Weather warmed up to about 65* this afternoon, decided would be a good day to make some boolits.
Kids and wife got me a new lee bottom pour pot, 2 new molds, and 10 lb. of lead. Don't know were everything came from except the lead. It came from RotoMetals (Lyman #2 Bullet Metal). Wanted to start new with the lead. Wanted repeatable results for my 45-70.
I have cast 100's if not in the low 1000's of round balls and maxie bullets from wheel weights that the local Big O Tires Store had given me. All in a pot on the Coleman stove with a ladle. Last time this was done about 8 months ago. I know this is not many compared to a lot of you. Last casting session went fine, after molds heated up all went well.
On to today, set up table in open garage doorway. Slight breeze, not quite as dumb as 40 or so years ago. Set new lee pot on table, plug in. Let it smoke for 1/2 hour on I think 3 setting (low heat?). After quit smoking went inside grabbed my two new lead ingots from RotoMetals. Put one in pot grabbed everything else, when I cane back the first 5 lb. ingot had started to melt. Left it on low setting. Did not want to rush, had all afternoon. Added second ingot after first had melted completely. Fluxed, skimmed, and set cleaned mold on top of pot. Really did not expech first 12 or so to be any good. They we not good. Wrinkled, mold or lead not hot enough me thinks. Come inside to the computer, go to Cast Boolits to make sure. I remembered something right today I thought. Turned temp control up to 5. Let pot warm to higher temp.
Next 50 boolits or so out of two molds, never seen anything like them. 1/2 of them would break falling out of the molds. None were usable. The lead had a graining look like pot metal has when broken. Have not found any post so far to address my problem.
Looking down in the pot after I stopped pouring it looked like the formations out west. Like when volcanoes would form and then overtime the ground around the rock would erode.
Not all looked this bad.
chuck40219