Casters???

[Double T]

What di you use for smelting? I have found a source for whhel weights, and I figure while getting reloading down I can also work on casting and cleaning up lead (for when I decide to reload cast vs bought bullets)

Do you use a pot for separating the lead from the junk and making ingots, and one for ingots to mold/bullets?

I am wondering

Also, how do you measure the temp accurately?

 

[Aszerigan]

A couple cheap utensils: Get an aluminum slotted cooking spoon. This will help you pull the wheel weight pins, etc out of the soup. Also, get a solid aluminum cooking spoon. This will help you pull the ash and slag off the top of the pot when you stir it. These need not be fancy, just $2 spoons from the grocery store. Helps if they have a plastic or wooden handle too. They won't burn, aluminum doesn't melt until over 1200-degrees F. Don't leave them in the lead any longer than you need to.

Always, always wear gloves, long pants, long sleeves, safety glasses and a breather mask. Even in the middle of summer.

Lee and Lyman make cheap lead ingot molds. I went to Crate and Barrel and got some cast iron barbecue serving / cooking trays. Cost about $10 each, and they make a perfect 1.5# ingot. Whatever you use for a mold, make sure it's cast iron. It won't stick. If you try to pour 675-degree lead into an aluminum muffin tin, you'll never get it out.

Also, many companies make a lead thermometer. Just like a cooking thermometer, but it goes up to 1000-degrees F. They're cheap, under $20 if I remember correctly.

Be careful. I have several permanent scars from my casting days. I'm not being a nay-sayer, I'm just living proof that accidents with liquid metal are no fun.

 

[Double T]

Yep. I've worked with industrial stuff, never at a hobbyist level though thank you

 

[parson]

I don't do it fast, but I git 'er done! I use a $10 Walmart hot plate and a garage sale stainless steel sauce pan. I have several hundred pounds of wheel weigh ingots that I've smelted with this set up.

When I'm working in the garage I'll put the pot on the plate and melt, flux and pour into muffin tins (not aluminum).

On another note, I use sawdust for fluxing. Works great and is free.

I've read over on castboolits that aluminum pans can be weakened and eventually fail structurally if used for melting lead.

 

[sbcman]

What di you use for smelting? I have found a source for whhel weights, and I figure while getting reloading down I can also work on casting and cleaning up lead (for when I decide to reload cast vs bought bullets)

Do you use a pot for separating the lead from the junk and making ingots, and one for ingots to mold/bullets?

I am wondering

Also, how do you measure the temp accurately?

I have tried a hot plate, a turkey fryer and a grill- success can be had with these measures, but really its just best to pony up the cash and get a furnace. I have a 10lb Lee furnace that works great, but I will be getting a 20 pound bottom pour. In other words, just go ahead and get a 20lb bottom pour, especially if you're going to have a lot of lead coming in.

Grab some 6 cavity molds while you're at it. A little more costly up front but the production you'll get out of it will pay off in short order.

I do not have different pots for separation. Just melt it and scoop the metals out- good to go.

I don't worry about the temp with a therm., I just keep a check on the bullets and regulate from there.

 

[parson]

I don't think my coffee had kicked in when I initially read your question. The method I mentioned above is one that I use strictly for smelting.

I use a Lee pot for casting. Like sbcman, I have had good results with Lee stuff.

 

[straight-shooter]

I basically use the following equipment....

Propane Turkey Fryer and cast iron dutch oven pot for initially melting the wheel weights and skimming the clips out.

Cast iron ladel for skimming the clips

Cast Iron Muffin Pans for pouring the clean lead into ingots. Bought these at Cracker Barrel.

Parrafin Wax or candle wax for catching all the crud on top of the lead.

This should be all you need for making the ingots, now for what you'll need for casting the bullets.

Bullet Mold of your choice
Lee 20lb furnace unless you prefer to ladle pour
1000 watt hot plate (optional) I use this to heat my bullet molds to temp.
bucket - if you water quench the bullets to make them slightly harder
Again, parrafin wax for skimming the Lee pot

Whew, now you'll need a way to lube your bullets and there's two common ways to go with this. Pan lube or press lube.

I use a Lyman 450 lube press which requires the sizing die for the size bullet you'll be sizing and a top punch to fit the top of the bullet you'll be pressing into the press and of course you'll need Lube.

Pan lubing involves melting the lube and putting it into a pan that you have already set your bullets into. Fill it high enough to cover the lube grooves in the bullet and let it set up. Pop the entire mess out of the pan and press the bullets out with your finger and the grooves will be filled.

Alot of people swear by ALOX tumble lubing where you just roll the bullets in the sticky stuff and set them on wax paper till they cure. I've had somewhat good results doing this but not satisfactory to the point that i continued doing it. I was still scrubbing lead out of the barrel.

Plenty of videos on Youtube to show you either process for lubing bullets.

A good source of bullet lube is - Clicky ---> White Label Lube

Another tip i just thought of is when you melt your lead, make sure you get it to about 650 degrees and not over 750. Lead melts at 650 and Zinc melts at 750 to 800. This way you insure if there are any zinc wheel weight in the mix that they will float to the top so you can skim them out. Zinc will ruin a otherwise good batch of lead.

Also stick on wheel weight are consider soft lead and are not good for shooting centerfire. Their only good for muzzle loader and black powder pistols. Shoot these in a centerfire and you could end up with some bad leading.

I've experimented and had good luck mixing 70/30 wheel weight lead and soft lead for low velocity (900 fps) centerfire .45 with great results.

Anywho, this should get you started and a good way to absorb lots of this end of the hobby is to check out -----> Cast Boolits - Dedicated To The World Of Cast Bullets!

And hey! as long as your going to cast you might as well pick up a nice black powder pistol and shoot some round ball !

 

[pdg45acp]

I started out with a fryer but I stumbled into a 20lb Lee Magnum Melter, that's all I use now to render WW and range lead into muffin pan ingots.

I cast with a Lee 20lb bottom pour.

 

[youngda9]

I just started casting a couple months ago after a lot of research.

I purchased a 20lb Lee pot with the bottom pour spout, a lee 6 cavity mold, and an Accurate Mold 3 cavity 431-255V mold. I set up my pot with a PID controller, set to 355C = 671F seems perfect for my casting. I use a hot plate to heat up the mold prior to casting. Once I start casting I stack lead ingots on top of the hot plate to heat it up to just below its melting point. The lead ingots I bought is quite clean and I rarely have to flux. Just the occasional stir and scrape and then scoop out the dross with my dollar store slotted spoon. I usually stack them 4 high. The wrinkles go away after about 3-5 casts.

I cast with a full pot and drop the sprues directly back into the pot. As soon as the pot level drops enough to make room for another ingot I gently drop it in. The temperature of the pot will drop a bit, but I can keep on casting. The PID controller keeps the temperature where it needs to be. This eliminates the wait for the pot to heat back up. I learned this quick...a big time saver.

Using this method I was able to go through 18lb/hour with a 5 cavity 158grain Lee mold yesterday (800 bullets/hour). I cast for 1:45 and cranked out 31.5lb(1400) of bullets yesterday. I'm getting nice frosty bullets.

Bullets gently are dropped into a paint tray that is covered with towels and an old T-shirt. The towels pad the bullet landing and protect the tray from melting...I'm currently using a plastic paint tray soon to be replaced by a metal one. The old T-shirt helps me to pick up the bullets at the end of the casting session all at once if I need to. It also allows me to easily, and softly, transfer the entire batch into a red plastic folgers coffee can with a lid. I use these containers a lot of things.

I am using Lee push through sizers. I spray a small amount of Hornady Case lube on the bullets prior to sizing to make the process easier. I found this is much easier and less messy then doing 2 lube cycles with the Recluse mixture.

I made up a batch of Recluse 45/45/10 lube. I found that warming the bullets up on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes while I nuke the lube to liquify it helps to coat the bullets best. The lube doesn't harden right away, and get chunky, as it tends to when contacting colder bullets. This allows me to roll the bullets and lube around in a covered plastic tub to coat them all. I then pour them out onto a cool cookie sheet that is covered with aluminum foil to cool and harden the lube. I do the lubing and cooling out in the garage to keep my domestic situation as happy as possible. After a few minutes they are cooled and then transferred into a red plastic can for storage.

The cost savings is why I did this. Plus I love to tinker and am having a great time making my own bullets.

Below is a picture of my setup. The cigar, classic rock on the radio, and Boston Lager all help to enhance the experience of casting in a cold garage.

 

[Stimp]

I do the same as straight shooter...
Do a big batch of WW in the dutch oven and make my ingots.
Once I have my ingots I put them in my 10# bottom poor pot for casting.
Only difference is I use an aluminum long spoon and an old aluminum muffin pan.
Works good and gives you easy to use clean ingots.
As far as lube. I tried the pan lube for a while but am much happier with my lyman lubrisizer.

 

[Skip]

Range Lead:

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[onesurveyor]

Not to take over the thread but I have been considering casting as well. Where do you get your lead if you don't shoot at a gun range and you don't work at a garage to get wheel weights?

 

[Wolfe28]

Anywho, this should get you started and a good way to absorb lots of this end of the hobby is to check out -----> Cast Boolits - Dedicated To The World Of Cast Bullets!

Second!

As for another question about where to get wheel weights or lead, stop by the shop that you take your car to and ask what they do with them. Mine sells them, and when I need some, I just let them know, and then go pick them up. Not free, but still better than paying full price.

D