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Posted: 4/2/2011 6:16:01 PM EDT
| Hello, I'm looking into casting and it would help if you guys could give me some pointers as well as some lists of equipment that you all recommend. I'm a beginning relaoder and, other than wheel weight lead (with clips), I have nothing as far as casting equipment, supplies, ect.. So in short, I need some help getting started. Thanks |
Despite what you've read, you'll never save a dime, you'll just end up shooting a heck of a lot more. 
Seriously though: Bullet fit is way more important than alloy "hardness". I shot some (full power) bullets made out of air cooled wheel weights out of my 44 Mag last week with zero leading. I shot some bullets made out of air cooled wheel weights out of my 358 Winchester a few weeks ago over 2000fps. Again, no leading. Don't buy into the whole "hard bullet" thing and pay attention to what's important (bullet fitting your barrel) and you'll save yourself a lot of frustration. |
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Quoted:
Despite what you've read, you'll never save a dime, you'll just end up shooting a heck of a lot more.
Here's my take on saving money. I shoot Highpower. I shoot the Garand and Springfield. I practice a lot. Surplus 30.06 is 54 cents a round. I can reload practice ammo for less than a third, sometimes a fifth of the price of surplus. It adds up when you're talking thousands of rounds. Start reading at castboolits and you'll be up and running in no time. |
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Without a doubt, the best place for cast boolit info. Spend $10 and help support the site too. Money well spent IMO. |
| Thanks guys this is a big help and the pics were great. To check the size of my barrel I just measure the inside diameter with calipers, and that'll be what bullet size I want to use? Also, I've seen lots of lead bullets without the gas checks, so are they needed for plinking rounds shot at less than 1500fps out of pistol calibers? |
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I got around to smelting down my first wheel weights today. I seperated as many zincs as I could. I didn't have very much lead and you can see my equipment from the pics but I have a few questions...
https://img823.imageshack.us/i/img0139ia.jpg/ This is where I think I had the problem... http://img683.imageshack.us/i/img0142mk.jpg/ Why do they have spaces like that? Is it just because the lead wasn't hot enough? My later ones were not like that. The lead looks cleaner now but does it look dirty to you guys? Maybe I need to flux more? I need some input 
http://img20.imageshack.us/i/img0143om.jpg/ http://img225.imageshack.us/i/img0144f.jpg/ My furnace and mold is on the way but I dont want to cast unless I'm as sure as possible that everything will work right |
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Quoted:
I got around to smelting down my first wheel weights today. I seperated as many zincs as I could. I didn't have very much lead and you can see my equipment from the pics but I have a few questions... 
This is where I think I had the problem... 
Why do they have spaces like that? Is it just because the lead wasn't hot enough? My later ones were not like that. The lead looks cleaner now but does it look dirty to you guys? Maybe I need to flux more? I need some input
My furnace and mold is on the way but I dont want to cast unless I'm as sure as possible that everything will work right Your welcome. 
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Looks like you need to flux and stir and skim more. The first "muffins" were pitted from the muffin tin being cold and moisture condensing under the hot lead. Always pre-heat ingots, ingot molds and bullet molds to evaporate any moisture on them.
Hopefully the chunkyness is just dross, not zinc contamination. |
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Way to go Jailer, and thank you.
Something was in the bottom of your cupcake mold and burned off as you used the mold. That's why the later ones didn't have the holes. You ingots do look a little dirty. Could be the pics though. Did you flux after you scooped out the steel clips? I throw in my candle wax, let it go poof and start burning, then stir the lead. Be sure to go all the way to the bottom of the pot and scrape the sides also. A pot your size, I would use a piece about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch. When the fire goes out, I flux again. You should see dirt and other dross on the top. Scoop all of that away. You should see a shinny silver color to the lead, and then it will start to turn blue around the edges. Then ladle lead into your ingot mold. That's a fine first effort, don't worry, you will get there. What caliber do you plan to cast first? |
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OP, I get the same craters on my ingots from one of my muffin pans. I'm guessing you used new muffin pans and didn't wash them before you used them. I have one that I hurried with when I was washing them and didn't do as good a job as I should have and the ingots come out looking like yours. It's nothing to fret over it's only cosmetic but if you give them a good scrubbing in HOT soapy water it will take care of it.
Try fluxing with some sawdust and use the spoon to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot after you flux. Be very generous with your scraping and flux it a few times until all the "garbage" is gone from the top of the melt and your ingots will be nice and clean for your furnace. You'll be surprised at just how much stuff can get trapped in the melt and stuck to the bottom and sides of your pot. Other than that, it looks like you did pretty good for your first smelt. Keep at it and you'll be a pro in no time. |
Thanks for fixing the pictures  I fluxed with crayons. I didn't notice a bluish color in my lead so I'm going to melt these again and see if I can get any more dross out of it. I was putting the flux in and as soon as the flames were gone I began to skim. I'll be sure to flux again afterwards and also scrape the pot as I do so. You all have been a lot of help, thank you. Also, I plan on casting 00 Buckshot first using the Lee mould. I figured that Buckshot would be a little more forgiving of my inexperience than 9mm which is what I plan to cast next but it won't be for awhile.
Edit to add: When I flux it seems like even though I scrap off the dross, more keeps appearing. I can't decide whether it really is dross or just the lead cooling because it is coming in contact with the air? What do you all think? |
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