Casting Article,, Lots of photo's to help you along.

[Sundogg1911]

nice article. very informative and easy for a newbie to follow.
well done!

[Hunter]

Thank yall so much for all the positive comments.
I have tried to cast with welders gloves on but I just cannot do it. I believe if care is exercised then all should be well.
Yall are more than welcome to copy or post it anywhere you would like. I am by no means an expert but I had hoped to put something together for those interested in casting to give them an idea.
It was well received at m1911.org as well as there are several beginning casters over there (I usually direct them to this site as a great reference as I have learned very much over hear).
I have not seen any of the Zinc w-w that the clip is cast into the Zinc but I will mention that in the discussion thread for that article.
Thanks again so much for the great comments, I referenced this site as well as the Lyman books.
I do not know how to do a pdf file but if you can copy it please do.

[Wicky]

Hunter, my 10c worth - top article and makes things really easy to understand. This needs to be read by anybody thinking of casting their own. Well done.

[Bret4207]

I agree on the gloves. Being able to feel what you are doing is sometimes more important than an extra safety measure. Besides, burn ointment isn't real expensive. Cotton Masons gloves work much better than welders gloves.

Good job!

BTW- Thats appears to be a nice website. A cut above the average "I got's a Kimber SupertacticaleliteoperatorHRTspecial with 4 rail lights, 2 lazers and and Kitchen Magician attached".

[Ed Barrett]

Great article, Hope I see some more!

[Hunter]

Thanks again yall, the positive comments from this forum really mean a lot to me.
M1911.org is a pretty good forum. Many complain it is over moderated (and that may be so but we try to run it squeaky clean).
This is my first attempt at a casting article but I have reviewed several Government Models and the Hornady L-N-L press (I have linked a few to this site as well).
I am also working on a review of the Hornady case feeder for Steve Johnson at Hornady.

BTY the advice on the .30 rifle bullet molds is working out great, thanks for that as well.

[NoDakJak]

Wear the gloves guys. I,m a southpaw and wear a welders glove on the right hand and a lighweight leather glove on the left. And for crying out loud don't forget eye protection.
I cast just outside the shop when the weather is good. A couple years ago I had added several ingots to the old Lyman pot and was performing other work while the lead melted. I came walking past the pot just as a grasshopper flew into it. Explosion! Glasses saved my eyes. Bad burns on my right hand that got infected. Was afraid that I would loose the hand for a while. Neil

[waksupi]

Wear the gloves guys. I,m a southpaw and wear a welders glove on the right hand and a lighweight leather glove on the left. And for crying out loud don't forget eye protection.
I cast just outside the shop when the weather is good. A couple years ago I had added several ingots to the old Lyman pot and was performing other work while the lead melted. I came walking past the pot just as a grasshopper flew into it. Explosion! Glasses saved my eyes. Bad burns on my right hand that got infected. Was afraid that I would loose the hand for a while. Neil

I'm thinking one of your ingots melted, with some moisture in it to cause the tinsel fairy. A grasshopper most likely wouldn't be able to fly under the surface of melted lead.

[MtGun44]

Looks like a good article.

I don't wear gloves, can't feel what is going on well and just don't
like it. The only burns have been very minor, but I have noted that
it doesn't take me very long to inspect a freshly dropped boolit. . . .

Good job.

Bill

[Cowboy5780]

Great article Cast Boolits has the best members off all the forums

[jimkim]

Good article. I added the link to my "What every Newbie Reloader must know" thread on G&G. I hope you don't mind. It started out with just a few links, but it keeps growing.

[1911sw45]

Hunter, I put it in a .pdf file. If you want I can email it to you.

1911sw45
Adam

[Hunter]

Adam that would be great, thank you.

[Murphy]

Hunter,

Hats off to you sir, a job well done.

So many here can only wish we would have had such fine instructions to begin with when our casting hobby/careers began.

Over time you will have eventually helped save many poor souls a lot of misery and hard learned lessons.

Thanks,

Murphy

[Hunter]

Thank you Murphy.
I have to give Robert Bank (a member hear) credit for teaching me casting over the phone.
He lives in Canada and I am in NC.
With his instructions, this forum, and the Lyman manual I managed to be a successful caster.
I hope my article inspires some to take up the hobby and helps them along. I am by no means an expert but I do enjoy writing.
Thank you again for the kind words.

[jnovotny]

Great article Hunter wish I would have been so informed in the begining of my casting endevours. I will hope this will be the article every new caster has the oppertunity to read.

[Russel Nash]

I think it's a great article too.

Hey, I don't mean to nit pick, but I am wondering if those weren't actualy steel wheelweights instead of zinc.

[Hunter]

I believe they are zinc wheel weights. Before I added that picture I showed it to a few others and they agreed they looked like zinc wheel weights.
If they were steel wouldn't they rust where the coating was scratched off? I know zinc will corrode but not rust.

[Russel Nash]

^^^ I'm just sayin' because my very first attempts at melting wheelweights, I followed the advice of a few folks here and took side cutters to each one before I threw it in the pot, just to be sure.

The ones I couldn't cut, I put to the side, thinking they were zinc.

And them some other nice poster here mentioned that it might be a steel wheelweight and to take a magnet to it.

That's what I did, and sure enough the magnet stuck to the wheelweight in several different spots.

And they looked just like the ones you pictured.

Anywhooo.... not to pick nits really... It's more of an FYI kinda thing.

Zinc... steel... what have ya... as long as you don't have the turkey fryer and dutch oven going full tilt, at least you won't be worrying the zinc ones melting.

After going through a couple of buckets by hand, you figure out what melts and what doesn't, without a magnet and without sidecutters.

I really liked your pictures of the wax for flux and how it flames up.

I had read here in several places that's what it would do, but I had no idea it would "poof" up the way it did the first time I did it. Eeeekkk!!

So that kinda spooked me off of using wax. I use a stick now and stirr and stirr and stirr. All the crap spins into the center of the melt.

I might go back to wax though, after seeing your pics.

[beagle]

Good article. Contact Will and have him put it on castpics for all to enjoy and get the use out of./beagle