to dirty for a bottom pour pot?

Any help you folks could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Alaskan100

If you are considering a Lee bottom pour pot, the 20# is less of a headache IMO.

WW and or range lead is dirty by default. Do your smelting in the cast iron pot / turkey fryer and you'll be fine. Save your CLEAN ingots for the bottom pour.


Winelover:coffeecom

[mooman76]

If you are going to only do a few hundred bullets a summer I wouldn't even mess with an electric pot unless you could pick up a cheap one. You could knock out a few hundred easy in a cast iron pot in a couple hours. Also if you went with an electric I would go with a top pour. I've never done bottom pour myself but since you only plan on knocking out a few hundred a summer it's cheaper and less headaches. Don't know if you are from AK or not but when I was up there I used to cast in the winter for something to do. Not a problem inside with good ventilation and clean lead right on the stove top. Just smelt in the summer.

[white eagle]

Ak100
I just started castin to
I use a rcbs 10#pot with a ladle and get quite enough boolits for me to shoot
sometimes I get carried away and keep pouring 2-300 in a session is no problem
good luck and welcome

[John J]

Im not into black powder my self...but if its a muzzle loader I would use as close to pure lead as you could get

John J

[Butler Ford]

+1 for don't smelt and melt in the same pot. Wheel weights can get to be a little hard for a front stuffer. Range lead will probably be a softer alloy.

Sorry to repeat myself butfor a couple a hundred a summer:

http://www.myhostedpics.com/images/ButlerFord45/primativecastingsmall.jpg

[Alaskan100]

Hello Again,
Moonman76, yes I live in Alaska, Fairbanks to be exact. I don't feel comfortable pouring lead indoors, specially in the winter time when everthing is all closed up except for the stove fan.

The muzzleloaders I will be casting the bullets for are both in-line and a flintlock. I figure cast them as if they are all going into the flintlock since they use the same bullet.

The reason I chose the lee 10lbs pot is it is available locally. If I have to order a pot the shipping could get expensive.

Due to the fact that I am just starting out I dont feel comfortable mixing tin or other metals into the lead.

Thanks for the help so far.
Alaskan100

[mooman76]

Great deal, if you're not comfortable doing it indoors, then by all means do it outside. I was in Fairbanks (Eielson)also about 15 years ago. I mentioned inside because I know how precious every summer minute is up there and winter you are looking for things to keep you busy, but a a few hundred won't take no time at all anyway. I used range scrap also back then. You don't need to mix tin with it as you want it soft and range scrap should be fairly soft. Pure is better but you have to use what you got. If the ten# pot suits your needs then get it. I use a 4# pot for my soft lead and a 20 for my regular bullet work.

[Echo]

Welcome to the madness, AK100. Don't get nervous about adding Sn to your alloy. Just remember that anything over 3% is wasteful - once you have that in mind, remember that there are 16 ounces to a pound, and lead-free solder can be considered pure tin. Weigh out a portion of rendered WW's, multiply by 16, multiply by .02, and add that amount of lead-free. No challenge. You will have at least 2% tin, maybe more.

BTW - the tin lowers the surface tension of the alloy, making it fill out the mold more accurately, giving sharp corners where the mold has sharp corners. It doesn't add much hardness.

And I agree with the others. If you are only going to cast a few hundred per year, an electric bottom-pour furnace is not necessary. I guarantee - if you get a bottom-pour furnace, it won't be long before you are casting more - and more - and more - &cetera...