Casting lead balls ?

[mooman76]

Are you near Pekin? There is a fellow on the Castboolits board that casts and he lives there. I don't know what he charges though. I started with a spoon and a cast iron pot. You can start out cheap and add better things later. Nothing difficult about casting, just need a little knowledge. A Lee mould will work fine.

 

[jfaldo]

You better run over there and grab the rest even if you don't need it. You can easily double your money on it selling it on Ebay if nothing else. Because that price is just stupid low and the guy that has it is losing out big time at that price.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Just two weeks ago I bought some lead sheeting from a local hospitals redoing their ex - ray rooms from the local recycling center for .085 a lb. And it is about as pure as you can get! :idunno:

 

[Jim C]

If I order 1 box of Hornady balls at $11 it cost almost $14 to ship it. That's pretty expensive if you ask me. That's why I suggested to buy several. This is what you see on the product description -

"This item has restrictions that may prevent it's sale by age or location".

On some sites it will even say "State Department" restrictions. I researched it sometime back and found that restrictions have been tightened on lead, especially exported lead.

 

[Cowboy]

Pekin is about 2 hours northwest from where I live. I live in Oakwood.Its a very small town in centraleast IL.,just off the Indiana border. I've been looking at Midsouth Shooters Supply at their lead ball casting equipment. I want to cast my own lead balls but first want to research and learn as much as I can before making any purchases.I have alot of reading and studying and also Youtube videos to watch. I have already received some excellent advice on what to buy and what I need to get started. When I get my Lead and equipment that I will need I will keep everyone informed on what I am trying to do and I know I will have alot of questions to ask. I thank everyone for the much appreciated advice and comments so far. I'ts been a big help already! Thankyou, Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[mooman76]

Go to castboolits and they have allot of info there. Lyman cast bullets handbook is a good read too. Sometimes some lead for sale.

 

[bpd303]

Yep a good site also The Cast Bullet Association is another. Can't link but google lists both on a search.

 

[jfaldo]

Again you better buy it up then because that's still 10cents below spot for scrap lead. So whoever is selling it that cheap is losing money. Good for you though wish I could find that kind of deal, and absolutely right x-ray lead is pure lead at least any that I ever had. Gotta say I'm pretty envious of you guys that can do these amazing deals on pure lead :thumbsup:

 

[Eterry]

I can say that I've never bought a lead round ball for black powder, ever! My secret, SCROUNGE, hit up everyone you see for lead, it was used in splicing telephone lines for years, just been replaced in the last cpl years, and utility workers threw away TONS of it. Plumbers and roofers also have access to scrap lead. I recently stopped by an old house being torn down and asked about the scrap lead, who knew they used to line bathroom floors with sheet lead? I didn't, but walked away with over 100 lbs free!
The last mould I got was at a flea market, I gave $10 for a RCBS minie ball mould, and a Lee REAL. So don't be afraid to scrounge

I started with a Coleman stove, the smallest cast iron skillet sold, a hand made left hand ladle, and a mould. A piece of broom handle was my mallet to cut the sprue.

Good luck,
Eterry

 

[tozzybum]

good man ,havent paid for lead yet and hope to never buy any.after the roofing lead is used up ive got 8 seafishing sinkers to melt down courtesy of the wife.fishing off llandudno pier she hooked a "monster"which turned out to be 8 big weights all snagged together=result.then its back to my old roofing mates with the cap in hand .the camping stove does for now and eventually il get a lyman pot as they seem to be ideal atb

 

[hthomso]

Can't add too much to what has already been said. I would recommend a Lee mould to start. I have several and they perform just as well as the RCBS and Lyman that I have. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is a very good reference for casting and should tell you more than you need to know for casting for muzzleloaders. The one point I would stress after 30 years of casting is safety. Read everything you can about the casting procedure prior to starting. ALWAYS wear gloves, safety glasses, and SHOES. Molten lead and human skin are not compatible. Make sure your casting area is well ventilated. Do not leave molten lead unattended with children or pets around. Casting is fun and takes a little practice, but I think it is the way to go if you shoot much at all.

 

[irishtoo]

hard too add to the advise already given. i would think it all depends on how much you shoot. if you go thru one or two boxes of balls a year then...no. if this is something you just want to do for the fun of it...ok..maybe. get the equipment from flea markets and yard sales. use found/free lead. lee moulds can be bought from Track of the Wolf on line for less than 20 bucks plus shipping. BUT be warned, once you start down this road, its hard to turn back!!! good luck to you irishtoo

 

[Billnpatti]

For emphysis, I want to add to what others have said about safety. Lead and lead containing products are toxic and you must protect yourself from them any time that you are handling lead. Wash your hands with soap whenever you leave your bench just to be sure that you don't pick up something to eat with hands that have lead on them. Also, molton lead is quite hot and can cause a serious burn to bare unprotected skin or eyes. Always use basic personal protective equipment consisting of leather gloves and eye protection. Use good ventilation whenever melting lead or handling molton lead. I cast in my garage with the door open and a fan behind me to blow the fumes away from my breathing area. Ideally, the fan should be close behind you and slightly off to one side so that it is blowing slightly diagonally across you and your melting pot. If it is directly behind you, it can create a low pressure area directly in front of you and this will draw the fumes right up into your breathing area. For comfort, I cast while seated at my bench. If somehow lead is spilled, it could run down into my lap and cause a serious burn to areas that I would prefer not be burned. To protect this area, I purchased a leather welder's apron from Harbor Freight. If I remember correctly, it cost somewhere in the range of $12 to $15. But that was a few years back. Still, it should not be too expensive.

I know all of this sounds like over kill but it is cheap protection. The gloves, apron and safety glasses are not expensive. You probably already have a fan so that doesn't cost you anything extra. Avoid distractions and keep kids and pets away from where you are casting. Especially watch kids because those shiny balls are very attractive to young inquisitive fingers.

Like anything having to do with guns and reloading, safety is of utmost importance. Casting your own balls is fun but be safe doing it. :thumbsup:

 

[cynthialee]

A coleman stove, an iron pot filled with pure lead, a ladle, a stick for whacking the sprue cutter and molds is all I have to cast with and the bullets come out fine. No thermometer and no high dollar lead pot. The lead will tell you when it is ready once you get used to how the stuff reacts to melting and molding. The learning curve isn't very steep at all.

And if you ever get into one of them silly contests where you gotta make a round ball and shoot it in a certain amount of time...you ain't gonna have anything high tech to work with. Just a camp fire and rudimentary tools.

 

[Kansas Jake]

That is how I started casting over 40 years ago except my ladle was a table spoon. I finally picked up an electric pot at Cabela's in the bargain cave a couple of years ago. I also had a cast ladle for bullet casting but can't find it so I went back to a table spoon for the last bunch I cast.

 

[Billnpatti]

.....high dollar lead pot.

High dollar lead pot????? :hmm: Since when does $31 come under the heading of "high dollar"? :haha: And I have been in several of those contests where you have to melt and shoot a ball within a certain amount of time. I can do it. Hell, anyone smart enough to pull his own boots off can do it. The technology is not all that different, it is just a matter of convenience to use an electric pot. I started out doing just what you do but one day the pot got too heavy for the support wires on my stove and the pot of lead just slowly settled down on the stove burner. I repaired the support wires and then decided to start using the kitchen stove. That worked pretty well and I had an exhaust hood to pull out the fumes. Unfortunately, one day I tried to add too big of a piece of lead to my pot and as the lead melted, it ran over the top of the pot and all down over the top of the stove. Mama was not happy!!! :cursing: She was up in the middle of my back spurring like a banty rooster until I got the stove immaculate. I saw the error of my ways and started searching around for an electric pot and happened across a deal on a used electric bottom pour Lee pot. I used it for several years but still prefered to dip my lead like I did when I used a cast iron pot and a stove. Also, I got tired of the bottom pour pot dripping lead from the spout and plugging up from time to time. So, I sold my bottom pour pot and bought a brand new Lee pot that holds about 10 pounds of lead and you dip it out ($31 from Midsouth). I'm happy. It is easy to set up and take down on my work bench in the garage and I don't have to worry about having the fuel on hand. Nope, just plug 'er in and let 'er suck on the electric wires. :grin:

But, this is a do what makes you happy hobby so if you are happier with your stove and pot set up, it's what you ought to use. :thumbsup:

Have a good 'un and keep making smoke. :hatsoff:

 

[Rifleman1776]

B&P
Lee bottom pour pots don't drip or leak. That is just a myth. :rotf: :rotf:

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[Billnpatti]

Oops, my bad. It's all been made clear to me now. :rotf:

 

[mooman76]

Some people just put a small bolt in the bottom and use them with a dipper. Some also have ways they can tweak them so the don't leak or just live with the small drip. After over 40 years of using a ladle, I figure why bother.

 

[jamesthomas]

I don't why anyone would buy a bottom pour, Imho just go buy one you dip from, less potential problems to contend with, I have the 20 Lb. Magnum Melter from Lee, no problems at all with it, money well spent Imo.