I would agree with the above advice, but add do not use a candle. You will get a wax residue deposited along with the soot and will get wrinkled boolits!
Type: Posts; User: snaggdit
Forum: Cast Boolits
I would agree with the above advice, but add do not use a candle. You will get a wax residue deposited along with the soot and will get wrinkled boolits!
Forum: Cast Boolits
No, you stir with it. Lead is so heavy, it stays level with the pot level on the stick. You would really need to whip the pot to get any air down into your melt. The charcoal I use does not add...
Forum: Cast Boolits
Snow is that stuff that makes all your various patterns of camo useless. We woke Sat. to 2" of the white stuff. It is finally melting today. 40 degrees and slowly climbing. Just finished a...
Forum: Cast Boolits
Welcome! What no one has mentioned yet is until you get your mold you do not know what size boolits it will drop. Manufacturing variances and different alloys will affect final boolit size. Even...
Forum: Cast Boolits
I "smelt" outside and stay upwind. I cast in my garage and have never had any issues with smells associated with casting. I do not have any venting but am careful to not smoke or drink until after...
Forum: Cast Boolits
The reason we can all offer advice is we have all made many of the mistakes ourselves. Give us specifics and add a pic or two and we can certainly get you heading in the right direction. Welcome to...
Forum: Cast Boolits
I used to leave them as is after loading. They had a tendency to get stuff stuck to them. After reading that many here wiped off the exposed tips I now do that as well. I use a washcloth lightly...
Forum: Cast Boolits
OK, well you got the pot and lead.
If the lead isn't already in ingots, you will need a steel or cast iron pot to "smelt" it into ingots. Don't use your casting pot to smelt in! Flux with wax or...
Forum: Cast Boolits
First of all, welcome! I suppose you have ordered molds? Are you looking to start low budget or do you want to get set up well? Suggestions will change based on budget.
Forum: Cast Boolits
Nice first effort. I too began by smelting in a cast aluminum pressure cooker. The folks here told me how dangerous this could be. 5-25 lbs of molten lead pouring out around my feet would have...
Forum: Cast Boolits
I would say never "smelt" in a closed area (stinky and smoky). Casting with clean ingots at 650-800 degrees will NOT give off any lead fumes. Gotta get wayyyy hotter before lead begins to let off...
Forum: Cast Boolits
How are you filling your 6 cavs? Are you lifting the pour individually for each cav or just moving the mold as each cav fills? If the latter, try individually. I had issues with the overflow from...
Forum: Cast Boolits
Yep, good job and your sprue cuts i can see look pretty good. Shoot those puppies!
Forum: Cast Boolits
After you spray it with brake cleaner, use a q-tip and wipe it off. Do it a second time with a clean q-tip. Solvents loosen oils, but then they evaporate, leaving the oils behind again.
Do I...
Forum: Cast Boolits
Welcome! This is a great site with lots of great folks full of information. As mentioned, you have to curb your time on here, though, or you will never get anything cast...:shock:
Forum: Cast Boolits
+1 on making them a bit longer. I load this boolit in 40 S&W with 4.7gr Red Dot to 1.125 and it feeds well and gives me good accuracy.
Forum: Cast Boolits
Welcome to the addiction! Just use the search function a lot and if you can't find an answer post it here and we will do our best. We were all where you are now at one time (although some of us had...
Forum: Cast Boolits
I will agree with the sawdust, but personally use charcoal from my woodstove. I pull logs that turn to charcoal overnight but fail to burn up. I crush them with a hatchet then use the small chunks...
Forum: Cast Boolits
+1, and I would add the reason, if you don't use the Lee sizers, is they are nose first sizers. The piston pushes the boolit into the sizer from the base and the nose enters the sizer first.
Forum: Cast Boolits
Most of us still pretend we are saving money, too, as we keep setting up group buys for new molds.... Welcome!
Forum: Cast Boolits
When I have been able to find a few lately they have been $4.50-$5 a hundred. At that price, I am not that desparate yet.
Forum: Cast Boolits
Factory crimp dies will iron out a fat spot from seating the boolit. Problem is they do so by swaging down the boolit. Could lead to leading. Use cautiously.
Forum: Cast Boolits
Well,, you could show a little more interest in casting.... Looks great!
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |