Casting Help!

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!

A pot to melt the lead. Could be a cheaper electric Lee pot or you could use a cast iron pot on a gas burner or camp stove. Need a ladle to scoop molten lead and to pour into the mold. A wooden handle of some sort to tap the sprue plate open is handy, although you can do it with a gloved hand. Eye protection and gloves and that's about all you'd need for basic setup. An old towel to drop the bullets onto also helps to help from getting deformed bullets when they drop.

Tips: Get the mold hot before using. Rest on electric pot while the lead gets to temp or use an old hot plate. Lube the sprue pivot point and bottom side lightly with 2 stroke oil. It really is pretty easy. Check out the castboolits website.

I would recomend a lee pot for convience and even tempature control.

I got started with a propane fish cooker. I melt in an old iron skillet. I found a steel ladle that I use to dip and pour into the mold.
So far it's worked out fine

All the above.
For years I used my dad's old cast iron plumber's pot and a propane camp stove for melting lead. Small amounts of lead can be melted directly in the iron ladle. A few years ago, I finally bought an electric Lee melting pot. It is much more convenient than my old iron pot.
Be careful, though. The fumes are toxic. Do your casting outside or at least in a very well-ventilated area. Also, be sure to keep any water or other liquids far away from the casting area. Even one drop of water falling into molten lead can be explosive.
Wear protective clothing - eye protection, gloves, maybe a shop apron.
I keep a tin can beside my casting equipment for the dross. As impurities float to the top of the molten lead, I skim it off with an old tablespoon and throw the hot trash in the tin can.
When opening your mold and dropping out the balls, drop then onto something relatively soft. I use an old towel folded over a couple of times.
Remember, those balls are HOT.
No little kids or pets around when you're casting.

All good replies. I have used a Coleman stove with small cast iron pot, propane fish fryer stove with large cast iron pot. Lyman pot and currently a Lee pot. All work. Keep yer heat up.

And above all else, keep water away from your casting operations at all costs.

Hot and fast.

For handgun ball - PURE lead only - NO wheelweights. they contain antimony for hardness, the very last thing you need when casting a a ball that you literally ram into a chamber. Minié/Burton bullets are much the same - they rely on easy expansion to function at all.

A small piece of bee wax dropped in the hot lead will smoke but then raise impurities to the surface so you can skim them off.

My set-up, propane tank, burner, lead pot (20 lb pictured), dipper and infrared thermometer. Not pictured leather welding glove and flux.

All awesome and great Ideas provided, Where I started was a set up cast iron Dutch oven over a turkey fryer, a driving or blowing rain could alter plans of casting, then the price of LP eh, got a 4 pound electric pot (LEE) this did well for smalls .375 .451 or .490, .500 however constant need of refill for large batch, then I got the LEE bottom pour 4/20 hey just right for my needs, I kept turkey fryer for lead reclaiming (range, scraps, pipes) it is something you will have to investigate hands on to see which works best for you and your conditions for casting. However all the suggestions are not wrong. As far as flux I got a box of 1000 votive candles works for me I have seen saw dust, paper towels tons of other stuff used, it all works. I will side eye protection and some sort of Leather glove. I float round 1/2 a teaspoon of lard on my lead as I cast. YES it is odd then again I never have smoked a mold, never had to grease or oil a mold, clean before first use YES. Again experimentation is and will be the best I can offer

I found my original casting equipment last weekend.
A small cast iron skillet, a piece of mop handle as a striker, a home made left hand dipper. I started with a white gas Coleman stove, stood under the floodlight at the ranch.

You don't need much. I saw a guy cast bullets over a campfire with just his dipper filled with range lead and his mold.
Here's some pics of my equipment.

All of the above... and wear long pants and no crocs. My friend can tell you why. Be careful of sweat, if you're warm wear a cap or headband, I'm telling you one drop of sweat can blow molten lead everywhere. Same for putting damp lead in a hot pot. If you have damp lead, and feel lucky, add it before you turn on heat.
Oh my wear glasses. A spot of molten lead on your lower eyelid makes you talk to Jesus.
I read a great article years ago; you need to wait a bit for the lead to cool before cutting the sprue. Best way is to have another mold to occupy you while the first sprue hardens. The first few boolits usually look like bird poop. Don't worry, they'll get better. Last Sunday I tired casting Spencer boolits with a 4 boolit Mold. It took about 24 to get everything working right. Smoke the mold with matches, a lighter, etc to help boolits drop freely.

Don't EVER strike the mold blocks to loose the boolits. Only hit the handle hinge pin. Make sure the mold is closed snug, or you'll get flashing.
Grab a Lyman bullet casting book. Cheap online. Worth every penny.

If boolits wrinkled, mold likely too cold, or lead the same. Leave boolit in mold a bit to heat up.
If frosted too they're too hot.
I rarely turn the temp down, never needed a thermometer. I started casting at 14, rocket science it isn't.
Good luck.

Eterry said:

All of the above... and wear long pants and no crocs. My friend can tell you why. Be careful of sweat, if you're warm wear a cap or headband, I'm telling you one drop of sweat can blow molten lead everywhere. Same for putting damp lead in a hot pot. If you have damp lead, and feel lucky, add it before you turn on heat.
Oh my wear glasses. A spot of molten lead on your lower eyelid makes you talk to Jesus.
I read a great article years ago; you need to wait a bit for the lead to cool before cutting the sprue. Best way is to have another mold. The first few usually look like bird poop. Don't worry, they'll get better. Smoke the mold with matches etc to help boolits drop freely.

Don't EVER strike the mold blocks to loose the boolits. Only hit the handle hinge pin. Make sure the mold is closed snug, or you'll get flashing.
Grab a Lyman bullet casting book. Cheap online. Worth every penny.

If boolits wrinkled, mold likely too cold, or lead the same. Leave boolit in mold a bit to heat up.
If frosted too hot.
I rarely turn the temp down, never needed a thermometer. I started casting at 14, rocket science it isn't.
Good luck.

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Good post. Worth re-reading and heeding.

To add to Eterry’s post, I used an old gravy ladle or tablespoon instead of making a dipper. I pinched a little spout on the ladle with a pliers. I still use it occasionally when smelting dirty lead.

Kansas Jake said:

To add to Eterry’s post, I used an old gravy ladle or tablespoon instead of making a dipper. I pinched a little spout on the ladle with a pliers. I still use it occasionally when smelting dirty lead.

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The Gunsmith who ordered my first mold, a .440, was also lefthanded. He gave me that dipper in 1980. I tried the conventional dippers sold; all pretty much useless left handed. I gave them away and have only used the homemade one.
I have tried the gravy ladle, cooking spoon, etc., but they tend to pour lead everywhere. If your right handed just buy a dipper used. If I still had one I'd give it to a new boolit caster.

All good tips. I started with a Lee bottom pour that worked fine for smaller projectiles. Once I started pouring 58 cal minies and 54 cal. Rd ball, I realized the larger pours turned out better with a ladle. To cut the sprue, I used a 1 1/4” dowel. To add inertia, I drilled a 1/2” hole in the end, drove 2 brads half way down across the hole, then filled it with lead. I found the wood on the dowel chipped off and ended up in my sprue flash and ultimately in my lead as I added the flash back to the pot. So, I wrapped the end with leather and have ended up with an improved sprue cutting dowel.

I've had sticky bullet casting molds now and again. An ice pick helps to pry a stubborn bullet out of the mold applied after the sprue is cut

oldwood said:

I've had sticky bullet casting molds now and again. An ice pick helps to pry a stubborn bullet out of the mold applied after the sprue is cut

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I've use soot from candle, lighter, etc.
I recently bought an Accurate Mold, oh my goodness what quality.
The boolits fall from the Mold, or can be flicked with a gloved finger. By far the best mold I've ever owned or used.