I have been a lurker round here for quite awhile. I was in the shop the other day and looked around and saw a lot of things that I had learned from this site and the suggestions you all have given me. So I thought I would write short story about this.
I have been reloading for a while but never did any casting. I remember helping a friend cast some round ball for his black powder rifle one evening, and remember how much fun I found that to be. So fast forward another 15+ years, I decide I want to try some casting.
So I find the Cast Boolits web site. I read and read and found that I should read the Lyman's Casting Manual. So without hesitation, I purchase the book and start to read this manual many times.
Then I come back to the Cast Boolits web site and search for the casting equipment that I need. Again the forum comes through and I buy the equipment and start my casting adventures.
I have been a lurker round here for quite awhile. I was in the shop the other day and looked around and saw a lot of things that I had learned from this site and the suggestions you all have given me. So I thought I would write short story about this.
I have been reloading for a while but never did any casting. I remember helping a friend cast some round ball for his black powder rifle one evening, and remember how much fun I found that to be. So fast forward another 15+ years, I decide I want to try some casting.
So I find the Cast Boolits web site. I read and read and found that I should read the Lyman's Casting Manual. So without hesitation, I purchase the book and start to read this manual many times.
Then I come back to the Cast Boolits web site and search for the casting equipment that I need. Again the forum comes through and I buy the equipment and start my casting adventures.
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
The boolits were looking pretty good, but I had to wait for my group buy molds. I did have a few problems like, taking too long to heat the mold, ugly looking drops from the mold(again from heat and residue in the mold). Then I remember reading in the Forum that one person left the mold full when they quit. So I tried that, and now my boolits drop clean every time.
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
Well now that I have all these boolits, I have to size them so I purchased a RCBS mold and mounted it to my table. I started to size and lube these boolits. It didn’t take me long to realize that the sizer was not keeping up with my boolit making. Not to mention I felt that there was too much unneccassry motion. One day I was looking through the swaping page on the forum and found a Star Sizer for sale. Well it didn’t take me long to say I would purchase that. A few days later the Big Brown Truck dropped off a package. Later that day I had another item on my table.
Now this star Sizer was given me fits. For some reason I could not get the machine adjusted correctly. I was also having problems with the lube. I was either getting too much lube or no lube at all. So before I gave up, I came back to the forum and found a load of info on how to set the star sizer and the best type of lube that I needed for the boolits that I work with.
Now the lube is not flowing the way I think it should, so I figure I would need to get a heater.. But the forum came to the rescue. A little research and someone suggested an Clothes iron. Thinking to myself, I know were one is.. And I took the wife’s iron. Figured I would tell her when she went to iron some clothes, but I got caught. Even though she was upset, apparently she had gotten her new one, she gave me an old one and now I have this setup.
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
Well now, I thought a was well with the world, but working on my table became a real headache because I have no frilling room . I seemed to remember that something in the Special Projects part of the forum, some kind of tool holder. I go look and yep, there it is.. So I tried to make my own. Its not pretty but it works.
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
THEN, I realized that I didn’t have a place to store these machines. Ok, so I had to design a shelf to hold all my machines
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
Ok, now I think I can work now..
I want to thank everyone here at the Cast Boolits for all your help to go from nothing to this:
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...1&d=1253890994
And to the gentleman that told me that I was now addicted and no longer a hobby, HOW RIGHT YOU WERE!!
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