Casting over a campfire?

[blueeyephil]

I have a 10lb Lyman cast iron pot and ladle. I was wondering how it would work to try to cast using WW ingots over a camp fire. I would be using a Lee 2 cavity mold for 358. Might want to try this while camping this fall, just to try it out. Too hot right now.

Would you dig a hole a little bigger than the pot and fill it with coals or just rake some coals to one side and put the pot on top?

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[Puddin99]

Check out this article.
http://www.castbullet.com/reload/campcast.htm

[blueeyephil]

Thanks, just what I was look at doing other than I plan on using the Lee Hand Press. So, I guess I'll have to give it a try.

[Freischütz]

The outside of the melting pot will become sooty. Other than that it should be fun.

[afish4570]

You will learn why we graduated from the campfire, gas or coleman stoves to electric. I watched a few Civil War reenactors do it and the time it took and the quality control discourage me.....afish4570:killingpc:killingpc

[afish4570]

You will learn why we graduated from the campfire, gas or coleman stoves to electric. I watched a few Civil War reenactors do it and the time it took and the quality control discourage me.....All said and done you might learn that it is possible but not as productive as you would like, plus a pain in the a.. to regulate the fire and get decent yield and production.afish4570:killingpc:killingpc

[afish4570]

You will learn why we graduated from the campfire, gas or coleman stoves to electric. I watched a few Civil War reenactors do it and the time it took and the quality control discourage me.....All said and done you might learn that it is possible but not as productive as you would like, plus a pain in the a.. to regulate the fire and get decent yield and production.afish4570:killingpc:killingpc

[blueeyephil]

I know it will be a pain. I have a Lee bottom pour so this is just going to be more of a test for a hunting trip or SHTF bug out situation. Don't know were or why I'd bug out I already live in the country. :)

I don't plan on casting all that many. Truth is it's alot better to have the bullets sitting on the shelf instead of in ingot form anyway. So that if you want or need to load away from home you have your bullets waiting.

Of course you might have a cache of bullets but not the ones you need or want and you may recast into a different caliber or weight.

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[FLINTNFIRE]

I started out as a 14 year old doing roundballs from a lyman mold for a 1858 remington , over a fire outside in a pot , moved up to a gas coleman stove (preferred to propane , as it would start to freeze the line in long sessions ) and to electric pot as jobs got better , propane plumbers pots , for large smelting and large sinkers (20-24oz) . Point is it can be done , and would again if I needed to ,or for fun around a fire to teach the younger ones , I made the fire small ,and it was its only use , try it both ways and see how it works for you

[.22-10-45]

Hello, At 15, I taught myself to cast on an old cast iron wood range..casting .36 ball for an 1851 Navy Arms Colt repro. Funny thing about those small 10lb. cast-iron pots..the main lid on that old stove had a smaller lid withen. When removed, that little pot fit perfect..I have always wondered if that was no accident..but was designed that way for the early hand-loaders?
At any rate..casting in the summer months on a wood range makes for very hot work!

[facetious]

Google "stump stoves" I saw them on you tube and thought that it would be fun to try for melting lead . Maybe not so much for casting but for smelting in a big pot. Stick the leaf blower in the bottom hole and you would have a blast furnace! Just need a big chunk of log and a big drill.

[Longwood]

I made my sling shot ammo and spear and arrow heads when I was a kid with a old ceramic coated pot that I would burn charcoal in to also melt lead in a 20 pound plumbers pot.
I had a foot operated tire pump that I pumped air to the fire with.
Add some air to a charcoal fire and you can melt a horse shoe.

[H.Callahan]

In a pinch, I have used a charcoal chimney starter for charcoal grills. Fill it with charcoal or wood, fire it up and set the pot on top. When it gets going, it generates a pretty good amount of heat. A fireplace bellows will really get it going.