My first casting session

[SGT Singer]

So six or eight months ago, while deployed overseas, I decided that I was going to take up bullet casting when I got home. I began by pouring over this forum, trying to soak up all of this amazingly free knowledge. I've made a comment or two here and there, but for the most part I've just stuck to trying to learn from all the experience collect in these pages.

So, to start, I picked up a Coleman stove, a cast iron pot, a small bucket (all I could get at the time) of wheel weights and started smelting away. It turned out to be a lot more labor intensive than what I expected. But, after what seemed like hours of skimming out clips and non Pb weights, stirring and fluxing and fluxing and stirring, I ended up with what looked to me to be a pretty good clean batch of alloy. It was somewhat frosty when I cast it into ingots, so I figured I was running a bit high on the temp department.

Next I got myself a Lee bottom pour pot, and an RCBS thermometer, plus a Lyman .44 200 gr. RNFP and a Lee .40 175 gr. TC and went to town.

I had read several threads regarding using Kroil in the moulds, so I applied the thinnest film I could to the cavities. This didn't work as well on the aluminum Lee mould, but was brilliant on the Lyman. The bullets just dropped free.

All in all, my first session went pretty well. I ended up with about 150 of each after culling ( I'd say I ended up culling about 10%-15%). It takes awhile to get the hang of doing a consistent pour, that's for sure. But, practice makes perfect, so no complaints.

I think my bullets are still coming out kind of frosty though. I'm having a hard time keeping the temp constant, but it was running between 700-900 degrees. Any input? Comments? Criticisms? Thanks for your interest.

Photos located here: http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad174/bsinger427/

[docone31]

It does take practice, however, you can reuse materials!
With practice, less rejects, and in time, it gets quite relaxing.
Welcome back, and good luck.

[stubshaft]

Looks like the Lyman was a little cold some of the bands are not as filled out as others. All in all looking good.

[Buckshot]

So six or eight months ago, while deployed overseas, I decided that I was going to take up bullet casting when I got home. I began by pouring over this forum, trying to soak up all of this amazingly free knowledge. I've made a comment or two here and there, but for the most part I've just stuck to trying to learn from all the experience collect in these pages.

There's a bit of experience/knowledge and some manual dexterity gained only by the 'Doing', that all the written description in the world can't match. I like the example about trying to explain to someone about how to ride a unicycle

So, to start, I picked up a Coleman stove, a cast iron pot, a small bucket (all I could get at the time) of wheel weights and started smelting away. It turned out to be a lot more labor intensive than what I expected. But, after what seemed like hours of skimming out clips and non Pb weights, stirring and fluxing and fluxing and stirring, I ended up with what looked to me to be a pretty good clean batch of alloy. It was somewhat frosty when I cast it into ingots, so I figured I was running a bit high on the temp department.

It'll begin to go faster, or seem to anyway.You'll realize that you'll NEVER be satisfied with the amount of lead you have (whatever shape it's in). An afternoons afternoon's smelting can have you hopping, but the growing stacks of ingots will be very satisfying. Frosty ingots are fine. You're running the stove flat out to get the stuff melted down.

Next I got myself a Lee bottom pour pot, and an RCBS thermometer, plus a Lyman .44 200 gr. RNFP and a Lee .40 175 gr. TC and went to town.

I'll wager that 10 lb Lee will soon become obsolete

I had read several threads regarding using Kroil in the moulds, so I applied the thinnest film I could to the cavities. This didn't work as well on the aluminum Lee mould, but was brilliant on the Lyman. The bullets just dropped free.

NIrvana, isn't it?

All in all, my first session went pretty well.

It'll only get better.

I ended up with about 150 of each after culling ( I'd say I ended up culling about 10%-15%). It takes awhile to get the hang of doing a consistent pour, that's for sure. But, practice makes perfect, so no complaints.

That's it exactly.

I think my bullets are still coming out kind of frosty though. I'm having a hard time keeping the temp constant, but it was running between 700-900 degrees. Any input? Comments? Criticisms? Thanks for your interest.

That's another of those "doing/learning things. It's a kind of balancing act between pot/alloy temp and mould temp.

..................Buckshot

[Crash_Corrigan]

Yup, you are on the right track. At least you are using handles for your mold.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=41217

When I first started my Lee six banger only had a sprue handle so I worked with just that until I saw a Lee six banger at a gun show with 3 handles. A pair of mold handles and a sprue handle. That's when I figured out what I was doing wrong. Of course that took two years and many boolits later but with two pairs of gloves on the left hand it worked out.

When you really get the bug you will want a turkey fryer and a propane tank to smelt with and a Rowell Ladle (from Rotometals) will really make things a lot easier and faster. Next get a good set of ingot molds made from channel iron. A few of those about 6 inches long and you will be able to really stack up some ingots in a confined space (like on the supports for your reloading bench to anchor it to the ground) that you may around your home. Having a triangle shape and being 6 inches long they fit really easy into your pot and store in piles very well.

[WHITETAIL]

SGT Singer, Welcome to the forum!
And good luck with the new hobby.
You will get better as you do more.

[44man]

The pictures of the boolits look like pictures I take!
The boolits do look good, I only see some slag on one. The lighting makes them hard to see, just like my goofy pictures.
Buckshot has words of wisdom, you should have bought a 20# pot.
You are doing just great and will get better all the time.

[crabo]

Sgt., what part of Texas are you in?

[ghh3rd]

Looks like you are on the way. It will only get easier, especially since any question you have will be answered here.

Thanks for your service to our coutry.

Randy

[snuffy]

Sarge, you're off to a great start.

I don't see ANY frosty boolits! That's what wheel weight metal should look like dropped from a properly heated mold with lead at a proper temp. There's a huge difference between a gray boolit, and an actual frosted boolit.

I never had a thermometer when I was using a lee 10# pot. It wasn't until I got my lee pro 20 that I got one. But a 200 degree swing is huge! It shouldn't vary that much. My pro 20 would swing about 20 degrees while casting and dropping sprues right back in right after cutting them.

[SGT Singer]

Thanks for all of the valuable and helpful input. I can already tell that I'm going to get a lot of joy, and the good kind of frustration out of this. I know my pictures are kind of lousy, I only have a camera on my phone... oh well.

I'm sure you're right, the four pounder probably isn't going to keep me happy for long, but for now, I'll run with it. Thanks again for all of your help and interest.

I think I'm going to order some Bull Plate next... I'm getting lead smears on the tops of my moulds.

Writing from beautiful Fort Hood...

[SGT Singer]

Snuffy-

Do I just need to let the pot cook longer to stabilize the temp?
Right now, I'm setting the thermostat around five and just letting it come up slowly. But by the time I get to the bottom, the temp has climbed up around the 900 mark. Tips, tricks or suggestions?

[Buckshot]

Snuffy-

Do I just need to let the pot cook longer to stabilize the temp?
Right now, I'm setting the thermostat around five and just letting it come up slowly. But by the time I get to the bottom, the temp has climbed up around the 900 mark. Tips, tricks or suggestions?

.............Having the temp climb as the pot empties is common with the inexpensive Lee pots. When you see the boolits begin to frost, or it's taking longer for the sprue to setup it's time to back off the temp a bit and dump sprues back into the melt.

.............Buckshot

[snuffy]

Next I got myself a Lee bottom pour pot

I'm sure you're right, the four pounder probably isn't going to keep me happy for long, but for now, I'll run with it. Thanks again for all of your help and interest.

Ummm, color me confused. The four pounder is a small dipper pot. The lee 10# is a bottom pour pot.

Anyway, both the lee 10# and the pro 20 have a triple wrap of heating element around the bottom of the pot. However the thermostat is located under the top, which is part of the control knob. So the further the lead is from the thermostat, the hotter it gets. Solution is to never let it get more than half empty before putting some more lead in.

[runfiverun]

i add as i go, put a one lb ingot on the edge of the pot pour a few and put back the sprues as i go.
slide the warmed ingot in gently.
keeping a consistent level iin the pot keeps the temp closer to consistent.

[SGT Singer]

Um, yeah, my bad... It is a ten pounder... not sure why I wrote that.
Snuffy, thanks for the tip. I think I was getting so focused on my casting that I just wasn't paying attention to the sprue set up time, etc. I'll definitely focus on that more in my next session.

[mpmarty]

Just a hint but casting 45acp slugs in a six banger I try to keep the lead within half an inch of the top of my LEE 20 pounder and by keeping the thermostat around four or five it seems to work OK for me around 725* F.