Shot maker

[GhostHawk]

I have seen a couple of different shotmakers for sale. Generally over 500$ and I have read story's of guys who fought for 2 years and never did get it to work right.

I wanted to let any of you who are interested know that there is another way.

I bought my shotmaker off ebay, welded steel box with 5 double drippers. Just a set of drippers costs 60$ on ebay. This guy was selling the whole thing for 90$. Free shipping, I figured if I can make it work and get 50 lbs of usable shot out of it that would cost over 100$ locally. I tried it once with an electric hot plate, just not enough heat. Even melting the lead with a hand propane torch it would not keep the dripper's running. It would only keep a circle about 3" in the center melted.

So I bought one of those Jet type cookers, 35$ no pot and waited.
It arrived and in order to use the tin box I had as a cooling tank I had to do a bit of surgery on the outer ring and part of the support. But once I fired it up it made shot.

Started short and small, 10 lbs first day, lots of snowflakes and crazy looking stuff. Added more dollar store fabric softener. 10 lbs the next day, shot looks real good, round. 16 lbs the the next day and today I ran a little longer session and cleaned out the box. 36 lbs today. 75 pounds total.

As far as I am concerned this paid off the shotmaker, the bayou cooker and put something towards the lead I used.

Pictures perhaps tomorrow I'm all tuckered after casting and cleaning.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252552300412?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[warpspeed]

Look forward to your tips & pictures!

[rancher1913]

would very much like to see those photos when you get the time.

[Smoke4320]

I would second the detailed write up on how you made it work , cooling technique ect

[Reverend Al]

I just sent him a message through eBay and asked if he'll be producing and selling any more of them. We'll see what he answers ...

[skeettx]

9 currently available
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262670950461?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Smoke4320]

Ghosthawk what Alloy did you use ?

[copdills]

great information , looking forward to some insight and pics, thanks

[GhostHawk]

Ok point #1, coolant tank was a galvanized box similar in general size as a .50 ammo box, perhaps a touch taller. Coolant was roughly a 50-50 mix of water and dollar store fabric softener.

My wife bought me 10, I have used 6. If the lead had dents in it I would scoop some of the mix out and dump in another jug of softener. I think I did that twice the first day and left it be.

As to alloy I started out with some ingots of clip on wheel weights. When I ran out of those I switched over to range lead. Too much pure will make things funky. I had it stop on all drippers once today when all lead was melted and hot.

So I added in my last ingot of wheel weight lead and 5 min later it was dripping away.

I see this little one as more of a batch process. Put some lead in, melt it, add some more lead while the drippers are warming up. Takes time to get the heat all the way out there. Once I have a full pot I let it run till I see dripper nuts showing on the inside and add lead knowing that it will cool the melt down. But after all melts they start right back up again.

Ok pictures tomorrow of setup and shot. My coolant box is already empty, but won't be hard to visualize it full to an 1/8th inch of the top with pale blue stuff.

The more I got the hang of running it the more consistent my shot was.

[GhostHawk]

Well I'll do the best I can here guys.

First picture will be of the dripper side of the shot maker and the ramp that rolls the shot into the coolant tank.

It is I think pretty important to keep the end of that ramp close to the top of the coolant. Coolant I used was roughly 50-50 but chances are you will have to do as I did. Adjust as needed until you get round shot. Lots of variables in this process, coolant is one, coolant temp is another.

178917178916178915178918178919

I have not yet taken a calibers to a random 10 balls to see what size they actually are. I will be pattern testing these hopefully soon. Will report results when I have them.

The main point I wanted to make with this post was to show that with 150$ investment that it was possible to make useable shot. I think wheelweights work best for alloy, but it is possible with range scrap. I suspect pure lead could be "fussy". I

The point is go ahead and find out for yourself!

And I do not know about you but I have had a blast.
I have also added another string to my bow. Just a little bit more self sufficient.
And for me that adds up to sleeping well at night which is priceless.

But I warn you, it is ART not science. Listen to your gut, your years of experience melting lead.

[too many things]

well enjoy your experiment only way you learn .
some things you will find
1 any water in coolant wont work
2 lead CO ww is only thing that will work
3 any coolant that is water solvent . will turn the shot black and will be very hard to coat with graphite. also it will start corroding very quick . cant be loaded for long
4 1 zinc will mess up the whole batch
the best way to tell about shot is to roll it down a 5% grade on glass . the ones that make it are good
what you have in pic would say about 1% will make it
this is what it should look like after its coated.
this has not been sorted but most was no7

[BigEyeBob]

When I was trap shooting , we had a shot maker at the club , IIRC we used diesel as the coolant in the catch can , we mainly used plumbers sheet lead for the shot as that is all we could get . Can't recall if the shot was of a good consistency or not ,I never used it for my loads , as Winchester shot was not really that expensive in those days . Probably need to take out a second mortgage theses days to buy it it and pay transport for it to my place. I still have 40lbs of that in no7 and 10lbs of no4 .
I don't shoot competition these days , hardly use my shotguns at all actually .Probably use it for cast bullets when I get desperate for lead.
We have bans on lead shot here on duck /goose swamps etc , steel or bismuth only .I don't want to get my English guns modified for steel so I dont do the duck and goose season anymore.

I have a friend who makes bismuth shot and he uses ethylene glycol (automotive engine coolant )for the coolant , bit Bismuth is very difficult to work with ,he has been mucking about with it for some time and seems to have it down to an art now.

[Vinne]

Nice work Ghosthawk. You will find that the more you work with it, the better you will get. WW metal is the best for shotmaking and if you can find a way to preheat your ingots it will recover faster or maybe not pause at all. You stated that you have double drippers. If you remove one or two drippers you might keep the shotmaking consistent all be it a little slower. I ordered a batch of doubles for my seven dripper and ran out of flow too fast also. I replaced three doubles with singles and I want back to it was before. So much for trying to speed things up.

[GhostHawk]

Thank you Vinne!

I really am not in any big rush. Yes I could in theory rig a bottom dump melter to feed it but I really am not in a hurry. I am 64 and retired and time I have in abundance. :)

Sitting out in the garage watching it drip for an hour is pretty easy duty. I have one of those portable outdoor chairs setup next to it where I can reach everything.

I am more likely to work on finding an easier way to get the shot out, other than having to shut down the system, empty the box of coolant, then pour the shot at the bottom into a container to be washed and dried.

Maybe some kind of small mesh basket under the dripper's.

And it may not be the best most perfect shot in the world.
But I'd not want to be on the downrange side of it.

[Ed_Shot]

Nice looking apparatus GhostHawk. I've made @1500# of #8 shot with my Better Shot Maker from Jim Stewart. I do batches of 130# ~ 150# at a time. As you can see the shot is very round and very uniform. Random samples measure .089 ~ .092 diameter. I use a mesh wire sieve (GRAINGER # 3GPH8) with openings of .097 to sort the shot before graphiting, so there is some 7 1/2 in the mix. I've never had more than 12 oz of shot that failed to go thru my sieve for a 130+ lb batch.

I would never assume to tell anyone what they CAN'T do but I will offer some things that worked for me for your consideration.

I have never used a wheel weight of any kind for making shot. You need clean alloy and VERY LITTLE or NO TIN in the mix. I have seen no difference in the appearance using 6% Antimony or 3% Antimony. I now use 3% antimony and 97% "mystery" soft lead and no added tin for alloy (does sound a lot like CO wheel weights). Mr. Stewart recommended at least 2% Antimony.

I use undiluted WALMART fabric softener for coolant. It works fantastic and it is easy to rinse off the shot with just water. Never had any problem applying graphite or with corrosion. The shot in the picture is over a year old. Some folks have good results using liquid detergent for coolant. I just wanted to avoid anything that was flamable.

The high temp Mr. Stewart sold to apply on the ramp under the drippers works perfectly. What ever lube you decide to use on your ramp is very critical to the roundness of your shot. Also, you don't show your apparatus with coolant in your tank but I found that I need the coolant within 1/16" from the edge of the ramp for best results. However, you don't want coolant splashing on your ramp.

You can line a colander with window screen wire to drain your shot and save the coolant.

Best of luck!

178956
#8 Shot from Better Shotmaker.

178957178958

178959

130+ pounds of shot drying in the sun.

[warpspeed]

I ordered one of these and it arrive this week. I hope to get it set up and run a batch soon.

It looks well made and does come with some pretty complete instructions and suggestions for success including troubleshooting.

[Reverend Al]

I tried to order one from him, but because I'm in Canada and he didn't show shipping outside the USA eBay wouldn't allow me to purchase it. I contacted him and he said he posted another one for me that allows International shipping. eBay's software won't allow me to find it with a search! Even if I log into eBay.com instead of eBay.ca a search doesn't find them and when I ask to see his current listings it says there are no listings found. Very frustrating since the listings must be there? (I can go to the page for the link you sent me, but it doesn't show up for me on an eBay search.) I asked him to send me the link to the listing he says he put up for me, but he hasn't responded. It's all very annoying ...

[smilie=b:


9 currently available
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262670950461?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[warpspeed]

Here is a link to the sellers account : http://www.ebay.com/usr/maxx69.123

I don't see any listing with international shipping :(

USPS Priority Flat Rate has an international option so it's no more work to ship to Canada. Good Luck!

[True.grit]

What did you use to lube the ramp?

[GhostHawk]

I actually used 2 things. First I put on a coat of Liquid Wrench dry lubricant. Works great on my molds so I thought it might work well here.

On top kinda as an afterthought I put a layer of Ben's Liquid Lube.

Not sure which is working but I have had virtually no problems.

[True.grit]

well based on your experience I order one of those off eBay. after a few attempts to make my own and getting snow flakes rather than anything that even resemble shot it is worth 80 bucks to try it out. Have you shot any of your shot yet?
Do you have a source for graphite ? How much should be used ? thanks for the info.

[rancher1913]

you can purchase graphite at any john deere dealer, farmers use it to lube planters.

[mac1911]

cool... im getting back into shot making after a few to many years.... I have a cool table top unit that claims 5lbs per hour! http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?93712-simple-shotmaker-set-up

my other set up is a james stewart model I picked up used and has been great. Shot some of my best trap scores with it.

[SSGOldfart]

would very much like to see those photos when you get the time.
Same here,I bought one awhile back and dropped it,when it hit the floor I had a big crack from end to end,I tried to wield it but never did get it into production

[GhostHawk]

well based on your experience I order one of those off eBay. after a few attempts to make my own and getting snow flakes rather than anything that even resemble shot it is worth 80 bucks to try it out. Have you shot any of your shot yet?
Do you have a source for graphite ? How much should be used ? thanks for the info.

Sir I have loaded mine but not shot it yet. Neg on the graphite, have not found a good local source, was debating if I needed it.
It does load well and meters fine through my old Lyman easy loader.

From what I have seen, the critical part is the coolant. Needs to be close to the lip. If it is too thin doesn't work well, same for too thick.

I think if you are going to make your own without a shot maker you need to drop it into hot water. It is that big shock from hot to cold that makes them blow up like popcorn.

[warpspeed]

Graphite is pretty easy to find - Google " Graphite for seeds " and you will find it quickly.

Most farm stores carry it or you can order it from Amazon. 1 pound will go a long way.

[True.grit]

Well I got mine in the mail today . I just followed the instructions and it started making shot right off. I use low toxic antifreeze for coolant . I made 40lb in 3 hours . The only problem that i had was the coolant got to hot and the shot started to flatten out. I only had one gallon of antifreeze and no recirculation pump. I plan to fix that problem for next time. One more run and I have paid for the investment . Thanks for all the advice/info.

[Smoke4320]

Well I got mine in the mail today . I just followed the instructions and it started making shot right off. I use low toxic antifreeze for coolant . I made 40lb in 3 hours . The only problem that i had was the coolant got to hot and the shot started to flatten out. I only had one gallon of antifreeze and no recirculation pump. I plan to fix that problem for next time. One more run and I have paid for the investment . Thanks for all the advice/info.

what were you using as a heat source ?

[dverna]

Well I got mine in the mail today . I just followed the instructions and it started making shot right off. I use low toxic antifreeze for coolant . I made 40lb in 3 hours . The only problem that i had was the coolant got to hot and the shot started to flatten out. I only had one gallon of antifreeze and no recirculation pump. I plan to fix that problem for next time. One more run and I have paid for the investment . Thanks for all the advice/info.

Value of lead if sold $1/lb
Cost of Magnum shot $1.60/lb
Without factoring cost of heat, coolant, screens....savings of $.60/lb

Time to produce 40 lb. - 3 hr... savings of $24.....$8/hr.
Cost of shot maker $80
Breakeven after 10 hr...133 lbs of shot

Cost of being self-sufficient.....priceless.

Don Verna

[True.grit]

what were you using as a heat source ?
Weed burner

[True.grit]

I made stand that allowed the weed burner to be under the ladle. the clearances are tite to get the coolant under the ramp and with in a 1/4" of the bottom .

I am going to make a radiator of sorts to cool the coolant tomorrow.
I did get grafite from the John Deer dealer. 1 pound was $7.50. It should last me a lifetime.

One other thing I noticed, if you have to much lead in the ladle it will run to fast and your coolant heats up rather quickly. Keep the level of lead in the ladle so you can see the top of the nuts on the drippers.
Like Gosthawk said it is an art. Lots of fun to make. Shot around here goes for 45 bucks a bag. So for me it's well worth he effort. I hope this helps someone else to be successful. Happy shooting.

[rancher1913]

you guys suckered me in, just got the ok from the wife to order one, probably going to need more lead now.

[Ed_Shot]

Well I got mine in the mail today . I just followed the instructions and it started making shot right off. I use low toxic antifreeze for coolant . I made 40lb in 3 hours . The only problem that i had was the coolant got to hot and the shot started to flatten out. I only had one gallon of antifreeze and no recirculation pump. I plan to fix that problem for next time. One more run and I have paid for the investment . Thanks for all the advice/info.

What brand etc. of antifreeze are your using?

[True.grit]

What brand etc. of antifreeze are your using?

I just used what I had on hand . Preston low toxic. the instructions recommend RV antifreeze. I got some to try today because it was cheap at Walmart and non toxic. I do not think that is very critical for good results.

[True.grit]

Don't get the Walmart brand RV antifreeze ,it's to light and does not work well. I am almost using the antifreeze strait out of the bottle. Get the concentrate not the mix.

[rhouser]

I should stay off this site. GhostHawk, nice write up. I just ordered one of these and will try to follow you. I have a bayou burner already for both cooking and smelting. It is short, square, and can take the weight of a 6qt dutch oven I use for smelting.

I looked and saw sets of 7 drippers on ebay as well with shot sizes down to #6. 7.5 will be good for most things. I will be thrilled if I can cast enough shot to recover the cost of the shot maker.

All, please keep posting your tips, tricks, and/or results.

thanks rch

[rhouser]

I'm back. My Ebay Dripper is "in the mail".

I have a burner in a low square frame that I use to heat my lead smelting pot (holds about 50 pounds at a melt) so it will be strong enough for this project.

True Grit, the weed burner sounds exciting, but, I am 66 and the last time I played with a weed burner I almost set my house on fire. :)

I may try to build a little more formal frame for the dripper. I will follow the GhostHawk approach.

Issues from the above thread seem to be coolant management, coolant height, shot ledge lubricant, and lead reloading. I am thinking that with very little additional hardware, I could place my 20 lb lyman pot to feed the shot dripper plate (or maintain it by adding melted pb directly to the plate) or use a ladle to transfer it.

I have no idea what I am doing, but, I am in for the ride. Now I am thinking about a coolant bucket and coolant management. I love the box that GhostHawk has made.

Anybody made any more progress?

rch

[rancher1913]

been watching youtubes and the Russians have it down to a science, wish I could understand what they are saying.

[rancher1913]

would krol oil work on the ramp. what else other that than the bens lube that ghosthawk uses do you guys use.

[JavelinaBlanco]

178959

130+ pounds of shot drying in the sun.

This picture freaks me out, the few times I have dropped shot from my bench it flies EVERYWHERE! I imagine you poured this out very carefully...

[Ed_Shot]

The shot is on a Harbor Freight moving blanket, $7 as I remember. Not my idea, read it in a post here years ago, and it works perfectly. Dump the shot in a pile and spread it by hand. Too easy picking the shot up, just pick up the edge of the blanket to form a pile and scoop it up. Never lost any shot doing this.

179783

There bricks around the edges of the blanket because the Texas breeze was @ 30 MPH that day as I recall.

[True.grit]

My shot maker's instructions said to sand the ramp to 600 grit and then use soap stone on the ramp. I did not have any 600 so I used 1500 grit and it worked very well. I made a stand out of light steel wire and used a 1 gallon paint thinner metal can with a hole cut along the top for the coolant and shot to drop into. Then it flows out of that into a tub that the gallon can sits in. For a pump I got a cheap pump from harbor freight. The one you hook to a drill. I made a coil of copper pipe and hooked it to the pump.I put the coil into a bucket of ice water .I ran the drill on a slow speed just to circulate the coolant. I would down load some pics but I can't get that to work. I've made about 120lb of shot. I will be shooting some next weekend. I will let you know if successful . good luck

[rancher1913]

mine showed up today and found the soapstone idea interesting as I have that on hand. they seam to really push the rv antifreeze, do you guys think the fabric softener works better or is that just what you started with.

[GhostHawk]

I suspect not dropped at all, poured into a pile carefully and raked into a thin layer.

I have to admit I am very much encouraged by the responces here.

The more I have done, and the more I have read the more I see that it is indeed art.
With the right tools, the right frame of mind, hold your mouth right and if the moon is in the right quarter you may indeed get shootable shot. Nothing saying it will work the same way next time. :)

[Ed_Shot]

mine showed up today and found the soapstone idea interesting as I have that on hand. they seam to really push the rv antifreeze, do you guys think the fabric softener works better or is that just what you started with.

From the comments here there is obviously more than one way to be successful. Whatever coolant you use it must be thick enough to provide adequate surface tension to keep the shot round. Sounds like undiluted antifreeze works, I had consistent results with undiluted W-Mart fabric softener (that is advertised as concentrated), I've seen videos of successful shot making with liquid laundry soap, and obviously there is a history of successful shot making with petroleum based coolants. I started with W-mart fabric softener because I saw it work in a U-tube video and I have never used anything else because it has time-and-again worked perfectly for me. If I'd started with something else and I got perfect shot I'd still be using that.

[True.grit]

Use the concentrate coolant not the mix. found that out 1st hand.

[floydboy]

This is a great thread.....I have a Stewart shotmaker I bought over a year ago from a member on this site. I have never used it. I've got a 55 gal drum of WW I'm saving to make shot with someday. Am going to retire in a year an a half. Was thinking on waiting til then to set this up and deal with the aggravation but you guys got me thinking it may not be as hard as I'd imagined. Keep up the good work.

Floyd

[Ed_Shot]

While I understand that Mr. Jim Stewart is no longer making "The Better Shotmaker" I'm going to post the manual he provided just because it's good information if your are interested and the same basic principles apply no matter what apparatus you are using.

179833

[Smoke4320]

Ed Shot Thanks very much for that .. all the info we can get is great

[rhouser]

Ed Shot: +1 on the thanks. Great info.

rch

[BNE]

Making my own shot is on my "someday" list. This thread is great.

Can anyone tell me the size of the hole in the dripper?

[rancher1913]

the hole is bloody small, had to look close wile I was cleaning it per instructions. the soapstone is not the best, had to keep applying it. small run and ended up with 25 pounds of usable shot, not bad for a first go. some was round but some were oblong--not teardrop but more like a football, would this be to thin a coolent, found rv antifreeze on sale and it was cheeper than the softner so went with that.

[True.grit]

I would say 2 things.

1st you could be running the lead at to high of temperature . I run temperature between 600 and 625 degrees .

2nd , I found the RV antifreeze is to light to work well. If it is a 50/50 mix it is to light for sure.

Try sanding the ramp to 1500 grit. I had a great result with soapstone.

The next run will work better for you.

I shot reclaimed shot and it is definitely not round and it still works.

I would shot what you made it might surprise you how well it works. I'm trying mine next weekend at a trap and skeet shoot. I'm sure it's not going to effect how I shoot.

[psychicrhino]

you guys are the devil....hmmm...to order a shot maker or to not order a shotmaker....

[rancher1913]

sanded the ramp again and applied a heavy coat of soapstone and fired up the shotmaker just to see if the changes helped and it ran so good I used a whole bucket of ingots, one little hicup about halfway through other than that it was flawless and now I have enough shot to last for several years. shotmaker paid for itself and then some already. changed the distance the shot drops before it hits the water and probably 75% is nice round shot and all of it is usable as far as I am concerned.

thanks goasthawk for finding this and letting us know about it. I am thrilled that I can make my own shot now.

[Ed_Shot]

sanded the ramp again and applied a heavy coat of soapstone and fired up the shotmaker just to see if the changes helped and it ran so good I used a whole bucket of ingots, one little hicup about halfway through other than that it was flawless and now I have enough shot to last for several years. shotmaker paid for itself and then some already. changed the distance the shot drops before it hits the water and probably 75% is nice round shot and all of it is usable as far as I am concerned.

thanks goasthawk for finding this and letting us know about it. I am thrilled that I can make my own shot now.

Congrats.....what is the distance between the bottom of your ramp and surface of the coolant that worked best for you?

[too many things]

the FIRST thing you all need to do is find COWW before they are gone. all of the shot I have ever made with a water base has a very small dimple and many other trash that has to be sorted the water base also heats up faster. and then the shot will turn dark.
I have tried about 20 types and by far the HDY oil is best. you can see the shot and tell if your heat is too high or low .
it stays uniform.
I don't run a cooler as I don't want to spend the time. I run about 50 to 60 lbs and then the oil is warm and I quit and then later clean and a week or so do again . haven't been shooting much so the 3 5gal buckets will last for years.
someone asked about drop from ramp to coolant . that is a try and fail. with HDY oil its 1/4in the longer the drop the more dimples and popcorn, HDY will catch fire if you get it too close. anything that touches will cool the ramp any water base will tend to splash and hit bottom of the ramp that will cool it . If you are going to use the water base junk watch the shot drop from the side . if it splashes on the bottom of ramp then the lead will stick

[GhostHawk]

Closer is better IMO on the ramp until you get so close you get splashing on the ramp. That is too close.

I have had pretty fair luck in the 1/4 to 1/2 inch area.

Rancher1913 thank you sir, you made my day.

It is a pleasure to find something that I was able to make work and pass it on to my brothers here.

[rancher1913]

the instructions said no more than a quarter inch so I had it set at about an 1/8 inch and that was causing splash on the ramp, set it for a tad over 1/4 inch on the second run and it was much better. my coolant tank holds 10 gallons and it circulates to the top tank so I can adjust the distance to the ramp by increasing or decreasing the pump speed. all together I got 80 bucks in the dripper pan and 25 in coolant, all the rest I had laying around.

[rhouser]

Mine just arrived and it is much smaller than I expected (I just didn't pay attention to the dimensions on ebay).

I have a bunch of questions, so please bear with me.

All: Where can I get soapstone? (I really don't even know what it is if it is not like talcum powder) I think that in woodshop in 1958 I finished a wood bowl that I turned on a lathe with oil and pumice. Is soapstone like pumice?

Rancher: What are you using as a heat source? Did you build a formal (permanent) type frame or just kind of set it up and go?

Too Many Things: What is HDY oil?

I may be overthinking this, but, I can make anything hard if I look at it enough. I would like to get close on my first try, so I will be annoying for a bit. Call it an Old Guy thing.

GhostHawk, thanks for finding this tool. It does appear to be well made.

thanks in advance for the help. rch

[Goose18557]

RH

This is the soapstone I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Hobart-770087-Soapstone-Refills-4-Refills/dp/B002ACOXT0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478182027&sr=8-2&keywords=soapstone
Should be available at just about any place you can buy tools.

[rancher1913]

soapstone is used for marking metal and can be bought anywhere welding supplies are sold. my heat source is a old turkey cooker burner that I modified so the shotmaker is secure. the hdy oil is a water based cutting oil if I'm thinking right. just look at goasthawks photos and you can see how it should work. you can watch some utubes to figure out the cooling system or just use a big tank and quit when it warms up.

[GhostHawk]

Depends on how much you are willing to invest and how long you want to sit and watch it.

Me I prefer to park the car out of the garage for a week and do a series of 1 to 1.5 hour sessions.
YMMMV.

Next thing I want to play with is some way of getting the shot out without having to transfer all the fluid then pour the shot into a container. Maybe as simple as a square basket of something like 1/2 hardware cloth lined with window screen.

I have to admit I think I have watched near every shotmaker vid on youtube before jumping into this project.

The unit itself is not big, but it is capable of running a lot of shot in a hour once you get everything setup and running.

A way to pre-melt lead and bring it close to temp would be something to consider.

[shootinfox2]

RV antifreeze works great as a coolant. Non toxic and it rinses clean. Not as messy as fabric softener.

[True.grit]

We use my homemade shot today. I missed just as many times as I do with store bought. Lol

[rancher1913]

just about got mine all graphited and bottled, should be good on shot for several years and now I can always make more anytime I need to.

thanks again ghoasthawk for doing your write-up.

[Hellgate]

IIRC weren't the old time shot towers pretty high in order to have the shot cool considerably and have a chance to "round up" before they fell into a large water bath. Why not set the melter up on a platform or deck and let the shot drip and fall 10 or more feet into water (kids plastic wading pool)? Small shot ought to be pretty hardened in cool outside air. Just thinking.

[Cowboy_Dan]

IIRC weren't the old time shot towers pretty high in order to have the shot cool considerably and have a chance to "round up" before they fell into a large water bath. Why not set the melter up on a platform or deck and let the shot drip and fall 10 or more feet into water (kids plastic wading pool)? Small shot ought to be pretty hardened in cool outside air. Just thinking.

As the molten lead falls it morphs through several shapes from the air resistance. To get round shot it has to either almost not fall any or fall a considerable distance.

[jdfoxinc]

1 shot towers were/are 200' +- tall to give shot time to harden.

2 I am thinking about a commercial fryer basket lined with Al screen to catch the cooled shot. Sure some shot would fall to the bottom while you empty the basket butwhen you are finished with your runs recover that shot.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Have the shot maker so you can lift/ tilt back to stop flow, while you switch out any drop cans / baskets etc test with weight before using inside the tank.

My shot maker has been mounted to hinges and we used a 2x2 block to hold it up ,

[dsh1106]

Alan

When you get time can you upload a video of one of your makers in action? I'd love to see how these things are suppose to work.

Thanks
Scott

[GhostHawk]

That is a very good idea. Would simplify several operations. Thank you sir.


Have the shot maker so you can lift/ tilt back to stop flow, while you switch out any drop cans / baskets etc test with weight before using inside the tank.

My shot maker has been mounted to hinges and we used a 2x2 block to hold it up ,

[Littleton Shot Maker]

I am simple and like to keep the "system" simple also, plus the wood block was scrap and door hinges came off old gate we took down . There is always a way . Some cheap and simple , some less cheap and way more complicated . Keep it simple and low tech. And be happy , you're doing something they told me could never be done at home!! Proving " them" wrong Hass been nice for the last 16 years since I took over from Me. Jerry Littleton !
Keep shooting - teach someone new about the sport! We need more shooter's out there!!

[19ellis93]

I've been fooling with a homebuilt shot maker for awhile now and I have the thing working but I make odd shaped shot. I've used numerous liquids for cooling it and multiple positions of the ramp (angle of it vs spout),I've also varied the height of the ramp over the coolant and each and every time I drip shot from it.....I get the same effects on the surface of the BBs.
So far I've used three different antifreeze,trans fluid,and two separate kinds of fabric softener. I've just started using G/V brand softener and so far I've had the best results with it. It has taken the dimples out of the shot but I still am not getting perfectly round shot.
I will try to load some pics to my Photobucket account to show my shot and would like some pointers or suggestions as to why I can't get these things more round.

[19ellis93]

My latest attempt with some of the worst picked out
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af239/ellis111/935BB38A-A9D3-44EE-A6E3-6426E52749D6.jpg (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/ellis111/media/935BB38A-A9D3-44EE-A6E3-6426E52749D6.jpg.html)
Also my humble attempt
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af239/ellis111/8476C111-B37E-43BC-914C-A7D201C7626B.jpg (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/ellis111/media/8476C111-B37E-43BC-914C-A7D201C7626B.jpg.html)

[dsh1106]

I've been fooling with a homebuilt shot maker for awhile now and I have the thing working but I make odd shaped shot. I've used numerous liquids for cooling it and multiple positions of the ramp (angle of it vs spout),I've also varied the height of the ramp over the coolant and each and every time I drip shot from it.....I get the same effects on the surface of the BBs.
So far I've used three different antifreeze,trans fluid,and two separate kinds of fabric softener. I've just started using G/V brand softener and so far I've had the best results with it. It has taken the dimples out of the shot but I still am not getting perfectly round shot.
I will try to load some pics to my Photobucket account to show my shot and would like some pointers or suggestions as to why I can't get these things more round.

Here's some thoughts....
Lead temperature, from my experience, needs to be in the range of 675 to 725 F.
Distance from the drip edge to the coolant level should be no more than 1/8 of an inch.
The drip ramp needs to be coated with chalk or soapstone, I use a dry moly film spray and it seems to work pretty well.
Coolant, this is probably the 2nd most critical thing that I found. Hydraulic oil will produce amazingly round shot, but the clean up is time consuming and messy. I have found using Wal-Mart brand fabric softener makes nice looking shot. It's not perfectly round but it's awful close. Use it straight no mixing.

HTH
Scott

[19ellis93]

Here's some thoughts....
Lead temperature, from my experience, needs to be in the range of 675 to 725 F.
Distance from the drip edge to the coolant level should be no more than 1/8 of an inch.
The drip ramp needs to be coated with chalk or soapstone, I use a dry moly film spray and it seems to work pretty well.
Coolant, this is probably the 2nd most critical thing that I found. Hydraulic oil will produce amazingly round shot, but the clean up is time consuming and messy. I have found using Wal-Mart brand fabric softener makes nice looking shot. It's not perfectly round but it's awful close. Use it straight no mixing.

HTH
Scott

The softener is straight concentrate right out of the bottle. Strangely the straight synthetic-antifreeze (peak brand) made round shot but the shot had (lack of a better word) a pucker on one side. It was odd looking so that's what made me go (plus this tread) with the softener.

The ledge was almost touching the coolant.....coolant splashing onto the ledge made me raise it to about 1/4".
The ledge is coated with sidewalk chalk......I know not soap stone,but it works the same. No difference between the two that I've seen....except I have more of it.

I may try hydraulic fluid if that makes it rounder. I'm not afraid of using it and having a flare up (my flame source is captured/partition blocking it from outside contact.
As for cleaning......I am not bother by that either. I just want round shot lol
Tractor Supply is having a sale on that stuff too lol

[dsh1106]

The softener is straight concentrate right out of the bottle. Strangely the straight synthetic-antifreeze (peak brand) made round shot but the shot had (lack of a better word) a pucker on one side. It was odd looking so that's what made me go (plus this tread) with the softener.

The ledge was almost touching the coolant.....coolant splashing onto the ledge made me raise it to about 1/4".
The ledge is coated with sidewalk chalk......I know not soap stone,but it works the same. No difference between the two that I've seen....except I have more of it.

I may try hydraulic fluid if that makes it rounder. I'm not afraid of using it and having a flare up (my flame source is captured/partition blocking it from outside contact.
As for cleaning......I am not bother by that either. I just want round shot lol
Tractor Supply is having a sale on that stuff too lol

I guess the only thing left to verify is the lead temperature. I had a really smart person look at everything I was doing and said It was going to be something simple. After several attempts and multiple videos it was narrowed down to lead temp or lead alloy. I knew my alloy worked early on, so I adjusted the melt temperature until it started dripping round shot. Anything under about 675 came out tear drop shaped over 750 I got flat spots and popcorn....

Look at your lead temperature.

check this thread - post #31 is a pic of what my shot looks like.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?331991-Shot-making-question/page2

[19ellis93]

I guess the only thing left to verify is the lead temperature. I had a really smart person look at everything I was doing and said It was going to be something simple. After several attempts and multiple videos it was narrowed down to lead temp or lead alloy. I knew my alloy worked early on, so I adjusted the melt temperature until it started dripping round shot. Anything under about 675 came out tear drop shaped over 750 I got flat spots and popcorn....

Look at your lead temperature.

check this thread - post #31 is a pic of what my shot looks like.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?331991-Shot-making-question/page2
I tried playing with the temp some....also let the level of the melt stay just covering the hole in the dripper. They started looking better
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af239/ellis111/2127E955-D2F8-483D-8130-7D3B3EF80A6C.jpg (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/ellis111/media/2127E955-D2F8-483D-8130-7D3B3EF80A6C.jpg.html)
Guess I'll keep playing with it till I find that sweet spot.

[dsh1106]

I tried playing with the temp some....also let the level of the melt stay just covering the hole in the dripper. They started looking better
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af239/ellis111/2127E955-D2F8-483D-8130-7D3B3EF80A6C.jpg (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/ellis111/media/2127E955-D2F8-483D-8130-7D3B3EF80A6C.jpg.html)
Guess I'll keep playing with it till I find that sweet spot.


What alloy are you using? Your shot looks pretty shiny, hopefully your alloy has some antimony if not that maybe your problem. The pics I posted are using a 94/3/3 alloy.

Scott

[19ellis93]

What alloy are you using? Your shot looks pretty shiny, hopefully your alloy has some antimony if not that maybe your problem. The pics I posted are using a 94/3/3 alloy.

Scott

Wheel weight ingots I cast earlier this year.

I have some Linotype and some pure lead I could mix.....do you have a recommendation of a mixture of it that would work better? I'm not really all that familiar with the recipe figures you mention. I'm still a complete novice in that regard

[dsh1106]

Wheel weight ingots I cast earlier this year.

I have some Linotype and some pure lead I could mix.....do you have a recommendation of a mixture of it that would work better? I'm not really all that familiar with the recipe figures you mention. I'm still a complete novice in that regard

WW alloy is your best bet, that is what I was told works best.

I'm guessing it is down to the heat control.


Scott

[Sitsinhedges]

Wheel weight ingots I cast earlier this year.

I have some Linotype and some pure lead I could mix.....do you have a recommendation of a mixture of it that would work better? I'm not really all that familiar with the recipe figures you mention. I'm still a complete novice in that regard

5 parts lead to 1 part linotype works just fine.

[True.grit]

For all you fellows wondering if home made shot is as good as factory shot, I shot my first 25 strait with my homemade shot last Saturday.

[Hellgate]

Good shootin' TG!

[GhostHawk]

Nicely done sir.

[skeettx]

AWESOME!!
Well done, well done
Mike

[True.grit]

Thanks fellas, I shot 95/100 with one perfect. It's definitely worth the effort to make for me. Although it puts a real dent in my lead supply.

[copdills]

when it comes to the drippers which one do you like better single or double , i guess the single would be easier to keep up with , does anyone on this forum make the drippers and sale them

[GhostHawk]

Part of the reason I bought what I bought was that it was the first shot maker for sale at reasonable price that included the drippers. Mine are doubles. My shot tank holds about 5 gallons of liquid. After I have been baby sitting that girl for an hour or 2 I am more than ready to get the shot out, rinse it twice, and pour it onto an old towel to dry. And then get me some chair time with an iced tea and a pup in my lap. :)

Capacity is not my concern. Being able to continue to reload shotgun shells even with the high cost of lead shot is. And beyond that really. It is one more of those hedges against if the SHTF things. The more skills/tools you have the more you can do the more flexible you are the better you can cope. This is just one more string for my bow IMO.

Couple of points, the very nice gentleman from Littleton shot makers mentioned hinging the shotmaker, so you can lift it up, shut it off, stick a block under it. Add lead, change a dripper, whatever. This seemed brilliantly thought out to me and I hope to work on this idea if I ever find my ambition again.

It also means instead of slowing down, making odd shaped odd sized shot while it peters to a quit you just stop. Stop the flow, lets you clean out, answer a phone call, whatever.

I am also thinking of ways to use an old lee dipper pot to premelt my lead.

[copdills]

thanks GhostHawk alot of ideas here really puts your mind to work

[RED333]

Well I have been bit by this making shot bug, wife hates yall. LOL Bought the pan and it came in fast, but it is in the same state. Waiting on drippers now. Will report as things get going. Thanks Much
https://www.ebay.com/sch/maxx69.123/m.html?item=252552300412&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
The drippers came in as well, now for the heat, I want to use an electric element of some kind.

[jdfoxinc]

I built a frame that held my magma 40lb pot above my Better shot maker, allowing me tohave a continuous stream of alloy into the shot maker's pot. I set the PID on 825 degrees and dropped muffins into the pot every time the level got below 1/2. The pot never got above 750 deg.