Casting boolits

[von_klitzing]

I chat at work with a guy that used to cast his own bullets. He's got me interested, so I've ordered a melting pot and ingot mould. I have also managed to secure a price for 53kgs of the old printers metal at around $0.19 aud per 240gr bullet, or $13 per kg incl. freight - is the a good price?

I should be able to make around 2000 bullets with this. Now the next step is to cast some ingots, and find a good bullet mould. I'm going to be casting for my .44 lever action. Guy from work says he has a 289gr mould made special from some custom shop in South Australia.

Does anyone know of a highly recommended seller for custom bullet moulds in Australia (or that ships to Aus?)

Also any recommendations for good combinations to cast/load would be great!

I'll be getting a mould for target shooting (coz I love just shooting it whenever I can!), but want a heavy hitter for big pigs up north

Cheers

[Fujix]

Warrigul, Hardcast and Noisydad are the resident casting pros I think.

One of them will chime in for you

[Warrigul]

Warrigul, Hardcast and Noisydad are the resident casting pros I think.

One of them will chime in for you

Hardcast and Noisydad know more than I,

I'll be honest with you, I don't cast much anymore(lack of time mainly) and for use in modern rifles I mostly just buy them from HRBC.

I occaisonally run a few out, but have no idea on lead prices, I was given linotype, had a regular supply of lead flashing(pure lead) for blackpowder and have a mate who sells tyres so wheel weights are free. We had a steel backstop for .22 pistol and I used to use that a lot too.

These blokes are top to deal with and Australian http://www.castbulletengineering.com.au but I have had success with LEE molds as well.

Good luck it is an art and one that I was never as good at as I would have liked, I will get back into it one day but at the moment most of my gear is lent out.

WEAR YOUR SAFETY GEAR, please..

[von_klitzing]

Got some wheel weights for a carton still waiting for my pot though...

[Swarm]

A few of the neighbourhood cars got wobbly wheels now or what?

j/k

[Noisydad]

Oh you're gunna be in SOOOooooo much trouble from your other half! I can hear it now...."Come out of that bloody shed, your tea is getting cold! You're out there every bloody weekend! I may as well be single!" But you hear "Blah, blah, blah", because casting bullets is too much fun to stop!

There are as many opinions on casting bullets and alloys to use as there are bullets and finding what works for you is a fun journey!

First of all, sort your lead - it's not all the same. Some are made from steel and marked "Fe", others are Zinc and marked "Zn" . If you tap them on a hard surface they'll make a different noise to lead. Bin everything that's not lead.

Stick on wheel weights are very soft (some say nearly pure lead) and better used for round balls in muzzle loaders. The easy way to remove the adhesive backing from stick on's is with a wire wheel on a bench grinder. DO NOT melt it off in your melting pot! The fumes WILL make you feel quite crook! Clip on's are harder. I use them for casting 425 grain bullets for use in my 40-65 Sharps (And took a first place with them yesterday at 600m I'm pleased to add!)

A suitable bullet lube is a whole other essay and black art in itself! There are probably more recipes and recommendations for these than grains of powder in the world! We could get into this later if you like.

I use various moulds - Lee, Lyman and NEI and have no trouble with any of them. Lee moulds will most likely be the easiest to get but get what suits you.

Casting ingots from your scrap is a good way to clean out the crap. Use bee's wax as a flux.

[von_klitzing]

Thanks Noisydad. Yep my mate Gaz and I have started sorting the different weights during out "infrequent" tea/safety breaks at work. I've done a crash course in metallurgy and have worked with metals for quite a while so I'm familiar with the old "lead soft, zinc hard" sorting methods. Easy as pie. I'll be casting at work, and reloading at home. So I shouldn't hear the wife yelling at me, but might end up hearing the boss yelling instead lol (I'll get him pissed now and the. Should keep him in line!). I've got limited time at home coz of little critters running around screaming louder than wifey lol.
Didn't know about the stick on weights being more pure though so thx for the heads up! I'll separate them and decide later what to use them for. I don't do any muzzle loading/round ball shooting.......... Yet
I haven't yet looked at lube, but was literally thinking what to use tonight. I'll have to sift through the castboolits site to get some ideas. What seems to work for you?
I picked up my first mould from evilbay, a lee 310 grain 6 cavity mould for piggys and looking at an rcbs 250 grain Keith type for targets. What do you think? I'm super interested in custom molds too, and the 289grain mould I mentioned before has sparked my interest. Old mate refuses to give it up though lol! Dunno where I'll find one - he mentioned beartooth bullets?? Is a good place to get customs...
I also ordered a .430" lube sizer for my .44 mag casts. I've been told it's best to size .001" oversize for best results. Guy from work mentioned it depends on the throat of my rifle??? But I'll need to measure it up to get the projectiles sitting right on the leade of the bore? Have I got this screwed up somehow? Hmmm, more research reqd here I think.
Casting ingots from scrap? You mean any leftovers should be cast as a cleanup?? I've yet to research fluxing as well but getting there slowly!
I'll keep you updated as I learn moar!!
Cheers

[Apollo]

I have never played with casting, anything, but reading this thread with interest, I don't have anything I could use to shoot a cast bullet.

One thing I'd like to ask which the threat title struck me is ... what is a "boolit" or is that just a spelling mistake for a "bullet"....

I did a few years many years ago at Uni NSW doing Metallurgy so I do understand the factors involved with metals and their alloys, never got any further than those few years as I switched to electronics but all the learning didn't go astray.

[von_klitzing]

Yep, just a "clever" way to spell an already perfectly good werd....

[Noisydad]

Cast your ingots first as a means of cleaning up your lead. That way when you cast bullets the dirt and rubbish wont go in your moulds. Tip the left overs from each casting session back into the ingot moulds and use letter stamps to stamp each ingot with a "SO"(Stick on) or a "CO" (Clip on) because they all look the same in ingot form.

[von_klitzing]

Ok I got my first cast done today. I think I'm having dramas with the alloys separating from the lead.

I have the smallest Lee melting pot and it doesn't have the bottom pour, so I have to either ladle or pour from the top.

I can melt the lead wheel weights, remove the clips and dross ok, but once the dross is gone, a skin appears on top of the molten lead - of course.

Now I'm not sure if this is the tin and antimony? I have added sawdust, then some wax and mixed it in while it burns. But as soon as the sawdust is removed then the surface skin gets the metallic purple colour and I think this is the alloys separating? Am I right?

What do I need to do to correct this?

[Noisydad]

By the look of the ingots it may be a little hot. Can you turn it down? An old stainless steel soup ladle is good for scooping out liquid lead and pouring into ingot moulds.

[von_klitzing]

Thanks Noisydad, yes I can turn it down, but other Lee pot users say they have their pot around 7-8 setting.

However I did some more research and I think it has to do with the humidity up here (80-90%)... The steamy air is cooling the lead skin quickly (I also have a large exhaust fan directly above the pot as well) and when I stir it, the skin doesn't actually look to be melting quickly again, just seems to grow and grow.

Another thread said a heat barrier is needed here, but this isn't a bottom pour pot so if I put a lid on, then I can't access the lead. Too much I don't know, but I need to try again and again. I just don't want to waste any wheel weights lol.

I've actually decided I don't know enough of the variables and have purchased a Lyman's book on casting, a larger pot and a bad ass thermometer with probe.

I'll get casting again in a couple of days after a bit more research and when my other project is finished. Will post with the results.

[Noisydad]

Found my lube notes at last.

The lube brew (from "The American Rifleman" 1943) I'm using in my 40-65 (with black powder)is 1 part paraffin wax, 1 part lard, 1/2 beeswax (by weight) all melted together in a jar in boiling water.

Bullets are pan lubed. Messy but effective.

This brew leaves a nice star of splattered lube in the barrel crown indicating that there's enough lube on the bullets to make it out the 30inch barrel.

I mention all this because what works in one gun/lube/bullet/powder combo may not work in another and is something you'll have heaps of fun experimenting with.

Your lever 44 lever gun may well need a different brew. You could use BP in yours for double the fun.

[von_klitzing]

Thanks for the recipe Noisydad!

I have no idea where to get most of that stuff lol. I have a bottle of Lee Liquid Alox and I'll see how far that goes.

I'll definitely be lubing the bullets by shaking in a bucket to start with lol. Will see how the Rossi likes it.

Oh no, please don't get me interested in another sub-category/sub-hobby! I'm struggling to find time to research everything I'm doing now!

On another note, I ordered a PID controller for my melting pot do keep the temps as constant as possible. Will post more pics and notes as I go.

Keep feeding me info! I'm loving it

[von_klitzing]

So to solve the above problems with burning alloys with unknown temps in my casting pot, I decided I'd get a thermometer and a PID (temperature controller) to manage the casting temperatures.

So I went ahead and bought a PID kit, with PID, Solid State Relay and (SSR) Thermocouple (TC) from ebay and a box and some input/outputs and switches etc from Jaycar, as well as scavenge up some old 10amp wires and wiring terminals from work hehe.

I really had no idea how this thing was supposed to go together. The parts came in and I assembled and tested it, and it failed to run my sacrificial fan, I had to do a bit more research and learn what an SSR actually is lol.

After going back to the drawing board and applying a 240v feed to the SSR, and re-wiring the unit (with the help of an electrician mate) I had some success. I then tested the unit with some lead in a pot and all went well until the temps got up to 700'F the TC died lol.

So I stole the TC from my thermometer and have wired it up to the unit, but haven't had time to test again but I'm confident it'll be working fine tomorrow.

Here's some pics of the unit (the wiring here is WRONG lol, so don't try to copy it hahaha). I have also removed most of the crimp connectors and soldered the connections to the switch and power connections.

[stevy]

I'm lost just looking at the picture.

I'd end up killing myself trying to wire it up

[von_klitzing]

Yeah best to have an electrician do it

Now I'm close to casting my first batch of bullets for my .44 mag lever rifle! Does anyone have any good bullet lube recipes for magnum loads? I'm going to try liquid alox, as well as a wax and moly mix, but will need a hard lube for the magnum loads. Any recipes will be appreciated. (Thx Noisydad for your recipe I'll give that a go too) though I'm not using black powder, I'll be using ar2205 and VithaVouri N110.

[buster]

No advice to offer sorry but keen as to see the result.

About time I got myself a lever. Interested in casting too...

[von_klitzing]

Well I bought 3kg of beeswax today. I'll be using this for the base for any lube recipes I try out. First one is simply equal parts beeswax and moly grease. Will see how it goes
Oh and Buster, here is an excellent source of info on casting bullets for starters like me:
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Noisydad]

Black powder isn't far away from your testing program now!

[Lorgar]

Don't listen to Noisy.

He'll turn you into an addict like him who spends his days huffing black powder smoke

[von_klitzing]

Well, did a great casting session today all that research payed off! No hiccups (except I nearly melted the ingot mould on the oxy lol) but otherwise smooth sailing will build up a good supply of clean ingots then will cast some 44 rounds

Also, I highly recommend a temp controller! This one piece of kit is keeping the temps solid the entire session. It is definitely worth it's weight in gold.

[Noisydad]

Happy days! Wonder if the health benefits of bullet casting have studied? Given you're doing it at work I think that because of all that focused, deeply meditative, "man cave" time your productivity may have actually risen! I reckon a government grant could be acquired to study that!

[Fujix]

Waiting to see some boolits

[sarki]

Looks like you've got a little pyramid of silver there.

Planning for the apocalypse when everyone's bank accounts get reset?

[meek]

What are the bits you're melting there?

Just all odds and ends made of lead are they?

[von_klitzing]

I've been melting down wheel weights from car tyre shops. I get about an hour before work and an hour at lunch to cast, but I have the pot running all day so I can pour between jobs too hehe. As long as the work gets done.

A carton of beer gets me a bucket of weights (the tyre joint estimates 25kg, I weighed it closer to 45kg lol) separate the zinc, steel and lead types, then smelt the lead weights using gas or electric pot. That one bucket produced 64 x 1 lb ingots

I'll pull the bullet molds out tomorrow morning and cast some boolits! Can't wait I have another full bucket to start working on now too...

[meek]

Good old beer.

The universal currency.

[VonKlitzing]

Life happened last week so I got stuck in to casting some projectiles today and here's the result!



I'm pretty happy with that for my first session. I used a Saeco #445 (62445) 44 cal 220 grain SWCBB double cavity mould. Obviously not first class casts, but a good step in the right direction. I was able to read the signs of the lead once it was set to tell if I required more heat or less heat. It's always good to have an oxy torch on hand

So now I need to lube and size these bad boys. I'm not keen on the idea of pan lubing, so I thing I'll be putting them in a container for tumble lubing. Anyone have any other methods that could be easier or cleaner? Or better still, something I can DIY build to get the job done??

Will see how it goes. I'll post more pics of lubing later...