First go at casting Balls and Bullets, thoughts and questions

[mooman76]

I got a cheap pair of diagonal cutters and ground the face flat so there was no bevel on the cutter so it would cut closer and smoother.

 

[amcmullen]

I was curious what SEPAflint's bullets measured out at. I am thinking that as hot as he got them I was betting that he was at or over .517 on that top band.
I added 1000 grains of chilled lead shot to 10 pounds of pure lead. Doing this will add tin and antimony to the lead. It will not be hardened to any degree. The blue bullets should be reduced unless he still gets it way too hot.
My 320 mould throws at 324 grains. Top band comes out at .517

I just got a chance to measure. I measured 5 different REAL and 6 RB. The three blue (hot) bullets measured .515 .516 .517 on the top band. Silver (cold) came in at .513 (all three).
The round balls came in at .490 (1) .491(4) and .492 (1).

 

[TNGhost]

A thermometer will help, but nothing will stabilize things like getting a good, repeatable routine going, and all that takes is time spent casting.

 

[mooman76]

A tiny bit of tin will help with fill out without really making it harder. Also pure lead comes out shrinks more so it comes out smaller. Also has to do pressure. Don't know about bottom pour but when ladle casting a good size puddle on top the sprue plate helps with fill out too.

 

[amcmullen]

It's actually a lot of fun getting all of these measurements and seeing the pretty big differences between things that look completely identical and come from the exact same source. It's all about consistency which will have to come through experience

 

[Cowboy]

It's actually a lot of fun getting all of these measurements and seeing the pretty big differences between things that look completely identical and come from the exact same source. It's all about consistency which will have to come through experience

First off, I am only referring to RB. I have no experience in casting conical's. I will also make a few comments about measuring ball diameters verses weighing them. Lastly I will also comment on Lee molds in general.

1. You can't really make a judgement on how you are casting by taking diameter measurements only. I depend on ball weights which will tell me more about my casting consistency.

If you take a single ball and take measurements along the entire sphere, you will see that you will be getting different measurements. A .490 diameter ball when measured at different points of the surface may look like .490, .489, .492. You may come up with three different measurements on the same ball.

Each cavity on a double cavity mold will also produce their own diameter signature. No two cavities measure the same. I have measured the individual cavities on several different molds that are supposed to produce .490 RB. The Lee molds are close enough for government work but are not really precision. Do not know if any RB mold is exactly precise for that matter? That is why you can't depend on diameter measurements alone.

I have the opinion that ball weights will tell me more on how consistent I am casting.

As mentioned before, I leave a small puddle of lead on the sprueplate about the size of a dime above each cavity. This will allow the cavity to suck up the extra lead needed to completely fill out the ball before the lead solidifies.

After I cut the sprue, I look for any tiny pin holes on the flat surface of the ball. A pin hole is a good indicator of an air pocket formed inside of the ball. If I even see a hint of an air pocket, the ball gets tossed back in the pot.

Lastly, Alot of good advice and tips are very valuable to have but will only take you so far. The best teacher is good ol hands on experience.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[amcmullen]

Lots of great advise, thanks to you and everyone who gave their input. I realize that I have a lot to learn. However all of your help will certainly shorten the learning curve considerably. Once my lead thermometer comes in I plan on working with my molds and temperatures

 

[Cowboy]

:thumbsup:

 

[amcmullen]

Final thoughts and observations to put this one to bed. I got a thermometer. turns out my Lee Pot on setting 8 will melt lead to well over 1000*!! Turned that down to 6.5, that gets it to 850*

Key to the operation is definitely mold temp. The other night I was pouring in 37* temps. with about 120 balls I had 40 out of weight. A lot of wrinkles and variations. Tonight with 60* temps and a well warmed up mold I cast 70 balls...3 were under specs.

To wrap it up thank you all for your help :hatsoff:

 

[mooman76]

You can't really go by the numbers on the Lee pots. They vary one pot to another. At 6 1/2 I can (usually)get lead alloy to cast good bullets after the mould is well heated but with near pure lead which requires more heat I have to have it at least 7 1/2 but that's just my pot.

 

[Cowboy]

I am glad everything is working out for you! Sounds like you got a good handle on everything.

Casting is like BP shooting. It can become very addictive. The enjoyment of going through the whole process and seeing your end result. The Perfect Ball!

I hope you have as much fun as I do when casting! Enjoy! :grin:

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[Idaho Ron]

Casting is like BP shooting. It can become very addictive. The enjoyment of going through the whole process and seeing your end result. The Perfect Ball!

I hope you have as much fun as I do when casting! Enjoy! :grin:

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

I am like that. When I cast bullets I am looking for perfect bullets and I am thinking about hunts I will use them on. Then when it all comes together and the animal is on the ground All I can do is be thankful that "I" control my supply and quality of my perfect bullets.

 

[B.Habermehl]

Harbor freight tools sells a infrared thermometer gun that should be really handy for checking mold temperatures. I got one for $35. It's at work right now but when I start to get the yen to cast bullets again as the spring evenings warm up, l will be giving it a try. BJH