wittzo
12-09-2008, 05:16 AM
I got 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket of various wheel weights from a local tire store. I dug through and got out all the ribbon weights because I read they were made of softer lead, which is what I want to use for my cap and ball revolver.
I smelted the weights and dipped out the zinc and iron weights with the dross so I could sell it for scrap and poured the lead into 2 oz stainless steel condiment cups which I had smoked. I've got about 28 lbs of ribbon weight lead in 1 to 1.5 pound ingots. I use an old lead dipper ladle as a melting pot so I can pour straight into the mold without a lot of fuss.
I'm using a Lee double cavity .457 round ball mold.
My first batch was a joke, most of the balls had concentric lines from not having the mold hot enough, but I shot them anyway.
The second batch I did last night turned out much better. I use a Coleman stove with a propane tank. While my ingots were melting, I leaned my mold against my lead dipper and it made the mold plenty warm enough, I only cast a few ringers.
I smelted the clip on weights and cast them into ingots for my .62 double barrel pistol which should be coming in tomorrow.. I ordered a .60 Lee mold and some hand cast .60 balls so I would have something to load up. They had a used Lee Ruger .456 conical mold on sale, so I bought it, too. They came in today.
Tonight I tried out the two new molds. The .60 came out perfect, as well as the conicals. I've figured out the right way to pour them, at then end of each casting session, I had a small piece of sprue left over, not enough to make a solid .44 ball.
Because I used a harder lead for the .60, my balls are 5 grains lighter than the ones I bought, but they have mold lines and sprue cuts identical to mine, mine look better.. I only had a few conicals that had ripples in them from a cold mold, but they look really good, too.
I smelted the weights and dipped out the zinc and iron weights with the dross so I could sell it for scrap and poured the lead into 2 oz stainless steel condiment cups which I had smoked. I've got about 28 lbs of ribbon weight lead in 1 to 1.5 pound ingots. I use an old lead dipper ladle as a melting pot so I can pour straight into the mold without a lot of fuss.
I'm using a Lee double cavity .457 round ball mold.
My first batch was a joke, most of the balls had concentric lines from not having the mold hot enough, but I shot them anyway.
The second batch I did last night turned out much better. I use a Coleman stove with a propane tank. While my ingots were melting, I leaned my mold against my lead dipper and it made the mold plenty warm enough, I only cast a few ringers.
I smelted the clip on weights and cast them into ingots for my .62 double barrel pistol which should be coming in tomorrow.. I ordered a .60 Lee mold and some hand cast .60 balls so I would have something to load up. They had a used Lee Ruger .456 conical mold on sale, so I bought it, too. They came in today.
Tonight I tried out the two new molds. The .60 came out perfect, as well as the conicals. I've figured out the right way to pour them, at then end of each casting session, I had a small piece of sprue left over, not enough to make a solid .44 ball.
Because I used a harder lead for the .60, my balls are 5 grains lighter than the ones I bought, but they have mold lines and sprue cuts identical to mine, mine look better.. I only had a few conicals that had ripples in them from a cold mold, but they look really good, too.