Homemade shot maker - fail need some suggestions

[Gunslingerdoc]

I bought a homemade pan and some nozzles of the bay and rigged up a stand using an old grill burner I've been lugging around.

I'm using:

a mix of metal...some scraps from casting hollow points about 3-4% tin with some COWW and some bullets my dad cast that shoot poorly...I'm guessing they're somewhere between #2 and Lino as he likes 'hard' boolits.

water with dish soap 1/4 to 1/8 drop into a 5 gallon bucket.

Lead temp is anywhere from 600-700 degrees depending on the wind

base of my melting pan is 30 degrees above horizontal...seems to work better at 20 degrees so I may need to 'modify' that.

Result:

I started off getting popcorn - fixed it by moving water closer to drop edge. Then all I could get was flat round to oval shot....not a spherical shot in the bucket.

Is it my coolant or my lead? Or something else?

[RED333]

I have no experience doing this, but from what I have read non toxic antifreeze is best, and it needs to be some what warm.
I have no idea about the angle you are using.
All that said, I will be trying some of this soon.

[Gunslingerdoc]

I was going to go with antifreeze but couldn't get a lid with my bucket ...Wally world was out of lids.... And I have a 4 mo old puppy that I was afraid would get into it when I wasn't looking. Can't kill the new puppy!

[bdicki]

Some reading.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15776

[MT Chambers]

I use a commercial shotmaker and use only WW lead as recommended by the makers of the machine, according to them if the shot has a dimple your coolant is too thick, if the pellet has a tail your coolant is too thin. Yours is neither so I believe you should try again using strictly WW metal and report back.

[Gunslingerdoc]

I use a commercial shotmaker and use only WW lead as recommended by the makers of the machine, according to them if the shot has a dimple your coolant is too thick, if the pellet has a tail your coolant is too thin. Yours is neither so I believe you should try again using strictly WW metal and report back.

Will do! Also plan to pick up some antifreeze if I can find a lid for the bucket

[leadhead 500]

The cheapest fabric softener works OK for the coolant. The best thing I have ever seen for the coolant is red diesel fuel. It is very dangerous to use but it makes good shot.

[leadhead 500]

Another thing you can do to get better shot is to rub the lip below the drippers down good with soapstone. It will help the drops roll down the lip to get rounder shot

[jcren]

Not first hand (yet) but I have been researching getting started with shot, and a lot of guys are using cheap Wal-Mart laundry soap for coolant. Can be diluted with water to adjust for density of lead/shot shape and cleans easily. I saw a simular problem on a shotgunning forum and they advised cleaning/adjusting the angle of the drop plate until shot clearly rolls down the ramp.

[Gunslingerdoc]

I've been reading the link above....those guys are SERIOUS about their shotmakers, but there is lots of good info.

1. I'm going to use straight COWW.
2. I think my angle is too high. I'm going to try 20 degrees
3. Coolant change - antifreeze vs fabric softener (stuff is a pain to wash off) vs. coolant temp.
4. Coolant temp. Not sure I really want to mess with having to heat my coolant and my lead...

[mtgrs737]

Your lead is too hot, your coolant is not hot enough if your using water your drop distance to the surface is good. How deep is your coolant tank? Mine is about 23 inches and is filled with cheap Dollar store liquid laundry soap (Sun brand) as it works best for me. For making shot, Tin is your enemy, it removes surface tension and while that is good if you are trying to get a good fill out on a cast bullet it is not so good if you are trying to get round shot. Clip on wheel weight lead is the best for shot, stick on ww's are too soft and have no arsenic which adds surface tension to the alloy.

Get some good WW lead, be carefull not to melt any Zn (zinc, it will plug your drippers) marked WW's in to the melt when you are melting and cleaning your alloy for ingots to make shot. Clean alloy is very important in shot making so don't spare the fluxing when you are making ingots.

If your going to use water heat it to about 200 degrees before dripping shot, or get some laundry soap and keep it at room temp to start stopping when it gets to 130 degrees. Water will need a deep container or it will deform when it hits the bottom. If you use water you may need to submerge a piece of wood just below the surface at about a 30 degree angle to allow the shot drips to roll and round up while they solidify. I had no luck with fabric softner whatsoever everything it touched rusted.

Regulate your lead at between 550 - 600 degrees and set your machine ramp angle so the drips are about 1/4" between drips. down the ramp.

Shot making is about angles and temps, you will have to experiment to perfect it enough to get good shot, and even then it won't be perfect but will perform well enough. Now if you had a couple of million bucks then maybe you could made shot like the factories do. :)

Shot making is an adventure, enjoy your quest!

[Gunslingerdoc]

My 'coolant' tank is 5 gallon bucket...18" high? Or there about. From reading the link above it seems lots over there use a fairly small coolant tank inside a larger overflow tank with some form of recirculating system...I'm thinking about going with a double boiler type set up so I can try some dollar store detergent vs antifreeze.

thanks for the good suggestions/advice!

Im good on ww lead. I have children that like to shoot which means they periodically have to sort. Oh yeah, and they're on break! 15yo has already sorted and smelted 2 buckets....he really likes to shoot!

[beezapilot]

I'm new to dripping, some things I've noticed in my short experience.
1- Alloy is not at important as I thought, I've used 30% COWW to 70% and have noticed very little difference in shot.
2- I use canola oil, this is the first and only coolant I've tried, I let it soak in dishwashing soap solution over night, dry it, then re-wash it in mineral spirits to remove the residual oil. Some of the shot is dimpled- too thick a coolant by conventional wisdom- but there is no way to thin canola that I know of save warming it up, I was told to not let the temp get above 120, I've had no issue up to 135.
3- HEAD PRESSURE has been the most sensitive thing for me, too much and I get teardrop / elongated / oversized shot. I have no problem with LOW pressure.
4- I've tried patterning dimpled shot as compared to factory shot- at the 16 year line I don't think it matters all that much. I would be hesitant to try handicap with it..

[Screwbolts]

IMHO popcorn is from Both TO HOT and the water in your coolant, can also be caused by cold coolant. I have used straight "Sun" laundry detergent from the cheapest source. I liked it because it was clear and you can see exactly what the shot looks like . Ditch the alloy with Tin in it for shot, save it for boolitz. Tin reduces the surface tention of the alloy and the drippers will want to run a stream instead of dripping. as posted above head pressure, H P will be more critical with an alloy with small amounts of tin. That was my shot making experiances. I eventualy used a PID to better control the temps with the probe right at or between a set drippers.

Ken

[Gunslingerdoc]

I bought a few gallons of sun detergent and I'm going to 'double boiler' a 50 cal can inside my 5 gallon bucket for over flow. Of course it's cold here in TN so I may have to wait until it warms up so I can at least open the garage for ventilation and not have my lead freeze....layed in some range lead and have plenty of WW to try.

[too many things]

good luck from what you read here
there is a LOT to learn and all the replies above dont get close.

[shootinfox2]

It would help to have pics of your setup. The drip edge should not be more than 1/4 inch above the coolant. It should be coated with soapstone or graphite mold release. Coolant may be your problem. Have tried several. Just switched to Prestone RV water system antifreeze (Walmart 4.75 a gallon)and it works. Send me your email address and I will send you pics of my setup.

Fox

[upnorthwis]

Question: If I use fabric softener, is it used straight or cut with water, and at what temp?

[Sitsinhedges]

Question: If I use fabric softener, is it used straight or cut with water, and at what temp?

I use it neat and start from cold but warming it up a little may help.

[upnorthwis]

Another question: How short must the .024 hole be to get them to drip? I center drilled the trough leaving about .060 left for the .024 drill and still no drip. Am using propane to heat trough. Put thermometer in it and when needle went past 900 decided it was not going to happen. Alloy is 50/50 WW/Pb. At least the first time I tried this I got one BB. Came from nozzle right under spout. So I thought more heat would be the solution. This time none. Lead can't get any cleaner.

[mtgrs737]

Too hot of lead will thin out the lead and cause it to not drip. A .024" hole will make shot bigger than 7.5 maybe depending on the temp of the lead. Try .022" or .023" . Too much dripper pressure will cause the lead to not drip well and can cause it to stream out of the dripper. To much head pressure in the ladle (depth of lead in the ladle) will cause the dripper to make larger size shot so I try to keep the lead level just over the end of the dripper inlet hole as this will keep oxidized lead scum out of the dripper which could plug it up. I don't make shot if the air temp is under 65 degrees and try to keep the lead between 550 to 650 degrees. I stop when the soap gets to 130 degrees. I use soap because it has worked well for me. I believe soap works well because it is slow to absorb heat allowing the pellet to "round up" before freezing in shape, it supports the pellet due to it's viscosity, and it is easy to wash off. I think that a long drop thru the soap is needed if you want the best shot roundness using soap due to it taking a longer time to freeze the pellet. I have found that pellets that contacted a hard surface inside the coolant tank 5" or 6" down would flatten the pellet on the contact side. The only down side is the smell of the soap, when it is heated it gets worse, but that is OK as long as the garage door is open and fresh air is available. I hope this helps, good luck and enjoy the journey!

[Faret]

Did you tap on the pan to get it started? How much lead that is in the pan can make them drip or not drip too. It is kind of like getting a frozen hose started sometimes! Hope you are not trying it today!

[Vinne]

m-737, I have used antifreeze for years but have been hearing more about the soap as coolant. What kind of soap do you use?? Full strength or mixed??

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Advantage FR46 - from Allegheny Petroleum is one of the best coolant I have used- was called Altra Performance Product fr200 wg this is a 10w oil and is great for not making dimples
contact them at www.Oils.com

Metsafe fr210 was good but now can hardly be found...I can only get it in 55 gal. drums and they would not pump out or sell me less of it
Shell and Chevron both have products that compare BUT tracking them down is/was near impossible - and I was not going to buy a 300 gal. tote just to try it out

Prestone NON tox works good
Sierra Brand anti freeze works OK if you can find it

Citgo make some thing very close would have to look that up though

all these have 1 thing in common - NO WATER in the mix.....

[flyingmonkey35]

I have shelved mine for the winter.

Was having a huge hard time to get anything to work.

Just complete useless shot.

Going to order a pid. A good hotplate and build a rig.

[Faret]

Alan do you have any tips on making #4 and #6 shot?

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Call me.......see what you have going on is right, and you have a good beginning point to start with
we don't have any thing special for #4 it's a standard drippers- best run when not 120f in the shop like in Az- I would do those right now in the winter of Az-
If it's too cold you won't get the machine hot let alone make shot.

[Geezer in NH]

Will do! Also plan to pick up some antifreeze if I can find a lid for the bucket
Get the RV NON-TOXIC anti freeze the stuff gets put into the potable water tank and pipes.