Making my own mold?

[kendrolet]

I have a two part question.....If I was to get a mold to make my own round ball, how hot do I need to get the lead for it to pour? Will a Burnz-o-matic torch work?
I was also thinking about making my own mold. (I have a .56 cal T/C smoothbore) My actual bore measures at .559 - .560. I have read that a lot of you like to use a .535 rb, but I have also read that the closer to the correct size the better. So...I SHOULD use a .550 and I can buy them for about 8.60 a box.....and stupid $12.00 for shipping!!!!! (Makes me nuts!) :haha: BUT...as I'm thinking of making my own mold...instead of going .535, what if I tried to get it to .540 or .545???

 

[paulvallandigham]

Remember that a smoothbore has to use a SMALLER diameter ball, because unlike a rifle, there is NO place for the patch fabric to Squeeze into when the ball and patch are run into the barrel. The .535 or .530 balls are used because they are recommended for 28 gauge guns. A 28 Gauge bore is nominally .550" in diameter. Buy 28 gauge wads/cards, which are made .010" WIDER in diameter than the nominal bore diameter, to use in your barrel.

You can expect some compression of a cotton ball patch, but a .015" patch will give you a total of .030" of material filling in the space between your bore diameter( .559-.560?) and the ball. Compression can be expected to be up to 1/3 the thickness of a LUBED patch. .535" + .030" = .565", which should give you a good fit, with a bit of compression of the fabric, but a load that will run down the barrel easily, and thumb start at the muzzle. If you use a .018" thick patch, you get a tighter fit, but one that you can still load with a thumb press start. .535" + .036" = .571".

Obviously, if you choose to use the .530" Ball diameter in your gun, you can use even thicker patching. The reason to use thicker patching is to have enough LUBE in the fabric to prevent the hot gases from burning the patch. Thicker patches will "carry" more lube. Its that simple. And, because thicker patches tend to compress MORE, they give you a ball/patch/lube combination that is easier to load in many guns.

Since you live in Georgia, I would think you would buy your balls from EDDIE MAY.


Eddie May Round Balls
159 Ridley Rd.
Chatsworth, GA. 30705
706-581-8225

I don't know how far he is from you, and I understand Georgia is a big state, but it might be worth your while to buy several hundred balls at an order to save on those shipping costs, or drive over and pick them up from him in person.

As for lead temperature, you need to get pure lead up to around 650 degrees to melt, but because of the size of the balls, most people raise the temperature of the lead so that it fills the entire mold before cooling, and leaving you with wrinkled lead balls, that vary too much in weight.

MY RECOMMENDATION: Buy a Lee Precision 20 lb. lead melting pot, and forget about gerry-rigging some kind of melting system with any kind of torch.

Its not that your torch does not produce enough heat. Its that torches RARELY give off enough heat over a large enough area to adequately heat up a pot of lead.( The exception with which I am familiar is the Plumber's Propane gas stove used on job sights to Melt lead.) If you were heating a small ladle with enough lead in it to make ONE BALL, you could use a small torch. I don't think that is what you want to do- or at least, you didn't make it clear in your post that this is what you are trying to do. This is the kind of Molding down around a camp fire, using a small ladle and a " Bag Mold". Its pictured in the Mel Gibson movie, "The Patriot".

I hope this helps. :thumbsup:

 

[J.D.]

Lead melts at 620 degrees F, but you need a temp of about 750-800 F for the lead to flow and fill the mould.

I have used a wide variety of heat sources, but never a propane torch, at least not for melting large quantities of lead.

A Coleman camp stove works pretty well, as does a camp fire, but the pot has to be down into the coals. So, what this means is that nearly heat source that will deliver a sufficient, steady flow of heat will do the job.

A rule of thumb for smoothbores is using a ball dia that is .020-.030 smaller than the true bore dia.

So, if you bore is a true .560 - .550 = .010/2 =.005 patch thickness. IMHO, you will never get that down without tearing the patch.

.560-.535=.025/2=.0125 patch thickness.

IMHO, that is still a little tight. A .530 ball with a .015-.018 patch might work better.

The bottom line is, you need to buy a coupla bags of balls and see what your barrel likes, then buy or make a mould.

Call Eddie May and tell him that you are experimenting with different size balls. He will probably sell you 20-25 each, of three or four different dia balls, for you to test.

Eddie May in Georgia has cast round balls or minie bullets. Buy in bulk & you can save allot in cost & shipping as they have a USPS box you can ship under 70# for $ 10 or 11.00
Eddie May Round Balls
159 Ridley Rd.
Chatsworth, GA. 30705
706-581-8225

God bless

 

[4deer]

I tried using a torch a few times. It used up a lot of gas and oxygen. Also one time it got a bit to hot on the skillet and suddenly I had a bottom pore pot. :shocked2:

 

[mazo kid]

I don't know your background as far as ability to make a mold....I would suggest (once you determine the size you need) that you get a Lee double cavity mold. They are under $20 and if you take care of it, will last a long time. I have some that are 35+ years old and still work great. I have toyed with the idea of making a soap stone mold, just haven't figured quite how to make the cherry.

 

[kendrolet]

My ability would be.....take zero and subtract 50!!!!! :redface: No...I probably could, but I have some awesome maintenance guys at my company that will help me if I decide to go that route.

Thanks for all the help and info everyone!!!!!

 

[ohio ramrod]

To make your own round ball mold There are two methods that most general machinists can use. 1. If you are or know a tool grinder who can make a ball end mill the exact radius. You can easily use it to cut your cavities.( This is the method I used before I retired as a tool grinder/ tool and die worker ) 2. If you don't have a way of getting the exact radius ball end mill you can used whatever size ball end mill is available slightly under the size you want. Then make several lapping discs the exact diameter you want your finished ball cavity and lap out the remainder. ( A long process but it works.) . There are several methods of making sure your two halfs line up accurately. If you are considering this and want more detailed info give me a P.M.

 

[R.M.]

CNC is the way to go these days.

 

[buttonbuck]

TC made a 55 cal ball mold if you look you can find one if not jeff tanner of england makes brass molds any caliber below 60 I think is about 40.00. I got one tc mold off ebay for 12.00 odd caliber.

 

[necchi]

how hot do I need to get the lead for it to pour? Will a Burnz-o-matic torch work?

650 or >. An sure a torch will work, but a coleman stove and a small cast iron pot is alot easier. The coleman stove has no problem reaching the proper temp :grin:
Did a little demo of casting for a small group one time, one of the guy's was a mechanic at a local factory with a nice shop, and he went on for along time about how he could make a mold,,
,,all I could think whilst he was ramblin was how much time mankind actually spends trying to reinvent the wheel.
Molds are out there and affordable,,if you have the time and the tool's there is alot of satisfaction to "makeing your own",,but,,,

 

[Lostinthewoods]

It is also mandatory that one has a pickup truck since the traditional workbench for the Coleman stove method is the tailgate of the pickup.

See, the $20 Lee mold is the cheap part of the equation.

 

[necchi]

:rotf: Ya there truth ta that!

got mine settin on two buckets an a plank in the garage,,didn't wanna get any lead spatters on the tailgate :grin:

 

[David W.]

A simple hot plate will suffice for melting lead.

 

[Homesteader]

Can't comment much on the machining of a good mould, but I do know that I love to run ball. The two ways I do it are to make a campfire and let it burn to good cooking coals, or to use one of those cylindrical charcoal starters they sell at Home Depot and such. Fill it with cowboy charcoal, fire it up, and put your pot right on top. Keeps the heat concentrated and is easy to replenish. It hasn't failed me yet.

But I've also got a buddy who uses something called electricity with some fancy gizmo he's got. Go figure...

 

[wittzo]

Old hot plates might melt lead, but the cheap hot plates they sell at Walmart and Fred's nowadays tell you in their owner's manual they're only good for boiling water and can't even cook meat to a safe internal temperature.

I found an old brass electric lead melter a friend's father gave me years ago. I had never used it, but I tried it out. It melted my ingot faster than my Coleman stove. I have to rig up a way to make it work with my Lyman pot. The brass pan it came with doubles as the melting pot and the ladle. It can only hold a lb and a half at a time.