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Thread: my first attempt at casting

  1. #41
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Read here:

    http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

    Lots of good info on lead and lead alloys.

    And you don't even have to remember where to go to find the page when you want to review the info.

    It's on the bottom of this page.

  2. #42
    Boolit Master

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    If there is no Mfg Load Data for a 407 gr. boolit, use the closest LARGER and SMALLER boolit weights in the manual for [u]your powder [/]and estimate (stay within) those lower and upper limits. As I have always said, breakneck speed from the barrel and atomic pressure in the chamber are not pre-requisites to accuracy (i.e. MAXIMUM powder charge is not required).
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    You didn't say what diamiter you were casting and what dianiter you are sizing too> the little bit of rounded ends may size out?? Shoot some and see what accuracy you get?? Then you will learn what is good and what is not ?? I cast all my bullets in pure lead so the only thing a little tare out from the sprue only effect weight< i weigh each bullet and segerate by 1/10 gr so when i load they all weigh the same>>

  4. #44
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by 15meter View Post
    Read here:

    http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

    Lots of good info on lead and lead alloys.

    And you don't even have to remember where to go to find the page when you want to review the info.

    It's on the bottom of this page.
    Thanks 15meter, I bookmarked it.

  5. #45
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by BLAHUT View Post
    You didn't say what diamiter you were casting and what dianiter you are sizing too> the little bit of rounded ends may size out?? Shoot some and see what accuracy you get?? Then you will learn what is good and what is not ?? I cast all my bullets in pure lead so the only thing a little tare out from the sprue only effect weight< i weigh each bullet and segerate by 1/10 gr so when i load they all weigh the same>>
    They're dropping at .410 and I'm sizing to .409 those rounded bottoms are going back into the pot today. I'm persistent to get it right.

  6. #46
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Practice and experience will make them more consistent. I never had an issue shooting frost boolits.
    Keep casting and doing everything the same.

    Shiloh
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  7. #47
    Boolit Master TurnipEaterDown's Avatar
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    I have some molds that tend to have rounded base edges when the pot is at a good temp, and the rest of the bullet looks good.
    A corrective action mentioned in a prior post by someone is a larger sprue puddle, and while great advice, sometimes I can not get that to solve my problem.

    So, being a ladle caster, I simply make sure the sprue plate stays nice and hot and the top of the mold / bullet base are given a little extra help in staying full during solidification by simply pouring another ladle full over the sprue plate before hardening. i.e. Pour a cavity, dip again, pour the next cavity, (if a two hole) pour another full ladle on the plate a try to manage level position such that I have the biggest puddle possible and most of it just flowing off the top of the plate.

    Also, I find that some mold pin/plate lubes can raise havoc in my casting, so I really like a mold lube that I bought years ago off GB. I think it is a silicone based lube. It Must stay out of the cavities, but I just dip a q-tip in it now and then (not even once per casting session) and lightly wipe down the bottom of the HOT sprue plate with it. It will smoke slightly, and leave a coating that will allow you to run a hot sprue plate and absolutely stops lead smear if you shear any early.

    These look like 40s to be used w/ BP, so probably not relevant, but if I get slight rounding like you show in your second picture, and it is a GC bullet, I never worry anyway. In my uses, I don't seem to find reason to obsess about perfect bases when using a GC. (Not talking really badly rounded edges here, only slight like you show.)

    Plain base, I usually like them really sharp as even a slightly rounded base edge can make accuracy go to heck even at 50 yds in a pistol. I think if it was perfectly uniform rounding it shouldn't, but in trying to figure that out I have inspected many before and found if I had rounding it could be seen under magnification that it wasn't uniform around the perimeter. So, I just try to keep them nice & sharp.

  8. #48
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by TurnipEaterDown View Post
    I have some molds that tend to have rounded base edges when the pot is at a good temp, and the rest of the bullet looks good.
    A corrective action mentioned in a prior post by someone is a larger sprue puddle, and while great advice, sometimes I can not get that to solve my problem.

    So, being a ladle caster, I simply make sure the sprue plate stays nice and hot and the top of the mold / bullet base are given a little extra help in staying full during solidification by simply pouring another ladle full over the sprue plate before hardening. i.e. Pour a cavity, dip again, pour the next cavity, (if a two hole) pour another full ladle on the plate a try to manage level position such that I have the biggest puddle possible and most of it just flowing off the top of the plate.

    Also, I find that some mold pin/plate lubes can raise havoc in my casting, so I really like a mold lube that I bought years ago off GB. I think it is a silicone based lube. It Must stay out of the cavities, but I just dip a q-tip in it now and then (not even once per casting session) and lightly wipe down the bottom of the HOT sprue plate with it. It will smoke slightly, and leave a coating that will allow you to run a hot sprue plate and absolutely stops lead smear if you shear any early.

    These look like 40s to be used w/ BP, so probably not relevant, but if I get slight rounding like you show in your second picture, and it is a GC bullet, I never worry anyway. In my uses, I don't seem to find reason to obsess about perfect bases when using a GC. (Not talking really badly rounded edges here, only slight like you show.)

    Plain base, I usually like them really sharp as even a slightly rounded base edge can make accuracy go to heck even at 50 yds in a pistol. I think if it was perfectly uniform rounding it shouldn't, but in trying to figure that out I have inspected many before and found if I had rounding it could be seen under magnification that it wasn't uniform around the perimeter. So, I just try to keep them nice & sharp.
    Yes these are for a 40-65 high wall. but I'm shooting smokeless 5744. For the sprue plate I'm using the bullshop sprue plate lube. I'll probably eventually move to BP but I'm not set up to load BP as of yet. I'll be trying my second attempt today using my Chromalox smelter instead of the plumbers cast iron pot with propane burner. I think I'll be able to control the temps a little better and also I'll use a hot plate to warm the mold.

  9. #49
    Boolit Master super6's Avatar
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    Man, You just got a pot load of good info, Hope your 2nd attempt works well for you! Do not forget the wet rag and get a cadence. I had to figure it out on my own.
    Give me something to believe in. Poison
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  10. #50
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    When you apply lube to a mould , I use mostly synthetic two stroke oil on a Q-Tip , and apply to top and bottom of the sprue plaTe and to the top of the blocks (to prevent lead sticking , smears and galling ) my Biggest problem was applying Too much ... the lube film only needs to be one molecule thick ... too much on top of block/underside of sprue and it contaminates boolit base and will get down into cavity . I wipe off my moistened w/lube Q-Tip , apply the thinnest coat I can and then take a rag and wipe off the lube ... this leaves just enough of a super thin film , lead doesn't stick and the lube doesn't contaminate the alloy .

    It took me a long time to learn just how little lube is needed and how easily you can contaminate a boolit with too much mould lube .

    Just another tip for your memory banks !
    Gary
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  11. #51
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    RobP1

    As others have mentioned, you need to control your alloy temp. Your bullets show me you are getting the feel for casting. Keep your ally temp steady then try to keep your casting routine steady. Your alloy temp may be steady at say 700° but trying to cast too fast will overheat your mold. This is easily avoid by filling the mold and giving the sprue time to harden adequately (when it turns gray).
    The reading suggested by others is helpful but then you need to just cast bullets because you improve by doing it. DI Not give up! When you encounter a problem you can't figure out just post your question/problem.

  12. #52
    Boolit Man
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    Attempt #2

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ID:	303897Well today's 2nd attempt had mixed results. It was kinda of frustrating with a 15 mph cool breeze cooling things off quite fast. I'll be building some windshields for the chromalox and hot plate. It seems when I would let the mold cool enough to get that mirror finish I would always have a crack or void somewhere. Even the ever so slightest but never the less there would be one. I did take the advice and try and pour a larger sprue and I think the bases did improve somewhat. Using the Chromalox I had to sit and pour and for some reason it just wasn't comfortable to me. Probably because I was a structural Ironworker my whole life and never worked a day sitting down. If you notice in the pic the two bullets in the front right are a couple of the shiny ones with voids. A lot of bullets went back in the pot. But I refuse to submit to failure. Tomorrows another day.
    Last edited by RobP1; 09-03-2022 at 07:12 PM.

  13. #53
    Boolit Master


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    Did I hear you say you were using Lyman #2 alloy? If yes, it has plenty of tin for good fill out. You will learn good cadence in time. Go for no voids and full fill out.. A little frosting won't hurt anybody but a bench rest or extreme range shooter.

    Lastly..some boolit finish artifacts are from the mold. Check it.. Oxidized surfaces can cause a frosted appearance. A good cleaned mold thats candles and wiped out should give ok results. Again..dont let a little frosting bother you. Hood fill out and no voids are more important.

  14. #54
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Better. Melt them and try again. Casting is as much art as science. You were an iron worker so you know it to be true. Practice the art.
    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
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  15. #55
    Boolit Master
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    Not too bad, make a run of bullets to get matching weights. Those look good. I wouldn't get too fussy about shiny, frosted could work.
    I know about having to stand up, I stood at a welding table for quite a while. Can't cast sitting down.
    Ron
    In all, the .41 Magnum would be one of my top choices for an all-around handgun if I were allowed to have only one. - Bart Skelton

  16. #56
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Raise the pot to where it needs to be to suit you. Arthritis has me sitting these days, but I used to stand…

    ”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

    My Straight Shooters thread:
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    The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks

  17. #57
    Boolit Master Wag's Avatar
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    You're learning. Nothing wrong with that.

    I find that instead of using a wet rag, I use a small block of cold lead as a heat sink. I set my mold on there between pours and it really does the trick keeping it cool. If that block gets too warm, I switch out to another cold block and I'm off and running again. If you need to, you can even set the mold on the block with the hot lead in it to cool it a bit faster but as others have said, once you get a rhythm going, you'll figure out the "how long" part as you go.

    Keep on learning. It's utterly fascinating!

    --Wag--
    "Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein.

  18. #58
    Boolit Man
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    This morning I'm reading the Lyman cast bullet handbook. I realized a major mistake I am making. I haven't been turning the mold 90 degrees and placing the ladle nipple right into the sprue hole then rotating back to level. Now I'm excited to try attempt #3. Some of the free pours I was doing were all over the place. Chalk it up to ignorance, I should have read more and done more research before jumping in with both feet. Oh well I have always learned more from my mistakes than my successes.
    Last edited by RobP1; 09-04-2022 at 10:23 AM.

  19. #59
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobP1 View Post
    This morning I'm reading the Lyman cast bullet handbook. I realized a major mistake I am making. I haven't been turning the mold 90 degrees and placing the ladle nipple right into the sprue hole then rotating back to level. Now I'm excited to try attempt #3. Some of the free pours I was doing were all over the place. Chalk it up to ignorance, I should have read more and done more research before jumping in with both feet. Oh well I have always learned more from my mistakes than my successes.
    "turning the mold 90 degrees and placing the ladle nipple right into the sprue hole then rotating back to level" = pressure casting = That has sure worked for me. I am certainly no expert at all, but it works.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  20. #60
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Well done, I'd say
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check