Casting Help!

[fubar22]

Make darned sure anything you put into a pot of melted lead is bone dry. Better yet, let the pot cool down before adding metal. I always rinse crud off reclaimed range lead. The one time I carelessly added a chunk that was still damp, I got showered with molten lead.

 

[45man]

All good suggestions except there are a few things. Lead does not fume at the temps we use but any dry dross is not to be breathed. A drop of water on the durface will only boil off but water under the surface will blow out lead as it turns to steam. A drop of sweat will do zero.
I have cast lead since I was about 6 years old and I am 86 now. I make my own bullet molds. The big problem I have is teaching how to cast as some can't chew gum and walk at the same time.

 

[maillemaker]

Hello

I have a Maynard carbine I want to cast bullets for as buying factory made ones of the right size is both expensive and difficult to acquire. I am also planning on getting a rifled musket at some point and would like to cast minie balls.

So I know I need moulds... but other than that I have absolutely no idea what else I’d need. I’d like to keep it as simple an inexpensive as possible. I wouldn’t need a lot of capacity since I’m only going to be casting for black powder guns.

Can anyone out there help me in getting a basic list of needed things to cast bullets? Any tips and tricks to casting or is it easy?

Thanks so much and take care!

Probably the cheapest way to get started casting is with a simple Lee electric pot, a ladle, and a mold.

I prefer a bottom-pour pot for solid bullets. Faster, less mess, and you lose less lead to dross through exposure of the melt to the air.

There are a TON of YouTube videos on how to cast bullets. I'd recommend watching a few.

Wear long pants that cover your shoe openings. Don't wear any kind of open shoe like Crocks or sandles. Do not allow any kind of moisture to get into the pot or it will explode into steam and blast lead everywhere.

 

[Kansas Jake]

The cheapest way to get started is with a Lee mold a source of heat (old Coleman Stove etc.) an iron or steel pan and a large steel spoon. I did it that way for years.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have used a Coleman propane stove for years; it is OK in warm weather but comes up just barely hot enough if I cast in the winter, I always cast outside my shop. I cast range lead so I don't know what is in it, there may be no fumes but I am not taking any chances.

Range lead;

I picked this up for a song a few days ago, I seldom cast more than 25 balls at a time so the small Lee pot should be OK.

 

[TFoley]

All good suggestions except there are a few things. Lead does not fume at the temps we use but any dry dross is not to be breathed. A drop of water on the durface will only boil off but water under the surface will blow out lead as it turns to steam. A drop of sweat will do zero.
I have cast lead since I was about 6 years old and I am 86 now. I make my own bullet molds. The big problem I have is teaching how to cast as some can't chew gum and walk at the same time.

Yup, a litre of water produces 1700 litres of steam.

 

[Eterry]

All good suggestions except there are a few things. Lead does not fume at the temps we use but any dry dross is not to be breathed. A drop of water on the durface will only boil off but water under the surface will blow out lead as it turns to steam. A drop of sweat will do zero.
I have cast lead since I was about 6 years old and I am 86 now. I make my own bullet molds. The big problem I have is teaching how to cast as some can't chew gum and walk at the same time.

I beg to differ with you about sweat or moisture in lead. I've seen BOTH sweat and damp lead in the pot. Often, it DOES steam away, but last weekend I was rushing and not wearing headgear. A drop of sweat ran off my nose while leaning over the pot to adjust the light.

Maybe everything IS bigger in Texas, because the sweat hit the Lee pot and lead exploded everywhere! It ruined the shirt I was wearing, gave me some beautiful 1st° burns on my chest, and splattered lead on the workbench.

I've only been casting 44 years, but I ran a minimum 500 CF boolits a month when competing, for over 10 years. I have several gang molds. Made life easier.
I don't know how ANYONE can say with absolute certainty that a thing will or will not happen every time, and keep a straight face.
We all buy insurance because things happen we were not expecting.
To tell a new caster sweat will NEVER get below the surface and explode is courting disaster. We should all be careful about guiding new members in this sport and lifestyle.