Casting 101 Help Required

[NoJacketRequired]

Hi Folks,

I've been reading a little on the subject of casting bullets and have come to the conclusion that I should probably give this a try. I've picked up a used casting furnace (Lee bottom-pour)from a friend, but other than that I'm pretty much without equipment. I shoot .50 cal sidelocks, one which prefers a .490 roundball and the other which prefers a short conical (both are 1:48" barrels). I also have an in-line which seems to really like the 275gr T/C MaxiHunter.

My questions about casting are many, although I'll try not to ask all of them in this post! I'd sure appreciate any answers or advice you might have to offer.

1) casting flux - does anybody use flux in their pots, and if so is beeswax the right thing, or...?

2) moulds... been thinking about the Lee combo mould that does a RB and a REAL. Are these any good? For .50 cal, what size ball do they cast, and how long/heavy is the REAL cast by them?

3) do the REAL bullets really seal tightly in the barrel? Are they a real bear to load?

4) are balls cast from a Lee mould likely to provide about the same accuracy as Hornady swaged balls?

5) what else do I really need to get started casting?

OK, OK, these are really newbie questions, so it goes without saying that I appreciate both your helpful responses and your patience! :redface:

 

[2172]

I use beeswax as a flux..works well for me...I've heard of guys using parafin, and candle wax, but never tried either.
I have both Lyman and Lee molds, and am satisfied with the lee...I only cast RB so I have no opinion on your other questions except I shoot just as badly with swaged balls as with my own cast ones...Hank

 

[silverfox]

NoJacket: Beeswax will work fine so does some of the other waxes you mention. You may fine more information on casting by doing a search on this link. To answer some of your questions Lee moulds cast .490 and .495 ball for .50cal and I have not been able to tell any difference in accuracy between them and swaged balls, other than cast are cheaper to make. I can't help with the REALS as I haven't used them but several people seem to like them. They supposedly load easier than sabots and some get good groups with them. The Lee bottom pour is a good melter. Be sure to have good ventilation when working, wear gloves, get a towel or something soft to drop your bullets on when they come out of the mould. Get a mallet or wood hammer handle to wack the spruecutter with. Allow the lead on the sprue to frost over before cutting it off and keep all moisture including sweat away from your lead pot. Try to keep your pot at least 3/4 full of lead. On your mould use no oil, but each time you start a session use commercial mould prep or just smoke the cavity with a kitchen match or two. This will help release the ball from the mould. Don't pickup your new balls with your bare hands as they are hot. Read as much as you can in this forum and have fun with your new hobby.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've got the basic Lee bottom-pour with thermostat and it's served me well. I flux with a lima bean size piece of beeswax when I do my initial melt (I use a Coleman Stove and cast iron plumber's pot for the grungy junk-yard scrap lead to form ingots - the second melt in the Lee furnace I use a pea sized piece of beeswax). Candle wax works just as well. A TINY TINY bit at the hinge and sprue-cutter pivot keeps the mould opening easy. Too much gets into the cavity and is bad. Use the candle to light and blacken the cavity with the soot. Makes the balls release better and take a nice, shiny surface. But a frosty ball means you're too hot. A wrinkled ball meand you're too cold. The pour only needs to cool six or seven seconds.

I make a little catch pan out of a Frisbee with a couple neoprene mouse pads covered with two layers of aluminum foil.

I have a Lee round ball & R.E.A.L. double mold. I mostly use the round ball cavity. Doing it over (and the next time) I'll get an RCBS or Lyman steel round ball mould.

I weigh every ball +/- o.2 grains in an RCBS 5-10 scale and those cast balls are every bit as accurate as the swaged. I keep the "almost" balls for plinking (the really off ones go back in the pot) and even they are near-nuff to the swaged. I make more errors than the balls do, if you know what I mean.

I leave 3 or 4 pounds of lead in the pot to cool (Lee recommends this). It keeps the valve sealed away from the air and cuts down on corrosion and clogging. Almosy ALL the crud floats in lead, and if you skim often and keep lead in the pot it never gets to the valve.

My favorire skimmer is a stainless steel tablespoon with a dozen holes I drilled in the bowl with a Dremel. The lead runs out the center holes and the edges can still skim the little dross bits.

I have a section of broken pick handle I use to rap the mould's sprue cutter. A hammer handle, tomahawk handle or 1" dia stick would work as well.

A heavy leather glove for your off-hand holding the mould is a real good thing to have.

 

[Rebel]

And don't forget eye protection and a long sleeve shirt. A leather apron would probably be good too, as well as heavy leather boots. And nothing synthetic, cause if lead splashes on synthetics they melt, and right to your skin when they do.

 

[Rat]

Do not let any water get in or near your melted lead...not even a tiny drop. Don't ask me how I know that.

I shoot REALs in my minnie rifles, in those they are easy to load, but I do use a short starter to start them. Once started they go right down. They seal very well, assuming they are sized correctly to the bore. I always use a wonder wad under them.

I cast bullets and balls out of a small cast-iron fry pan and use an old soup ladel (ladle?) to pour the lead into my mould. Boy the lead-level sure drops fast when casting .58 calibre minnie balls or .735" balls for Bloody bess.

Casting is a lot of fun, but some people hate it. I cast for a lot of different projectiles.

rat

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks to all for your most helpful responses. It would seem that I've got a pretty decent setup in the making as I have a fully detached garage with electricity and a nice workbench in it, and a window right over the workbench. Keeping the garage door and window open should give good ventilation and will allow me to continue casting, whatever the weather might be.

I wouldn't have been quite as careful about water in the pot as you folks have recommended - thanks for that heads-up! :master: What is the end result if one gets even a tiny drop of water in the pot?

And the tablespoon skimmer idea sounds like a good one. Maybe the addition of a wooden handle to the spoon would keep it cool and easier to hang onto with a gloved hand. A local fellow suggested using a layer of leather over a towel inside an old dome-style hubcap as a 'catcher' for the cast balls so I might give this a try.

Looks like casting should be lots of fun. Now all I have to do is find a reliable source of lead. At the moment I'm melting down all the lead pellets that I've shot from my competition airguns, but it takes about 50 pellets for every roundball. Somethin' tells me I'll never shoot enough airgun to keep up with my muzzleloading habit! :hmm:

 

[Stumpkiller]

What is the end result if one gets even a tiny drop of water in the pot?

A tiny drop that hits the surface will probably just sputter. BUT! If you have water inside a piece of scrap (like a collapsed lead pipe section) and it gets below the surface of the lead it will react just like blackpowder. Both create expanding gas. The water turns to steam and expands, violently! There is a reaction called a "steam explosion" that has sunk very large ships in seconds when water hits the hot boilers. KABOOM!

Any lead over and around that steam "Poof" can end up as facepaint on you, spoiling your whole day.

 

[Rebel]

You don't even want to let a drop of sweat hit in the pot. A molten lead bath would be absolutely no fun at all. You can't be TOO careful when casting. It is a lot of fun, you just have to exercise caution. No Jacket, check your PM's.

 

[Rat]

Even a tiny drop of water on the surface of the lead will:

SPLATTER MELTED LEAD TEN FEET IN EVERY DIRECTION. No probablys about it.

Again...DO NOT ask me how I know that.

:cry:

Rat

 

[REX]

IF your going to use wheel weights as your lead supply, like I do, then I would recomend the 490 RB and a .10 to .15 patch. This has worked for me with no trouble. :imo::thumbsup:
rex (westcoastBPgramps)
BP can be fun

 

[NoJacketRequired]

I was thinking of getting one of those fancy clear lexan face shields used in chemical handling. Now that I hear about water in lead pots, the idea of a face shield has suddenly become much more attractive!

And your point about using .490 balls and thinner patches is something I'll try. I've got access to wheel weights so might try them for the balls. Minnies/conicals will get my pure lead.

Thanks for your kind indulgence of a casting newbie...

 

[Slamfire]

I believe Lee makes two weights of REALs for each caliber. The longer ones need a faster twist, to stabilize them, than the shorter ones. :m2c:

 

[Protrucker]

A very good policy we should all practice is used by foundries that I used to deliver large ingots to. They place the ingots into a heated area for a period of time to insure that any moisture in them dries out before being placed into the furnace for melting. By planning ahead & putting your lead near a wood stove or heat register for a few hours or over night (longer if necessary) before doing your casting will insure that you don't have a serious mishap.
:m2c:

 

[Rat]

Totally correct...before I melt down all the bullets that come out of my backstop, or stuff I "mine" from other peoples backstops/ranges, I put it in the oven at about 200-250 for an hour or so.

Rat

 

[strongarm]

I'm using everything your asking about and I think my balls are better than anything you can buy on the market. REAL bullets are cone shaped because of their skirts, so they start slow but go down straight, which is very imporant for accuracy. I shot a clover leaf with them the other day, the 320 grain REAL bullets. 80 grains 777 FFg at 50 yds with a great plains hunter. in the same gun I use the rb for squirrel shooting 40 grains of powder. :hmm: