How do these look ?

[Wolfdog91]

So did my first legit casting session today.
Alloy was 100% clip on wheel weights
Pot temp ranged from 750 on the low side to 950 on the high side.
Mold was a Lee 225-55gr six cavity
Boolits where water dropped
Out side temp was around 50

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They all look pretty decent to me this being the worst ok one out the bunch. Definetly pitching this one
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But what do y'all think ? I'm powder coating and gas checking these as well

[Land Owner]

Those look quite good for a first time - even the 'boogered up' one is shootable (a mite wrinkled and off balance). 950* is too hot but probably gets that 6-cavity aluminum mold to a working heat pretty fast I imagine! Now load and shoot 'em up. Let us know your results. Then make some more!

[TjB101]

After coating you’ll find adding GC’s very cumbersome and I’ve found a small hammer helpful tapping the GC on before dropping into my sizer.

What are your plans for powder? I did a ladder test with Unique and will be trying H110 in the coming weeks.

7.6gr of Unique was best group for me but was still not great at 50 yards

[daloper]

Looking good. Nice first cast. Now you need to get a PID controller to help with keeping your pot at a steady temperature. And down the rabbit hole another one falls.

[farmerjim]

Looks good for a first casting of those little 22 boolits. I learned I have to preheat the mold on a hotplate before casting, and cast fast to keep the mold hot enough. It is probably one of the hardest boolits to cast. all the big ones are much easier.
Do you use Hwy 61 when you travel south? If you do you come within a mile of my house.

[Wayne Smith]

Looks as if you may have been cutting the sprues a little late, either my eyes deceive me or your bases are not all round. This is essential, the base of the boolit steers it. I'm guessing your sprue cutter is riding a little high and the bases are hard enough to encourage this. Let the sprue change color, do a slow count to three, and cut your sprue. See if this makes a difference or if it is my eyes.

[Czech_too]

Lookin' good for a first go-round.
At 950 I would have expected to see frosting though.

[LenH]

Look good for first try. You picked a tiny bullet to start with and I'm sure those are hard to cast. Size lube or coat and shoot them if you are just plinking.

The first time I tried to cast a .30 cal after years of casting big .45 cal bullets was a new learning curve.

[Wolfdog91]

Looks good for a first casting of those little 22 boolits. I learned I have to preheat the mold on a hotplate before casting, and cast fast to keep the mold hot enough. It is probably one of the hardest boolits to cast. all the big ones are much easier.
Do you use Hwy 61 when you travel south? If you do you come within a mile of my house.

I generally don't go south too much lol. Mainly take 48 to and from work and that's about it lol

[Wolfdog91]

Looking good. Nice first cast. Now you need to get a PID controller to help with keeping your pot at a steady temperature. And down the rabbit hole another one falls.


It's on the list lol. Was looking at one if the ones one if the members here make. Saw them for sale the other week and thought they looked good for the price

[Wolfdog91]

Look good for first try. You picked a tiny bullet to start with and I'm sure those are hard to cast. Size lube or coat and shoot them if you are just plinking.

The first time I tried to cast a .30 cal after years of casting big .45 cal bullets was a new learning curve.

Lol yeah part of why I picked it. I tend to like trying hard stuff first �� kinda like how I learned Stick before I learned MIG. Also I I actually have some small rifle primers to use �� hot 1000 pack of small rifle primers but only got 300 or so large rifle. And their mixed. Also I have a metric tone of range .223/5.56 brass

[Wolfdog91]

After coating you’ll find adding GC’s very cumbersome and I’ve found a small hammer helpful tapping the GC on before dropping into my sizer.

What are your plans for powder? I did a ladder test with Unique and will be trying H110 in the coming weeks.

7.6gr of Unique was best group for me but was still not great at 50 yards
Not 100% sure yet. Made sure to get a bunch of different powder to try. Their all powders I've read people having alot of success with with cast.
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Elvis ammo had a good full power load with 2015 so think I'll start there

[jdowney]

Lol yeah part of why I picked it. I tend to like trying hard stuff first �� kinda like how I learned Stick before I learned MIG.

Heheh... I learned stick first too - MIG is like hot gluing after you are used to stick!

[TjB101]

Not 100% sure yet. Made sure to get a bunch of different powder to try. Their all powders I've read people having alot of success with with cast.
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Elvis ammo had a good full power load with 2015 so think I'll start there

Let us know what you end up using and successes

[Conditor22]

Those look great for your first time out.

I believe your alloy temperature is really hot for clip-on wheel weights.

Careful with quenching before powdercoating, it too easy to contaminate you boolits with stuff in the water AND you don't gain much over quenching AFTER you powder coat.

I cast COWW at 720°. you cast boolit to hot and they will shrink on you when they cool.

https://i.imgur.com/uclR2g1.png

I've had some success using Varget with that boolit

[Wolfdog91]

Let us know what you end up using and successes

I'm actually doing a video series on this for my youtube . Just gotta edit the footage from this ho and up load it.

[Wolfdog91]

Heheh... I learned stick first too - MIG is like hot gluing after you are used to stick!

I know right lol ! Actually I learned flux core then stick then mig but after welding thick wall steel pipe for cattle gates with a $100 flux core welder using a stick that can actually penetrate and not spatter everywhere it was cake then when I I had a gas shielded mig gun that was pure gravy !

[Wolfdog91]

Those look great for your first time out.

I believe your alloy temperature is really hot for clip-on wheel weights.

Careful with quenching before powdercoating, it too easy to contaminate you boolits with stuff in the water AND you don't gain much over quenching AFTER you powder coat.

I cast COWW at 720°. you cast boolit to hot and they will shrink on you when they cool.

https://i.imgur.com/uclR2g1.png

I've had some success using Varget with that boolit

Makes sense but kinda confused about not gaining by quenching both. Seems if anything I'm gaining BHN. And since I'm running this in a AR I'm wanting higher BHN. So just a little confused about that

[44Blam]

After coating you’ll find adding GC’s very cumbersome and I’ve found a small hammer helpful tapping the GC on before dropping into my sizer.
Funny - some boolits like to have the GC on before coating some after.
But, I use an Irwin Quik bar clamp to pop the tough checks on - much easier on the fingers.

[GregLaROCHE]

Those boolits look fine for a first time cast, with the exception of the one you showed. I would definitely put that one back in the pot.

A PID would be great, but doesn’t need to be that high on your list. I’ve been casting for a few years now and a PID still hasn’t worked it’s way to the top of my wish list. In fact, I don’t even have a thermometer. I just look at how the boolits are casting. If they start to get frosted, I back off the heat a little.

I water quench all the time before powder coating. You just need to be sure the water is super clean and that the boolits are completely dry before PCing them. If in doubt, you can always heat them in your oven before, but don’t try to PC them if they are hotter than you can easily touch.

Good luck on your casting adventure. It’s great fun!

[GasGuzzler]

950 is too hot.

PID? It made casting much harder for me. I sold the set up I designed and built for more than the common ones for sale.

I learned without one and had trouble using it ... took it out and had better results. The wrinkly ones are from a cool mold.

I just PC'd my first bullets last night and my testers were Ranch Dog .310 165's that were water dropped and GC'd a couple years ago by me when I first got my Waffle Top.

[gwpercle]

Doing Good ! It appears you have the "Gift" for casting ... some don't and struggle ... for others the art is God Given .
Don't get carried away with special tools , PID's , bottom pour pots , thermometers ...etc can get in your way. I've been casting 50+ years and tried it all ... I've come full circle and back to pressure casting with a Lyman Ladle , open top pot and 2-4 cavity moulds . I don't even use a thermometer. Turn on the heat , Cast them untill just at the frosty stage ...I call it beginning frosty... dial the heat back , frosty boolits are good boolits but you don't want to over do the heat ...so cast just at frosty. I have no idea what temperature this is.

Hot plates are good for pre-heating the big 6 cavity moulds . Properly fluxed and cleaned alloy is to me the most important step... when you start and anytime during the casting session it needs fluxing .
Keep On Keepin On !
Gary

[Soundguy]

Lookin' good for a first go-round.
At 950 I would have expected to see frosting though.

When casting with straight lyman #2 I get frosting at that temp.. but if I cut with lead and tin ( for pistol that don't need #2 hardness ) I can get to 950 with shiney boolets.

[Wolfdog91]

Got my first powder coat done ! Used the shake and bake method with smokes traffic purple powder coat
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[canyon-ghost]

Good bullets! Seems you have the touch.

[Jal5]

For AR plinking I use a very similar NOE boolit over CFE 223. Not bad accuracy.


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[jdowney]

I know right lol ! Actually I learned flux core then stick then mig but after welding thick wall steel pipe for cattle gates with a $100 flux core welder using a stick that can actually penetrate and not spatter everywhere it was cake then when I I had a gas shielded mig gun that was pure gravy !

I always figured flux core only exists for it's convenience since it really is taking the worst features of MIG and stick and rolling them into an inexpensive and easy to use package.... At least you don't have to do a bunch of chipping though! no going back to it after you've done the others :D

I've never been a pro, so I don't do a lot of stick and I rarely wear leathers. The one time I did a bunch of flux core overhead welding I quickly went and found the leathers in the shop! And a ball cap to go under the hood!

[SSGOldfart]

Congrats your off and running now I wouldn't change a thing they look great.

[merlynski]

Looking good. Nice first cast. Now you need to get a PID controller to help with keeping your pot at a steady temperature. And down the rabbit hole another one falls.
What do you use for a PID?