Lead ball casting questions from a beginner?

[Cowboy]

I have some how do you know questions and some why questions.Bare with me because I am brand new to casting. I have watched a hell of alot of Youtube videos and have read up as much as I can but am still a little confused on some things. When casting, How do you know if your lead temp.is to hot? Smoking the mould! Why is this done and how is it done and is it necessary to do this? Prepping a brand new mold? Do you need to clean the mold first and if so what do you use to clean it with? Fluxing the Lead? I've seen some who do this and some who don't on the Youtube videos. Im to understand that it is to help take impurities out of the lead and I'm to understand that it keeps a percentage of tin in the lead and that it makes the lead balls harder and penatrate game better when hunting. I personally don't care about keeping the tin in the lead or penatration either. I don't hunt anymore and am only punching holes in paper at the range. Do I need to flux my lead? I have around 30 pounds of Lead on the way and also have my Lee Magnum Melter Furnace, A Lee 2 cavity mold, A Lead Ladel, and a Ingot mold, on the way also. Can you answer my questions that I have posted? Also any tips or pointers that I would want to keep in mind would be a big help! From all that I've read and all the videos that I've watched, and advice from other members that I have already received, I'm feeling confident for my first try at it, but the one thing I don't have is experience. Any added advice and the answering of my questions that I have posted would be greatly appreciated! I am very excited for my first try at it. Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[mooman76]

Allot of your questions will be answered by yourself through practice and experience. Unfortunately there was no internet when I started and I learned the hard way. Your lead is too hot when it takes too long for the lead too cool in your mould. It should take about 3 or 4 seconds but this is after your mould gets up to proper temp.
Smoking the mould helps the castings drop out easier. It isn't necessary if you don't want to. I kept forgetting so eventually I didn't even try any more.
It is best to clean the mould when first get it new or if you have oiled it for storage. The oild will repel the lead and you won't get as good of fill out.
I flux but not all the time. If you flux lead when first casting into ingots and it is clean. It is not really needed after. Over fluxing is a waist and you will take lead out of the pot. Lead will oxidize and the hotter it is the faster it will. It will be on the surface and some people mistaken it for impurities. I just drag it to a section of the pot to get it out of the way and remove when it builds up.
The good thing about lead is it is reusable if it isn't cast right. Remember water and lead don't mix. Even a tiny bit will vaporize and explode like you wouldn't believe. Practice and have fun, it isn't rocket science and not all that hard to pick up on. I start my lad out hot and gradually turn the heat down a little at a time as everything warms up.

 

[mooman76]

I forgot. I clean my moulds with brake cleaner but other things work well too. Something that will evaporate quick and not leave residue. Even soap and water would work but must be dried real, real well. I don't really recommend water but just saying it can be done. Lube the mould with something that withstands high temps. 2 cycle oil works good. Do it very sparingly as it doesn't take much. I use a q-tip and don't get oil near the cavities.

 

[jfaldo]

When casting, How do you know if your lead temp.is to hot?

Buy a casting thermometer. No other way to tell what your lead temp is.

Smoking the mould! Why is this done and how is it done and is it necessary to do this?

Some guys say it makes the mould release better. I don't do it. If the temp is correct and your mould is hot and clean then you shouldn't need to.

Do you need to clean the mold first and if so what do you use to clean it with?

Yes very important to do this when starting your casting session. Brake cleaner, Carb cleaner, rubbing alchohol or anything to remove oil from the mould. Don't have to get fanatical about it because if you miss a spot it will most likely burn off when pre-heating the mould.

Fluxing the Lead?

I use parafin wax to flux. It will bring the dross to the surface and allow you to easily skim it off with an old spoon. Just keeps the lead cleaner and easier to work with in my opinion.

I'm to understand that it keeps a percentage of tin in the lead and that it makes the lead balls harder and penatrate game better when hunting.

You will be using pure lead to cast roundballs so there is no tin to consider. Tin is used mostly in BPCR bullets to add hardness to the bullet to mostly control nose slump in long bullets and prevent leading at higher velocities when using basically naked bullets.

Casting is not real difficult, it just takes a little learning to do it correctly. Get your lead to somewhere in the 720 degree to 820 degree area. Get you mould up to temp and start casting. You'll get the feel for it pretty quick. Also another important thing to remember is that you may need to tap the mould handles to release the balls from the mould, Always tap the mould handles hinge pin never ever tap on the mould you will ruin a mould pretty quick by hitting a hot mould.

 

[jfaldo]

Also the tin helps the mould fill out better when casting big slugs. It is something that you would actually have to add to the lead though to have it there. At the price of tin these days if you don't need it then use that money somewhere else. I have been shooting 20:1 in my BPCR guns for years now but thinking of trying 30:1 to save a little on the tin expenditure.

 

[Billnpatti]

You can tell if your lead is the right temp by looking at the balls that you cast. If they are wrinkled, undersize or deformed, the lead or mold is too cold. If the balls are frosty looking, the lead is too hot. The easiest way is to buy a lead thermometer. It will tell you the exact temperature of your lead.

Smoking the mold is done to make the ball release when you open the mold. Most folks do this but a few will tell you that it is not necessary. Personally, I do it and find it to work for me. You can use something simple such as a candle or one of the long butane candle lighters to do it. It is quick and simple and I definately think it is worth it. Just blacken the cavety and faces of the mold halves. You usually only have to do it once before each casting session but if you find the balls not dropping out easily, just smoke the mold again.

When you get a new mold, it will likely have a protective film of oil on it. I have used many things to clean my new molds such as acetone or alcohol. But, the best thing I have found is a spray can of automobile brake cleaner or carburetor cleaner. Both are excellent so just buy whichever is cheaper. BTW, both are excellent for cleaning your lock without having to disassemble it. Just spray it and the crud will just flush right out. but, it will remove all of the lubrication so you will have to put a drop of oil on all of the moving parts after cleaning your lock.

Before starting to cast balls, when your mold is hot, touch the sprue cutter hinge and locater pins with a dab of bees wax to lubricate them. Don't get any into the cavety of the mold. Use only bees wax, never paraffin. This is essential to keep your mold lubricated and keep it from galling.

Lead is seldom clean. It will always have oxides and frequently it will have dirt and other stuff in it. When your lead is melted, just add a small bit, aboout the size of a pea, of wax, either candle wax or bees wax to your pot of lead and stir it. It will likely flame up but that is okay because it will quickly go out. One advantage to having it flame up is that when it flames up, it cuts down on the smoke. I use my butane candle lighter that I use to smoke my mold to intentionally light the smoke and vapors to cut down on the smoke coming from the pot. BTW, you want to do this in a well ventilated area where the lead fumes can be blown outside. You need to get them out of the area where you are working so you don't breathe them. Jusr stirring them around with a fan won't do it. Lead is toxic and cumulative, meaning that the lead will not leave your body and will accumulate inside you. So even if you only breathe a little of the fumes each time, they will, over time, accumulate in your body and can build up to a toxic level. It is good to have a fan blowing across you at an angle as you cast and especially as you flux. I don't want to scare you, just make you aware that you need good ventillation when you are melting lead. Do that and you can do it quite safely. When you add the wax to your pot, as it melts, use your dipping ladle to stir it into the lead. This will bring the impurities to the top where you can skim them off. Keep an empty can next to your pot to toss the dross into. You may have to flux as you go along and especially after adding more lead to your pot.

Be safe and have fun. :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

How do you know if your lead temp.is to hot?

When you do start casting you will learn a lot about the lead behavior just by watching your results. Too cold, the balls will wrinkle. Too hot is very obvious, a lot of frosting and they take a longer time to set up. I turn up heat until frosting is just beginning to show up on the balls. That is my heat point. A little frosting will not hurt anything.

 

[mooman76]

Also preheat your mould. This will speed up the starting process. You can have your mould setting on the edge of the pot as it heats up or dip the corner of the mould, including the sprue cutter into the lead melt approximately 25 seconds but when the lead falls off instead of sticking to the mould, you know its heated enough to start.

 

[CrossXstix]

Everyone has said to clean the oil from the new mold. The OP did mention that he was getting a LEE mold that is made from aluminum, and shouldn't have any storage or shipping oil on it. But a tooth brush and a little Dawn dish washing detergent wouldn't hurt if it has any cutting oil in the cavities from production.

 

[jamesthomas]

That 30 Lbs. of lead I sent you is 99% clean, also I have found that a setting of 7 to 7 1/2 on that Lee Magnum to be the proper Temp. I know because I use one. I'll be making a lot of ingots this weekend, I have 220 Lbs. of sheet lead to melt down.

 

[19 16 6]

Lube the mould with something that withstands high temps. 2 cycle oil works good. Do it very sparingly as it doesn't take much. I use a q-tip and don't get oil near the cavities.

By this lube the mould I believe you mean the sprue cutter hinge screw only ?
O.

 

[mooman76]

I lube that and the hinge point on the handles and on the Lee moulds I lube where the mould is attached to the handles so they move freely to lessen alignment problems. Also I wipe sparingly with a q-tip on the sprue plate on the lee moulds to prevent galling.

 

[hanshi]

I've been casting for pistol bullets/rifle bullets and round balls for nearly 55 years. One thing I can vouch for is that casting round ball is much easier than casting aspersions....safer, too.

 

[mooman76]

That is true. Not much for the lead ball to hang to like a bullet with grooves and such.

 

[M. De Land]

A couple of tips I've picked up over the years that work well.
1. Flux can be anything with a carbon base, I use walnut wood shavings from my stock work and it does as good a job as the most expensive store bought products. Beside that it smells good when burning and does not smoke as much as wax.
2. Most folks over smoke their molds to the point it will leave a impression in the casting even though it falls out easily.
All that is needed or desired is a very thin film that will practically be invisible when done correctly.
I use nothing but a wood match and know I have over done it if the cavity turns a sooty black.
3. Most molds do not need to be struck to open correctly. Usually a push from the ladle handle on the lower right corner of block in the face up position will release the ball or bullet.
This is far less wearing on the handles, mold and alignment pins.
Master retired mold maker Paul Jones of California taught me this when I bought one of his excellent molds.
4. The scum on top the previously cleaned melt is oxidized lead and tin and some of it can be worked back into the melt with a wood dowel as the scum is rubbed against the sides of the pot with the dowel or stick.
If the scum (oxidized lead and tin) is skimmed off the melt is loosing both tin and lead. Not a great deal but some.
5. Round balls are the most simple of projectile to cast. Long bullets with deep,square cornered lube grooves are the most difficult but even they can be produced in great quantity with precision when all the requirements are met.
Many of us cast them with in .75 of a grain either side of the target weight.
By that I mean if the target weight is say 530 grains all the keepers will fall with in 529.2 to 530.7 grains.
This takes some practice and experience but is very doable.
I like to cast at a heat and cadence that leaves just a hint of front on the projectiles. This insures the most complete fill out and weight consistency and hurts nothing as the frost can be wiped off with ones finger.
6. Using a carpenters pencil, I like to cover the inside of the sprue plate, the sprue plate pour hole and the entire top of the mold with a coating of pencil graphite.
This keeps the lead smears from accumulating and eventually damaging the ball sprue or bullet base.

 

[M. De Land]

A comment about smoking molds.
All molds are smoked anyway wither or not it is done before hand or from oxide build up through use.
In my opinion ,after casting both ways, pre-smoking does a much better job if done correctly with a very thin film using a wood match.
It also is much faster as good balls start dropping immediately when both melt and mold are brought up to proper temperature.
It is also very durable and will last for as long as you which to cast.

 

[Cowboy]

I have everything I need now, the lead and the equipment. I plan on starting on monday or tuesday. Of course the weather will dictate this. It has been raining alot around here lately. I will keep all of you posted on the end results of my first attempt. I feel pretty good about it though. Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[Zonie]

If your casting outside putting it off until all chances of rain are gone is a good idea.

Just one raindrop or one drop of sweat falling into the pot of melted lead will cause an almost immediate "mini explosion" that will throw molten lead in all directions.

 

[necchi]

Always wash the molds, use any degrease agent you like and clean'm so there's no resiude left.
Lee molds need a little lube on the guide pins,, an automotive grade anti seize works well,, just a little goes a long way.
I don't bother smoking the molds.
Pure lead is too hot when you see the iridescent color scum floating on top. If it get's that hot don't worry, just turn the temp down and stir it.

You'll need to find a rhythm to the cast; pour,cut,drop,close,,pour,, repeat,, all takes about 6-7 seconds each.
The first 8-10 ball will be scrap,, it'll take that long for the mold to get up to temp,, just keep the rhythm.
Over fill the mold,, leave a puddle on-top of the sprue plate or the cooling will pull air into the ball.
Have the mold at a slight angle when you pour, the molten lead will "swirl" giving a better fill.

 

[robinghewitt]

If you have some scales it does not hurt to weigh your balls and separate out the heavies and the really light ones. Treasure the heavies, recycle the lights, have fun with the rest. If the sprue freezes before the contracting core has sucked enough lead you will get vacuum bubbles. Bubbles are unavoidable if you cast rather than swage.

I use the Lee pot with spout at the bottom. If I scrape the sides and bottom with an old screwdriver, dross floats to the surface where I skim it off. There seems to be a never ending supply of dross for scraping, but scraping seems to help keep the spout clear. I have no idea what is going on there so it is probably supernatural.