Oh my, melting lead is fun!

[Mike Langlois]

Greetings One and All,
As I am stuck behind the curtain in the The Peoples Socialist Republic of California, where everything is restricted. THEY stopped the importation of an Allen Wrench last week, so I am learning to Cast Boolits (It is the Absolute Truth, the 7/64 hex wrench was not CA Approved/Certified). I just set up a Lee 20 lb electric furnace and melted the spare SCUBA weights down into bars (ingots?) for my initiation. That was fun and I cast about 40 lbs! I ordered a 4 gauge Blunderbuss and just got a home defense shot gun, so I need to cast some 00 buck.

Since it is safer to learn how to walk, prior to running, can someone point me in the correct direction to learn this skill correctly. I would like to be able to make accurate boolits for the .308 Win and .300 ACC Blackout, along with heavy boolits capable of surviving the 65,000psi chamber pressures of the .460 Magnum. Since I do Glocks too, it seems I'll need to follow up on the HI Teck coatings. I have read the books from Lyman and a few others, so the basics are stuck in my consciousness floating around. Please comment, ridicule me, make fun of me and then offer great advice or point me in the correct direction. I bet there are two or three Expert Boolit Casterers lurking around the forum doing most of the work, and loving it:bigsmyl2: Please tell them an excited ignorant, one has arrived

I am fully equipped and fully ignorant on the subject. I even have some swell blue powder coatings to put on cast boolits. Boy, I have even more questions about this stuff, than I have equipment and I have a lot of equipment. I am especially interested in the coatings and would love information on their advantages and drawbacks.

I have New Lee molds for 00 Buck shot, 9mm, .38 spec, .357 mag, .45acp, .45 Long Colt, .460 magnum, .308 ). I have most of the tools necessary and know nothing about casting. Feel Free to stuff me in the beginners section!
Newooboobie Manic Mike.[smilie=w:

[Iron369]

There’s no lack of threads here to answer most any questions you may ask and plenty of knowledgeable folks who are (typically) willing to guide you through.

[Recycled bullet]

Do not cheap out on a quality pair of leather gloves they have to fit you well and be comfortable. Getting burned with 800° lead sucks use common sense do not put anything into the lead pot that you even think has moisture in it. Running a propane setup immediately multiplies how much metal you can process at once leading to a more consistent alloy. Buying the super hard ingots from roto metals and adding the tin in combination with powder coating the final bullet products allows you to make a jacketed bullet analog in the comfort of your own home. Rocky mountain reloading sells lead noodles that are very easy to handle and it is a consistent alloy 2 to 3% antimony. Keep a propane torch handy to preheat the mold. Use two cycle synthetic oil dabbed on a rag to wipe down the mold it functions as a thermometer test as it steams up when the mold is correctly temperature, and it will clean the mold and lubricate the mold without damaging the mold. Buy as many books as you can and read them all. Ignore the people who tell you you will fail you will prove them wrong it only depends on how bad you want it. How bad do you want it?

[Dusty Bannister]

Welcome and Since you have read the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th edition ? you should be somewhat based on the principals of bullet casting. Since we want you to have success, I would suggest you start with a short fat bullet such as the bullet for the 45 Colt. I would also suggest that you work with one caliber until you have that one figured out and then add one more caliber to your learning curve.

If you bounce around from caliber to caliber before you get just one of them figured out, the changing conditions, and mold behaviors will discourage you and frustration will set in.

Save the magnums and high pressure semi-auto calibers for later. You will find that there can be some disagreement in suggested procedures, but most will discourage unsafe behavior. Treat learning to cast as participating in a marathon. Take your time to learn the skill and do not get caught up in production without paying attention to the details. It can be a lot of fun for a life long hobby, or a chore that you will begin to avoid. Be safe, and have fun.

[JoeJames]

Read "From ingot to target" free PDF book on the internet: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

I learned a great deal from the members on here and from the book.

[JoeG52]

Read "From ingot to target" free PDF book on the internet: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

I learned a great deal from the members on here and from the book.

I'll second that!

[Winger Ed.]

Ahh,, welcome to the addiction.
However; you might want to keep a rather low profile on this.
We wouldn't want to see you on one of those TV shows where your family drags you in for an interdiction.:bigsmyl2:

[littlejack]

Hey Mike,welome to the CastBoolits. There's several lifetimes of information here on the CastBoolits, and all free of charge. Here's a few tips to get you started. There's so many different alloys available, you can become so confused as to which one/s to choose. May I suggest starting with clip on wheel weights plus 2% tin to start with. It is a popular alloy, that works well, and cast very nice boolits. With the scuba weights you cast into ingots, there's really no telling what the alloy is. "Probably" if factory made, it will be pure lead or close to it. Generally, to soft by itself for boolits. Although the clip on wheel weights (COWW) are not produced anymore, there are still sources around that you can buy from of even find a stash somewhere. Be careful, do not get any zink (Zn) mixed with with your alloy, depending on how much was added to your mix, it could ruin it. Stick on wheel weights (SOWW) are soft, and mostly pure lead. You'll need to add other alloys to bring up the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) for your boolits. I generally cast at about 725° +/- according to my Lee thermostat. Lots more information coming from the forum.

[Mike Langlois]

Ohhh, this sounds Fun; and I thought I would never get rid of the 2 stroke oil I have stashed! Speaking of which, when lubricating with it, do I get it inside the mold itself or just on everything else? Starting off with .45 colt is great, I just happen to have a S&W 460 Magnum that shoots them like a .357 shoots .38's. I also picked up a complete set of reloading equipment that had .45 Colt in process; including cast .45's that were powder coated, along with detailed notes. The powder coating materials were included and they came from Eastman, a company I first ran into while restoring cars. I must have a Guardian Angel out there or something. I am going slow this time; I learned that the hard way as usual (that humor would fill a complete thread). I did notice that the last lead melted was a folded sheet and it definitely had something in it, as it turned out a different color. I'll find the appropriate forum and post pictures. I seriously can not believe that I have never done this before, the closest I have gotten is soldering. Thank you for the encouragement.
Mike

[littlejack]

When melting and casting your alloys, make sure to Flux your melt and stir it briskly. This will bring the impurities up to the surface to be skimmed off. You can use bullet lube, beeswax, candle wax, wood sawdust, (no particle board) the glue doesn't do your fluxing any good. You don't want any oil in the mould cavities. Use the two stroke oil very sparingly. I usually put on the pivot screw/bolt for lubrication. You can use a pencil to coat your mould with graphite. Works very well (not in the cavities). Enjoy your new endeavor.

[jonp]

Read "From ingot to target" free PDF book on the internet: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

I learned a great deal from the members on here and from the book.

I will give that a third.

[deltaenterprizes]

Do not use a propane torch to preheat your mold!
It will heat unevenly and cause the mold to warp.
Use an electric burner set and n medium.

[quilbilly]

Welcome to our happy group!! Lots of good suggestions already so I will only add one, I would be careful making boolits with scuba weights. I have used them regularly to cast fishing jigs for my business for decades but do not use them much for boolits unless I add pure lead. Not only are scuba weights of weird alloys but often have garbage in them. The last batch I melted not only were too hard for boolits (IMHO) but I found such things as rusted wires and nails in them. If I wanted to make boolits out of that batch, I would have added pure lead at 40% at least. To get an indication of what type of lead your former scuba weight are, drop an ingot on concrete from four feet to listen to the sound. If it rings, it might be too hard but if it goes "thud", start making pistol boolits. My favorite alloy for my 308's is 60% pure and 40% hard, chilled birdshot which gives excellent accuracy, penetration, and weight retention at my accuracy MV of 18-1900 fps. If you know any roofing companies or metal recyclers, keep an eye out for sheet lead or x-ray room wall sheeting for pure lead.

[LenH]

Welcome to the addiction and down the rabbit hole you go.

Keep this in mind FIT IS KING ALL Else is secondary.

I was taught to cast and reload by a good friends father and he had a bunch of pre conceived notions that he taught me. After joining this group I
found out a bunch of things that put all those preconceived notions to bed for good. My alloys were too hard for what I was trying to do and that
your alloys is pretty much left up to the particular function you are trying to do. Plinking bullets don't need to be very hard at all aslong as it FITS
your particular rifle or pistol.

Just some ramblings from an old coot.

[GregLaROCHE]

Welcome to the addiction! Enjoy!

[trebor44]

LASC is just one of many entrances to the rabbit hole of casting! If you can type on a computer keyboard, you have no limits to information except your imagination!

[Soundguy]

Start researching alloys.. and gas checks now if you want to do cast lead in rifles. It's very possible with a gas check, lube and correct alloy.. coatings or not.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Manic Mike

Welcome to the forum.

The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook (4th ed) is an excellent source for a newbie to get the base knowledge and technical vocabulary for casting and loading cast ammo. Read the first half of the book and come back here, cuz you'll have a hundred new questions to ask us, but you do need that base knowledge to know what to ask.

[gwpercle]

Read "From ingot to target" free PDF book on the internet: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm.

I learned a great deal from the members on here and from the book.

Mike ,
I learned from Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook , buy the 4th Edition and read Chapter 1 through Chapter 18 ...that is where the learning is .

Then as JoeJames suggests , read from Ingot to Target ... loads of info here .
I downloaded the free PDF , then printed out the pages and put them in a binder to have the printed format on my desk along with my other reference books .

There is not a lot of reliable info on boolit casting out there , I've been casting for 50 + years and , not counting the Lyman Manuals , only have seven books / manuals on the subject . Even the 3 rd Edition of Lyman Cast Bullet Manual - the one I learned from - is expensive .

Remember ...there is a learning curve ... you have to pay your dues to learn how to cast good bullets . Don't let it get overly complicated at first ... my motto is "simple is best" and there are probly nine different ways to do anything ... some think their way is the only way and everyone else is wrong ... not so , all problems can be solved in several ways ...pick the way that suits you ... I like simple , others like complicated and they like electronic gadgets .

I've cast great boolits for decades with nothing more than one to four cavity moulds and a Lyman spouted dipper (called pressure casting) with a Lee 20 Lb. Magnum Melter (not a bottom pour ) and no electronic anything .
Even though I've been casting for 5 decades ... I still enjoy doing it and get great satisfaction turning scrap wheel weights and roof flashing into purty shiney boolits that I can shoot !

Welcome to the Addiction from Baton Rouge , Louisiana !
Gary

[pworley1]

With a little work a a lot of patience you should be able to cast good usable bullets. There are plenty of youtube videos on powder coating to get you going there. After you get to that point you can come back with specific questions about specific problems you may be having. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

[tommag]

Ohhh, this sounds Fun; and I thought I would never get rid of the 2 stroke oil I have stashed! Speaking of which, when lubricating with it, do I get it inside the mold itself or just on everything else? Starting off with .45 colt is great, I just happen to have a S&W 460 Magnum that shoots them like a .357 shoots .38's. I also picked up a complete set of reloading equipment that had .45 Colt in process; including cast .45's that were powder coated, along with detailed notes. The powder coating materials were included and they came from Eastman, a company I first ran into while restoring cars. I must have a Guardian Angel out there or something. I am going slow this time; I learned that the hard way as usual (that humor would fill a complete thread). I did notice that the last lead melted was a folded sheet and it definitely had something in it, as it turned out a different color. I'll find the appropriate forum and post pictures. I seriously can not believe that I have never done this before, the closest I have gotten is soldering. Thank you for the encouragement.
Mike

Chances are good that your folded sheet is pure lead. If the different color was a little purple on top of the melt, that's what pure or nearly pure lead looks like.

[Walks]

Lots of ideas here. I will add one more.
Buy a cheap hot plate to preheat your molds on. It's a constant even heat source, you don't have to worry about warping an aluminum mold the way a propane torch might.

Don't bother to look for Lead Wheelwright in CA. nanny brown outlawed them many years ago.

[littlejack]

I use a single burner I picked up from St.Vinnies to heat my moulds. I set a circular saw blade on the coils to set my moulds on. I don't like the idea of setting my moulds directly on the red hot coils. Especially my aluminum moulds. I cut out a section of a coffee can (think open door) to set over the burner element, and slide in the mould. This also confines the heat. You may find (I did) that different moulds cast better boolits using different techniques, i.e. pressure pour as opposed to pouring from above the mould, to tilting the mould while pouring.

[Lakehouse2012]

Greetings One and All,
As I am stuck behind the curtain in the The Peoples Socialist Republic of California, where everything is restricted. THEY stopped the importation of an Allen Wrench last week,
Newooboobie Manic Mike.[smilie=w:

Welcome to the forum Mike!! I can't help laughing, is it true that Allen wrenches are illegal? LOLOLOLOL

[MightyThor]

I only scanned the messages here, but did not see any mention of a sizer/luber. Get one. You will want to measure your cast boolits because they will likely not be the exact size that you will want to shoot. Molds vary and you probably will not be able to shoot them as cast in every caliber. keep in mind that lead boolits are usually oversize to the actual caliber so a 357 in lead shoots a .358 maybe even .359 so as to fill the groove in the barrel.

[littlejack]

^^^^^ yes^^^^^

[gwpercle]

The second best thing I ever spent money on was a Lyman 450 Lube/Sizer .
A cast boolit isn't worth doodley-squat if it isn't sized , lubed and gas checked .
I tried all the pan and tumble and cake cutter methods ... you still need them sized ...
The Lube sizer does it all , lube - size - gas check ... in one up down handle stroke ...
In - Out ...whoop there you are ready to shoot ! You don't need gas checks on all boolits but when you do the 450 crimps it on ... you want them suckers crimped on , trust me !
Gary
You got any people living in Louisiana ... My business partner for 35 years was an engineer from Baton Rouge named Langlois ... good Cajun-French boy !

[Texas by God]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230525/2abf8a69def450aecd739b0596740a5e.jpg
Melting lead is fun.
These poached eggs fit my Lee pot perfectly!


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[elmacgyver0]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230525/2abf8a69def450aecd739b0596740a5e.jpg
Melting lead is fun.
These poached eggs fit my Lee pot perfectly!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

guess you won't make furdens in there no more.

[dverna]

You have received very good information.

I hate casting but I am a normal person...lol. I cast to save money...that is the only reason. And if things get bad, casting is a good skill set to have. But fun?? No way.

You will get burned eventually. Alloy at 700+ degrees is nasty. Don’t skimp on PPE. Burns are not fun.

As to where to start, I suggest .38 Spl or similar. Low pressure and low velocity rounds are easier to get good results with.

IMO, casting is an essential skill to master. The world is changing and not for the better. Best to be prepared.

[WRideout]

Members here rely on personal messages (PM's) to pass on information they don't want everyone to see. You could put out a request for another boolit caster close to you for some instruction, and they may send you contact information via PM. Oh, and be sure to tell us where you are in the known universe.

Wayne

[Texas by God]

guess you won't make furdens in there no more.

Nope. It’s role has forever changed.[emoji41]


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