My alloy mix, getting confusing

[Savage99]

Howdy
What I have been doing is mix my alloy by making a starting mix (about 10 lbs) based on the alloy calculators and then cast 10 bullets from a given mold and then weigh them and do a hardness test with a saeco tester and depending on the results I put in different ingots to get what I need. The problem I am having is I can not seem to get a pot to pot consistent alloy. I have a 20 lb pot, Lyman. What should I do different? Lino, wheel weights and soft lead is what I have.

[Yodogsandman]

Get a bigger pot and make big batches.

[popper]

How much variation of weight or BHN? Aging differences? Ingot differences? Unless the ingots are made in large batches there will be some difference.

[bangerjim]

We all get variation to different degrees. It all depends on MANY variables (alloy quantity, alloy % mix, ingot accuracy of ingot mix, casting temp, mold temp, casting technique, aging of alloy, etc, etc). You need to decide what is acceptable to your needs.

I only worry about ingot hardness, knowing if I keep that relatively under control, the boolits will be "relatively" uniform.......good enough for a hobby.

I always throw known alloy ingots into my 20# pots and get relative close to what I need. Close is good enough for most of us. If I get 12±1 Bhn , I am happy.

Remember, we are melting and casting lead in our backyards or garages for a hobby, not in a controlled laboratory environment for scientific usages.

Works for me.

bangerjim

[RogerDat]

Yep what he said. Work with a big pot such as a dutch oven. Cast your test bullets from that pot with 60 - 100 lbs. Once you get it right make ingots from the big pot for your smaller 20# casting pot. Consistent requires large batches or precise control of materials and measurement. Small batch a few ounce difference in an ingredients or a small difference in alloy is a large percentage.

Hardness changes over time. Work for size, then weight being consistent (rather than a pre-determined mold weigh) for a given large batch of alloy. Hardness being last item to attempt consistency. We don't have the ability to measure that with the accuracy we do size and weight.

Alloy differences can change all of the above but so to can casting technique hotter, colder melt or mold will make a difference. A mold is an individual piece of equipment and your 255 gr. mold might cast larger or smaller than mine even if we have the exact same brand/model of mold. With a corresponding difference in weight despite us using the exact same alloy.

So alloy age, rate of cooling, temp melt started at, and precise alloy can all impact hardness. Size (fit is king) and weight (same weight = same process) are better indicators.

[triggerhappy243]

RogerDat has it right ..... the larger the smelted batch you can handle, the more control you will have with consistency. I use a dutch oven and melt about 60 pounds at a throw. looking to build a much larger pot so more of my ingots are identical from bar to bar.

[RogerDat]

I'm using the $25 dutch oven from Harbor Freight can handle about 100# along with 6 bread loaf pans to make large temporary ingots. I can then combine those large ingots from multiple batches into "final" batches.

3 batches of 100# each, with each poured into 6 ingots, then 2 ingots from each batch combine for 6 ingots to melt and cast into final ingots. Same process would work for much smaller (or larger) than 100# batches. Even number times the ingots as you have batches then recombine back into same number of batches evenly. . Ingots could be smaller such as 1# lyman or 3# Lee mold full or large 20# bread loaf ingots. All works the same.

For most of our stuff that cross combining will yield consistent alloy. I don't bother for buckets of WW's or a bunch of sheet lead but when I go to mix that into something to cast into bullets that I want to be a consistent then it is worth a little extra work to get that consistency. Or when I have a real mix of stuff such as scrap of unknown composition.

[lobowolf761]

Get a bigger pot and make big batches.
What he said.