Eliminating splash when water dropping

[stubshaft]

Years ago when I first started to water drop my boolits they would splash and generally get water all over. the major concern was obviously getting water droplets into my pot. I called Veral and he gave me a great tip. I took sponge rubber (the kind that is used in cheap pillows/ craft projects etc.) cut it into 1/2" squares (the size is not too critical as long as the boolit can easily displace it). To use it I fill a 5gal bucket 3/4 full with water. Put a couple of handfuls of sponge rubber on top of it, give the rubber a squeeze under water so that they will soak up the water and just barely float on the surface of the water. Then as I am casting I just drop the boolits onto the rubber, the boolits fall through and there is NO SPLASH. After the session is done I remover the squares, squeeze them out and let them dry.

Give it a try!:castmine:

Photo 1 - rough cut foam
Photo 2 - foam soaked in drop bucket

The greatest advantages are:

A) I no longer worry about getting water in my melt.

B) I have to try real hard to miss a 5gal bucket.

C) The boolits are hard by the time they reach the bottom.

[webby4x4]

Great tip Stub!

Any chance you can post ap icture of that material you are talking about? I'd like to pick some up at the craft store and want ot make sure that I'm getting the right stuff.

Rick

[uncle joe]

I had the same problem, here was my solution. I just scoop out the boolits after they cool and let them dry. I leave the water in the pan until it needs to be replaced. I just cut the bottom of the funnel so at least a .45 would fall through and hot glued it to a hole I cut in the top of the plastic shoe box.

[docone31]

I put my catch pot on a towel.

[Ricochet]

That's fine. I just put my bucket on the floor and keep my pot up on the table. No way I'm splashing up there.

[leadman]

I lay an old towel on the top of the bucket with a slit about 5 inches long in the middle. I make sure the center is under water. Any boolits dropped on the towel roll to the slit and drop thru to the bottom of the bucket. I put a small towel on the bottom for a cushion. Once in awhile I lift the small towel, boolits drop to bottom, put towel on top of boolits, keep casting.

[TAWILDCATT]

no need to water drop pistol bullets unless you are loading real heavy.I shoot rifle and my bullets go 1680 fts and I dont water drop.:coffee:[smilie=1:

[Rick N Bama]

no need to water drop pistol bullets unless you are loading real heavy.I shoot rifle and my bullets go 1680 fts and I dont water drop.:coffee:[smilie=1:

My 9MM shoots much better with harder boolits, that's the only caliber I routinely water drop.

Rick

[Big Boomer]

Can't remember where the tip came from but for years I've been using styrofoam
packing "peanuts" to cut down on the splash. Like others, I got tired of hearing the sound of water splashing up onto my hot moulds. Asked around and someone suggested the packing "peanuts" and they work well. 'Tuck

[bedwards]

I do the slit towel deal, but sometimes I miss the slit! :mrgreen: I'll have to try the foam idea!


be

[runfiverun]

i just use about 4-5" of water in a one gallon metal bucket.
set on a stool behind to the right of me.
wildcat with water dropped rifle boolits you can get up to the 2400 fps area.

[Blammer]

packing peanuts

[par0thead151]

good thread, i just began water dropping and i was wondering about this as well..

[jdgabbard]

Great tip! Now can you devise some gadget to separate the 9mm, .38, and .357 boolits as I drop them into the bucket??? ;)

[jonk]

The splashing is minorly irritating, but even if some did get in the pot no big deal. It's water under the surface that is a danger; on top, no problem.

I do dislike it getting on my mold blocks though from the splash.

[Gunslinger]

Sorry for the off topic, but does water temperature has any effect on hardness? I mean if you add ice cubes to the water??

[jonk]

That was discussed here awhile back; the consensus was, yes, probably but only marginally so.

[snaggdit]

Well up here in the arctic tundra where winter lasts 6 months of the year...
Yeah, anyway, in the winter I go out to the snowbank and scoop up a half a bucket of snow. I add water till it is only half slush floating on top and then water drop into it. Colder water, no splash. Two birds with one boolit.

[cohutt]

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/bench001.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/bench002.jpg

[JeffinNZ]

Just beautiful Cohutt!

[geargnasher]

All good stuff! Thanks for posting, especially the pics, I'm adding to my mental notes.....Maybe one day I'll try water-dropping my WW rifle boolits now that I see how easy it is!

Gear

[cohutt]

Just beautiful Cohutt!

Made from 100% mis-matched scrap lumber and other scavenged materials.

LOL, beauty is definitely limited to the eye of the caster.