youngda9
02-13-2012, 11:18 AM
I just started casting a couple months ago after a lot of research. I wanted to thank everyone here for all the answers to questions and excellent info provided on this site.
I purchased a 20lb Lee pot with the bottom pour spout, a lee 6 cavity mold, and an Accurate Mold 3 cavity 431-255V mold. I set up my pot with a PID controller, set to 355C = 671F seems perfect for my casting. I use a hot plate to heat up the mold prior to casting. Once I start casting I stack lead ingots on top of the hot plate to heat it up to just below its melting point. The lead ingots I bought is quite clean and I rarely have to flux. Just the occasional stir and scrape and then scoop out the dross with my dollar store slotted spoon. I usually stack them 4 high. The wrinkles go away after about 3-5 casts.
I cast with a full pot and drop the sprues directly back into the pot. As soon as the pot level drops enough to make room for another ingot I gently drop it in. The temperature of the pot will drop a bit, but I can keep on casting. The PID controller keeps the temperature where it needs to be. This eliminates the wait for the pot to heat back up. I learned this quick...a big time saver.
Using this method I was able to go through 18lb/hour with a 6 cavity 158grain Lee mold yesterday (800 bullets/hour). I cast for 1:45 and cranked out 31.5lb(1400) of bullets yesterday. I'm getting nice frosty bullets.
Bullets gently are dropped into a paint tray that is covered with towels and an old T-shirt. The towels pad the bullet landing and protect the tray from melting...I'm currently using a plastic paint tray soon to be replaced by a metal one. The old T-shirt helps me to pick up the bullets at the end of the casting session all at once if I need to. It also allows me to easily, and softly, transfer the entire batch into a red plastic folgers coffee can with a lid. I use these containers for a lot of things.
I am using Lee push through sizers. I spray a small amount of Hornady Case lube on the bullets prior to sizing to make the process easier. I found this is much easier and less messy then doing 2 lube cycles with the Recluse mixture.
I made up a batch of Recluse 45/45/10 lube. I found that warming the bullets up on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes while I nuke the lube to liquify it helps to coat the bullets best. The lube doesn't harden right away, and get chunky, as it tends to when contacting colder bullets. This allows me to roll the bullets and lube around in a covered plastic tub to coat them all. I then pour them out onto a cool cookie sheet that is covered with aluminum foil to cool and harden the lube. I do the lubing and cooling out in the garage to keep my domestic situation as happy as possible. After a few minutes they are cooled and then transferred into a red plastic can for storage.
The cost savings is why I did this. Plus I love to tinker and am having a great time making my own bullets.
Below is a picture of my setup. The cigar, classic rock on the radio, and Boston Lager all help to enhance the experience of casting in a cold garage.
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/574/70104959025062187380.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/70104959025062187380.jpg/)
I purchased a 20lb Lee pot with the bottom pour spout, a lee 6 cavity mold, and an Accurate Mold 3 cavity 431-255V mold. I set up my pot with a PID controller, set to 355C = 671F seems perfect for my casting. I use a hot plate to heat up the mold prior to casting. Once I start casting I stack lead ingots on top of the hot plate to heat it up to just below its melting point. The lead ingots I bought is quite clean and I rarely have to flux. Just the occasional stir and scrape and then scoop out the dross with my dollar store slotted spoon. I usually stack them 4 high. The wrinkles go away after about 3-5 casts.
I cast with a full pot and drop the sprues directly back into the pot. As soon as the pot level drops enough to make room for another ingot I gently drop it in. The temperature of the pot will drop a bit, but I can keep on casting. The PID controller keeps the temperature where it needs to be. This eliminates the wait for the pot to heat back up. I learned this quick...a big time saver.
Using this method I was able to go through 18lb/hour with a 6 cavity 158grain Lee mold yesterday (800 bullets/hour). I cast for 1:45 and cranked out 31.5lb(1400) of bullets yesterday. I'm getting nice frosty bullets.
Bullets gently are dropped into a paint tray that is covered with towels and an old T-shirt. The towels pad the bullet landing and protect the tray from melting...I'm currently using a plastic paint tray soon to be replaced by a metal one. The old T-shirt helps me to pick up the bullets at the end of the casting session all at once if I need to. It also allows me to easily, and softly, transfer the entire batch into a red plastic folgers coffee can with a lid. I use these containers for a lot of things.
I am using Lee push through sizers. I spray a small amount of Hornady Case lube on the bullets prior to sizing to make the process easier. I found this is much easier and less messy then doing 2 lube cycles with the Recluse mixture.
I made up a batch of Recluse 45/45/10 lube. I found that warming the bullets up on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes while I nuke the lube to liquify it helps to coat the bullets best. The lube doesn't harden right away, and get chunky, as it tends to when contacting colder bullets. This allows me to roll the bullets and lube around in a covered plastic tub to coat them all. I then pour them out onto a cool cookie sheet that is covered with aluminum foil to cool and harden the lube. I do the lubing and cooling out in the garage to keep my domestic situation as happy as possible. After a few minutes they are cooled and then transferred into a red plastic can for storage.
The cost savings is why I did this. Plus I love to tinker and am having a great time making my own bullets.
Below is a picture of my setup. The cigar, classic rock on the radio, and Boston Lager all help to enhance the experience of casting in a cold garage.
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/574/70104959025062187380.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/70104959025062187380.jpg/)