New at Casting minieballs

[APG]

I'm brand spanking new to casting bullets. Sitting in my garage is a new Lyman dipper furnace with a Lee 1 cavity minieball mold. Other than smoking the mold is there other things to do to get it right?. Waiting on 20 lbs of 99.9% lead from Rotometals. Do I need to flux the lead being "pure" or is it OK not to flux it?

 

[bang]

Paraffin will flux. Just about half a sugar cube. When you put it in it may flame. Just let it burn out then stir and skim.
If new mold clean any oil off. I heat mine with propane torch till it stops smoking then soot the mold real good. A lighter or candle will do the job.
Put the mold on top of furnace to heat up as lead melts.
Get the lead hotter than pouring rb.
You'll go through pouring 10-15 and putting them back in the pot before the mold is hot enough.
It should take about 5 seconds before the sprew Frosts when the mold is hot enough. Pour fairly fast.
I use a bottom pour and opened the hole to a #40 to get faster pour.
Once they come out with no anomalies then you have it right.
Pour till it takes longer time for sprew to frost. By then you'll need to add lead to pot and flux.
The mold will cool a bit but should still be hot enough to continue.

 

[Sven205]

Good info above. I use brake cleaner on the mold cavities to get any oil off then smoke with a candle. Have used beeswax, graphite and synthetic 2 stroke oil to lube the mold. The beeswax works well on the Lees. Less is more on all of these, lightly apply and dont get any in the cavity or it will cause issues like wrinkles.

I dont flux my melt in the casting pot, only when smelting. Thats personal preference maybe, but I feel i get it clean enough on the rounds of fluxing on the initial melt. Paraffin, crayons, old candles, beeswax and sawdust all seem to work. The lead youre getting is probably pretty clean but it wouldn't hurt to flux it to see how much crud you pull out.

The Lee aluminum molds heat up pretty fast, if you end up getting other steel molds you'll notice it takes longer to get good casts/up to temp. I keep a small butane torch handy to reheat the base pin and for when my bottom pour spout wants to freeze up. I dont torch the lees or any other aluminum molds because I'm thinking they may warp.

I use a 20 lb bottom pour. Get ready to place another lead order, if youre anything like me once you get in a groove its hard to stop. That 20 lbs may be depleted in one sitting. Not sure which caliber you're casting but 1 lb of lead will only make about 10 to 15. 58 cal minies.

One last thing, sorry for the lengthy post... Look at Glen Fryxells: From ingot to target. This gave a lot of good insight when I started. It deals with more modern aspects of casting but most of the techniques apply.

 

[APG]

Thanks for the tips. So I should flux every time I add more lead?

 

[Grenadier1758]

You want good ventilation in your garage. You will want a pair of heavy leather gloves. Make sure there is no way for drops of water to get in your lead pot. I use a wooden stake to open the sprue cutter before opening the mold to drop the bullet. I drop the solid ball or bullet in a cardboard box. The sprue cut offs go in another pile to go back in the melting pot.

 

[hawkeye2]

For a beginner you've picked the most challenging projectile to cast but you'll get along fine with a little practice. Be prepared to drop a lot of them back in the pot and don't let it discourage you. First you'll need to get the lead hot, hotter than casting balls, and you'll need to run 20 to 50 through a new mold or at least that's been my experience. The mold has to come up to temperature and that includes the base plug. If the plug is cooler than the blocks you'll have problems. Don't be afraid to be critical of your work. After the first batch has cooled examine them carefully. Look into the cavity and see if there is a void at the top, very common with minies. That's usually caused by a cooler base plug or technique. I like to tilt the mold slightly so that I'm not pouring directly down on the top of the plug. Check the edges of the grooves and the skirt to see that they have filled out completely and match the mold. Discard any that have wrinkles in the groove area or flaws down at the base of the grooves. Any flaws in the groove area can lead to the skirt separating leaving a ring of lead in the bore or the skirt blowing out as it leaves the muzzle. As said before 20 pounds of lead won't go very far. You can flux every time you add lead, it isn't possible to over flux. Personally I have never had much luck casting minies with a bottom pour furnace and prefer a ladle. Safety glasses are mandatory and a flip up full face shield is better or better yet glasses and a shield. I spent years in steel fabrication shops and I wear leather welder's sleeves, gloves and a leather apron. Leather work boots and cotton rather than synthetic clothing, no shorts or sandals.

 

[Greasecookie]

All the advice above is true and good. At the risk of starting a holy war, adding a small amount of tin to that pure rotometals lead really helps minies fill out. I add a 20-1, 400 grain bullet (for one of my unmentionable rifles) to each 20 lbs of lead. About an inch of tin plumbers solder would be equivalent. It only works out to about a 400-1 alloy. It doesn't harden it up but it can prevent a lot of frustration because it helps the alloy flow better. As mentioned above, cast hot I usual go for 800 - 820 F.

 

[APG]

Thanks for the advice. Good stuff there. I definitely will flux it before I cast. My doesn't have a bottom pour spout so I have a Lyman lead dipper with the pour spout set towards the bottom of it. I'm not afraid of making mistakes, I learn from them. And if they come out bad I an put them back in and try it again. .58 cal Minies are it for now. Maybe some .454 and .490 round balls later. I'll post how it works out in the next week. If I haven't burned down the neighborhood that is. Thanks.

 

[Kansas Jake]

All good information above. I try not to stir the pot when casting and put my dipper in a lift out of the molten lead so it is clean of any possible impurity's although since you ordered your lead from Roto, it should be pretty clean. I use a lot of scrap lead. Again make sure you good leather gloves. I use welding gloves, but a good pair of lined leather winter gloves will work well. If you are casting and it is warm, keep any beverages away from the casting area and walk away to get a drink. Also, in hot weather be aware of sweat and use a sweat bank or bandana tied around your head to make sure it doesn't drop in the lead. I use an old 100% cotton t-shirt to drop the fresh bullets onto as they come out of the mold. Also, it is best not to let any smaller children around if you have them in the household.

 

[Sven205]

My doesn't have a bottom pour spout so I have a Lyman lead dipper with the pour spout set towards the bottom of it.

The Lyman is the best dipper for these pots to me, never cared for the Lee 'open top' type of ladle. Using the same logic that bang posted on opening up the bottom pour spot, you may find you want to do this to the Lyman dipper. Try it as-is first, but you'll likely find you want a faster pour for these big molds.

 

[Eutycus]

Kansas Jake beat me to it, yeah use an old towel or T-shirt in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket to catch the newly formed ( an still hot) bullets when you empty the mold. Don't strike the mold with a hard object like a hammer, use a piece of wood. I use a piece of a shovel handle.

 

[hawkeye2]

Sven205 beat me to it but I was going to say that I have had to drill the spout on my Lyman dipper out to get a fast enough flow for minies and large round balls. I've used the Lee and RCBS dippers and the Lyman is the best as far as I'm concerned. Now I don't know about the new Lyman, the one I use was old before I was born and that was a long time ago.

 

[mooman76]

Fluxing is to get out dirt and impurities. You should have good clean melt and I myself wouldn't bother fluxing.

 

[flntlokr]

Paraffin will flux. Just about half a sugar cube. When you put it in it may flame. Just let it burn out then stir and skim.
If new mold clean any oil off. I heat mine with propane torch till it stops smoking then soot the mold real good. A lighter or candle will do the job.
Put the mold on top of furnace to heat up as lead melts.
Get the lead hotter than pouring rb.
You'll go through pouring 10-15 and putting them back in the pot before the mold is hot enough.
It should take about 5 seconds before the sprew Frosts when the mold is hot enough. Pour fairly fast.
I use a bottom pour and opened the hole to a #40 to get faster pour.
Once they come out with no anomalies then you have it right.
Pour till it takes longer time for sprew to frost. By then you'll need to add lead to pot and flux.
The mold will cool a bit but should still be hot enough to continue.

Also be sure to leave a generous puddle on top of the sprue plate. If you don't, it will cool off before the bullet, and air will get sucked down into the centre of the bullet as it cools and the lead contracts. Often hard to spot, but I have measured such voids that go almost down to the plug on a PH mold. Good thing to beware of with any large volume pours.

 

[Archer 756]

NOTE, no way does any one speak of safety gear that one should be wearing during casting, safety glasses and leather gloves. Hot lead will get you sooner or later BE SAFE

 

[Eterry]

You'll need a nylon/plastic hammer to strike the HINGE of the mold. NEVER strike the mold itself. Works better than a chunk of wood.

Minies tend to stick to the plug and sides more than balls, so a little force striking the hinge is needed. I fold a motel towel on the bench and drop the minies on it. The skirt is fragile when hot.

I cast for over 40 years, didn't wear glasses. Had a speck of molten lead land on my lower eyelid last year, scared the bejesus out of me. Now safety glasses are mandatory.
Be critical for quality control, or just plink with rejects. OTOH, If your buying metal you probably better recast them.

Btw, what are you casting for?

 

[dave951]

I’ve found minies sticking to the base plug are usually a cold mold or lead not hot enough. Minies like to be cast at 800+

 

[APG]

You'll need a nylon/plastic hammer to strike the HINGE of the mold. NEVER strike the mold itself. Works better than a chunk of wood.

Minies tend to stick to the plug and sides more than balls, so a little force striking the hinge is needed. I fold a motel towel on the bench and drop the minies on it. The skirt is fragile when hot.

I cast for over 40 years, didn't wear glasses. Had a speck of molten lead land on my lower eyelid last year, scared the bejesus out of me. Now safety glasses are mandatory.
Be critical for quality control, or just plink with rejects. OTOH, If your buying metal you probably better recast them.

Btw, what are you casting for?

The mold I'm using is a

You'll need a nylon/plastic hammer to strike the HINGE of the mold. NEVER strike the mold itself. Works better than a chunk of wood.

Minies tend to stick to the plug and sides more than balls, so a little force striking the hinge is needed. I fold a motel towel on the bench and drop the minies on it. The skirt is fragile when hot.

I cast for over 40 years, didn't wear glasses. Had a speck of molten lead land on my lower eyelid last year, scared the bejesus out of me. Now safety glasses are mandatory.
Be critical for quality control, or just plink with rejects. OTOH, If your buying metal you probably better recast them.

Btw, what are you casting for?

 

[APG]

You'll need a nylon/plastic hammer to strike the HINGE of the mold. NEVER strike the mold itself. Works better than a chunk of wood.

Minies tend to stick to the plug and sides more than balls, so a little force striking the hinge is needed. I fold a motel towel on the bench and drop the minies on it. The skirt is fragile when hot.

I cast for over 40 years, didn't wear glasses. Had a speck of molten lead land on my lower eyelid last year, scared the bejesus out of me. Now safety glasses are mandatory.
Be critical for quality control, or just plink with rejects. OTOH, If your buying metal you probably better recast them.

Btw, what are you casting for?

The mold I'm using is a Lee 575-500 minieball and I'll be feeding them to a Pedersoli 1861 Springfield reproduction muzzleloading rifle.

 

[APG]

You'll need a nylon/plastic hammer to strike the HINGE of the mold. NEVER strike the mold itself. Works better than a chunk of wood.

Minies tend to stick to the plug and sides more than balls, so a little force striking the hinge is needed. I fold a motel towel on the bench and drop the minies on it. The skirt is fragile when hot.

I cast for over 40 years, didn't wear glasses. Had a speck of molten lead land on my lower eyelid last year, scared the bejesus out of me. Now safety glasses are mandatory.
Be critical for quality control, or just plink with rejects. OTOH, If your buying metal you probably better recast them.

Btw, what are you casting for?

Pedersoli 1861 Springfield rifle