Knowledge Level "0" Need in Need of Information

[Jr.]

Hello all,

Thanks for letting me be a part of this community first off. I am very seriously looking into casting and swaging but have absolutley no idea where to start as stated knowledge level "0" but no place better to start building than a blank lot. I have alot of questions and I'm sure you don't want to hear them all at once so I'll just start with where y'all think the best starting point is.

thanks look forward to learning,
Jr.

[cbrick]

It would be much easier to offer valid advice if we knew what you'll be casting for, how much shooting etc.

Here is an excellent start to the hobby and it's free, download & print out this book for future reference, good info for the old salts as well.

From Ingot to Target (http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_textonly2.pdf)

It has chapters on getting started, alloys, lubes etc.

Rick

[Wayne Smith]

Welcome to the madness, or - RUN - fast and hard with your hand firmly attached to your credit cards! Like any hobby, this one definitely has a live of it's own. Do you already reload or are you planning on climbing two learning curves at the same time? That I do not recommend. If you are already initiated into reloading you have some idea of what you are facing in terms of adding another hobby.

Start by reading the book posted above - it is a very good introduction. Spend some time reading selected stickies. If you have a machining/metalworking background you are a step up in understanding the importance of accurate measurement. Otherwise invest in a micrometer (Sears has them) and learn how to use it.

Think about how you want to start, buying known metals and creating your alloy or gambling with wheel weights and other questionable sources and feeling your way through. Each is valid. What calibers are you currently shooting? It is easiest to start with a relatively low pressure round, .38 Special, 45 ACP or Colt, 30-30, etc., than with a high pressure cartridge such as the 9mm or 40S&W.

Do you have a place to cast? Do you have a place to melt relatively large quantities of metal to mix alloy? Your kitchen range is not the answer even if you are single!

In other words, think this through before you jump and invest a lot of money. Then jump wisely.

[buggybuilder1]

I would suggest that you will change your direction a few time as you proceed. I started with reclaiming wheel weights and using a pawn shop mold, to now cutting my own swaging dies (not yet good at this one). Start with casting something in lead as you will end up using this as your core if you get to swaging in copper or brass, or just swaging those lead cores into bullets. Good luck.

[gwpercle]

Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook...good thing to have. Read it, study it and keep it handy...you will refer to it often. Ingot to Target is also a valued reference.
The internet info can sometimes not be exactly correct or stated in a way to be confusing to the beginner...published information and load data should be your guide . I know this is hard for young people not familar with printed text but these published works are my Bible on the subject.

Gary

[Jr.]

Thank you for the book information I will certainly be going through both of these. Yes I already reload was planning on starting my casting journey with loads for my revolvers and lever guns such as .38 .357 maybe swc and rn to start. Yes I also have a place to cast I have a workshop out back and my reloading presses are set up inside the house to help keep temperatures more consistent

[w5pv]

Start small and cheap until you deiced for sure which way you want to go.

[Ben]

cbrick has offered very good advice .

[Mk42gunner]

Start small and cheap until you deiced for sure which way you want to go.

Very good advice. Casting isn't for everyone, why invest hundreds or thousands of dollars before you find out if you like it?

Poke around and read some of the stickies here, I don't think anyone has actually read all of them.

Once you start, there really isn't a thing wrong with starting with a two cavity Lee mold and one of their push trough sizing dies. If you have a coleman stove or a turkey fryer, you can start with a goodwill stainless steel or small cast iron pot and a dipper; if you have to buy a stove you might as well get the Lee 4-20 electric pot. it is a lot more comfortable to cast from than the Coleman stove setup. I think I ladled more boolits from my 4-20 than I cast from the bottom pour spout on it.

The main thing is to be safe and have fun.

Oh yeah, welcome aboard,

Robert

[Wayne Smith]

I started casting big boolits for .40 and .45 caliber rifles - BP. I started with a Coleman stove that my dad had and a discarded kitchen pot. First I melted the aluminum piece off the bottom of the pot! I started that way because it is easier to ladle cast big boolits. Now 15 years later I'm on my second Coleman stove and still using a ladle for everything. Never had a bottom pour and didn't like the cost of a good one. I'd rather put my money into molds. Oh, I bought the Lyman ladle - that or the RCBS are very good and necessary tools if you ladle cast. I still use that pot that the heat spreader fell off of - the handle is now off of it too!

[Jr.]

This is all very good I have an old cast pot 8 qt I think and have placed in my shopping cart on Midway a Lee swc mold two hole a dipping ladle and a Lee lube sizer die all for .357 so I'm hoping this is a good place to start I'm gonna finish reading from ingot to target and start with ww as casting medium if there is anything else I'm missing let me know I always welcome knowledge

[Lead Fred]

First place to start

92692

next a 20 lb Lee furnace, and a quality mold

[myg30]

Jr, welcome sir. Your on the right track so far being on here. lots to learn and many great people to help you along or point you in the right direction. Its a road that once you start the silver journey its very addictive !! Really.
Everything said above. Also check the swapping selling section for other goodies you might need.
Most important, PLEASE wear safty gear when melting lead and keep safe washing hands, clothing etc and not spreading to others at home.

Mike

[Greg B.]

You are off to a good start with that equipment you ordered. I take it that is an old cast iron pot you have ? What are you going to use to heat it? You will need flux for your melt. A little bit of waxy bullet lube works as does saw dust. Clip on wheel weights work best and sort out the steel and zinc ones which can mess up your melt. Keep in mind you do not necessairly have to size boolits and can use spray on lube or apply the waxy, greesy stuff by hand. Another saftey warning - don't ever get even a drop of water into your melted lead. It will splater lead all over.

[Garyshome]

It's easy just hold your nose and jump in!

[Jr.]

Yes cast iron pot I have both a camp stove and an old turkey fryer burner my nephews thought the pot was a drum so needles to say just a burner I also ordered the Lyman casting handbook and found a lot of good information in from ingot to target I have some stiffer lube coming for when the boolits are finally lubed but for sizing can I just use some spray on case lube like one shot or is this a bad idea I know I don't want to stick a boolit but the tumble lube that comes with the Lee sizer seems very messy to me

[cbrick]

Yep, tumble lube is way too messy for me. When I need to size a boolit without lube I use the Hornady Unique case lube, it's tub of white ?? stuff. Just a very little on the finger tips is all that's needed while handling the boolits to place them in the sizer die. Spray lube would work also but use much more and a bit messy.

Rick

[deoje]

It's probably been mentioned but the stickies here are a great resource. All kinds of great info available in the forums.

[Wayne Smith]

For lubing boolits for the Lee size die, believe it or not, even a drop or two of water works. I touch of lanolin from your boot waterproofing works even better.

[Jr.]

So I just need light lube until sized? That's good to know how about a "cake" style for the final lube I've seen a few threads where this is being done but all I've seen look like rifle bullets would this be practical for 158 grn 357 round or just a waste of time and lube?

[cbrick]

Yep, a cookie cutter in a cake of lube will work fine for pistol boolits.

I just read your post #11, did you order a .357" diameter sizing die? A minimum .358" would be better, cast boolits aren't like jacketed and you'll want/need .001"-.002" over groove diameter and if a revolver you'll need to size to the throats.

Rick

[Jr.]

Yeah I haven't ordered it yet but I did size my revolvers the other day one came out at .356 and the other at .357 so I will change that sizing die out to a .358 I just haven't been able to find a Lee that size yet just about everything is on back order so I've been collecting lead and reading as much as I can get my hands on in the mean time.

[guncheese]

also you dont waste lube pan lubing
as you remelt everything thats left over after you cut the cake :)
its suprising how little lube the boolits take and how much you remelt

[Jr.]

So I have another newbie question I sorted all my wheel weights got the zinc out and began melting them down in my cast iron pot I started slow on the temperature just in case anything slipped by in the sorting skimmed all the steel and crud off then fluxed twice with sawdust but when I was pouring my ingots I noticed there was still crud in the mix also when I put the pot back on the burner it went almost immediately to glowing so my question is if I get my pot too hot is there any possibility of having iron come off in the melt

[Wayne Smith]

Take it from me, if you are using a cast iron pot you will get some rust in your melt. It is inevitable. Your are burning off anything that will stop the oxidation. It's not a big issue for ladle casting, most of it stays at the bottom of the pot. When you stir it up you take it out with the sawdust. Not a big deal.

[MtGun44]

Welcome!

1. Read Glen Fryxell's book.

2. Read the stickies.

3. Buy your equipment

4. Start casting.

5. Ask questions here.

Bill

[Greg B.]

Can't add much to the above postings except that it is not always necessary to size and you can hand lube. While I usually use an RCBS lubrasizer, my Lee 45/70 boolits come from the mold the correct size (or at least a size that my rifle likes) so I use them as cast. To lube I take some 50/50 beeswax/alox lube (old NRA formula) and work it into the lube grooves without getting any on the bottom of the bullet. Works OK for small batches of bullets if the bullets cast in the right size and will fit in the cases.

[Jr.]

So I finally got out to test my first boolits today cast from a Lee two cavity 158 swc mold alloy is straight air cooled ww dropped at about 160 grns sized with a Lee .358 sizing die lubed with 50/50 beeswax liquid allox placed in front of 3.6 grns of P38

Based on my offhand accuracy they did pretty well at 25 feet the spread from both my revolvers was 2 to 3 inches like I said I'm not much for offhand but was pleased with the results

[Wayne Smith]

More importantly for your first use of cast, what did your barrel look like after shooting? If you have a clean barrel and are moderately satisfied with your accuracy you are well ahead of the game! Finding the best load for these boolits may be your next challenge. Their process in the barrel is very different than the condom bullets and the best load for them may not be the best load for your boolits.

[Jr.]

Yeah after checking the bores on both there is very minimal leading but some deposits that look like small chunks of lube left over is this common?

[Bzcraig]

Take heed of all suggestions, find a good shrink and a 12 step program.

[Jr.]

[smilie=l:

[DLCTEX]

A good lube for sizing in the Lee push through is Dawn dish soap. It washes off easily and you will have really clean boolits to start pan lubing with.:grin::Fire:

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I use a cake lube for my .358's and I also use LLA from lee. Using the Lee stuff, just put a very little in a baggy and once you squish them around for awhile, then throw them on a piece of aluminum foil and let dry. There is a sticky about using 45-45-10 lube that some like and some hate. I think it is very quick way to lube but I also use carnuba red on some of my speedy boolits. Have fun, experiment and enjoy a very good hobby. Be careful of melted lead. It is usually at about 700 degrees and that is twice as hot as something coming out of your kitchen oven. It will burn fast and deep.

[Jr.]

Be careful of melted lead. It is usually at about 700 degrees and that is twice as hot as something coming out of your kitchen oven. It will burn fast and deep.
Yes I have learned this while pouring ingots I had my pot too cold and the lead hardened on my ladle before it could be poured so as I went to dip the ladle back into the pot to remove the clinger it slipped off into the pot splashing lead all over.... Glad I had my welding equipment and a face shield on. :shock: