Recycled bullet
10-27-2022, 09:37 PM
It all starts with staging my tools around the heat source in a semi circle organization.
About two feet in front me is the turkey fryer with one quart stainless sauce pan heating up to cast. It is fed from a 5 gallon tank with the red regulator.
I adjust the flames to barely tickle the bottom of the sauce pan. On my left side beside my feet there is a cardboard box raised up on two bricks. The bricks keep the box dry, the ground is damp.
There is a super clean folded white cotton rag inside the open box for the bullet to cushion their fall from the brass hollow-point mold.
I open the mold enough to push the pins all the way through the mold block from the left side and plunge it all into the fiery heat of the open turkey cooker and slow count to thirty seconds.
There is a white cotton rag draped over the 2 qt saucepan sprue catch bucket to my right side. It has synth 2 cycle oil dabbed into it and I wipe the mold with it. It does not steam at all so I put the mold back into the fire for a slow 15 count then try it again.
This time it barely smokes but the blued sprue starts to clean up and develop a polished wet look.
I put the rcbs ladle into the molten pot slowly paying attention for any vibration or popping felt through the handle. Don't put any wet tools in the pot!!!
Five more seconds in the fire has the mold up to temperature and I know this. Wipe all surfaces of the mold with the oily rag and behold!
A clean mold! And a decent lubricant too for the different moving pieces.
The rag lightly smokes but does not smolder, taking with it any and all tinning, lead flecks, burnt residue etccc. Can clean the cavities doing the same with a cotton swab and 2 cycle oil.
Taking the mold handles into my leather gloved left hand, I click the mold halfs then sprue together all closed. With my leather gloved right I hold the rcbs ladle and it holds my estimate about four ounces. I quickly pour the molten alloyed lead, filling all four cavities in a second.
Put the ladle down in the 2 qt pan by my right shoe so it's safe, the sprues cuttings inside are making a small pile.
Watch the sprue harden then slap the sprue plate tab open with my gloved right thumb. The sprue falls into the metal sprue bucket. Watch the bullet bases, if they are really wet looking they are still freezing so wait one or two seconds then open the molds.
Turn the mold upside down above the bullet box and open the mold halfs.
With the knuckle of my folded first finger on my right hand I tap and push the e-clip retained hollow point pins of the upside down mold and the bullets fall off, into the box for a soft landing.
Close the molds, close the sprue and get ready to repeat the pour again.
:castmine::Fire:
About two feet in front me is the turkey fryer with one quart stainless sauce pan heating up to cast. It is fed from a 5 gallon tank with the red regulator.
I adjust the flames to barely tickle the bottom of the sauce pan. On my left side beside my feet there is a cardboard box raised up on two bricks. The bricks keep the box dry, the ground is damp.
There is a super clean folded white cotton rag inside the open box for the bullet to cushion their fall from the brass hollow-point mold.
I open the mold enough to push the pins all the way through the mold block from the left side and plunge it all into the fiery heat of the open turkey cooker and slow count to thirty seconds.
There is a white cotton rag draped over the 2 qt saucepan sprue catch bucket to my right side. It has synth 2 cycle oil dabbed into it and I wipe the mold with it. It does not steam at all so I put the mold back into the fire for a slow 15 count then try it again.
This time it barely smokes but the blued sprue starts to clean up and develop a polished wet look.
I put the rcbs ladle into the molten pot slowly paying attention for any vibration or popping felt through the handle. Don't put any wet tools in the pot!!!
Five more seconds in the fire has the mold up to temperature and I know this. Wipe all surfaces of the mold with the oily rag and behold!
A clean mold! And a decent lubricant too for the different moving pieces.
The rag lightly smokes but does not smolder, taking with it any and all tinning, lead flecks, burnt residue etccc. Can clean the cavities doing the same with a cotton swab and 2 cycle oil.
Taking the mold handles into my leather gloved left hand, I click the mold halfs then sprue together all closed. With my leather gloved right I hold the rcbs ladle and it holds my estimate about four ounces. I quickly pour the molten alloyed lead, filling all four cavities in a second.
Put the ladle down in the 2 qt pan by my right shoe so it's safe, the sprues cuttings inside are making a small pile.
Watch the sprue harden then slap the sprue plate tab open with my gloved right thumb. The sprue falls into the metal sprue bucket. Watch the bullet bases, if they are really wet looking they are still freezing so wait one or two seconds then open the molds.
Turn the mold upside down above the bullet box and open the mold halfs.
With the knuckle of my folded first finger on my right hand I tap and push the e-clip retained hollow point pins of the upside down mold and the bullets fall off, into the box for a soft landing.
Close the molds, close the sprue and get ready to repeat the pour again.
:castmine::Fire: