1st Casting Session

[Chunky Monkey]

Well after skulking around here for about a year I have finally gained enough confidence and equipment to cast my first shiny batch of boolits!

Want to start off by thanking all of you who have helped me out along the way. Randyrat provided me with 50 lbs. of adhesive wheel weights and sheet lead. Got another 50 lbs. coming from fishawk. That’ll keep me in cap-n-ball boolitss for a while.

Got my turkey fry out yesterday so I could size up and cut my heat shield that is made from a piece of 24” steel pipe I got from the local plant as scrap for $8.00. Cut it to fit and allow for entry of the gas line. I had no intention to smelt and mold as I am currently digging out the back part of my basement so I can put in a workbench to cast boolits. Finally got my reloading area moved up stairs to the heat and air conditioning.

Figured what the hell, got out the 6 qt cast iron pot, my Rowell #1, my Lee 457 RB mold, my 44 - 250 conical mold, and some other items I have accumulated over the past year. Dropped in the lead that randyrat provided me and went to work.

Sort of casting ingots and boolits at the same time. Since I currently only have one ingot mold (searching high and low for steel or cast muffin pans) I would fill it and cast some boolits while I waited for it to set up. I was in no hurry just enjoying myself!

Things went good once I got a good rhythm going. I would fill one mold set it down, fill the other, then set it down. Pick up the first one cut the sprue, drop boolits onto a towel then they would roll into pan. Fill that mold and pick up the second mold. . . and so forth.

For my first time I think things turned out pretty damn good, let me know what I need to do to make ‘em a little better. I am posting my picks so that I may receive a little constructive criticism. Remember this was a temporary spur of the moment set up, especially the wheelbarrow table.

My biggest question is regarding the brown crap that kept forming on my lead. When I started I fluxed and stirred with wooden stick, scraping the sides and the bottom. I then skimmed of dark powdery crap. I thought that once this was done that was it for skimming. But I kept getting more brown crap and had to keep skimming it off. Is this normal or was this because the lead level kept getting lower and lower. I do not have a thermometer so I do not know the temperature. Help or info requested!

I also went yesterday morning to a local scrap yard and got 150 lbs. of wheel weights for $60.00 (about .40 lb). Went through the bucket last night and there was no steel or zinc (as far as I could tell), shot boolits, big truck WW, etc. There were some battery terminals (that go on the battery posts) in there, they appeared to be lead. Are they lead? Now just gotta get some ingot molds and get those puppies smelted. Now that I got some lead to get started I’m gonna start hittin my local garages and tires shops. This brass ***** is quickly turning into a lead *****. After casting I was out there picking little pieces of lead out of the grass that I dropped. Neighbors probably that I went nuts. What a sickness!!

Now as soon as I get my basement set-up ready I’ll start using my Lee Magnum Melter that I am dying to try out.

Sorry for the long drawn out post guys. Feel like a little kid who wants to show off what he did for his dad!

Again thanks for all the info and be ready for a new run of questions!







This is the brown stuff that kept forming. Is this normal?


This came out of 50 lbs. of adhesive WW and sheet lead.

[454PB]

You're doing great! My first cast boolits didn't look nearly that nice.

The culvert is a great idea, keeps the heat around the pot.

The constant accumulation of dross (the brown stuff) is normal, and can be minimized by lowering the heat. Any time you ladle cast, you need to flux every 100 casts or so. With a bottom pour, you can leave the dross on top of the melt to act as an oxygen barrier. When ladle casting, the dross kind of gets in the way.

[Heavy lead]

Nice, impressive, way to go!

[docone31]

Hey, that looks stylin!!!!
Let the neighbors laugh.
Good lookin castings.
Yeah buddy.

[Boerrancher]

Those are some fine looking boolits you have casted up there. Heck I have been casting for just over 30 years and I sometimes don't get boolits that look that nice. What ever it is you are doing Keep it up it seems to be working well for you.


Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[xr650]

Nice set up.
Great looking boolits.
My muffin tins are aluminum. They work well. Just let the ingots cool enough to release from the tins before you try to knock them out.

[Slowpoke]

[But I kept getting more brown crap and had to keep skimming it off. Is this normal or was this because the lead level kept getting lower and lower. I do not have a thermometer so I do not know the temperature. Help or info requested!]


Yes it is normal, for the dross to build up when using a ladle. And high heat will make it happen faster. Normally you reduce your heat as your pot empties if you are not topping it off as you go.

You can just push the dross to the side and keep casting for while, but you will eventually need to flux it back in, or skim it and put it with your sprues etc. and then add it back to your melt when you melt your sprues etc., but don't throw it away, anything you throw away should just be a fine dry powder after fluxing.
, some flux's will leave a goo or a crust but anyway Handle this powder, goo ,crust carefully and don't get it wet, it is very toxic stuff.

Put a lead thermometer on your list of needed things, it's not mandatory but it saves a lot of guess work, time and gives peace of mind.

good luck, stay safe

[mugsie]

Het Chunky Monkey - are you casting round balls out of wheel weights? Have you tried shooting them yet? I always use pure lead for my C&B revolvers and always wondered if I could use WW. Thought it would be too hard. Any success in doing this?

[Wayne Smith]

Success shooting ww's in C&B revolvers is not the problem. Success loading them is. They are hard enough that you can break the rammer trying to load them.

[Chunky Monkey]

Het Chunky Monkey - are you casting round balls out of wheel weights? Have you tried shooting them yet? I always use pure lead for my C&B revolvers and always wondered if I could use WW. Thought it would be too hard. Any success in doing this?

I used adhesive WW and sheet lead for the round balls and conicals. I also mentioned that I just happened to have picked up 150 lbs of WW that same day to smelt. These will be used for 45 acp and 44 mag.

When going thru my bucket of WW I found some vehicle battery terminals.
They appear to be lead. If so are the soft lead or hard lead?

[zampilot]

Nice setup, almost the same as what I'm putting together. Great to see good results. Hopefully my first cast boolit will rate keeping and frameing instead of tossing it back into the pot.

[IcerUSA]

The older battery cable ends where soft lead , not sure about anything made in the last few years tho , try too scratch them with your finger nail, if they scratch easily I would guess soft lead.

Keith

[Bigjohn]

Great thread here chunky. If your melting lead weights or sheet, you are going to get some dirt. Oxidation is a problem if you ladle pour and looking at your skimmings there, you may want to put that through the pot again to recover the metal in it.

As for splashes, a hard smooth floor under your set up makes it easier to pick off the droppings. Don't ask how I know this.

I spent Tuesday converting over two hundred pounds of lead sheet and range salvage into ingots.

The cast boolits look good as well.

John.