lylejb
08-20-2009, 05:49 PM
Ok, so i finally got enough of my ducks in a row to try casting my own:-D
Tue night was my first casting session, and i quickly run through the top ten list of beginner's mistakes......one at a time.
My boolit for this session is the Lee 358-158-rf from a 6 cav mold, very generously sold to me by another member (Thanks again)
my pot is the Lee 10lb bottom pour, i picked up used off of craigslist.
my load is going to be a reduced 38 special load, about 600-650fps. this very light load is for my wife and kids to shoot. I'll also work up a heavier load when time allows.
Because of the low velocity i'm intending and the lead i have on hand, i went with a softer alloy, 1/3 pure 2/3 WW. i added 80 grams of 95tin / 5 antimony solder to the pot to reach the 2% tin i see so often quoted. The finished boolits came out BHN 10
I expected the first few molds full to be rejects, to heat up the mold. After about 10 min, i started to get a nice pace going, the sprews were cooling in about 2 or 3 seconds, just a few taps with a "wood hammer" aka small piece of 2x4, to drop the boolits out of the mold. all is good....i thought.
I stopped to put the sprews back in the pot, and to look at the 100 or so boolits i'd made. WHAT... almost every one was as wrinkled as a shar-pai dog. Bright and shiney yes, but badly wrinkled. back in the pot they go, turn up the pot.
OK, lets try this again. I set the mold on top of the pot to warm up, and let the pot heat for another 20 min or so. the pot is now set on 8.
The next run seemed to go good, the sprew was taking longer to freeze, but were easier to cut and the boolits were dropping just by opening the mold:-D
after about 150 or so, stopped to put the sprews back ing the pot and admire my handiwork.....WHAT:shock: these boolits are frosted. Not a little bit frosted, these been in the ice storm. the surface is rough, like 80 grit rough. Back in the pot they go.:???: Turn down the pot.
Add a cold ingot to help cool down the pot, flux and stir. skim again.
OK, let's try this again. now the boolits want to stick in the mold. tap..tap..tap.
next pour, tap..tap...tap...tap.. Next pour tap...tap...tap..TAP..TAP..TAP.. Not working. for a while had to use the end of the 2x4 to push on the bases to get them out. after a while, this cleared up. HMMM must be a temperature thing. Didn't recall about smoking the mold till the next day.:roll:
ok, here we go. this time it seems like everything is going good. Got a good pace going, boolits are dropping alot better, some lightly frosted, some not. WAIT, the lead stopped comming out of the pot. a quick look inside found this was because the pot was EMPTY....and glowing slightly orange. AHHH....controled panic, grab sprews...YEEEOUCH... that one's still hot. Ok, BOTH gloves on, grab sprews, back in the pot, the orange glow goes away. Sort boolits, some of the last ones had inclusions...back in the pot.
Ok, FINALLY got this working. cast the last few with no pain, burns, or nuclear meltdowns.
all totaled, i got 245 keepers in about 2 1/2 hrs. Probably cast 500+ to do it.
I learned alot that night.
HMMMM...... now for some lube......
Tue night was my first casting session, and i quickly run through the top ten list of beginner's mistakes......one at a time.
My boolit for this session is the Lee 358-158-rf from a 6 cav mold, very generously sold to me by another member (Thanks again)
my pot is the Lee 10lb bottom pour, i picked up used off of craigslist.
my load is going to be a reduced 38 special load, about 600-650fps. this very light load is for my wife and kids to shoot. I'll also work up a heavier load when time allows.
Because of the low velocity i'm intending and the lead i have on hand, i went with a softer alloy, 1/3 pure 2/3 WW. i added 80 grams of 95tin / 5 antimony solder to the pot to reach the 2% tin i see so often quoted. The finished boolits came out BHN 10
I expected the first few molds full to be rejects, to heat up the mold. After about 10 min, i started to get a nice pace going, the sprews were cooling in about 2 or 3 seconds, just a few taps with a "wood hammer" aka small piece of 2x4, to drop the boolits out of the mold. all is good....i thought.
I stopped to put the sprews back in the pot, and to look at the 100 or so boolits i'd made. WHAT... almost every one was as wrinkled as a shar-pai dog. Bright and shiney yes, but badly wrinkled. back in the pot they go, turn up the pot.
OK, lets try this again. I set the mold on top of the pot to warm up, and let the pot heat for another 20 min or so. the pot is now set on 8.
The next run seemed to go good, the sprew was taking longer to freeze, but were easier to cut and the boolits were dropping just by opening the mold:-D
after about 150 or so, stopped to put the sprews back ing the pot and admire my handiwork.....WHAT:shock: these boolits are frosted. Not a little bit frosted, these been in the ice storm. the surface is rough, like 80 grit rough. Back in the pot they go.:???: Turn down the pot.
Add a cold ingot to help cool down the pot, flux and stir. skim again.
OK, let's try this again. now the boolits want to stick in the mold. tap..tap..tap.
next pour, tap..tap...tap...tap.. Next pour tap...tap...tap..TAP..TAP..TAP.. Not working. for a while had to use the end of the 2x4 to push on the bases to get them out. after a while, this cleared up. HMMM must be a temperature thing. Didn't recall about smoking the mold till the next day.:roll:
ok, here we go. this time it seems like everything is going good. Got a good pace going, boolits are dropping alot better, some lightly frosted, some not. WAIT, the lead stopped comming out of the pot. a quick look inside found this was because the pot was EMPTY....and glowing slightly orange. AHHH....controled panic, grab sprews...YEEEOUCH... that one's still hot. Ok, BOTH gloves on, grab sprews, back in the pot, the orange glow goes away. Sort boolits, some of the last ones had inclusions...back in the pot.
Ok, FINALLY got this working. cast the last few with no pain, burns, or nuclear meltdowns.
all totaled, i got 245 keepers in about 2 1/2 hrs. Probably cast 500+ to do it.
I learned alot that night.
HMMMM...... now for some lube......