Making my own balls

[tryinhard]

Where is a good place to learn? What is there to it? Is it economical? Where do I find lead? Please help!

Thanks

 

[Idaho Ron]

Where is a good place to learn? What is there to it? Is it economical? Where do I find lead? Please help!

Thanks

Well this is as good a place as any to learn. Ask any questions you have. I will bet somebody on this forum has done it or seen it.
What is there to it? Well you need a heat source like a Coleman stove or a propane stove, a cast iron pot, and a ladle. You can also use a lead furnace either a bottom pour or just a melter and with that type you will need a ladle.
a mould, and some lead. Pure lead is the best in my opinion. You can get by with Wheel Weights for round balls. You can get pure lead from one of the sponsors of this web site, Rotometal. I get my lead there and it is pure and soft. It might not be the lowest cost, but it is VERY uniform in hardness.

Is it economical?
Well I make my bullets as perfect as possible. The time involved in making the perfect bullets would cost a fortune if I had to buy them. So I think it is a great value. Ron

 

[longfowler]

you can do a search for "casting " on here, there's a ton of info. It's cheap & easy, but learn all you can first for saftey's sake. get a little one burner stove, an old cast iron pot, a spoon or ladle, and a mould. You can find some lead from a local plumber or a scrap yard. make sure you have good ventilation and don't EVER get water near hot lead.
I collect old wheel wieghts, and melt them down in my garage on a old camp stove. And like anything else,practice makes perfect!

 

[MSW]

i agree with Ron... this is a good place to learn and ask questions, and you don't need a bunch of fancy stuff and doo- dahs (unless you're so inclined- there's certianly nothing wrong with fancy stuff or doo- dahs).

i started casting with a small cast iron pot, a collegiate hot plate, a lead dipper and a mold in '75, and i've been doing it off and on ever since... still have the stuff. you can get a melting pot later if you want- i like the bottom pour ones for the convenience.

depending on your needs, Lee molds work great. Lyman also makes a very nice mold, but they're a good bit more expensive. (Some people look down their noses at the cheaper aluminum molds, but i've always had good luck with 'em.) You'll need a solid surface to work on; one that won't tip over or spill. have a bit of hardwood to knock the sprue cutter open (don't use a hammer- and please don't ask me how i know :redface: ) get you lead melted, drop a bit of beeswax into it and stir the whole mess around with an old spoon (this is now your stirring spoon and don't EVER use it for anything else) then skim the funky bits off the top and fill your ladle. pour the molten lead from the ladle into the mold, holding the mold with the top plate up and more or less paralell to the ground so it will fill smoothly. then give it a bit to cool and knock the sprue off.

you first few won't be very good looking- don't worry - this is just the mold heating up. after a while, they'll come out looking as though you meant that... stick with it and you'll get a good speed going... if there are wrinkles, the mold is too cool, and if they're 'frosted' looking, it means that the mold's too hot.

a few safety notes:

you must do this outside... no exceptions. the pot will give off fumes that can really mess you up. you want to be upwing of the whole deal as much as possible

you should wear gloves and CLOSED TOED shoes when you 'run ball.' pouring molten lead on yourself is not only very painful, but extreemly embarrasing.

avoid splashing the lead, for the same reasons.

DO NOT EAT or DRINK anything while running ball. you will ingest small but very dangerous particles of lead, which can mess you up.

be very careful about even the smallest drop of water getting into the pot: this can cause a very nasty splashing of the molten metal in all sorts of unpredictable and undesireable directions. i've had a close call with a drop of sweat, so wear a hat or sweatband.

when you're done casting, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly, even if you've worn gloves.

i let the balls drop onto a folded up towel (again, this is now casting gear and not used for anything else). this way, they won't deform as a result of being dropped on anything hard. be very sure they're cooled before you go to sort through them (don't ask how i know that, either :redface: ).

i'm not trying to scare you- this is a perfectly safe way to use some spare time, but you do need to take proper safety precautions, use safety gear, and use common sense. (sorta like using guns, but without the "bang.")

now (the deep dark secret) and don't tell anyone i told you, but the mold will come with instructions, and you will glead a tremendous amount of knowledge if you RTFI (Read The Fxxxing Instructions).. yes, i know that "real men" don't read the instructions, so just do it, don't admit it, and don't get caught by any of your buddies. and if you do get caught, i don't know you.

rotometals is a good outfit, and their prices aren't that much more or less than what you're likely to find at the local scrap yard; assuming you have one handy and assuming that they'll sell you lead. if you're in a hurt for lead, and you can't find a scrounge source, go with them. also, if you search the forum, you'll run across a post about how to use plastic kitty litter containers or five gallon pails full of sand to use as a backstop, and then you empty the sand over a screen back into a pail and, viola, you've recovered most of the lead which can be remelted an reused and remelted over and over. kinda cool.

good luck, and make good smoke!

 

[paulvallandigham]

Check the website for Lyman. The company is one of the major suppliers of casting equipment and molds. Lyman put out a book or manual on Casting and Cast Bullets. It has the step by step instruction and safety guidelines you need to know about before beginning.

Lead can be bought locally from scrap dealers, roofing contractors, plumbers, and other locations, where lead is cycled and use in X-ray equipment, for instance.

There are dealers on the internet who also sell lead. Rotometal is just one. I find that the closer to home you find a source, the lower the price. Lead prices were over $1.50 a pound a year ago, but are now back down to less than $.30 a lb most places. So you should not have to pay an arm and a leg for lead, if you buy it.

Lead is considered a " hazardous Material", so it has to be disposed of in special landfills, at a price. Construction companies are happy to get rid of it because it saves them the time and cost of disposing of it. Telephone cables, and other equipment often use lead, so ask around.

Scrap dealers are in the business to make money. If they know you want pure lead, they will take your name and phone number and call you whenever any comes in. The quicker they turn their money invested into a profit, the better they are in the business. Use that to your advantage.

I have friends that have several hundreds of pounds of lead they have picked up here and there that will keep them in bullets and balls for many years to come.

 

[silverfox]

My local scrap yard is selling sheet lead (that good stuff) for $.50 a pound this week they must of had a couple of tons. I had the wrong car (wifes) so passed on them. Did go to a local tire shop and was given about 50 pounds of wheelweights the stickon type not the metal clip on type. A little messy burning the sticky stuff off but the price was right (free). Check around town you might get some good lead locally.
Follow all the good advise and you will be making balls in no time and saving a good bit of money to boot.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[buggybuilder]

I have always bought my round balls but was going to cast some this spring. I always thought that muzzleloader round balls and mini balls had to be cast from pure lead. Are wheel weights okay to use? I didn't think that they were soft enough.

 

[jdstrang]

For minies, no. Only pure soft lead will allow proper expansion. :nono:

For round balls, there's some debate. :yakyak:

Some folks insist it has to be soft, others say for non-engraving balls, it don't make no nevermind. I'm in that latter camp, having shot my '42 ArmiSport Springfield smoothie successfully with both.

 

[R.M.]

Do a Google search for "Boolits". Yes spell it that way. You'll find more than you want to know there.
Also, water on top of molten lead sizzles, water under the surface explodes, even the tiniest amount.

 

[cowpoke1955]

Check out Lee products on F&M Reloading: http://www.fmreloading.com/ . I buy sheet lead from a local recycle center. Casting your own can make shooting almost dirt cheap :thumbsup:

 

[olflint40]

I wonder if lead out of auto batteries would work? I know you would have to be carful because of the acid.

 

[R.M.]

Don't even consider battery lead. It just isn't worth it.

 

[Swampman]

For a smoothbore, it doesn't matter if you use soft or hard lead.

 

[Zonie]

Acid isn't the only thing to worry about with battery lead.

Modern batteries lead is alloyed with a number of other metals, some of which are poisonous or are carcinogens.

Leave batteries to the professionals who know how to handle the hazards.

 

[Allan Gray]

I started casting last year and had the same questions you do.

This is the best place to get info. Just ask and you'll get more than you want. :haha:

Is it economical? Maybe, depending on how much you shoot and your source of lead. To me, the satisfaction of casting my own ammo is well worth it, minimal costs differences aside.

Finding free lead can be hit or miss. I work in the construction industry so every now and then I have access to lead from roofing demolition, (flashing), which is great stuff.

Casting does require attention to safety and health issues, so it's wise to follow the advise given by others. The stuff is hot and it is toxic. Use common sense and you'll have no worries!

 

[shdwlkr]

I have been playing with black powder and lead for over 35 years so I am just learning the tricks.
First I have used pure lead and ww lead in my muzzle loaders because it works. I have also used buckshot in them. So yes you can use more then pure lead and I use 3f in all my muzzle loaders from .31 up to.54 caliber and like the 3f best.
Now when I started like others I had a cast iron pot and a ladle and a stove.
You don't need a lot more then a pot, ladle, heat source and mold.
I use patching that is around .14-.18 thousands thick and it works for me and don't see any difference between pure lead and ww lead. Now if it touched the rifling it might be different but I don't know as my ww lead is soft enough I can cut my finger nail in it. I would not use a really hard lead as I do think that could mess some things up but haven't tried so don't have anything hard to base it on just my thinking.
I have even shot a .30 caliber ball in my 32 and 36 and have gotten acceptable results but it would not be my first choice.

 

[Zonie]

Where is a good place to learn? What is there to it? Is it economical? Where do I find lead? Please help!

Thanks

Economical? Well, lets say a box of 100 .490 diameter balls costs $10.00. That equals out to about 10 cents each.

Now, lets say you couldn't find any real good deals on lead but the local junk yard sold you 5 pounds for $10. ($2.00/pound)

There are 7000 grains in a pound and a .490 ball weighs about 177 grains, so what we have is 5 pounds times 7000 grains divided by 177 grains to figure out how many balls we will get.
That figures out to be 190 balls (actually 197.74 but some lead will stick to the pot and some will be lost on the floor).

As the lead cost us $10, 190 balls would cost 5.2 cents each. Sounds like we're on to something here. That saves us about 4.8 cents per shot.

Now comes the harder part.

If you use an old steel sauce pan (never use an aluminum pan to melt lead) and a camp stove to melt the lead that would be no cost.
The dipper could be an old steel ladle (never steal your wifes cooking stuff) and you might find one at a yard sale for $1.00 :grin:

Now, you buy a Lee Aluminum bullet mold. These will cost about $20.00 plus shipping so lets say it costs $26.00

Now, at a savings of about 5 cents per shot you will be saving money after you've fired $26/.05 per shot or, 520 shots.

We all shoot different amounts so I don't know how long it will take you to shoot 520 shots. You'll have to figure that out.

As the others have mentioned, many of us just like the idea of making our own stuff and that includes the balls. Some of us think that $26 is a cheap price to pay for the opportunity of casting our balls pretty much like the folks did back in the early days. I know I do. :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

Where do I find lead?

Any parking lot. :wink: :haha:

If you want an unlimited supply of wheel weights, go to places that change tires for a living, they are usually happy to get rid of the discarded wheel weights. I got them by the buckets full for FREE.

 

[Zonie]

One of our members PT'ed me asking about my comments on never using an aluminum pot to melt lead.

It is a fair question and I think my answer to him might be worth posting here.

Aluminum pots are made of an aluminum alloy that melts at about 1200 degrees F.

"1200 degrees?" you say? "That's a lot higher than the 750 degrees F that most lead is cast at." and your right, as far as it goes.

The problem is that aluminum, not the strongest thing around looses as much as 80-90 percent of its strength when it is heated to 750 degrees F, depending on its alloy.
Actually, the aluminum pot must be heated hotter than the lead just to keep the lead at pouring temperatures.

With only 10-20 percent of its strength left and with the heavy weight of lead it is very possible that the bottom of the aluminum pot won't hold the weight and will tear or rip dumping the melted lead all over the place.

Some aluminum alloys melt at temperatures as low as 900 degrees and you never know what alloy was used to make your pot.

Be safe folks. Use a steel or iron pot to melt your lead in.

What about those aluminum casting trays that folks sell to cast your little ingots?
They loose their strength too but because they are relatively cool when you pour your melted lead into them they cool and chill the lead as soon as it hits them. The chilled lead will support the weight of the additional lead that is poured into them.
Also, they start giving off their heat to the air as soon as they get hot. That is quite a bit different than having a flame that is heating a aluminum pot to melt lead.

 

[MSW]

thanks for the heads up, Zonie... i didn't know about the strength/heat thing... always used a cast iron pot because that's what the local geezer said to use.

the closer to geezer- hood i creep, the more i listen to them. geezers often have it right, after all.








now if i could just convince my kids of that...