What did you learn today??

[Whitespider]

I learned a few things...

1. A citric acid bath may be the best way to prep an iron mold for casting. I have an iron .38 RN Lyman mold that was given to me... badly deteriorated. It's been rusty, cavities black and pitted. I decided to use it to make a handful of soft lead slugs for slugging bores. This morning I scrubbed it good in hot soppy water, rinsed and tossed in a citric acid bath... ½ hour later I scrubbed it again in soppy water. I continued alternating between citric acid and scrubbing in soapy water until my toothbrush stopped turning black during scrubbing. The first boolit out of the mold was completely filled out and fell from the mold from it's own weight. I find that really interesting... further testing is in order.
2. It's completely understandable to be excited about using a new mold... however...
   No matter how much you prep it, and pre-heat it, if your alloy is not up to temperature it will not throw good boolits (I don't use a thermometer).
3. Synthetic two-cycle oil is 100-times better than Anti-Seize as a mold lube. And it don't take very much... the tiny bottle I purchased may supply my grand-kids with mold lube.
4. Spending a bit extra on a mold is well worth it... period.
5. Even if your shop feels a bit cool... if you're wearing wool long underwear, starting the wood stove will make you sweat horribly standing over a hot pot with a ladle.
6. No matter how fatigued you get, it's really hard to take a break and refill the pot when the mold is running like a finely tuned machine.
7. And when the mold is running in such a way, you're wife will never understand why you won't stop to talk to her when she comes to the shop asking questions.

It was a good day.
*

[Reddirt62]

Awesome! I learned that "real" pewter melts at around 360°

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[jimb16]

I learned that in skeet shooting, it doesn't matter how creaky the joints are, it is still fun to get out there and blast a few birds. (scored 20, 21 and 20) Just couldn't seem to get the joints moving today.

"And when the mold is running in such a way, you're wife will never understand why you won't stop to talk to her when she comes to the shop asking questions."-----Mine doesn't understand it either!

[DerekP Houston]

6. No matter how fatigued you get, it's really hard to take a break and refill the pot when the mold is running like a finely tuned machine.

You nailed this one! My most frustrating molds almost *always* start working right when i decide to quit.....but you can't quit if the boolits are raining down

[RedRiver]

I learned that almost every time I go to the scrap yard and start digging around, I end up coming home with a cut that will always get infected and take a month to heal up.

[rancher1913]

I learned that sorting and melting wheel weights for somebody else, even for pay, is not as fun as doing it for yourself.

[runfiverun]

I learned that all shot shell hulls are not the same diameter internally.
and that not all wads are the same diameter externally and they might even be larger in the middle than at the gas seal.
this can be good and or bad depending on the hull your using at the time.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Today,
-I learned I have one more 38/357 reloading die set..that'd be, one more than I thought I had? and I was real happy when I found it, while looking for another set.
-I also learned that riding a scooter on a sunny 40º day is a lot colder than riding a snowmobile on a sunny 0º day.
-and I taught my neighbor this ...saved seed is a lot cheaper than store bought seed.

[runfiverun]

yeah.... but.
the neighbors don't like it when you let the front lawn go to seed so you can plant the back lawn.

[Whitespider]

I learned that all shot shell hulls are not the same diameter internally.
and that not all wads are the same diameter externally...

LOL
I haven't loaded shotshells for a few years now, but back when I was shooting trap league I tried to make every hull count. I've got buckets upon buckets of different hulls... and every imaginable wad there is (or was at the time). There's a whole cabinet full of wads in my reloading area... 12 and 20 gauge... some day I'll need to start using them up. The problem is, what do I shoot them at??
*

[Digital Dan]

Carpenter bees?

[jsizemore]

Green walnut is quite heavy. A piece 3.5"x 14"x 20' feels like lifting an upright piano. 2 pieces this size are more then twice the fun. Next time you cut walnut lumber, bring help.

[GhostHawk]

I learned that a light brush of saved bacon fat and olive oil will get my dog to devour things that he would not really even give a good sniff to just 5 minutes earlier.

My little guy is 3, half chihuahua, half midnight wanderer with a dose of terrior, or Pomeranian. He has the pom's high domed forhead, big eyes, perky ears, and ruff, but all with the chihuahua's light sand short hair. Fussy eater, unless it came from my plate. I know he think's he's people, and ever so often he does something bad because he gets in a snit when he did not get outside when he wanted or because I did not understand what it was he was demanding. Little rascal. Weighs about 12 lb, full of the dickens, love to fetch his chartruse green squeaky balls for me.

Spends most of his time snuggled under the afghan over my legs pressed up tight against my right leg, sleeping and dreaming.

No I don't love him much, or spoil him much, nahh.

[TXGunNut]

I learned awhile back that shotgun shells weren't worth the time, trouble and equipment to reload....at least for me. At $55-60/case there are other things I'd rather be reloading and a good shotshell press takes up precious room on my loading bench, not to mention all the room wads and hulls require.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I learned two new things today.

148gr WC in 38spl with 2.9gr of Bullseye is kind of a hot load in my S&W 36 (Chief's Special).

AND

148gr WC (cast with soft range scrap, 9 BHN) in 38spl with 2.9gr of Bullseye fired from a 4" GP-100 at a backstop made of railroad ties, will not penetrate (luckily I didn't need to dig any ricochets out of my forehead) also, I was quite impressed with expansion and weight retention for the few projectiles I was able to find after they bustled through the grass near my feet.

[Whitespider]

(luckily I didn't need to dig any ricochets out of my forehead)

LOL
At one time, when my eyes were younger, I would show-off by sticking a beer bottle cap (one of those that required a "church key" to remove) in the bark of an old Bur Oak Tree in the yard and shooting it with a .22 Rimfire revolver with on hand. One day I actually did take a ricochet in the forehead just above the right eye... it hurt like the dickens, drew blood, and raised a welt the size of a golf ball. I have no idea if it was the projectile or a piece of the tree that hit me... but it was the last time I performed that "show-off" trick.
I cannot tell you how much that hurt... it near put my on my knees.
*

[Thumbcocker]

Yesterday I learned that Mrs. Thumbcocker will size boolits in the Star sizer for the .32 mag loads she like shooting.

[ole_270]

I learned awhile back that shotgun shells weren't worth the time, trouble and equipment to reload....at least for me. At $55-60/case there are other things I'd rather be reloading and a good shotshell press takes up precious room on my loading bench, not to mention all the room wads and hulls require.

Except for 16 gauge. Nearly all the loads available are promo loads. If you want quality shot and better patterns you've got to do it yourself. This is where r5r's post comes in. The domestic wads are for the tapered cases like the Rem. Game Load sp and the long discontinued compression formed case. The Federal and import poly-formed cases are straight wall and take a larger wad like the imported SG-16, Z16, especially if you are using fine grained powder like Longshot, to keep the powder from migrating past the cup. The new Downrange DR-16 works well with either, but is best with 3/4 and 7/8 oz loads. Finding a wad with a 1 1/8 oz shotcup to use in the straight wall cases can be a hassle. Such is life if you tend to stay with the old, no longer popular equipment.

[TexasGrunt]

I learned that replacing one smart thermostat with another brand smart thermostat is a royal PITA. I'm actually still working on that little project.

[upnorthwis]

I learned that If I buy a new car that they no longer come with CD players. Now I will have to get myself into the 21st century. (Kicking and screaming)