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Posted: 1/12/2012 5:30:11 AM EDT
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Yesterday while out and about with my pa we stopped by an autoparts store, and just so happened a tire shop was next door. So I mosied on over and asked if they have any free lead wheel weights. Owner said no, but he will call his dealer for the price. Low and behold his dealer says $.20 a pound. I'm thinking, "Thats better than $1 pound like I was expecting". I ask how much, he says 30 bucks. Conveniently pulled out my 30 dollar bill and carried out my new to me 140lbs of wheel weights.
Now pending my Ak kit sells I'm looking to buy the jazz to begin casting my own bullets. My list comes out to; 1) Lee furnace 2) Moulds 3) Lee bullet sizer/lube combo 4) Flux? capaciter? 5) Dipper Now is there anything else absolutely required? I'm shooting for the poor man's entrance to casting. If I cast for 308 diameter could I use the un-sized bullets for my 7.62x39/54R loads and then size like normal for the 308? And would I need to get a bullet holder to press the bullets into the sizer die? Not sure how that works, obviously shell holders are not the ticket. |
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Quoted:
Yesterday while out and about with my pa we stopped by an autoparts store, and just so happened a tire shop was next door. So I mosied on over and asked if they have any free lead wheel weights. Owner said no, but he will call his dealer for the price. Low and behold his dealer says $.20 a pound. I'm thinking, "Thats better than $1 pound like I was expecting". I ask how much, he says 30 bucks. Conveniently pulled out my 30 dollar bill and carried out my new to me 140lbs of wheel weights. Now pending my Ak kit sells I'm looking to buy the jazz to begin casting my own bullets. My list comes out to; 1) Lee furnace 2) Moulds 3) Lee bullet sizer/lube combo 4) Flux? capaciter? 5) Dipper Now is there anything else absolutely required? I'm shooting for the poor man's entrance to casting. If I cast for 308 diameter could I use the un-sized bullets for my 7.62x39/54R loads and then size like normal for the 308? And would I need to get a bullet holder to press the bullets into the sizer die? Not sure how that works, obviously shell holders are not the ticket. Besides this forum, you ought to google the active forum: "Cast boolits" - do not let the name fool you. It is an informative site. |
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Be sure to sort out all the non lead weights.
The last time I looked, there were thousands of used molds for sale on fleabay. I have pretty well given up on getting wheel weights around here. They either get reused, traded into the shop's retailer, or grabbed by someone related to the shop owner. Besides bullets, the lead supply here goes into heavy weights for fishing in the Mississippi or the Missouri. |
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Quoted:
Yesterday while out and about with my pa we stopped by an autoparts store, and just so happened a tire shop was next door. So I mosied on over and asked if they have any free lead wheel weights. Owner said no, but he will call his dealer for the price. Low and behold his dealer says $.20 a pound. I'm thinking, "Thats better than $1 pound like I was expecting". I ask how much, he says 30 bucks. Conveniently pulled out my 30 dollar bill and carried out my new to me 140lbs of wheel weights. Now pending my Ak kit sells I'm looking to buy the jazz to begin casting my own bullets. My list comes out to; 1) Lee furnace 2) Moulds 3) Lee bullet sizer/lube combo 4) Flux? capaciter? 5) Dipper Now is there anything else absolutely required? I'm shooting for the poor man's entrance to casting. If I cast for 308 diameter could I use the un-sized bullets for my 7.62x39/54R loads and then size like normal for the 308? And would I need to get a bullet holder to press the bullets into the sizer die? Not sure how that works, obviously shell holders are not the ticket. There's a 30 dollar bill???? 
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yep, ww have gone the way of the dodo in NY. Fricken steel or zinc weights now. Best advice I got was to melt your scrap for ingots just hot enough for lead so as to not ruin a batch melting the zinc into it. Keep just above the lead melt point and you can ladle off the zinc and other dross.
I need to peruse this Ebay thing. I had my eye on a pile of stuff that a friend got when he bought an investment property but all the stuff was of the cheapest variety and or damaged such as lyman swagger luber with bent and stressed linkages. After examining that stuff I lost interest in that lot. |
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You're going to need a pot to melt the wheelweights in. I use a cast iron dutch oven and turkey fryer.
Don't melt the WW in your production pot, it will make a mess of it. Use sawdust for flux in your WW melting pot and a paint stir stick in your production pot. Most of all go to the link below and start reading and educate yourself. http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm |
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Thanks guys, big help indeed.
To be truthful it was a 29 dollar bill and 100 cents. How can I melt the first run to remove the steel and dross? I plan on using a SS pot and cupcake tin for ingots. Would a propane torch work? Or a cheapo camp stove? I'm looking for the cheapest way to get things started and later in the year I will add luxuries. And what is lead melting point? |
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Quoted: Yesterday while out and about with my pa we stopped by an autoparts store, and just so happened a tire shop was next door. So I mosied on over and asked if they have any free lead wheel weights. Owner said no, but he will call his dealer for the price. Low and behold his dealer says $.20 a pound. I'm thinking, "Thats better than $1 pound like I was expecting". I ask how much, he says 30 bucks. Conveniently pulled out my 30 dollar bill and carried out my new to me 140lbs of wheel weights. Now pending my Ak kit sells I'm looking to buy the jazz to begin casting my own bullets. My list comes out to; 1) Lee furnace 2) Moulds 3) Lee bullet sizer/lube combo 4) Flux? capaciter? 5) Dipper Now is there anything else absolutely required? I'm shooting for the poor man's entrance to casting. If I cast for 308 diameter could I use the un-sized bullets for my 7.62x39/54R loads and then size like normal for the 308? And would I need to get a bullet holder to press the bullets into the sizer die? Not sure how that works, obviously shell holders are not the ticket. I just got an email from midway...they have a Lee Pro 4 20lb casting furnace on sale for $57.99. |
My smelting setup. Yard sale propane burner (turkey fryer would work) ingot molds, slotted spoon, ladle to fill ingot molds, heavy melting pot, old paint can for the dross. Use sawdust for flux. 
Casting, furnace, mold (s), flux, old towels to drop bullets on to, Cherry branch to tap open sprue plate of mold, flux, paint can for dross after fluxing. 
Sorting, inspecting bullets. Using 2 molds, I was casting 200 gr SWC's for 45 ACP and .312 for 7.62x39. Look over the pics, some of the equipment can be bought at a thrift store or make it yourself if your handy. 
Lubing and sizing. Not really low budget here. Link to a free cast bullet book that is online. I learned some things when I read it. 
This is a good casting reference manual. A good "how to cast" section, equipment, and cast bullet loading data. Around $20, came out last year. Good luck. eta, You will need safety glasses, long sleeve shirt and leather gloves for safety equipment. Keep liquids away from molten lead. Water turns to steam instantly and lead "explodes". Bugs are liquid if they land in the pot. Why the eye protection. |
Free bottom off of 30lb R-134 cylinder will work too,, need to fashion up some handles,, I use 2 pr of grips. Source of heat, and some fuel..
Notice the "V" for a pour guide.. 
Still aint had time to deal with this stuff... 1 drum in pic is now ingots, about a year and half ago.. 
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a pair or more of ingot molds really will speed up the process.
ove glove is helpful, so are thick welders gloves learn about zinc and how to avoid it. Failing that, learn how to remove it. messy stuff. wear shoes that do not melt, top or bottom. protect floor or driveway from splatter. (keeps spousal unit happy) Read all you can about alloys and how to mix them. have fun with it. |
ALL THE SAFETY EQUIPMENT YOU CAN GET!!!!! Long leather apron, LONG leather gloves, face shield (not just goggles-facial burns last almost forever), and until you're practiced with pouring molten lead you might also want metal shoe guards, too. Handle the scrap, the refined metal and everything in between with gloves, and avoid all fumes. I hope I don't need to state "do all the melting stuff OUTSIDE," but I'll say it anyway. 
The steel clips should float to the top when the weights melt. And sort the weights to make sure you're not trying to melt zinc weights with the lead ones; a nail will scratch lead VERY differently than it will zinc. |
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Look in this thread.
That thread will answer a lot of questions. Usually the zinc weights have a symbol on them which makes it easier to ID them. Offhand I dont remember what it is, since I have not had many WW to smelt into ingots in a while. |
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Quoted:
How does one differentiate between lead and zinc? Are zinc ones the ones that look shiney rather than a dull gray? I use a pair of side cutters on suspect WW. Zinc are hard like steel, and ring when dropped. Side cutters will sink right into lead and they make more of a thud when dropped. Most of the time though I just give the suspect ones a quick scrape across the garage floor. If it feels and sounds like a rock when you scrape it without removing any material it's zinc or steel. If it wears the corner down when you scrape it, it's lead. Not a real scientific method but it's quick and easy. |
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Sounds to me like Enumclaw, thats where I'll be casting. Hopefully in about 2 weeks. IM if you want a better location than I will give up here. Better yet a meet at the Funshow on the 21st of Jan. Be warned, I get there early for the scores on Saturday morning. 
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