Casting help

[Stape]

  Howdy.  A buddy pointed me to this site and I am looking forward to spending some time on here.  Lots of info, and all in one place too!  Anyhow, I'll get right to bugging you guys.  The more I read the more questions I come up with, so please bear with me.   I just started casting not long ago, in fact, my moulds are still on back-order, but in the mean-time I have been making ingots out of wheel weights.  In short, I am smelting them out in my garage over a turkey fryer and an old pot.  Its not a cast iron pot, but just a metal pot, no teflon lining in it or anything, but not cast iron.  Anywho.....I'll melt down the WW, skim of the clips and crud, and I have been fluxing with Frankford arsenol fluxing agent, its in a tub and is a grainy-like powder, the directions say about a teaspoon for 20lbs.  Almost never does the stuff fully mix into the molten lead alloy, but it does bring allot of crap to the surface, which I skim off.  After my alloy is a nice shiny silver, I pour into a Lee ingot mould, and they look as good as anything to me, but just running this by the guys in the know.  I am starting to cast mainly for shooting my 1911's as the price of reloading componants skyrocket, Just waiting on the .452 200gr LSWC TL Mould.  I put allot of volume through my 1911's, maybe 500rds a week, that was until even commercial cast bullets went pretty high, so here I am.  I understand WW is a good choice for the 45acp, but soon I'll pick up a hardness tester and learn the finer points of casting.    So, any advice or comments on my humble operation thus far?   I don't know anyone who casts so really no-one to turn to for learning the ropes as when I started reloading years ago.  Thanks all.

[Castaway]

Sounds like you're on the right track.  Get Lyman manual, lots of information.  The other bit of advice is to get another 6 cavity mould, either like you already have or even for another caliber.  Once you start casting and get your rhythm going, you can fill one and while it cools, fill the other, then dump bullets; fill mould 1, fill mould 2, dump 1, fill 2, dump 1....  Speeds up the process considerably.

[D Crockett]

this is a safety warning don't wear anything nylon always were cotton your pot you are smelting in make sure it is not aluminum if if is it can come apart on you with a warning never eat drink or smoke while you are working with lead and were eye protection and if you have any damp or wet ww use something to dry them before you dump them into your pot of molten lead if you don't the tonsil fairy will visit you and you could have serious problems then these are a few of the rules you have to follow fluxing agents that most of us use candle wax,bees wax,pine pitch,old motor oil,saw dust,you can even use a paint stirrer and I have even used a hand full of old oak leaves hope this all helps you in your new hobby have fun be safe D Crockett

[blhof]

Also be sure your casting area is well ventillated.  I have casted for years; both for black powder and modern guns.  ww's are ideal for most modern guns and properly hardened they can handle fairly high speeds.  You also will find excellent casting and hardening info in Veral's book.

[Stape]

Thanks for the advice and info.  I cast out in my garage, door open, window open, and a fan going, and I take all the usual safety precautions, clothing, gloves, eye protection, mask and such.  Question though....when smelting, is temperature paramount?  I think I smelted too hot when I was pouring my ingots.  Will this affect the ingots when I go to cast them into bullets?

[myronman3]

it shouldnt.   

one thing i have run into with straight wheel weights, the bullet spring back is more than with other mixes.  this translates to using a smaller sizing die.   for example, if i want 452 diameter bullets, i have to run them through a .451 sizing die.   putting them through a .452 die nets me .453 sized bullets.  when i mix my wheel weights with pure lead at 1/3 pure to 2/3rds ww i dont have this problem.  just something you might want to watch for.   

[Lloyd Smale]

Couple things to help. First, anymore there are alot of zinc wws around and they will mess up your lead and have to come out. If your careful thats easy. Dont let your melt go unatended. Watch it closely till there is about a 1 inch layer of wws still floating on top of the molten lead. Dont stir till this point. Now slowly stir and push the rest of the wws under the molten lead with a chunk of dry hardwood or a broom handle ect. Turn your burner way down at this time too. YOu will accomplish a few things here. you will push the good wieghts down into the molten lead and they will melt. the zinc which requires a higher temp will stay on top with the clips and pushing all the valve stems and junk down into your mix will actually flux the lead and drive any tin or antimony thats traped in the melted clips back into the melt.  Now skim off any clips and junk. Scrape the sides and bottom of your put well and skim again. NOw flux. About anything will flux lead. I have been using comercail flux for about a year because a printer gave me a bunch for free but it works no better then wax, bullet lube, sawdust, or motor oil. Now make ingots. Im not real anal at this point if a tiny bit of dirt gets in the ww ingots.  I rarely use just wws and will melt them again and alloy. I will flux again when i make a batch of alloy and thats it. I rarely flux when im casting. I found it is more detrimental to making good bullets then helpfull.