Anyone here have a dedicated Casting Shack? Pics?

[Just Duke]

Anyone here have a dedicated Casting Shack as in detached from the house? Pics?
I'm looking for ideas.

[Just Duke]

I would like to isolated this to a dedicated building. As in Bullet Casting Only and not smelting.
My ultimate agenda would be a Casting Shack with three rooms and RCBS Promelts side by side with PID instrumentation.
The RCBS Promelts would sit in one room as to vent fumes and I would sit in another. This would also serve as, and I have seen fellas with their smelters in a cabinet with an exhaust hood. The other room would be to my side with a pass through for wifey to watch the moulds digitally cool and cut sprues for water quenching.
This might seem alike a lot of effort but I need to step up my operation as I have a lot of new lead sources arriving.
I'm also playing with the idea of using Hardie Board for the bench top and back splash including the floor.
So one building divided into three rooms.
Right now my casting table is a metal dinning table liberated from the dumpster. The top is sagging do to recent rains.
I'm ready for an upgrade.........

[btroj]

I smelt on the driveway, cast in the garage. The idea of a separate building exceeds my finances. Having room for smelting would mean a pretty good sized room with LOTS of ventilation. Way beyond a simple range hood. A casting pots being fluxed produces a small amount of smoke and stink, smelting is way beyond that. If nothing else the smelting, if fuel driven, is producing huge amounts of CO which can quickly accumulate. Without good ventilation it can be a death sentence.
Much of this depends on how big a building you are talking, how much you want to spend, and what you have for ultimate goals. Anything smaller than 10 x 12 could get real cramped, and fast.

Take some time and think this thru. How much room do you need for smelting? Do you add more lead with a shovel? That takes more room for the handle to maneuver. Where to store the lead to be smelted. What sort of ventilation if smelting? Gonna need a big air mover for that, and lots of air intake to bring in fresh air.
How big a casting bench? Gonna have a sizer or two in there also? What else gets stored in the shed? How much electrical service?

Lots of questions that need answering before going forward.

[Just Duke]

I smelt on the driveway, cast in the garage. The idea of a separate building exceeds my finances. Having room for smelting would mean a pretty good sized room with LOTS of ventilation. Way beyond a simple range hood. A casting pots being fluxed produces a small amount of smoke and stink, smelting is way beyond that. If nothing else the smelting, if fuel driven, is producing huge amounts of CO which can quickly accumulate. Without good ventilation it can be a death sentence.
Much of this depends on how big a building you are talking, how much you want to spend, and what you have for ultimate goals. Anything smaller than 10 x 12 could get real cramped, and fast.

Take some time and think this thru. How much room do you need for smelting? Do you add more lead with a shovel? That takes more room for the handle to maneuver. Where to store the lead to be smelted. What sort of ventilation if smelting? Gonna need a big air mover for that, and lots of air intake to bring in fresh air.
How big a casting bench? Gonna have a sizer or two in there also? What else gets stored in the shed? How much electrical service?

Lots of questions that need answering before going forward.

Thanks for your reply and I re-edited my post for bullet casting only and not smelting. Sorry for the confusion. Hope that clears things up.
Most here have seen my foundry thread on wheel weight smelting so I won't need to add any if that info here.
DUKES FOUNDRY IN ACTION THREAD (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?36200-Duke-s-Foundry-in-Action!-Pics)

[btroj]

For simply casting a small built would work well. Even a window with a fan will get rid of smoke from fluxing the pot. 6 ft square would be big enough for a casting bench, some storage, and moving around. Give it a solid floor like a concrete slab and have fun.

My bench is 2 ft deep and 5 ft long, plenty big. I didn't want it any deeper than that, it just becomes useless space. I have a single shelf I can store some lead on. I keep most of my ingots on the floor under that shelf.

Runs few outlets on the wall behind the bench and have fun.

I think the Hrdiboard would make a good top. Mine is plain plywood, no problems so far. It has a few dark spots where I rest the mould for cooling but otherwise is fine.

I think the passthroughs will slow the process too much. Fiddling with hands moulds back and forth allows for too much cooling. Same reason I only cast with one mould at a time. I could use 2 if they were large bullets in a smaller block. Run smaller bullets and you just can't keep 2 moulds up to heat.

Set up a room to work with your casting style, don't modify your style to fit the room.

[Just Duke]

Thanks B. There are two reasons for the pass though. One is I don't want wifey exposed to fumes or lead splatter so the pass through would be just to my side. This would also eliminate me from the equation and would be more productive as all I would be doing is pouring and not cutting sprues or water dropping bullets. Two is I have mould sprue cooling issues and with a digital thermostat hooked up to the mould it tells just when to open the mould and correct temp for pouring.

[crawfobj]

I'm not sure hardiboard would be a good top. As it wears, you'll have fiberglass like threads (itchy!) to deal with. I used a solid core door for my top and love it. Cheap, durable, and nice and heavy to add stability. If it ever gets beat up enough, I'll laminate it with Formica.

[Just Duke]

I'm not sure hardiboard would be a good top. As it wears, you'll have fiberglass like threads (itchy!) to deal with. I used a solid core door for my top and love it. Cheap, durable, and nice and heavy to add stability. If it ever gets beat up enough, I'll laminate it with Formica.

Fiberglass. Thanks for the heads up. I have some El Cheapo Tile and grout around here I could cover the Hardie Board with. I guess a concrete pad would be the way to go.

[btroj]

What is wrong with a plywood top? It just works.

[Just Duke]

What is wrong with a plywood top? It just works.

Nothing. I just want something that if I dose of in the lawn chair I won't end up having the worlds largest aquarium filter. ;) I need something to build anyway.

[mroliver77]

There is 2 part epoxy paint that is tough stuff. 10 gauge steel over hardi board would not be too expensive and is easy to work with.

I am not picturing your setup Duke. I do agree with btroj that it sounds too spread out and too many hands in the mix.

As far as a building. I dont know the rules (if any) where you live and it makes a big difference. Here we need good tight shelter as the weather is cold and windy in the winter, hot and wet and windy in the summer or some years hot humid and just miserable.
We build pole buildings. I built my sister one for her horses. 4"x4" poles set into the ground. 2x4 nailers on 24" centers for steel siding. 2x6 around the top. For a 16 ft wide building I built my own trusses out of 2x4 and spaced them on 4 ft centers. Sturdy little barn and decent cost wise. It can be upgraded as needs or desires dictate.
J

[Just Duke]

There is 2 part epoxy paint that is tough stuff. 10 gauge steel over hardi board would not be too expensive and is easy to work with.

I am not picturing your setup Duke. I do agree with btroj that it sounds too spread out and too many hands in the mix.

As far as a building. I dont know the rules (if any) where you live and it makes a big difference. Here we need good tight shelter as the weather is cold and windy in the winter, hot and wet and windy in the summer or some years hot humid and just miserable.
We build pole buildings. I built my sister one for her horses. 4"x4" poles set into the ground. 2x4 nailers on 24" centers for steel siding. 2x6 around the top. For a 16 ft wide building I built my own trusses out of 2x4 and spaced them on 4 ft centers. Sturdy little barn and decent cost wise. It can be upgraded as needs or desires dictate.
J

Zero regulations. Pass through would just to the left of me. Agreed! I need shelter for bad weather. Heat and AC would be a must. We have plenty of power. I have been having trouble with breathing lead fumes lately and I'm outside. I'm also eye level with 20 to 40 pounds of lead which I want to eliminate. All I need is access to the spout.

[btroj]

I think you are going to end up with a very confusing, awkward setup. Handing moulds back and forth, with a probe and wire attached is going to be awkward at best.
Try doing the shuffle with your current set up. Is it doable?

A respirator would prevent any fume issues. It would also allow better dexterity in handling the moulds.

At some point it becomes so difficult to maintain control and view of everything that you no longer have control.

Just my opinion but you are way over thinking this. Casting is a one man operation. It also requires direct vision of all that is going on. I don't think a two person team shuffle and limited view of things is going to be very workable.

Again, just my opinion.

[Just Duke]

I think you are going to end up with a very confusing, awkward setup. Handing moulds back and forth, with a probe and wire attached is going to be awkward at best.
Try doing the shuffle with your current set up. Is it doable?

A respirator would prevent any fume issues. It would also allow better dexterity in handling the moulds.

At some point it becomes so difficult to maintain control and view of everything that you no longer have control.

Just my opinion but you are way over thinking this. Casting is a one man operation. It also requires direct vision of all that is going on. I don't think a two person team shuffle and limited view of things is going to be very workable.

Again, just my opinion.
I can't function long in a respirator due to respiratory afflictions.
I anticipated the probe wire confusion prior to posting this thread as it was a necessary movement and added it to the equation.
I set it up in my head and ran it as I would any machine part to check more wear and function. So far 8 hours later it seems to be still running well. I'm running an automated AL check maker as we speak.
I have a knack for this as many employers have told me. Once done, I play the devils advocate card and look at it from the outside looking in as you have implied and very much appreciated BT. Now if I could just sing or cook I would have it made. lol
I need to produce a consistent bullet type on a larger scale for personal use.

[Hardcast416taylor]

30x40` pole barn structure I have walled off a 16x30` area. In this area I do the actual casting along with lead ingot storage of the different types of lead I use. I have both overhead fans and other air moveing devices to keep the air flow moving from the inside to outside. Also WW sorting tables and 5 gal. bucket storage of unsmelted WW is in this area. Mold storage cabinets and a cabinet for strictly casting tools like thermometers, extra handles and odd mold parts as well as my protective garments for casting. The 5 gal. pails of sawdust for fluxing are stored under a casting bench. My smelting is done outside at the far end of the barn on a concrete slab. As I am only a hobby caster for my own needs this set up fits me just fine. For your needs you need to sort out what works for you and what is actually a waste of effort. Good luck in your search for what suits you.Robert

[bangerjim]

I cast in front of my backyard 10x14 shop. Totally A/C so I do it on one of my Workmates. Evap blows on/by me for fume removal. Doing it outside is very convienient......I sit on a 3 person "love seat" swing while doing all this!

Very convienient to just open the door and step inside to do anything else (cold adult beverage from the fridge?).

All loading is done in the shop in full A/c comfort.

I have a 1/4" piece of baltic birch (scrap) fastened down to the bench (HF). When it gets buggered up, I just replace it.....protects the bench top.

Smelting......out in the open on the back patio.....under a big grape fruit tree for shade!

bangerjim

[shadowcaster]

I think you are going to end up with a very confusing, awkward setup. Handing moulds back and forth, with a probe and wire attached is going to be awkward at best.
Try doing the shuffle with your current set up. Is it doable?

A respirator would prevent any fume issues. It would also allow better dexterity in handling the moulds.

At some point it becomes so difficult to maintain control and view of everything that you no longer have control.

Just my opinion but you are way over thinking this. Casting is a one man operation. It also requires direct vision of all that is going on. I don't think a two person team shuffle and limited view of things is going to be very workable.

Again, just my opinion.

I have to agree here.. simple is usually better.


DUKE NUKEM -- I can't function long in a respirator due to respiratory afflictions.

I don't have respiratory issues, but I too do not like the fumes involved. So.. what i did and it works very well, is I modified my respirator. I took off the 2 filters and used plastic pipe to connect the 2 inlets which leads to a flexible hose that goes over my shoulder, leaving plenty of room to turn my head side to side. From there it goes down my back and ties around my waist. Just below my waist I have a quick connect/disconnect. The rest of the hose is 25 feet long and the open end necks up to 4 inch PVC which sits outside. In the end of the PVC is a very low cfm fan pushing fresh air up the hose and into the respirator. The air pressure is very low and does not break the seal on the respirator. Breathe in clean fresh air.. Breathe out through the exit valve in the respirator. Simple.. :) Before I used all of the plastic I gave it a good washing with a lung friendly soap and gave it a rinse with a couple drops of peppermint added. Smells nice.. No bad fumes or smells.

Doing this has allowed me to keep things simple and be totally hands on and in control of the operation, whether smelting or casting. Some might say that it's a tripping hazard, but it's not. The hose is behind me and my works space is clear. If I need to step back or sideways quickly, I can and if I step on the hose it's no big deal.

Shad

[Just Duke]

Anyway it goes whether complicated or simply a table with a vent over it and a bare light bulb for illumination I'm needing heat in the winter and AC in the summer. Wifey insists on helping out stating my casting session are very low yield.
This will surely not be as elaborate as Lloyd Smalle's shop.

[btroj]

Yield won't go up with help unless you add a second pot. Casting is, in my opinion, a one man operation. I can't see any way in which a second person speeds the process at all u less a second pot and mould are added.

Low yield may be an operator issue. We all have a speed at which we do well.

[MaryB]

Smelt on my deck, cast in my shop off the deck on an old table with a scrap of aluminum sheet tossed on it. Same scrap of aluminum gets used outside on the deck on top of the picnic table to catch ingots.

[badboyparamedic]

10X12 shed besides the house, used to keep yard stuff in it, casting stuff took priority over yard stuff

[mold maker]

Complicating the job with extra hands, and compartments, will likely slow down the whole operation. Your mould temp for good boolits is determined by the cycle of pouring. Passing the molds back and fourth through an opening, with a wire attached, will not allow consistent speed/control.
Accommodating your lung problems is a must, that can be solved in quite a few different ways, This must be addressed first.
Having your wife assist you is a great idea, if it is her idea. I wouldn't want the responsibility of extra hands not under my minds control. Too hot to handle isn't something you can see.
I think your over thinking the casting process. If more boolits per/hr is your goal, the use of multi cav molds or multiple moulds will accomplish it. It does require a hotplate to begin with and a very quick pace to do the to mould dance.
Being comfortable is paramount to consistent speed. I have to do it seated, and having everything at the right height, is all important. I use a roller equipped chair without arms, for quick egress in case of accidents. I'm still pretty agile, but can't stand for long periods.
As soon as you determine the pot position, bolt it securely down.
Before you go to the expense of the petitions and hand through holes, use cardboard boxes to determine the usefulness.
I suspect the KISS principal will be the end results.

[Vinne]

I cast in a corner of my 12X24 work shed in an area that is 2X6. I have a fan on one side and open the door on the other to pull the fumes out.
My work bench is made of 4X4s and an old solid core door that has been cut down to fit. It also is where I work on my projects or repairs. The area under the bench is storage for my ingots and smelting tools. I keep my molds inside and out the changes in temp. Also, I took a photo of my shotmaker area on the other side of the shed. The last is the pan I use to dry my shot using the fan to speed things up.

77191
77192
77193

[Vinne]

This might seem alike a lot of effort but I need to step up my operation as I have a lot of new lead sources arriving.
I'm also playing with the idea of using Hardie Board for the bench top and back splash including the floor.
So one building divided into three rooms.
Right now my casting table is a metal dinning table liberated from the dumpster. The top is sagging do to recent rains.
I'm ready for an upgrade.........

Hardie Board is NOT what you would want to use if you have dampness issues. It will be worse than the tabletop and swell up and warp on you and you will have a big mess!! I used treated for both the 2X8s and 3X4" plywood for the floor. The thick solid core door I used for the bench top is laminated and easy to wipe off.

The way is sounds you want to have 3 small cubicles, one for each operation. You can also have a Plexiglas front for your pot section with an area for your hands to fit under and a vent fan overhead inside. This would limit the exposure to the fumes. If hinges were placed on one side and a catch on the other, the "viewing area" can be opened at the start and end of each session.

Let us know how it turns out (pictures of course).

[wymanwinn]

8 x 16 on a 24 x 15 deck overlooking the Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley...

construction slideshow... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/Reload%20Room

interior... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/the%20Cave

my wife threatens putting a cot out there...LOL

wyman

[Mal Paso]

8 x 16 on a 24 x 15 deck overlooking the Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley...

construction slideshow... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/Reload%20Room

interior... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/the%20Cave

my wife threatens putting a cot out there...LOL

wyman


So I saw the Microwave. Where's the TV?

[wymanwinn]

So I saw the Microwave. Where's the TV?

no microwave or TV.....AC and convection toaster over (for drying brass!) though....;)

[Just Duke]

8 x 16 on a 24 x 15 deck overlooking the Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley...

construction slideshow... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/Reload%20Room

interior... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/the%20Cave

my wife threatens putting a cot out there...LOL

wyman


That's what I'm talking about! Nice crib! And just a rocks through from my most favorite part of the planet. Santa Barbara. Can you shoot in the Los Padre?
I'm curious to what the machine is with all the feeder tubes sticking out of the wood block?

[Just Duke]

So I saw the Microwave. Where's the TV?

They need to stay off your dang lawn. ;)

[dragon813gt]

To speed up production money would be better spent on a casting machine then a new building. More than one person handling the molds is to many cooks in the kitchen. You can even automate a casting machine for real production.

I see no problem with wanting to have a separate casting area. But I would set it up so there is no strain on you and no wasted motion. This is specific to each individual so only you would be able to design what's right for you.

[Just Duke]

To speed up production money would be better spent on a casting machine then a new building. More than one person handling the molds is to many cooks in the kitchen. You can even automate a casting machine for real production.

I see no problem with wanting to have a separate casting area. But I would set it up so there is no strain on you and no wasted motion. This is specific to each individual so only you would be able to design what's right for you.

I have looked at casting machines but people tell me they don't cast quality rifle bullets well.

[MaryB]

One to many beers and it could be a fun trip off that deck :-D


8 x 16 on a 24 x 15 deck overlooking the Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley...

construction slideshow... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/Reload%20Room

interior... http://s4.photobucket.com/user/solvangshootist/slideshow/the%20Cave

my wife threatens putting a cot out there...LOL

wyman

[casterofboolits]

I have an ex food service in the back yard. two rooms about 018' X 30'. The front room has two large commercial exhaust hoods. I cast under one and smelt under the other. I had a hand casting business for 23 years and it worked well. Now it's just my hobby space that my buddies and I do our casting. Still have my Magma Lube Master, so we get that chore done quick!

[mikeym1a]

Anyone here have a dedicated Casting Shack as in detached from the house? Pics?
I'm looking for ideas.

No Ideas for you. I do all my smelting and casting in the sunshine (and sometimes in the dark!! Using a little 'headlight' so I don't drop anything on my foot!!!). On the back of my property is an old moving van body, with a roll-up door. I may clean it out, and use it for that purpose when it is too cold or wet, but, I'm not gonna build anything special for it. But, that's just me.......[smilie=s:

[Adk Mike]

I have a 20 by 24 free standing insulated building with a Hot Dawg heater and a 9 and a half foot ceiling. I pointed the building South in my back yard to catch the south winter sun. 9 by 8 overhead door. I use it for a lot of things. It has a painted floor and White side walls. I have a furnace blower mounting near the ceiling for venting when welding or just to move air, The work bench is on the right side with a built in kitchen Range hood for casting. When I smelt I use a turkey cooker out side and ladle the lead on my steel welding bench that rolls up to the door on casters. I've had it 9 years. The winters are cold here and I only cast in the winter. I cast enough for the entire season. My reloading I do in the house. It's I great shop I really enjoy having it. Mike

[wymanwinn]

That's what I'm talking about! Nice crib! And just a rocks through from my most favorite part of the planet. Santa Barbara. Can you shoot in the Los Padre?
I'm curious to what the machine is with all the feeder tubes sticking out of the wood block?

Duke,

Los Padres shooting ranges are closed for the fire season...prolly open again in October or November....

the block with the feeder tubes is just that...a holding block...with the air automated Star Sizer i only use 4 or 5 tubes and load them as the machine needs....

if ya get in the area, give me a shout.....:)

wyman

[wymanwinn]

One to many beers and it could be a fun trip off that deck :-D

ya have to be "qualified" to get on MY deck...LOL....and no beers, wine or spirits until the casting/loading session is done and cleaned up....NO exceptions....

wyman

[Just Duke]

We decided on a poured concrete top. Thanks all for the input.

[Artful]

Don't forget to take pictures for those of those that find this an interesting project

[Just Duke]

Don't forget to take pictures for those of those that find this an interesting project

Copy that! :)

[Dale53]

I got in on this thread rather late. Some years ago, I had a Utility Barn built separate from my house but close. I had a good friend, who was a builder (he had built everything from outhouses to large bank buildings). He built my building on his off time. No time demands were placed on him and it took a couple of months to finish. It is a simple structure, 12x20 feet to house the spillover from my attached garage as well as a dedicated casting area:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QASSRAPeregrine-Casting2-2006015-1.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/QASSRAPeregrine-Casting2-2006015-1.jpg.html)

You will note the casting fan on the left. It is a small manicurists fan (about $7.00 at Target or Walmart in the fan department) and it has been an EXCELLENT addition to my casting area. I have a hotplate on the bench top to the left. I pre-heat all of my moulds just under casting temperature. One or two casts and I am up to speed (insuring I don't overheat my moulds). The fan helps to maintain even casting temperatures (no more overheated moulds that have to be cooled by the use of water, etc).

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/Castingfan-3723.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Castingfan-3723.jpg.html)

I deliberately had it built with a sit down area for casting (I have a bad back and cannot comfortably stand for long periods). I have padded bench on the left side for working with fine long guns, if need be, and a plain top for the right side where I run my large Dillon vibratory tumbler (underneath is the Dillon squirrel cage where I separate the media from the brass). I had the builder, build in a large smoke ventilator using a furnace exhaust fan (squirrel cage type).

The building is wired for 220 volts and there are 110 outlets every six feet along the plywood walls. The bench tops are two layers of 3/4" plywood laminated on a 2x4 framework built in to the building. All of the walls are installed with screws instead of nails. It is a fast way to do it and I will always have access, if need be. I have a built in the wall electric heater and a window air conditioner is built into a side wall (with remote control). The building is completely insulated. It cost so little, that I should be embarrassed. However, there was no dickering on the price, my good friend (who died at an early age from a congenital heart condition (he had open heart surgery in his early twenties) set the price and I paid. Everytime I go to the barn, I think of my good friend...

At any rate, I cast whenever the spirit moves - and THAT is often. I try to keep several thousand of each type bullet ahead of the game. I shoot a couple or three times a week and have a nice indoor range for the winter. I only smelt once or twice a year but have been known to do as much as 1000 lbs at a time (with some help, of course). I do it on the driveway, out of doors on a nice, cool day. I use a simple set up for this, a turkey fryer with a Harbor Freight cast iron dutch oven with a working capacity of about 120 lbs:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/QWinter2009andleadsmelting-1767-1.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/QWinter2009andleadsmelting-1767-1.jpg.html)

The building is not pretentious, but rather straightforward and simple. However, it does the job, and does it well. I LOVE my set up and would not exchange it for anything I have seen. As the old saying goes, "It may not be the best, but the best don't mess with it!":bigsmyl2:

FWIW
Dale53

P.S. The powder container is EMPTY...RDM

[Just Duke]

That's a fine setup.

[Green Frog]

As a frequent (but not frequent enough :roll:) repeat visitor to Casa53, I have had the pleasure of working in Dale's "casting barn," which I regard as a much too modest name... more like a "casting chateau," or "casting palace" or some such! ;) After following this thread for a while, I just had to e-mail him and get him to show off a little. About the only thing wrong with it is that it's so far from my house... it's plenty convenient to his.

An important aspect of having a separate building in which to cast is the separation of hot lead and heat sources from your powder and other explosives... you can achieve separation (as I do) by placing loading and casting areas across the basement or whatever, but absolute separation goes a long way to increased safety. I spend a lot of time setting up and tearing down, a problem Dale obviously avoids. Anyway, I felt like this set-up was much too good not to be shared with the group... thanks, Dale! :coffeecom

Froggie

[Vinne]

G Frog is right. Separation is the best way to go, space permitting, and a Casting Palace is the ultimate in casting pleasure!!

[Just Duke]

Duke,

Los Padres shooting ranges are closed for the fire season...prolly open again in October or November....

the block with the feeder tubes is just that...a holding block...with the air automated Star Sizer i only use 4 or 5 tubes and load them as the machine needs....

if ya get in the area, give me a shout.....:)

wyman

In lieu of the new gun laws will you be participating in the exodus form CA sir?

[ProfGAB101]

Hey Mr Duke Nukem;

Slight Hijack - but could you go back to your smelting / foundry thread and give more details on that 1200lbs capacity pot you had made? Like how many tax refund checks did it take? I have been looking to build or have built something in the 1000-2500 lb range just for making a fully consistent alloy lot.

Thanks!

BTW - I am a displaced Political refugee from the Peoples Republic of CA - I saw the writing on the wall back in the 80's and I'm not talking about gang graffiti. I evac'd in 88 and now enjoy NFA toys. One of the best life decisions I ever made, getting out of CA.

[Just Duke]

Hey Mr Duke Nukem;

Slight Hijack - but could you go back to your smelting / foundry thread and give more details on that 1200lbs capacity pot you had made? Like how many tax refund checks did it take? I have been looking to build or have built something in the 1000-2500 lb range just for making a fully consistent alloy lot.

Thanks!

BTW - I am a displaced Political refugee from the Peoples Republic of CA - I saw the writing on the wall back in the 80's and I'm not talking about gang graffiti. I evac'd in 88 and now enjoy NFA toys. One of the best life decisions I ever made, getting out of CA.

It's was $225.00 and was made by another member here.

[geargnasher]

I too am late to the party, and tend to agree with a lot what's been suggested here regarding team casting efforts and automated casting machines.

The obvious thing to me is to get a 20' cargo container, deck over the floor with one layer of mould-resistant drywall and one layer of Hardiboard, tape and thinset the seams, build the partition walls per requirements, build a large fume hood, exhaust system, and filtered intake system for the furnace room, and use multi-cavity moulds.

I don't savvy the need for any fancy mould temperature equipment, you can't shortcut a steady rhythm to keep the moulds at constant temperature, and doing the handoff thing while water-quenching and fussing with electric temperature probes is not a very good recipe for consistent quench hardness.

Here's a few ideas for you to mull over:

Use common sheet rock for your casting surfaces. Thick aluminum is also an excellent casting tabletop because it transfers heat readily and reduces the burn potential.

A 50-100 lb capacity steel pot, 200K+ BTU propane burner, a #1 Rowel ladle, and a manicurist's fan make for some outstanding quality production with a 4-6 cavity rifle boolit mould. The ladle needs to be that large to maintain sufficient flow. Cast right over the pot to catch all the extra that will spill over the mould.

An automated Master Caster ought to be the answer for pistol boolits and some rifle boolits, you can get any mould you like cut by Accurate Moulds to fit the machine, and it requires minimal babysitting. Yes, it only makes two at a time but it never gets tired. You couldn't ask for more consistent timing, so boolit quality is really determined by your setup and tuning skills with the machine. I suspect from observing boolits produced with them that most people tend to run the machines too slowly for optimum mould temp.

Heat treat your boolits for better consistency rather than water-quenching from the mould, this might speed things up with a team casting effort and reduce the "stress" of having to maintain a rigid cadence for extended periods.

Team casting works----when the participants are right next to each other and have room to work without the encumberance of wires, probes, thick gloves, etc. If anyone can make it work, it will be you and Barbie, but what you've described sure sounds like an awkward, tiring setup to me.

You can put your furnaces and ladling pots in a separate room and work through the wall in such a way that the climate can be more comfortably controlled in your work area, or you can build the fume hood with a large sheet of tempered glass or even Lucite that comes down at an angle to about mid-bicep and keeps the heat, smoke, and fumes out of your face. This can also work with team casting side-by-side with no wall between if you make it wide enough, and it will decrease the excursion of the moulds which will result in keeping the mould temperature up where it needs to be and speed the process. When I team cast, one person pours and sets the mould down on an aluminum plate on the table to one side, then takes the next mould from the mould oven on a shelf that's forward and directly above the plate. The other person obviously takes the filled mould, cuts the sprue, dumps the boolits, closes the mould and sprue plate, and deposits it in the mould oven. With multiple moulds, up to four, and the mould oven, the cycle time of each mould is slow enough that it won't overheat, yet the mould oven sort of "tops off" the heat in the moulds just prior to them being filled. Such a setup can tolerate slight fluctuations and pauses fairly well, although the sprue cutting of some of the Lee moulds needs to be watched closely.

Gear