Step by step

[Half Dog]

I am a step by step person who is new to casting. Can someone explain the casting procedure from how to identify the mixture I have to establishing what I need?

I will begin with a 45 ACP and expand as I go. I would like to establish a lead mixture recipe, prove it, and be able to repeat it.

Which alloys, how much, how do you measure it, and how do you know it is a correct mixture are my current concerns.

Any help is greatly appreciated as well as reference material.

[jcren]

Do you have a source for clip on wheel weights?

[jsizemore]

Reading this is step 1:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?110212-From-Ingot-to-Target-A-Cast-Bullet-Guide-for-Handgunners

Read which every format highlighted in the first post.

[Half Dog]

I gathered some COWW at a junk yard and my back has been aching ever since. When I ran out of muscle I thought I had at least 30# of WW's but only had 15#. I then purchased some ingots from a member of this site and I regained my excitement. Now...where to go from here is my problem. I would like to understand the complete process and the why's that go along with routines.

Thanks for the link. I am looking forward to diving into the text.

[mjwcaster]

Read this also-
From Ingot to Target (http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm)

And buy a set of micrometers.
Please learn from my stubbornness and just do it, $15-$20 off of ebay.

I started with 45acp and had leading issues.
Measuring with my calipers, it seemed like I had good, over sized boolits.

Once I broke down and bought a set of mics, I could see that the boolits were out of round, 454x450 or so.

Major undersized, which led to leading.

All because I disregarded everyones advise and thought I could get by with micrometers.
And you can do a decent job if you are measuring a round bullet, you just cannot measure accurately enough to find the out of round spots.

As far as casting, many will tell you to start with a 2 cavity mold.
But if you go with Lee I would start with a 6 cavity, the quality just seems much better, at least in my limited experience.

Casting is much more fun if the molds work, fighting an out of alignment mold while trying to learn takes a lot of the fun out of it.
At least for me it is.

[David2011]

Another recommendation for "From Ingot to Target."

You've chosen, IMO, the easiest cartridge with which to start. Awesome. You don't need hard boolits for .45ACP. Ever. You don't need to trim the cases. A good starting point is COWW with an additional 1.5% tin. You can get the Alloy Calculator at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?105952-Lead-alloy-calculators. It will tell you how much solder you need to add to X amount of COWW to get the tin up to 2%. Pewter, another desirable additive, is almost pure tin and often available at estate sales and resale shops. The purpose of tin is to get the molten metal to flow and fill out the mold better. There are many new and used molds suitable for the .45ACP. One of my favorites is the Lyman 452374 which is very close to John Browning's original .45ACP design. Another excellent mold is anything that replicates the H&G 68 like the RCBS 452-201-SWC. They run well in most 1911s.

Mjwcaster gives good advice. You really do need to be able to measure your boolits and barrel slugs accurately. If you can't you may get leading. Proper fit and not harder alloy is the way to minimize leading.

Pay a lot of attention to proper fluxing, a steady rhythm to your casting and the mold (not the melt) temperature. If the mold gets too hot the boolits will have a heavy frost and the puddle will take a long time to solidify. If the mold is dirty or too cool you will get wrinkled boolits. The sweet spot in between is pretty broad. The pace of your casting controls the mold temperature.

The best thing is to try and see what happens. If you're happy with it show us pictures. If you have trouble show us pictures. You have found the best tutors on the Internet.

David

[lightman]

Reading those links is excellent advice and will answer your questions and more. Clip-on wheelweights usually make great bullets. Cast a few up and if they fill out, you are good. If not, add a little tin (solder). I would recommend starting with the RCBS 2 cavity mold. They make a good mold and I have never seen a bad one. It will be easier to learn to cast from a good mold than to have to 'tweek' a cheaper mold. Learning this hobby will also be easier if you can find another local caster to coach you through the learning stages.

[WILCO]

http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/skus/p_749010217_1.jpg

[WILCO]

Which alloys, how much, how do you measure it, and how do you know it is a correct mixture are my current concerns.

Any help is greatly appreciated as well as reference material.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/faqs/bullet-casting.php

Q: How do I make #2 Alloy?

A: To make 10 pounds of #2 Alloy, use either of the following recipes: 9 pounds of wheelweights + 1 pound of 50/50 (lead/tin) bar solder or 4 pounds of Linotype +1 pound of 50/50 bar solder + 5 pounds pure lead

[Nose Dive]

Look and read here too!

http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two

[RogerDat]

This is a pretty good step by step overview. http://www.zjstech.net/gunstuff/casting.html

Making lead into ingots is a good starting point. Gives you a chance to work with molten lead, pouring and casting, just ingots instead of bullets. Making clean lead from wheel weights using some wood shaving and/or wax to flux the lead clean then using a ladle to pour into ingot mold will give you a feel for the whole process.

I like the Lee 2 cavity molds, at one point they used a different method for aligning the two halves of the mold. Guess it did not work all that well. I think they changed to what they use now the ones I have all work fine and at $20 a mold WITH handles it is an excellent way to get started on a budget and try different bullet weights or shapes.

Look at 45/45/10 lube, easy to make and can be applied by tumbling bullets in a cool whip container or my favorite method in a 1 qt. zip lock bag. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free

I and many others picked up a lot of our "equipment" from thrift stores and garage sales. Bread loaf or muffin pans for making ingots, an old slotted spoon for skimming crud out while fluxing, stainless steel cooking pot for melting ingots to ladle into bullet mold.

Pour the molten lead into the bullet mold, if it doesn't look right, post a picture, get some advice, melt it down and try again. Do overs are pretty straight forward solution to any bullet casting mistakes. :-)

[charlie3tuna]

[QUOTE=RogerDat;3401334]This is a pretty good step by step overview. http://www.zjstech.net/gunstuff/casting.html


My old dog has more intelligence than the author of the "overview." Not only does Mr. Stem advise using an ALUMINUM pot for smelting, he ALSO says to pour from it into molds!!! I'll quit now....charlie

[Half Dog]

I see that I am at the correct place to get information. Thanks so much for the links, suggestions, and support.

[jsizemore]

It takes a while to get the hang of it. There's a number of paths to get to where you want to be. Take your time and learn them all. If you mess up, it's easy to hide the evidence by remelting and trying again. 45auto with an iron mold to temp is about as easy as casting gets.

[RogerDat]

This is a pretty good step by step overview. http://www.zjstech.net/gunstuff/casting.html


My old dog has more intelligence than the author of the "overview." Not only does Mr. Stem advise using an ALUMINUM pot for smelting, he ALSO says to pour from it into molds!!! I'll quit now....charlie

While Aluminum is not an ideal choice, the authors use of 5 or 6 lbs. lead in a 1 qt. sauce pan is well within what that size of aluminum pan can handle. Aluminum pot is dangerous with a volume of lead having sufficient weight that it can blow out the bottom made weaker from the heat. 5# in a quart sauce pan not really an issue. Pouring from a pot with 5# is also not a huge problem unless the handle is poor. Many folks use a 4# ladle. My own preference is for stainless steel with steel handle, or cast iron but if I was only doing 5# I would not be afraid to use aluminum, actually I have a cast aluminum 1 Qt. pot. thing is built like a tank.

Is it the best tutorial on the web? Nope but it is one that addresses the simplicity of the operation from the perspective of someone fairly new to the process. Many articles force one to wade through some very detailed information that while useful is not essential. I found the Lyman book very useful. Sat around reading that a few times. If nothing else put it by the pot, you aren't doing anything but sitting there anyway.

Me I would pick up a Salvation Army, garage sale or Wal-Mart ladle and bend the handle so the bowl was at right angles to the shaft. Just be aware a cheap ladle still needs to have a strong enough handle to support the bowl when full of lead. I have at least a couple old soup ladles, they worked fine getting started.

So to recap for the OP, better to get stainless steel, or cast iron pot than aluminum, pot handle needs to handle the weight if your going to pour with it. Might be better to get a ladle if you can. I checked with my dog and she said this additional information seemed useful to her, and possibly the OP.

The one thing I would not waste my money on is reloading company molds. Maybe once I had everything I really needed and was just looking for something to make the set up more snazzy but there are a lot more useful things one can get. Most muffin tins work great, don't think I paid over $1 for any of them. Oh and if you use muffin tins test one cup will dump ok after lead hardens before you assume the lead won't stick in the cup, there is one type out there that the molten lead will bond with. Don't ask how I learned about the ones that won't dump out.

[mjwcaster]

I will second the suggestion to smelt some lead first, it is a great way to get started.

I collected a couple of hundred of pounds of range scrap in the fall, during range renovation.

Then last spring I finally got around to sourcing pots/ladles/muffin tins (already had a $10 coleman 2 burner) from thrift stores/garage sales.

So I bought safety gear (face shield/welding gloves) and tried smelting.
Don't forget full coverage non-synthetic clothing, cotton long sleeve shirt, jeans, socks and boots.
During warm weather I wear a cotton t-shirt and throw a long sleeve shirt on when by molten lead.

Once I proved to myself that I could melt lead and liked it I bought a mold.
Then some lube, a lee sizer kit and cheap lee press.
And I finally broke down and bought a micrometer.

I was off to the races, with about a $100 initial investment, mostly sizer kit, press and lube.

Paid for itself in the first 1k boolits.

I am now up to 3 molds for 2 calibers, custom dillon expander for 9mm and want molds for at least 3 more calibers so far.

I am taking it one step at a time, making sure I have success in one caliber, casting up/loading several thousand for that caliber and then moving on to the next one.

It has been a great trip, and yes you are at the right location for help.

Read as much as you can, and feel free to ask your questions here, CB members are more than willing to help.
Don't forget to add your location to your profile, there may be members close by who are willing to help out.

Matt