Here's a new boolit I've designed to try out in my 10-pounder Parrott Rifle for N-SSA rifled artillery competition. I based the design on a JSB Exact Jumbo .177 cal pellet scaled up to 3" diameter with slight modifications. I had a local machine shop make the mold to my specs, spent a couple hours with a file tweaking alignments and on the lathe polishing the core pin for easy release, then set about our first casting session. Here are some photos. Projectile weight about 7.3 lbs, cast out of 1:40 tin:lead.
Our casting furnace holds over 300 lb of lead. Bottom pour ladle is self skimming.
Here's the casting set-up. The base plate of the mold is clamped to the table.
Ladle is converted into a funnel, held closely to the top of the mold by my buddy Dean. Pour till the mold is full, allowing 3/4" or so in the ladle as a dead-head for shrinkage.
After about 90 seconds for metal to solidify; the corner cuts in the baseplate allow two levers to be inserted to pop the blocks off the base plate and core pin.
Blocks are separated and hot casting is dropped gently on an old pair of welding gloves. Sprue is cut with a pair of modified diagonal cutters while still hot.
About two hours production for two guys. Not too shabby, now the proof will be in the shooting. New design, nobody's ever used this in a muzzleloading rifled cannon before.
Here's hoping...