How do you run your operation?

Ok, so I have been casting bullets for awhile now. Just plain jane WW stuff and have gotten my technique down pretty good. I have a smelter, lee 10 lb pot, and a couple of Lee aluminum molds. I have never sweetened my lead because I didn't have any tin and besides, improvements without tin could be made. Now that I have gotten WW technique down to where I'm happy with it, its time to take my casting to a new level. My bullets function reasonably well but they are certainly nothing like some of the pictures I have seen on this forum. I bid on some solder the other day on eBay and won the bid. Now I need to modify my technique to incorporate the solder. I have several options, but let me list my supply first. I have about 50 lbs of smelted WW. I have about 150 lbs of smelted stick on weights. I have 3 lbs of lyno type. I have 8 lbs of 97/3 solid core solder. I could blend up some batches of various recipes from the "Definitive answer" page sticky in my smelting pot. Which by the way is just a 5gal propane bottle with the top cut off. Or I could melt the solder down and let it drip out of the 10 lb pot into water turning it into shot that I could sweeten my pot with as I go along. Most of my aim is to improve my pistol bullets, but I would like to also start experimenting with some rifle bullets that will require different blends. All that just to ask, how do you guys do it. Do you create reserves of various blends, or do you mix as you go? I'm sure everyone is doing it a little different, but there is probably some good ideas out there.

Next question. I cast between 600 and 650. When I hit 650 I add another ingot. Is this window going to change (I'm certain it will) and do I need to narrow this window for best results.

I make mine simple . 2% tin is added to WW ingots
Stickons are mixed with pure and no tin
If I need 50/50 alloy the ww added will have a now 1% tin in the 50/50 mix
No gas checks used till I get over 2000 fps
For hot rifle loads straight 98/2
Any thing less than 1700 fps
Is 50/50
For muzzleloader it's mixed 1% tin as needed
All powdercoated no leading in any of my guns
Which covers over 10 calibers

my pistol alloy and my rifle alloy are the same alloy.
I just drop my rifle boolits into a bucket of water and don't for the pistols/revolvers.

my alloy is the ratio of stick-ons I get to the ratio of clip on's I get [about 3 to 1]
I toss in about .75% tin when I do my big batching of all my smaller batches of cleaned alloy from the year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plane340

How do you run your operation?

Ok, so I have been casting bullets for awhile now. Just plain jane WW stuff and have gotten my technique down pretty good. I have a smelter, lee 10 lb pot, and a couple of Lee aluminum molds. I have never sweetened my lead because I didn't have any tin and besides, improvements without tin could be made. Now that I have gotten WW technique down to where I'm happy with it, its time to take my casting to a new level. My bullets function reasonably well but they are certainly nothing like some of the pictures I have seen on this forum. I bid on some solder the other day on eBay and won the bid. Now I need to modify my technique to incorporate the solder. I have several options, but let me list my supply first. I have about 50 lbs of smelted WW. I have about 150 lbs of smelted stick on weights. I have 3 lbs of lyno type. I have 8 lbs of 97/3 solid core solder. I could blend up some batches of various recipes from the "Definitive answer" page sticky in my smelting pot. Which by the way is just a 5gal propane bottle with the top cut off. Or I could melt the solder down and let it drip out of the 10 lb pot into water turning it into shot that I could sweeten my pot with as I go along. Most of my aim is to improve my pistol bullets, but I would like to also start experimenting with some rifle bullets that will require different blends. All that just to ask, how do you guys do it. Do you create reserves of various blends, or do you mix as you go? I'm sure everyone is doing it a little different, but there is probably some good ideas out there.

Next question. I cast between 600 and 650. When I hit 650 I add another ingot. Is this window going to change (I'm certain it will) and do I need to narrow this window for best results.

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Plane340,
Welcome to the website.
I'd like to offer you a different direction. While alloy manipulation can help with certain problems, it's not the way I'd recommend taking "casting to a new level". The way to get there is to concentrate on consistency. Casting at the same consistent pace, to maintain the same mold temperature, so when the boolits drop, they all look the same, a consistent shade of grey, not too frosty, and no shiney spots...just a dull grey. Here are a couple of threads about how to get there.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-are-you-REALY

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...stency-applied

When using wire solder, I just calculate the amount needed and cut it off the roll. It's a wonderful thing for us small batch casters.

Like Runfiverun, I find .75% tin with ~2% (or less) antimony works well for light pistol loads.

I've had really good luck with straight clip on weights. If I'm using a difficult mold I add a little solder, cut to length with my trusty Linemans pliers. As to the actual casting, I have a shallow box with a folded towel on my right side. The cut sprues go on one side and the bullets go on the other side. A few ingots warm on the edge of the pot while I'm casting.

Whatever you mix up, keep separate and marked as to 'ingredients'.

My operation is very simple and along the lines of R5R's. I buy foundry certified 96/2/2. If I need them hard I water drop them. During the summer most get water dropped for ease of handling.

I did the same thing previously w/ isotope lead, 96/3/1. For batches of hunting bullets I would add solder to bring it to 96/2/2. They were typically 20# batches so I didn't do it very often.

As far as the pot temp goes. I've found the closer the temp is controlled the less variation in bullet weight. I plotted bell curves to see how I did. I will give most of the credit for the consistency improvement to the PID. It's allowed me to focus on other aspects and not worry about chasing temp. A PID is not necessary, I'm sure someone will be along to point this out over and over, but they are nice to have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plane340

Ok, so I have been casting bullets for awhile now. Just plain jane WW stuff and have gotten my technique down pretty good. I have a smelter, lee 10 lb pot, and a couple of Lee aluminum molds. I have never sweetened my lead because I didn't have any tin and besides, improvements without tin could be made. Now that I have gotten WW technique down to where I'm happy with it, its time to take my casting to a new level. My bullets function reasonably well but they are certainly nothing like some of the pictures I have seen on this forum. I bid on some solder the other day on eBay and won the bid. Now I need to modify my technique to incorporate the solder. I have several options, but let me list my supply first. I have about 50 lbs of smelted WW. I have about 150 lbs of smelted stick on weights. I have 3 lbs of lyno type. I have 8 lbs of 97/3 solid core solder. I could blend up some batches of various recipes from the "Definitive answer" page sticky in my smelting pot. Which by the way is just a 5gal propane bottle with the top cut off. Or I could melt the solder down and let it drip out of the 10 lb pot into water turning it into shot that I could sweeten my pot with as I go along. Most of my aim is to improve my pistol bullets, but I would like to also start experimenting with some rifle bullets that will require different blends. All that just to ask, how do you guys do it. Do you create reserves of various blends, or do you mix as you go? I'm sure everyone is doing it a little different, but there is probably some good ideas out there.

Next question. I cast between 600 and 650. When I hit 650 I add another ingot. Is this window going to change (I'm certain it will) and do I need to narrow this window for best results.

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DO NOT overthink this. It is NOT rocket surgery.

I followed your proposed pattern when I started out: get to the place where making good bullets and see what I could do next to make 'better' bullets. Did all sorts of test and blendings and it was OK but...

went back to casting WW and such as I did when I started out. Found I was producing good bullets and could do it with less hassle--though some enjoy the challenge of getting the exact alloy they need/want