melted my first batch of lead

[colbyjack]

well melted my first batch of lead. mostly range bullets from my buddies indoor range. i liked the pop corn effect, and the flash of fire when you throw in wax. i started with the ladle thing, then i found some spoon with holes in it in the yard sale bag, it worked to get the jackets off them. heres a few pics of my hillbilly melter.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08059.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08058.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08060.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08055.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08056.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08053.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08057.jpg


and i ended up with this

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/june08050.jpg

it was fun, and now i can make some boolits.... and yes thats a brake drum gives the pot a lil stability. -chris

[Onlymenotu]

he he good job.. I'm glad to see you get'n some of your 78 bucks back out of those old plates * rip off Yucken stickers*...... 78 bucks for a piece of plastic ... I'd use mine for that too * but oh wait it's been YEARS scence i've had a NEW plate for my Truck,,,,

[RP]

Man I did not know we had to tag or smelters what is the fine for running a smelter without tags do they impound it? But for someone just to get started you sure got some nice molds Iam still using cupcake pans

[imashooter2]

You're a honcho and this is your first melt? Dang son, you're working this thing a little ass end to!:kidding:

Anyway, congrats on the first smelt. Looks like it worked out just fine.

[Shotgun Luckey]

Don't forget to save them copper jackets. the scrapyard will buy those...or trade for lead.

good Job

[454PB]

I've always wondered what a hillbilly looked like before melting....

[colbyjack]

yeah im still fairly new to the game, i bet i dont have 3k boolits casted under my belt. the older dirty lead in the pics is the stuff grandpa gave me before he passed away. he gave me one ingot mould, my buudy jim gave me the 3 other ingot moulds. they were rusty from the fire in his gun shop, all the water messed them up. i took them to work and shot blasted them. they look new with a few pits. i also got 2 10 pound pots, one is cracked and the 20 pound pot thats on the fryer from grandpa also. pappj site member gave me the fryer, so for a minimal investment im on my way to a life long hobby.

on the copper jackets they are pretty much clean. but do they doc you any weight at the scrap yard for being dirty or having a lil splatter in there?

yeah here in obamma country we will have to license our lead melters before too long. so idesided to beat everyone to it...... lol :P -chris

[imashooter2]

Scrap yards around here aren't interested in the old jackets at all, but asking is free...

[compass will]

he he good job.. I'm glad to see you get'n some of your 78 bucks back out of those old plates * rip off Yucken stickers*...... 78 bucks for a piece of plastic ... I'd use mine for that too * but oh wait it's been YEARS scence i've had a NEW plate for my Truck,,,,

$78 bucks ain't bad. Here in PA my 3500 Ram would have been $360 per year but I tagged it at under 10,000 lbs so I only pay $196.

good job on the casting. It's fun ain't it.

[KirkD]

I enjoyed the photo sequence of your casting. I just cast my first bullet this past weekend, so it is especially interesting for me to see how other people do it. There's no one in my area who I can watch do it.

[Lead melter]

$78 bucks ain't bad. Here in PA my 3500 Ram would have been $360 per year but I tagged it at under 10,000 lbs so I only pay $196.

good job on the casting. It's fun ain't it.

Here in the Ole' South we usually pay $28 for a new plastic sticker for a car or small pickup. To try to get my money's worth, I always get a new tag each year for all cars and utility trailer. It ain't going to break the bank, but it makes me feel better than paying nearly $30 for plastic.

Give it a try, might work for you too.

[compass will]

Lead melter, I just spend the night in Statesville last Tuesday. Passing through on the way to Macon GA. coming home we stayed up in Fancy Gap VA.

[colbyjack]

took the jackets to the bone yard. one said it was to dirty, to much crap in it he would give me .32 a pound for it. i said nope. when down the road. they said its considered brass still they are not pure copper jackets but copper plated brass jackets. any way my 19 pounds got me $20.85. thats not to shabby in my book. -chris

[colbyjack]

talked to my buddy at the range and they sold 6600 pounds of range lead. maybe next time ill get a truck full -chris