Tumbling cast balls

[Billnpatti]

I have been shooting muzzleloaders for years and have just cast and used my balls as they came from the mold. I had read about folks putting their cast balls in a wooden box and keeping it in the trunk of their car for several days to roll them round and smooth them out. I happened to remember a rock tumbler that had been in my basement for a few years and thought I'd give it a try in place of the wooden box treatment. I had about 500 cast .50 cal balls that I was willing to experiment with. I thoroughly washed out the tumbler and let it dry completely. I put the cast balls in it and turned it on. I let the balls tumble for several hours and then went back to see what had happened to them. I was amazed that they looked like shiny black ball bearings. The sprue marks were almost completely invisible. I could only see them very faintly in bright light. I think I'm on to something. Has anyone else done this? Hell, maybe a lot of people do this and I'm just reinventing the wheel. I don't know but I am excited that I found this on my own. If you haven't tried this and you have a rock tumbler, you might want to give it a try.

 

[Skychief]

Interesting Bill. Others can always count on us Hoosiers to think outside of the box!

 

[jtmattison]

This has been discussed in depth here in the past. I tumble mine in a case tumbler minus the media. For my 50 yard shooting relation of the sprue is irrelevant so tumbling it away allows me to load without worry of sprue alignment.

HD

 

[boondocker]

I put my balls in my vibratory case cleaner in media for a 1/2 hour and the come out minus my casting ridge. They dull up but it doesnt bother me.

 

[Dphar]

I put my balls in my vibratory case cleaner in media for a 1/2 hour and the come out minus my casting ridge. They dull up but it doesnt bother me.

I dump out the media. It will do a batch in about an hour, .662 with a fairly big sprue. I have a large size Dillon and don't know how many it would do. I do about 100 at a time.
I do it to allow loading the ball without examination for hunting. Seem to shoot the same?

Dan

 

[renovato]

Has anyone who tumbles their balls ever measured them before and after to see if it effects dimensions? I've always thought it probably reduces the diameter slightly, which could be a good thing in many cases. A thicker patch has always seemed to make my guns shoot better.

 

[longcruise]

I put my balls in my vibratory case cleaner in media for a 1/2 hour and the come out minus my casting ridge. They dull up but it doesnt bother me.

I do the same without the media and run them for about an hour. I load the bottom of the vibe box so that the balls can roll just a bit. If they are stacked into layers they get flat spots. :shocked2:

Mine come from a LEE mold and when they are done the sprue cannot be located.

 

[Stubert]

I tumble everything I cast for about 1/2 hour in the media. It won't take the sprues off my .610s though, It is a very old Lyman mold and the sprue is very tall.

 

[romeoh]

Well, I use jars. From jam, pickles, whatever.
Just fill it up 1/2 or maybe 2/3, close it and shake. Brings the result your looking for very quickly. :hatsoff:
Usually I store my roundballs also in them. :wink:

Glass-bottles will work too of course.

 

[jtmattison]

Has anyone who tumbles their balls ever measured them before and after to see if it effects dimensions? I've always thought it probably reduces the diameter slightly, which could be a good thing in many cases. A thicker patch has always seemed to make my guns shoot better.

Mine measure the same before and after.

HD

 

[arquebus]

I have one of the Midway plastic case tumblers. I find 20-30 minutes (without media) smoothes out the sprue & seam lines....they come out looking just like the Speer/Hornady swaged balls.

 

[Tsegoweleh]

Oatsayo All,
this is a great idea. Do you guys like the "rock Tumbler" type or the vibrating case cleaner type better? :bow:

 

[Speed Trap]

After reading these, poured some RBs yesterday and then threw them into the tumbler. Came out gray, looking just like "store bought" and the few wrinkles and sprue were gone.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

I have been shooting muzzleloaders for years and have just cast and used my balls as they came from the mold. I had read about folks putting their cast balls in a wooden box and keeping it in the trunk of their car for several days to roll them round and smooth them out. I happened to remember a rock tumbler that had been in my basement for a few years and thought I'd give it a try in place of the wooden box treatment. I had about 500 cast .50 cal balls that I was willing to experiment with. I thoroughly washed out the tumbler and let it dry completely. I put the cast balls in it and turned it on. I let the balls tumble for several hours and then went back to see what had happened to them. I was amazed that they looked like shiny black ball bearings. The sprue marks were almost completely invisible. I could only see them very faintly in bright light. I think I'm on to something. Has anyone else done this? Hell, maybe a lot of people do this and I'm just reinventing the wheel. I don't know but I am excited that I found this on my own. If you haven't tried this and you have a rock tumbler, you might want to give it a try.

I use a two ball Rapin mold and the sprue is negligable.
I weigh my balls for uniformity in weight ie...
a 440 ball should weigh out of my Rapin Mold plus or minus 127 grns, I look for half a grn above or below 127 grns, if it's more or less (usally less do to air pockets) it goes back into the casting pot.
:thumbsup:

 

[brubincam]

-----the LEE mold I use don't leave a sprue-----