Help spend a new guys money!

[Bashby]

Just getting into casting, been reading a lot here and its time to get some equipment. I have collected about 200 lbs of range scrap and made it into ingots using a hot plate, cast iron skillet, and an acetylene torch. That took a long time. Im afraid I didnt get it clean enough and am planning on melting it back down to flux it again. Walmart shows a turkey fryer for $59 and a fish fryer with higher btus for $31.29, so I may pick up one of those.
Ebay has Lee pro 4-20s for >$80 shipped.
Didnt see molds I was looking for on ebay so I may get from Brownells and use the $10 off that pops up every time I open their website.
I need mold handles, around $15
I guess I should get a ladle also?? Ive read that the Lyman is the one to get.

What have I forgotten? What of my choices is a bad idea?

[country gent]

The rcbs ladle is very good also. I have both the RCBS and Lyman, the RCBS holds a little more material. Don't scrimp on the PPE safety glasses, heavy gloves, leather shoes and heavier clothing. A billed hat is a big plus if you get a splatter.
As to other equipment A thermometer is nice and a handy piece of equipment. Towels to drop bullets on to, A small mallet or piece of wood to cut sprues, I use a small 8 ounce dead blow rubber mallet. Paint stir stick and spoon to remove dross. Wax and or sawdust to flux.
What moulds are you looking for? Titan on here, midways graffs all carry them

[Bashby]

Looking for 358-105 and possibly 358-158 for now.

[Winger Ed.]

Im afraid I didnt get it clean enough and am planning on melting it back down to flux it again.

Don't make extra work for yourself.
Plenty of other people are more than glad to do that for ya.

You'll want to flux periodically as you go along casting, just do it then instead of making it another separate step.

[super6]

Get the turkey fryer if it is a propane setup,The rcbs ladle is a good one drill the pour spout out a bit and you be pouring lead better than a pot can. Molds are a different story.. The best mold I have is also rcbs. Use dry pine needles for flux. Range lead can be anything from soft to alloy. have it tested. And yes on the heavy gloves and eye ware. Look the swapping and selling over for alloys.Tell us what you intend to do!

you can also fry a turkey.LOL

[Walks]

Please get Slip-on Leather boots. If you have a big enough spill that molten lead will migrate right through the laces to burn your foot. The scar on my right foot reminds me every time I put on socks.
I prefer the Lyman Dipper. If you're Dipper casting it will allow you do go deeper into a small or shallow pot.
I have an RCBS too, but the ribs on the bottom that allow it to stand up square on a flat surface makes it difficult to get into small pots.
But if you're casting 500+gr bullets it holds enough for a good strong pour.

I wear 100% shirt, pants & socks when casting. Synthetic fibers catch fire and burn until completely consumed. Saw a Man crawl out of a burning car. The polyester shirt he was wearing burned completely off his back.
I also wear a full face shield when making/blending alloys into ingots. Use a 12qt cast iron dutch oven and a 4lb ladle. Over a turkey fryer.
A pair of Welding gloves too.

For casting I wear safety glasses and a ball cap. I ditch the right hand welding glove for one of the spiffy ones that Buffalo Arms sells. You can pick a penny off the concrete and hold a freshly poured 4cav iron mold in your hand for 10seconds before you can really start to feel the heat.

[Bashby]

Thanks for all the advice. My intentions for right now are to try to get some SWCs to work in my Glock 17 sized Polymer80. Once I get to casting who knows what i will get into. The reason for the SWC is that Ive been doing a 2x4 shoot at my local club where two of us stand at 15 yards and shoot a 2x4 in half for the fastest time. Everyone else is using larger calibers cuz big holes are better, but it seems that even with a .45 when using a RN bullet damage is way less than a SWC. The smart thing to do would be to get a .45, but what fun is that? If I can get S wCs to run reliably and they perform like I hope they will, quicker follow up shots should be possible. Im considering downloading and possibly running a lighter return spring.

ETA: planning on powder coating also.

[Winger Ed.]

The smart thing to do would be to get a .45, but what fun is that? If I can get S wCs to run reliably and they perform like I hope they will, quicker follow up shots should be possible. Im considering downloading and possibly running a lighter return spring.

In coming years, you'll find that you can still see the paper punched holes from a .45 without your glasses.

For almost all of my target shooting, I use a 1911, .45 with cast, a minimal powder charge, and a reduced pressure spring.
It's pleasant to shoot, very accurate, and I save a few bucks on powder.

And after shooting paper for awhile, I learned- it's easy to kill.
Ya don't have to hit as hard as other things to prove your point.

And another big factor is- a firearm is a machine. Like any machine, it wears out.
The less stress you put on it, the longer it will last.
Like your car- it'll go 120 mph, but it will last longer if you usually keep it under 70-80.

[super6]

The Thomson Sub Will cut that 2x4 .:drinks:

[country gent]

Titan has very good prices on lee moulds and most are in stock.
A very simple set up that's great for casting is the fish fryer burner and stand. It actually has an advantage over the electric pots. You can have a smaller steel pot for casting and a larger one for cleaning blending alloys. the pots can be shallower and bigger dia making ladling easier from them. I would recommend this set up with a smaller 2 guart steel pan for casting and a 5-6 quart steel pan for blending. One plus added to this is a Sheetmetal ring to help hold heat in around the pots, not as important on the smaller pots but when using the bigger pot it really speeds up the melt time.
Buffalo arms has a nice selection of steel pots in a range of sizes.

My casting pot is a cut off 25lb propane tank that holds 130lbs of lead. It sits on a turkey fryer stand with a modified harbor freight weed burner under it. I can have 130 lbs of lead to casting temp in 20 mins or a little less. I have a heavy ring built around it that holds heat in. I have a mount made up for lyman thermometer to monitor temp as Im casting.

Both my Lyman and RCBS ladles have the spout holes opened to .205 / .210 this gives a better flow into the mould.

My set up is big enough for 3 people to cast around it. and we do a lot. I have mobility issues and having someone there is a good idea.

[smithnframe]

Glocks.......with polyagonal rifling don't do well with cast bullets! Just sayin.

[Rockwell]

Hmmmm, guess my Glocks are busted.

[RogerDat]

If the Walmart Fish Fryer is the one that is square with sort of angle iron legs get it. I have one and have been very satisfied.

Lee 4-20 can be had for Less from Titan Reloading a site sponsor.
https://www.titanreloading.com/lee-precision-reloading-equipment/lee-melters/lee-pro-4-20-lb-melter-110-volt

Lyman little dipper is a good ladle.

You can save a few bucks on the thermometer with this one https://www.amazon.com/Tel-Tru-LT225R-Replacement-Thermometer-degrees/dp/B0055777EU?ref_=ast_bbp_dp

Harbor Freight Dutch Oven is a good smelting pot for not much money if you get one of the online 20% off coupons. Around $25 as I recall

You might want to eventually look into a Rowell Bottom Pour Ladle for making ingots. They pour from the bottom so self skim dross as you pour. Cheaper here than on Amazon https://www.advancecarmover.com/rowellbottom-pouringladles.aspx This is the company that makes them so buying from the source.

Lee 2 cavity molds are $20 at Titan Reloading and come with handles. The 6 cavity Lee require handles be purchased. Lee 2 cavity molds are not a premium mold by any stretch but they are entirely serviceable. However I see that that the OP has specific molds in mind. Lee 6 cavity handles fit many other makes of molds. One may want to pull the handles off and put some JB Weld in them then stick them back on. They have a habit of coming loose, JB Weld glues the handles on and doesn't fail due to the heat.

[RickinTN]

All good advice! I'll add just a bit as I didn't see it mentioned. Most turkey or fish fryers I have seen come with aluminum pots. Melting lead in an aluminum pot is a BIG NONO. The pot can melt! I do most of my casting in quality stainless steel pots on top of a Coleman stove and have no issues. I have purchased many stainless steel pots for myself and friends at thrift stores for cheap. As a guide, a 1 quart pot holds approximately 25 pounds of lead.
Good Luck,
Rick

[Bashby]

Hmmmm, guess my Glocks are busted.

I assume this is saying what Ive been reading elsewhere, it is OK to shoot lead boolits through a Glock barrel.

Just makin' sure.

[RogerDat]

I assume this is saying what Ive been reading elsewhere, it is OK to shoot lead boolits through a Glock barrel.

Just makin' sure.

I think there is a lot of information and data to be considered in reaching a conclusion on this subject. I don't own any bottom feeding Tupperware but I have read on it and it does seem that some situations it works and some it doesn't. A big YMMV issue.

[kevin c]

Hmmmm, guess my Glocks are busted.
Mine too...

ETA: by which I mean my personal factory Glock barrels have never seen standard lubed cast boolits, but plenty of commercial and home cast coated with HiTek. I haven't had any leading except at the beginning of my learning curve, and even that was minimal.

So I guess I fall into RogerDat's category where it works, and again, YMMV.

ETA a second time to say Welcome! Don't hesitate to ask questions; there's plenty of experience and willingness to share here.

[lign]

I'm a newbie to the site also! I just went through the propane burner process and I got a 5 quart cast iron dutch oven at Walmart for $15. Look in the camping section in sporting goods, not the kitchen section. Then I added a 2 quart dutch oven from Amazon for $19 since the 5 quart is hard to get all the lead out of since it is large and flat bottomed. I got a fish fryer with propane burner for $40 from Home Depot but the turkey fryers are about to be on sale everywhere for almost nothing as we approach Thanksgiving! I have had a 10 lb Lee Production Pot IV for a couple years and you are right to be looking at the 20 lb. The 10 pound I have is too small and the rod is in the way and makes it too hard to flux and stir. I really like bottom pour for high capacity output for plinking boolits in 9mm, .380, and even .223. I would not want to make those with the much slower ladle method.

Like you, my first smelting attempts have given me some ingots that I plan to re-melt and clean again. I would not bother with that if I was doing the ladle method, but I've been learning here that bottom-pour pots need really clean lead to reduce the dripping I get from my Lee pot.

I see some mentions of Glocks with cast bullets. Guess I am going to find out. I plan to cast and powder coat a ton of 10mm boolits for my 29 since I picked up a lot of 10mm brass for a song recently...

[Winger Ed.]

, but I've been learning here that bottom-pour pots need really clean lead to reduce the dripping I get from my Lee pot..

I use a big, long, flat screw driver.
You can scrap the sides & bottom pretty well as you stir. I goes a long way to help clean and flux better & faster.

[tankgunner59]

I have a cast iron pot, about 2 quart, that I bought at what is advertised as the biggest flea market in the midwest. I use it with a turkey fryer I bought at wally world to smelt my lead into ingots and alloy the ingots. I also have a large cast iron ladle for smelting. My wife bought me a 30 pound propane tank at a yardsale for 20 bucks and I had a new valve put on it. I use tin/antimony solder for alloy's. For casting I don't have a ladle since I use a bottom pour Lee 10 pound furnace. While casting I frequently scrape the sides and bottom then flux to keep it clean. So far mine hasn't started dripping.

[kevin c]

I use a big, long, flat screw driver.
You can scrap the sides & bottom pretty well as you stir. I goes a long way to help clean and flux better & faster.For my half propane tank processing pot with cylindrical sides and a curved bottom, I use a cake icing spatula. The springy, flexible blade makes scraping the sides and bottom easy. Mine is a straight blade, but the offset types I'd bet would be even better. The rounded tip actually helps with the curved bottom. The tip could be cut or ground flat for the bottom and inside bottom angles of a casting pot.

Available here, at BB&B, or at your local Good Will store.

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Stainless-Spatulas-Decorating-Supplies/dp/B07CVQHBSS

[44magLeo]

With the Lee Pro 4-20 Like I have the Lyman dipper is a snug fit in the pot.
For fluxing I took an old teaspoon. Drilled a few 1/8 inch holes in the bottom. Bent the spoon 90* to the handle. Bent the last 3/4 inch or so of the handle 90* opposite the spoon end. Kinda like a z.
I then took an old broom handle , cut about 4 inches off the end. Cut a slot into one end to fit the spoon handle into. A small hose clamp around the broom handle holds spoon tight.
This fits in the pot well for fluxing and skimming.
If you can find one, an old butter knife works for scrapping the sides and bottom of pot before fluxing. The butter knife I mean has a long straight blade about 3/4 "wide about 4" long and round on the edge.
Kinda like a cake frosting spatula but stiffer.
I have had a turkey/fish fryer a long time. Picked up an old propane tank to cut off and use as a large pot on said fryer.
I haven't used it yet. Need to get a big dipper.
I have used my Lee pot for cleaning scrap lead before. This works but make small batches and make the pot dirty.
This big pot I won't have to dirty up my little pot so much.
Leo

[Conditor22]

I have smelted literally tons of lead on a turkey fryer in a variety of pots and containers. Most will work. IF you use aluminum the bottom can fail if you get it too hot.
I now use a Cut propane tank I traded for from a friend. for Fluxing I got a large wire whisk from a restaurant supply store.
https://i.imgur.com/1pwONkm.jpg

Always make sure the lead is clean/well-fluxed before trying to cast with it. Unless I' mm 100% sure where the lead came from and what's in it I will smelt it before I use it.

You will find people adamant about what casting method is better. I started out dipper casting then moved to a lee 4-20 bottom pour. I have found no need to buy a more expensive pot.
Many of the molds I use are still Lee, I do have a fair collection of RCBS, Ideal, Lyman, Saeco and some NOE. For handguns, it's hard to beat a Lee six cavity mold.

I feel a PID temperature controller for your casting pot is essential to enjoyable and accurate boolit casting. If you have any mechanical inclination they are not hard to make. Search PID on this forum and watch some videos on you-tube. IF you want it now, Hatch a vendor on CB builds and sells PID's.