First time!

[Allsicles]

Hi all,

First off thank you all for the wealth of knowledge found on this forum! While I was on deployment I read until I had a headache. I got back a few weeks ago and just today had time to pour my first boolits! I was hoping some experts could tell me how I did. These were the only 6 I kept out of about 24 I poured. The 2nd and 4th one have a purpleish tinge to them, is that what people mean by frosty?

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/2237/image00002zd6.th.jpg (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=image00002zd6.jpg)

Another question I have is when I was fluxing I kept stirring and KEPT getting balls of stuff on the top of the lead. I finally quit after about 4 ladles full. This is what it looked like after it cooled off. Is this lead that's just cooling on the top or what?

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8733/image00006em7.th.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/my.php?image=image00006em7.jpg)

Thanks again for all of your help.

[docone31]

You definately need to crank up the heat!
The blueish tinge is pure lead, that is the colour it turns under heat.
The slag is unmixed whatever. Could be oxides with lead sticking to it.
Crank up the heat, and enjoy the ride.
Not too shabby for a first timer, and welcome back home!!!!!!!
Glad you made it.

[IcerUSA]

Are you ladle pouring ? Boolits look OK but the bases from what I can tell look a little rounded . The boolits don't look frosted to me , look more like pure lead . Might have to turn the temp control up a little and warm the mould a little more for the base to fill out , if it is pure lead might need to add a little tin to help fill out .

The stuff on the top might be lead oxide but not sure , what was the raw material you got the lead from for your casting ?

Others will chime in here shortly with more info .

Otherwise keep up the good work , for a first time they look good .

Keith

[Jon K]

Keep on fluxing and skim til you get clean metal.
What alloy are you mixing? What temp? Crank the heat up a littlte.
You're gettin the hang of it, hang in there, and welcome aboard.

Jon

[mooman76]

Ditto what the others said. look pretty good for a first try. Frost will look allot like frost actually. They will have a dull light silver haze to them. The bases are a little rounded but turning up the heat will take care of several of your problems.

[Allsicles]

Sounds like I need to turn up the heat :D I will try that for sure. I'm not quite sure what alloy it is, I got a 25lb brick of lead for free, not sure what the mix is. I'm using a Lee 4-20 pot but I think I only had it on 7, is Hi the way to go? I'll melt it all down and give it another shot tomorrow.
Thanks for the help, I'll keep you updated.

[docone31]

I had my 20 set on 7, and I got garbage!
I set it to 8.5, and smooth, good casting, good fillout, little lead slag, just oxides, it made all the difference in the world.
Have at it.

[AZ-Stew]

Welcome back, thank you for your service and welcome to the board!

I didn't see much coloration in your photo. The blue layer of oxidized metal usually shows up on the surface of a pot full of pure lead when it's hot enough to cast. I've seldom seen it on the surface of a boolit. If you're working from a bottom-pour pot, you can't possibly get surface oxidation from the top of the melt to pass out the pouring spout while you cast.

If this is the Lee TL452-230-2R, your boolit bases aren't getting filled properly. The corners of the boolit base should be sharp and square. More heat probably won't help much, but pouring to leave a generous puddle of alloy on the sprue plate will. Be sure to allow it to fully cool (you can watch it change appearance intil it becomes dull gray and forms a sunken spot over the opening where the alloy enters the mould), before cutting the sprue. The reason to have a puddle of alloy on the sprue plate is so that the boolit can draw from this pool of metal as it cools and shrinks in the mould. This should help your fillout. You also might want to cast at a little faster rate. This will keep heat in the mould, which will also help fillout.

Lee pots tend to be inconsistent in their temperature, due to the low-cost thermostat used. I've seen them run over 100 degrees F from high to low as the thermostat cycled. Set yours to produce consistent castings and adjust your casting speed to prevent overheating of the mould. If your boolits start getting REALLY forsty, instead of just a dull gray color, you're too hot and will have to wait too long between casts. The result will be a slow production rate and the chance of smearing lead as you cut the sprue.

Otherwise, you're off to a good start.

Welcome back and please let us know how you're progressing as you learn to cast.

Regards,

Stew

[HeavyMetal]

First: let me say thank you for your sevice to our country!

Second don't be to disappointed in them boolets!

I was at it a whole week end the first time I fired up a pot and didn't have a keeper until late Sunday evening!

Wish I'd had access to this type of board then!

[Rick N Bama]

Welcome home brother & many thanks for keeping us safe here on the home front!

Did your brick of lead have a tag on it? I have five 25# "bricks" & they are pure. Every reply you've gotten has been filled with some good advise. Just keep trying & you'l get it right, soon just about every boolit you drop will be a keeper.

Rick

[cajun shooter]

From one who came home to jeers and protests. "WELCOME HOME" Thank you for stepping up and making that choice to serve. "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE" All the above replys are correct. This forum is loaded with the knowledge that would fill a 3000 page book.

[IcerUSA]

and that would be Cajun's quick referance manual . LOL

Keith