newbee lead-o-holic

[starbits]

REALLY LONG I have posted a few times but haven't introduced myself. My name is Eric and I am a lead-o-holic. I used to partake of the fine vintages of speer and nosler but lately am in the gutters and tire shops looking for dirty, oil soaked silver metal. As recently as Thanksgiving I was a normal person, then an errant google search sent me in the direction of CastBoolits. One sip and things will never be the same. So here is my tale of whoa! is that a wheel weight.

I am an old retired fart. I can remember as a kid melting lead with my Dad in a ladle on the kitchen stove and pouring soldiers and indians in molds he got as a kid in the 1930's. Still have some of the molds. Maybe with some of the info I have gleaned from you guys I will get them cleaned up and pouring again.

Fast forward to the mid 1970's (said I was an old fart) when I did some casting for .357 with a hot plate and 2 inch wide ladle. Went ok, but the luber (don't remember the brand) just got lube everywhere. It was a mess. That and a move to Korea (Army EOD) religated everything to a box for the next 35 years.

So a couple days before Thanksgiving, realizing the bullets were ~70% the cost of reloading, I googled casting pot. I think if I had had access to castboolits in the 1970's things would have gone a lot better and I would have continued casting then.

After a marathon reading session or three I came to some conclusions. I wanted a PID controlled bottom pour pot which I will build myself. A second smelting pot really depended on lead supply. There were a lot of comments on alloys and percentages and with Rotometals asking $80 for an analysis a 100 lb pot didn't make sense if you really wanted to know. However an 800 lb pot would bring the cost down to $0.10/lb which seemed more reasonable. So was there a supply? Took my Dad for a haircut near 3 tire stores and the results were nada - chain store which traded them in for credit, one that gave them to a hunter, and one that kept them for reuse. On 10 Dec (only 3 weeks ago!! Lordy how quick the mighty have fallen) I stopped at a tire store next to where I get gas and they said sure if you will pay what was on my last recylcling invoice $0.28/lb. OK, 81 lbs of lead 1.2lbs ZN and 1.3 lbs steel and I was doomed.

In the last 3 weeks I have visited 35 different tire, radiator, stained glass suppy, printing and auto shops. I have a list of at least double that length which I have yet to visit. So far I have 275 lbs of clippies and 118 lbs of stickys and only 4.5 lbs of zinc and 7 places which are willing to save lead for me. And this wasn't even the real fun!

The real fun was the research. How do you build a PID temperature controller? Used them a lot, but never built one. For a big pot electric heat is out so what burner for propane, how many BTUs, how many BTUs in a 20lb tank, can you control a propane burner with a PID controller (yes you can), insulation, how to build a better pot, building a movable pot stand, ect. I don't like the lyman mold. I want a mold that says "LOT #" and "Pb Sn Sb" on them. How to make my own molds, CNC, lost wax casting, or welding? I looked at silicone rubber molds, foundrys for smelting aluminium and brass, welding of steel and aluminium. Turning aluminium on a lathe, open faced molds and sprue plate molds as well as automating ingot pouring. Based upon their different densities what size mold would it take to pour a 1 lb ingot of lead, 60/40, wheel weights, and zinc. Google lead me from hobby places to back yard foundrys to beer brewing. A lot of it will never see the light of day, but some will. It has been a blast!! and I haven't even started talking casting boolits yet.

My name is Eric and I am a lead-o-holic!

[docone31]

Welcome,
Keep Coming back.

[canyon-ghost]

Since you mentioned welding, yes, some of the guys have been making triangular molds using 3/16"X2X2" angle iron turned point down. They do really stack better than other ingot molds. This depends on if you have access to a mig welder.

[runfiverun]

i done mine with a stick welder and 1-1/2" angle but went 7" long.
but i use a 40 lb pot.
they come out right close to 2 lbs with lino.
can't remember who made the aluminum molds for us here but they have markings for pb,ww's and lino right in the mold and can be crossed out with a punch.

[Hickory]

If you're lookin' for a cure, you came to the wrong place.
I believe we are all aflicted.
Don't be afraid to share what you know. We are always learning here.

[sljacob]

I built mine out of 2 inch channel. It makes nice ingots and the tappered sides make the ingot drop out with ease.

[9.3X62AL]

Welcome to the addiction, sir. NICE JOB of lining the metal up, I must say!

What calibers are you planning to service with your casting efforts? You mentioned "357 Magnum" as an earlier work--are you largely concerned with handgun refills, or are you A TRUE LOON and plan to shoot rifles with castings as well?

List me firmly in the "true loon" camp, BTW.

[WHITETAIL]

Starbits, Welcome to the forum!

[Boondocker]

Welcome Starbits

Like what was said earlier you are hooked, no turning back. You seem to have things well in hand. Wow you have gotten lucky on the lead discoveries. Keep them happy will a few stipends also once in awhile. A pizza or pastries go a long way. I experiment with different things to render and cast lead also, a pid is next on my list. I inserted a link to my tinkering with pics of my furnace and ingot molds I made. I made the mistake of not angling the ends but they still drop out with a flop, next ones will be angled. I did this in my spare time and the phone company garage I worked in just shut the doors and I am out of work for the first time in 37 years. Wait untill you see my next tinkering jobs since I have free time on my hands. You have a great hobbie started and have fun. Best Boon







http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ing%20furnace/

[Charlie Sometimes]

Woe to thee who tread this path!
Yea, though ye run through the daily grind of acquiring wealth and sustenance,
Ye shall always be in consant search of that silvery element!
In finding it, all will be complete- but alas, ye have unknowingly fallen!
For finding it at little or no expense is the want, and no regard to the place where thee look, and expense shall become no barrier!
Ye shall come to desire more, and the NEED shall grow, and the want shall displace all other items to fill the spaces created for it.
For this is the ailment the ye have chosen to accept, and no cure can be applied.
To remove this element from the wilderness, and to resistribute it into places more fitting for it's use- ye shall be condemend to that enjoyment until ye pass!

ENJOY, and WELCOME to the best site on the web for those afflicted!

[Ozark Shiner]

Wanna know what's worse than being an addict? Being an addict that works at a place that uses 50,000 pounds of pure lead EVERY DAY.

I'll post a picture here.... 'nuff to make you cry.

[starbits]

Wanna know what's worse than being an addict? Being an addict that works at a place that uses 50,000 pounds of pure lead EVERY DAY.

That is kind of like working in the US Mint

[starbits]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

I have access to a mig welder although I have done almost no welding myself. Welding up some ingot molds is on the agenda. One of the considerations I had for ingot size and shape is storage. I have some 20mm ammo cans and realized if I weld or solder a small 1/4" thick strip on the bottom at either end the blade of a dolly will slide underneath easily. The can will hold about 700lbs of ingots and the dolly would make moving it, if necessary, a snap. No lifing involved.

Don't be afraid to share what you know. We are always learning here.

Here is a link to the beer site which I found useful.
<http://www.alenuts.com/Alenuts/brutus.html>

If you look at the third photo down what you are looking at is a PID controlled propane burner. Where the pipe comes out of the rail there is a "T". One side of the "T" goes through a ball valve to a yellow hose. Note the ball valve is only partway opened. This is for a pilot light and you adjust the pilot with the ball valve. The vertical "T" pipe goes through a fully opened ball valve and then through a PID controlled solenoid to the burner. So when you are at temperature only the pilot is lit. When the temp drops the PID opens the solenoid valve and the pilot lights the gas burner. Pot warms up PID closes the solenoid valve and the gas to the burner shuts off leaving just the pilot light on. Pretty nice setup I thought.

What calibers are you planning to service with your casting efforts? You mentioned "357 Magnum" as an earlier work--are you largely concerned with handgun refills, or are you A TRUE LOON and plan to shoot rifles with castings as well?

Right now it is just 40sw and 9mm although I may do .45 for my br-in-law. I came in after the buy closed, but managed to get the .402-160 HP mold from Mehec. I used to reload 30-06, 243, 270, and 38-56 and may again, but for now it is just pistol.

starbits

[cbrick]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Right now it is just 40sw and 9mm although I may do .45 for my br-in-law. I came in after the buy closed, but managed to get the .402-160 HP mold from Mehec. I used to reload 30-06, 243, 270, and 38-56 and may again, but for now it is just pistol.

starbits

That's wrong . . . You just don't know it yet.

Long before you realized it happened you will be stuffing lead into everything you pull a trigger on. Not only that but it's beyond your control, you have nothing to say about it. The lure of the silver stream is overwhelming . . . resistance is futile. Soon you'll be buying moulds for which you have no firearm to shoot the boolits, then buying more guns to shoot the boolits. All the while the already desperate need of more and more lead grows stronger.

Welocme to Castboolits starbits , you'll fit right in here.

Rick

[starbits]

That's wrong . . . You just don't know it yet.

Ah well my wife frequently tells me I'm wrong and most of the time I didn't know it yet.

Long before you realized it happened you will be stuffing lead into everything you pull a trigger on.

So that's what you youngsters are calling it these days.

Eric

[Bulltipper]

I hadn't thought of making my own ingot moulds and casting pots... boy is my wife gonna be [edit] at you guys...

[sheepdog]

Lead? That nasty old stuff. Don't you know that stuff will kill you on touch, grind down your rifling in 50 rounds, and blow up your Glocks? My God, I think some kid died just looking at the stuff one time!

You need to send that lead off to get it "in-via-row-mentale" processed by a lead expert. I'll only charge a slight fee...

[wiersy111]

I love this site!!!!! You clowns are a hoot.

I just picked up 250 pounds today with still a lot of mines to stop at. I did turn some down today at $1,00 a pound raw unsorted ww.

I can't understand why any one would ever get hooked on crack when there are great addictions like casting. Oh well at least there not out there competing for our lead supply.

Since my addiction I sure notice a lot more tire shops in the area. My wife gets kinda crabby when i slam on the brakes and rip a uey to visit a potential new gold mine. But she sure likes to pull triggers on the range.

[hc18flyer]

Hi, my name is Tom, and I am an addict! I stayed clean for 3 years, relapsed Monday! Honestly have a lifetime supply, couldn't help myself when I saw 2 gallons of coww at my local tire dealer. Sorted out the iron and a few zincers. I did may him $1 a # for the 35 # . Think he gave me the last batch. I will just have to try and keep fighting! Tom

[RogerDat]

There is a member BNE who will test a pea sized sample of your lead with XRF for a payment of 1 pound of lead. Way better deal than Rotometals that is for sure. Shipping a SFRB is $7.85 so it can be worth it to ship a few samples and a few pounds of lead as payment to get the most from your shipping. With scrap I tend to do big batches for consistency and so one sample sent to BNE identifies 100# or more of lead.

Go to your private messages and just type in BNE for the to address. Ask him for the particulars. You are off to a great start on collecting a lead stash. Be nice to your sources! A bag of donuts mid-week or a pizza at lunch time will make you very popular when you come looking for lead. Like a lot of business relationships count.

If you make a mold measure the inside dimension of a USPS SFRB (small flat rate box) and MFRB (medium flat rate box) These are the least expensive way to ship lead and they have a common dimension. Make your molds the length that will fit inside that dimension. Simply put you may find you want to sell or swap some of that lead and having it snugly fit inside those boxes is a good thing.

Go to the Group Buy Discussion forum and check out the Redneck Gold Molds discussion. There will be a big order going out in the not too distant future for these molds. They are sized to fit solidly into a SFRB to maximize shipping value. Have common lead types pre-stamped along the bottom to just be marked. And stack really well. Ingots run between 2# and 2.5# depending on alloy so a nice size for feeding a pot. Way more efficient than either Lee or RCBS ingot molds and less expensive than the RCBS, not much more than the Lee. At 4 cavities they allow around 10# per fill. Much faster than the 3 or 4 pounds of the regular commercial molds. Plus of course the Redneck Gold that comes out embossed on each ingot is a nice touch.

Lead the goal for me is to be like the rock star when asked about his drug "problem" he said I don't have a problem I have all I need.