Newbie looking for advice

[Brkenarrow]

Hi all,

First post here, I've been reloading for about three years and wanting to get into casting. I've searched through the forum but don't really see a "getting started guide" of sorts. If there is one on the forum, please point me in that direction.

I currently plan to shoot around 3-5k rounds per year and ideally would like to cast all of them. I would love to be able to cast more, so I'm open to buying a melter that I can "grow" into as my production increases. I'm working on reading "From Ingot to Target" but I've still got a number of questions:

1) I am able to get range scrap for about $1/lb - is that a good price?

2) What is a normal price for pure lead?

3) Another seller has some 60/40 lead/tin solder bars available - is that any good for boolit casting?

4) I'm leaning towards getting a propane fish fryer and a dutch oven for making ingots. Could I use the same dutch oven for casting boolits, or would I be better off getting a separate one for my "clean" lead? How difficult is it to control the temp of the propane fish fryers?

5) If I were to go the route of an electric furnace, what do you guys recommend - bottom pour or ladle? What brand/model?

Any other information for a rookie starting out would be greatly appreciated. As a teen I messed around with melting aluminum cans and casting ingots with it so I'm not brand-spanking new to working with molten metal, but not experienced by any means. Looking forward to joining the community of casters! Thank you in advance!

[Minerat]

First off welcome. You'll soon realize that there are no dumb questions, only ones you need an answer for, so just ask. There are members that can answer them. You can check going prices on metals by going to the Swapin' & Sellin' forum (S&S). A buck to a buck and a quarter are about range scraps going price plus shipping.

If you have any questions on rules just find one of the mods and send us Private Message (PM) we'll be glad to help. Be sure to read the TOS rules, the S&S rules and the FAQ area. This is not intended to lecture you only give you a hand up.

TOS- http://castboolits.gunloads.com/cmps_index.php?page=TOS

S&S - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...mp-Definitions

FAQ - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/foru...sked-Questions.

Again Welcome!

Regards,

[Bazoo]

You can get wheel weight ingots off the swapping and selling section for bout a dollar a pound. In my opinion it's a better source than buying range scrap and then having to render it into ingots. Wheel weight metal is good for casting as is but casts better with tin added. Range scrap may be too soft for rifle bullets.

You can use the same pot for both, except you'll want a larger pot for smelting and a smaller pot for casting. It's easier to learn to cast good bullets with a ladle in my opinion. If you get a lee 20 pound ladle pot and a Lyman dipper, you could smelt in it, flux well and start casting. At least to start. You don't want to do that with a bottum pour pot as it'll clog your spout up.

Flux with sawdust to remove impurities it grabs the junk better than wax. For clean lead I use both or just wax.

From ingot to target is a great resource. I also will recommend the Lyman cast bullet third edition. It's available online with a link in the stickies to it.

PS, welcome to the forum and howdy from Kentucky.

[daloper]

Welcome from West Michigan and welcome to the madness. This is a deep rabbit hole that you are falling into. You might what to update your profile to show where you are form. Maybe you are close to someone that can guild you on this path.

[osteodoc08]

Read the stickies. You'll learn more with self guided learning. Yes that's a decent price. Solder is used to add tin. Tin is used for alloying lead you may have. DONT just mix everything together. Keep it separate and mix batches as needed. Read, read and read some more. Welcome wo the addiction and affliction.

[RED BEAR]

Welcome aboard. I will also suggest reading the stickies they are a wealth of info. Bottom pour or ladle thats a personal choice i personally use a ladle but have considered getting a bottom pour but after reading up on it decided to stick with my ladle because i use mostly single or double cavity molds and don't think it would be much faster if any for me. I would also suggest wheel weights over range scrap but if range scrap is easy to get there is nothing wrong with that. I would also say it may not be a bad idea to get a separate pan for scrap and another for your clean lead . I used the same one for years and took it apart and cleaned it between. Now i just use a $10 hot plate and an old ss pan. Tried cast but hot plate had a hard time heating it and lead up. This setup works great for me. Pure lead runs around $3 per pound at the plumbing supply. Check your scrap yards for cheap lead. I wouldn't give much at scrap yard as mentioned you can buy it here for about a buck a pound and i would trust other members to know what they are selling more than the scrap dealer. As far as which pot i use a 20 pound lee but i am on a fixed budget and that dictated my choice. Others sing the praises of other brands on this i can not comment. I cast for a long time without tin other than what is in ww.but a member sent me some to try and i admit i believe it does make it cast better. I will say if you chose to use a ladle get a good one. And if your like most on this forum don't expect to save any money just shoot more. I have been reloading over 40 years and casting on and off for most of the time. There is a satisfaction of making and shooting your own ammo so happy casting.

[LenH]

Welcome aboard and welcome also to the madness. I have been casting on and off for 40 years. I got started in my teen with the help of a friends dad. I started
out a bit on the cheap side and started with 2 cavity Lyman molds and a Lee 4# pot and a Lyman ladle. I cast piles of bullets with that set up over the years and still
have that pot. I always cast with wheel weights because back then they were free for the asking and were always lead not like the ones today with zinc and other stuff
not made for casting. I have since moved to larger casting pots and molds with at least 4 cavities. I still use those old 2 cavity molds on occasion but the 4 to 8 cavity molds
take less effort.

I started casting just to keep shooting. I never liked ammo that I had to buy and always liked working up a load for what ever gun I had at the time. I don't think I ever saved
that much money but was able to keep shooting.

[owejia]

Don't get discouraged when you start casting, even experienced casters have bad days. Cast my first lead bullets back in the late 60's, also cast large lead sinkers for salt water fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Yesterday tried three different moulds and couldn't get them to co-operate. Have ladle cast and bottom pour cast, I prefer the bottom pour myself. Depending on calibers you are casting for, trying the less expensive Lee pots and moulds can get you started without breaking the bank. If you can find someone local that casts, visual, verbal and kinetic [hands on] learning can shorten the learning curve quite a bit. Watching youtube videos and reading the stickies will help also. Good luck and have fun.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Brkenarrow,
Welcome to the forum.

I've searched through the forum but don't really see a "getting started guide"

I'd strongly suggest the Lyman castbullet handbook 4th Ed.
it's about $20 from many sources, besides being a great "getting started" guide, it contains the most comprehensive list of load Data for cast boolits.

Another source...free to download or read online is
"From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners ©"

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Crash_Corrigan]

I was fortunate in that my bride allowed me to spend up to $1,000 to get started on reloading. I bought a Lee Loadmaster (worthless piece of junk), a Lee 20 lb bottom pour spout, a pair of Lee 6 banger molds in .357 cal and a Seaco sizer/lube device. Along with a Lee powder measure and a scale and a Lee metal small pot stirrer etc. See my "Can you top this? Nope" on the sticky menue. After about two years of struggling I gave up and obtained a Dillon 550B and a RCBS 22lb electric furnace and over the last 30 years I have probably $30 K invested in reloading, casting and firearms. Once you get into it the passion keeps you going. Nothing like making a 50 round box of your favorite caliber cartridges for about 6 cents a round. Now I am PCing my lead boolits and I nice boxes of different completed rounds in a buncha calibers. You will not save money but you will have more rounds to shoot and your skills will improve both in shooting and making your own ammo. Just remember that you NEVER SHOULD SELL OR GIVE YOUR ROUNDS TO ANYBODY. The liability is just too great no matter who begs you for ammo. If somebody wants you to reload some ammo for them: Have them buy their own cartridge cases, projectiles, lube. powder and primers. Then have them make their own ammo on your equipment under your close supervision. Thereby they will learn a valuable skill and you will avoid any liability if one of those rounds blow up his favorite gun or injure anybody. If the bug bites them then steer them towards this website and welcome them as a new member. Everybody wants to you to succeed and bring more folks into the casting, reloading and shooting community as the old guard is slowly fading away and retirement homes will not allow reloading on their premises mostly.....

[ShooterAZ]

I second the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4. It's the "bible" for bullet casting IMHO, money very well spent. The Stickies also contain a wealth of useful info.

[sniper]

Welcome! Very good advice has been given so far. Now you will get my opinion, for what it is worth. SAFETY First and always! I watched a YouTube demonstration of casting a couple of years ago, and it made my nerves CRAWL! The star of the show was casting...summertime casual, shorts, and an armless t shirt!

It's like in Boxing....Protect yourself at ALL times! Long, 100% cotton or wool pants and shirt. NO synthetics: they will melt and stick to your skin, increasing the severity of a burn. Wool or cotton socks, too. Not the kind like from Walmart that contain a high percentage of synthetic material. My nephew found out about that when sparks from a metal saw he was using ignited his Walmart "denim" jeans. I use..belt and suspenders...a leather welder's apron and gloves from Harbor Freight. Inexpensive and very good protection. I am a bit sensitive about this, because my dad was a welder during the Second World War, and I saw the scars on his body from molten metal.

Be sure that a heaping tablespoonful of molten bullet alloy can't get down into the tops of your shoes. No a pleasing experience, I'd wager.

Eye protection, too. Face shield or safety goggles. It happens seldom, but I remember the day my pot exploded. It's sometimes humorously referred to as a visit from the Tinsel Fairy. NOT! My wife and infant daughter had just walked into the garage, when KABLOOIE! Fortunatey, my body was between them and the pot, and I was not injured, either, but it sort of ruined the casting session.

So, be safe and enjoy!

[RED BEAR]

I can't agree with the above post more welding gloves can be had at lowes or home depot a good apron and eye protection safety glasses or better yet a face shield. I have several really good size scars from where i was just going to do this real quick and not a long session. And i don't mind telling you i regret every one of these incidents. Casting can be a safe and fun hobby if you just take a few safety precautions.

[gwpercle]

First thing is to get a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4 is the latest edition , the #3 edition is a wealth of information if you can find one .
Study them....The "how to" chapters are you best source of information .
The load data is strictly for Cast Boolits.
Books may be old school but casting is old school and you need them .
Avoid the Utube experts...worst place in the world to properly learn the art of casting .

And trust me ...it's an art you have to learn so you will have to practice to get good at it .

Welcome to the addiction .

Gary

[Petrol & Powder]

WELCOME !

You've received good advice.

I'll try to answer the pot/furnace question.

If you need to smelt large amounts of range scrap, wheel weights, etc.; the fish fryer/Dutch oven is not a bad way to go. That set up is really more in tune for making ingots than it is for casting bullets. You could use that equipment to cast bullets but it would be rather cumbersome for most casting operations. It just involves a lot of gear, requires a lot of heat (fuel) and is better suited for making large numbers of ingots than bullets. For casting bullets an electric furnace is far easier to set up, use and take down.

The Lee 4-20 "drip-O-matic" is probably one of the most popular bottom pour, entry level electric pots out there. I purchased mine because it was on sale and I included in an order with other items to save money on shipping. It has actually turned out to be a far better pot than I suspected it would. It did require some tweaking to get it to function properly but nothing complicated.

You can get a furnace that doesn't have a bottom spout and just use a ladle. That will save you a little money but a bottom pour is a bit more efficient when casting large numbers of handgun bullets.

If you would rather buy a top of the line furnace and be done with it, the RCBS Pro Melt seems to be the one. RCBS recently introduced the Pro Melt II and I've read about some issues with it. I still wouldn't be afraid to buy a RCBS Pro melt II but frankly, my Lee Drip-O-Matic is faithfully chugging along. If/when that Lee dies, I'll upgrade to the RCBS.

When I first got into casting I was casting for black powder guns. I actually started with a small cast iron pot on a camp fire, just to prove to myself that I could cast with primitive equipment. The answer is yes it can be done and I moved onto a little more modern equipment. A small single burner Coleman unleaded gasoline stove was my next upgrade. Using that stove and a ladle is still my no electricity back-up set-up.
An electric, bottom pour pot really is the way to go, even for a beginner.

[Walks]

Good advice. I have all the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks and they all are a wealth of info. You can see the Progression of bullet casting over the last 60yrs.

There are some tricks that you can learn here. This Website probably has the best overall advice you will find.

You-tube has some of the best advice on bullet casting.

And some of the most frightening.

I cast from either RCBS & Lyman 20lb bottom pour pots. I think a hot-plate is mandatory. I use a cast iron pot over a fish burner for alloy mixing. I dipper cast a dozen bullets from each batch to check for hardness and make sure my alloy mix is Correct.
I put a 1/2" 4ftX8ft sheet of plywood under my fish burner to keep messes to a minimum. I put a picnic table bench right next to my fish burner with a 1/2" 2ftx3ft piece of plywood clamped to it to hold my cast iron ingot molds. I put the ingot molds on top of clay bricks. It's easier to grab to turn over the ingot molds. They set up is the same height, makes for easier ingot pouring.

Clip On Wheel Weights are a far better choice then range lead.

I pour ingots using a 4lb ladle into each ingot mold cavity. I'm very fortunate in that I've been doing this a loong time and have collected over 20 ingot molds. They're very expensive now.

So haunt garage sales. One thing I would suggest as an ingot mold is an Lodge Scone pan. It makes 6 or 7 pie shaped 2 1/2lb ingots and at $20 bucks It's the cheapest ingot mold you can buy.
If you choose a small Lee bottom pour pot then chose a Lodge cornbread mold for your ingot mold.
For safeties sake don't pick anything but cast iron to melt your alloy or pour your ingots.

If you do chose to dipper cast use only the Lyman dipper and don't try anything but 1 or 2 cavity molds. It takes A LOT OF PRACTICE TO DIPPER CAST multi-cavity molds.

Well this was longer then I planned.

One last thing. The hot-plate, use to preheat molds and if you turn it down a bit you can use it to pre-heat ingots to put into your pot. The alloy will come up to temp faster. I use a cast iron "heat diffuser plate" on top of mine. Makes it level and does It's job of heat diffussing.

Well good luck. If ya got questions, You can PM just about anyone with questions.

[dverna]

I learned to cast over 40 years ago by reading. It is not an art....anyone who tells you this should be ignored.

I believe most people get twisted around by using mystery alloys. A consistent alloy will produce repeatable results.

Start casting and start learning

YOU MUST USE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AT ALL TIMES. Lead will cause awful burns.

Never add material that may have moisture or even slight condensation into a pot with molten alloy

[Alstep]

Welcome Sir, you've gotten great advise from all of the above.
The Lyman Manual is a must read.
Always Think SAFETY! You're dealing with hot molten metal. Be extra careful.
Have PATIENCE! Casting is a skill that must be learned. When I first started, I must have cast a couple of hundred bullets before I had any keepers. Everyone has to develop their own personal technique. What works for me may not work as well for you. Temperature, cadence, equipment, molds, etc, are all variables you'll have to work out as you gain experience. An iron mold will cast a lot different than an aluminum mold. Read the manual, plus advise from the membership here, put it all together, and you'll develop your own style.
Never stop learning. Even if you make mistakes, you've learned how not to do it. I'm 77 years old now, and i'm still learning.
Persevere and don't give up. Enjoy your new hobby. Ask questions. Folks here are most helpful.
Keep your powder dry!

[country gent]

You don't stated what calibers or weights you want to cast in your post. This should guide you somewhat also. Small light bullets in light weights in 55-90 grns a 10lb pot lasts forever big heavy bullets in 500-550 grs a 20 lb pot doesn't last very long casting at a quick pace. Ladle or bottom pour depends on the person more than anything. I ladle cast all bigger bullets 365 grns to 550 grns so I use a bigger pot than most. I also will have a couple friends over to cast with me when I cast. 3 people casting these bullets from one pot really drops the level over a session.LOL.

For smelting as big a pot as you can justify Some use a cut down propane tank for this These can hold 300 lbs of alloy in one batch. That is the benefit of the big pots large batches of material all the same. This can even be extended farther if done in the right manner. If you smelt 3 pots in a day of 300 lbs ID the ingots as to material and pot number for each pot. IE WW 1. ( wheel weights pot 1) And store each in batches then use the same number of ingots from each pot in each casting pot. So you now have 900lds of lead the same. A set of cheap letter number stamps 1/2" size works great here. Another plus is the bigger pots make better use of heat.
If you go the 25lb propane tank be sure to clean it and flush it well before cutting, I do it with a fine hacksaw no grinders or torches .

For casting again let what your casting determine the tools. A electric pot bottom pour or ladle makes a quick easy set up and session. For most pistol bullets and many rifle bullets this will do yeoman service for many years. Long heavy for caliber you may like a bigger pot and ladle. This comes from experience. My casting pot is gas fired and holds 130lbs of alloy

Most of the tools can be made or scrounged for this. Starting with a small pot you may out grow is still a useable thing for small batches or smelting tin pewter into ingots. A big smelting set up can use a turkey frier stand and burner and a big pot of steel or cast iron. This same stand can use a smaller pot for ladle casting. Scrounged items a long handled spoon for stirring fluxing and removing dross. a dowel or hammer handle for cutting sprues. Old towels to drop bullets on a small metal can to cut sprues into. made or purchased items a solid bench this isn't the place for card tables or flimsy stands. The pot and moulds. A metal paint roller pan. This you can place a stack of towels in it to drop bullets. Expendables are alloys, beeswax, sawdust

LAst you will need is a good supply of boxes to store all your bullets in

[davek8s]

I’m new to casting, but I’ve been reloading for almost 10 years. I always start with Lee equipment and upgrade down the road.

I started casting with a Lee bottom pour 20 lb melter, Lee molds / sizers and a Lyman book.


1) I am able to get range scrap for about $1/lb - is that a good price?
That’s what I usually pay, plus shipping

2) What is a normal price for pure lead?
A little less than $1 per pound at a scrap yard. If they have it.

3) Another seller has some 60/40 lead/tin solder bars available - is that any good for boolit casting?

4) I'm leaning towards getting a propane fish fryer and a dutch oven for making ingots. Could I use the same dutch oven for casting boolits, or would I be better off getting a separate one for my "clean" lead? How difficult is it to control the temp of the propane fish fryers?
I use a turkey fryer to make ingots. It’s pretty simple to regulate the heat.

5) If I were to go the route of an electric furnace, what do you guys recommend - bottom pour or ladle? What brand/model?
For the price you can’t beat the Lee bottom pour, but I’m ready to upgrade to a Lyman or RCBS.


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