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Posted: 2/16/2013 4:36:25 PM EDT
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Looking to get into casting, just wanted to make sure I have a list of all the things I will need to get started. Tell me if this looks right.
Coleman propane grill (will get one off craigslist) Cast Iron pan Cast Iron pan (to make ingots) Metal spoons casting furnace bullet molds sizing die |
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I recommend using a thick welded steel pot for a smelting pot - cast iron can crack & splash molten lead explosion all over the place & harm or kill you.
I recommend using a quality lubri-sizer like a Lyman or RCBS bullet lubricating & sizing tool. I recommend using a quality lube such as Red Rooster bullet lube with a heating base plate for the lubri-sizer. Minimizes smoking & fouling significantly. I recommend using a good flux to get dirt out of your alloy before casting ingots or bullets/boolits. I recommend you don't forget to buy the top punch in addition to the sizing die or you'll deform a lot of bullets. Other recommendations would be caliber & bullet mould specific. |
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If your Serious I would skip the other name brands and go straight to the Star luber/sizer.
If you do the Coleman Stove thing - get an adaptor to use a hose from a BBQ sized propane tank not the disposeable canisters. For ingot molds an ALUMINUM muffin tin works great - DO NOT buy STEEL or COATED muffin tins. Or just buy a lyman / RCBS / Lee cast iron ingot mold - they are cheap enough. Most "pans" will make ingots that will not work well or won't fit your casting furnace at all. I fill Red Bull cans as feeder ingots - but my casting furnace is large enough to use those effectively ( an industrial grade unit, not 'hobby' ). Casting thermometer - maybe - depends on your casting furnace. |
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Quoted: Looking to get into casting, just wanted to make sure I have a list of all the things I will need to get started. Tell me if this looks right. Coleman propane grill (will get one off craigslist) Cast Iron pan Cast Iron pan (to make ingots) Metal spoons casting furnace bullet molds sizing die http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/322434_A_casting_thread__Pic_heavy__Updated_first_post__and_added_todays_casting_.html Couple of my older casting threads that contain pics of my casting set up. A cast iron pot will work fine. I also use a heavy aluminum pot for smelting.
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May I suggest a pair of heavy elbow length welder's gloves.
For a little bit of money, look at the Lyman production pot, holds 20 lbs. of metal at a time. Been using mine for over 20 years, and it stil works great. Only costs around $40.00 iirc. Also from a cost perspective the Lee sizer dies will work in any standard press, and don't require a library full of top presses. I have been very happy with Liquid Alox as a lube. As most if not all of my cast bullets are shot at paper, or practicing movement drills, I am not after gilt edged accuracy. I do have a .45 match load that is accurate enough for Bullseye shooting,that uses a hard cast 205 gr. LSWC. So, you can have great accuracy with affordable prices for equipment. Personally, I tend to shy away from any tools used with lead that might find there way into being used around food. I scored about 1800 pounds of wheel weights from a Sam's Club about six years ago. All I do is melt them, pour ingots, and box them up. When I do a batch, I just melt the ingots, flux them, pour, cool Alox'em, load, shoot, repeat. But, as I said before, I'm not driving them bullets much beyond 1200fps. JMTCW, hope it helps. 44 Feel free to im or email any questions you have. I don't have all the answers, but we'll find them, and I'll likely need em more'n you. |
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ok, you got a pretty good list above for supplies....time for me to add to your list of junk to get...
you will also need an electric hotplate to preheat your molds if you are using anything other than aluminum....makes casting life a whole lot easier...and you get better bullets as well...trust me I am good at this. sprue plate lube for your sprue plate and alignment pins and sprue plate pivot screw...again trust me...synthetic 2-stroke oil will work in a pinch... a bottom pour lead pot...again...makes life much easier. clear safety glasses at a minimum...for ultimate protection use a full face shield attached to a hard hat....yes I have been burned....and all the naysayers can kiss my butt....it can and will happen if you do this regularly... gloves...I dont use the big ones cause I cant manipulate my equipment but I do use the mechanix gloves with leather palms, learn what to touch and what not to touch... Apron...get an apron and for goodness sake always wear good shoes. I use a big piece of wooden dowel from Lowes as a sprue knocker...it was cheap and works great. Sometimes I use a celluloid hammer...just dont whack your sprue plate with a metal hammer. flux...just use something....experiment with the different methods if you must but some kind of fluxing is mandatory. a lead thermometer...I dont have one but I know I need one...I also have no doubt I will get more consistency with one. Casting is fun...good luck |
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Almost forgot..... A great book on casting, covers all phases of casting. Tools, lead alloys, and how to. Where I learned to use sawdust for flux.
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+1 to decent personal protective equipment. I've never had a major mishap in my short casting life but I've done some dumb stuff for minor screw ups.
Normally I wear workboots, old blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt and basic but well fitting work gloves and of course glasses. One time I got a mold back from Lyman after being recut and I turned on the pot and wanted to see the new nose diamter. I had only slipped on a pair of bean boat shoes. I of course had a peice of sprue lead bounce off the table and land in my shoe next to my ankle bone. Don't enjoy my level of stupid! Luckily I got a way with a red mark and no blister. Read all the beginner threads over on castboolits dot com for some more info on how to avoid the tinsel fairy. Scary shit can happen, water in the pot for an "explosion" of lead in your face, knocked over pots, accidentally drained pots, etc. Molten lead on the eyeball can foul you up. I started with a coleman (liquid) gas stove which was ineffecient, an old beater stainless pot from the kitchen, some dollar store slotted spoons and ladles and wheel weights. I can say that liquid fuel stoves will (barely) work and will waste a lot of fuel. Go propane, and if you're serious get a $50 turkey fryer with a high pressure regulator. Smelt with the turkey fryer and stainless pot (or cast) to make your ingots. If you get an electric pot, NEVER smelt in it to keep the trash, grit, etc out of your good pot that you make bullets out of. +1 to the $10 hot plate to preheat your molds. It saves a lot of getting the mold hot time. another tip, if you're going to do rifle bullets for serious target shooting just go straight to the custom mold makers and get correct dimension molds from the get go. They end up costing about the same as a standard production brand with 2 shipping trips back to the factory if you catch my drift. |
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