Gonna melt all my shiny boolets

[brassrat]

I found the thread but he wasn't using pewter. He was heavy on tin thou. I guess I will try more and not remove it, while at it. This is after checking cylinders, but I doubt problems there because I have had great groupings, at times, with all the guns. I almost always shoot on a rest. With these boolets, I was shocked at one good group fired from a OLD Uberti. Just f-ing with me I guess lol

[1911KY]

You may need to check your thermometer! There is no reason to be casting at 900-1000 F.

Try your PC on your casts and size them after baking.

[1911KY]

Get your temp down between 650 and 750, flux a couple times with the bedding and then with the beeswax (beware of the flame), the beeswax will help re-incorporate your tin and antimony back into the alloy

Personally, I don't flux but once in my casting pot. I prefer to flux my alloy's as clean as possible when smelting.

[brassrat]

Well I scored 85 lbs of sheet and some crazy hard ingots, combined. I found a huge, unending supply at $.90lb. I had to watch this kid, real closely. I recast what boolets I had and added what I could by melting a 20lb chunk into my 10 lb pot. I had my big propane setup and a new Goodwill pot but the flame totally sucked and nothing melted there. I fluxed with both and tried to only remove ashes instead of tin. Boolets cast well and I got a coffee can full.

[brassrat]

I got a pm from someone who must wanna not be known as knowledgeable. He mentioned maybe not seating the WC, all the way. I did use my new alloy boolets that still are around 8br and left them out to a lube groove and those five shoot very well. I am psyched

[cbrick]

I fluxed with both and tried to only remove ashes instead of tin. Boolets cast well and I got a coffee can full.

Your still confused about the fluxing. Your using wood shavings for flux which is good but in addition to removing possible impurities it is also a reducer. The only metal in the pot that will oxidize is that which is on the surface and in contact with the air. Any oxidized tin is reduced to the metallic state (into the melt) by the carbon resulting from the burnt wood. Once it is reduced you didn't skim it off. If your casting pot is too hot it is however oxidizing about as fast as you can reduce it.

Banger was correct earlier in this thread. The metallurgy of tin is that it will begin oxidizing at a faster rate past about 750 degrees. At that temp and higher it will also begin loosing it's ability to reduce the surface tension of the alloy, the main reason for having it in there. A good rule of thumb for boolit casting alloys is to cast at about 100 degrees above full liquidus. If your using pure lead there is no harm/foul to the lead but casting that hot will really slow down your casting by waiting much longer for the lead in the mold to freeze and the mold itself getting to hot which will also slow you down.

My general rule is to cast most all of my alloys at 700 degrees with the exception of small bullets in large blocks or HP's both of which I crank it up to 725 degrees.

Rick

[brassrat]

I agree and am catching on. The temps were lower but spiked at times due to me rising the control and forgetting. The oxidation now reminds me

[brassrat]

Here is a pic of my 1st attempt at a load. The red circles show my load off a bag at 50'. They were unsized and hand lubed, heavy, with Lyman Alox, I believe. It came in the kit and is brown and now in the machine.






Here is a group of my recast bullets, They are sized and lubed, lightly. I hope this wasn't a lucky occurrence and time will tell with a few more attempts. The other loads were at least in the same county thou. There is an unseen round that I didnt see, at first, after doing a happy dance, but I like this view better.

[cbrick]

I love it when a plan works out well. Sure, group it a few more times to be sure it repeats but it looks like you've got it now. Keep us informed how it goes.

Rick

[brassrat]

My S+W loves the new boolets, but the other is very stubborn. These good groups are all lube-less, although one was shot using the Hoppes Moly spray which also worked again, this week. One group was fully seated and yes I got some leading, but it cleaned up, probably helped by Moly.