newbi set-up?

[Will52100]

I've been wanting to get into casting as a way to save money on bullets.  I shoot mostly black powder in 38 long colt hollow base bullets and 45 colt for lever rifle.  I shoot mostly cowboy distances so am not worried about match grade bullets, though I do want good acuracy.

I just piced up two heaping five gallon buckets of wheel weights for free and looks like I should be able to continue to get wheel weights free.  For black powder loads will I need to cut the WW with pure lead?  What's the best casting set-up to start out with?  I'm primarily looking to cast a couple thousand rounds in a day or so and not have to cast again for a while.

What's a good flux?  I use 20 Mule Team Borax as a forge welding flux, will this work for lead?

Thanks,

Will

[Cactus Cris]

Will-  I cast my HB with ww BUT add 2-3 lbs. of pure lead and a dab of Tin to my 20lb Lyman bottom pour.  If the skirts can't open up on a HB when fired, ya lose the advantage of the HB design, so I make sure the mix is a little softer than straight ww.  With my harness tester they come out at 6  and with straight ww the number is 10  (pure lead is 0 )
  Straight ww is fine for the 45c.

[Will52100]

Thanks, right now I'm thinking for a basic set- 20lb. lyman bottom pour melting pot, two single cavity hollow base molds, and one six cavity for 45.  that should keep me buisy casting and make good production.

I'm thinking of making a propane burner and stand and using a steel pot to do the WW melts with and to skim the metal and junk out, then pour into ignots for the lyman pot.

what kind of flux?

Thanks

[Leftoverdj]

Thanks, right now I'm thinking for a basic set- 20lb. lyman bottom pour melting pot, two single cavity hollow base molds, and one six cavity for 45.  that should keep me buisy casting and make good production.

I'm thinking of making a propane burner and stand and using a steel pot to do the WW melts with and to skim the metal and junk out, then pour into ignots for the lyman pot.

what kind of flux?

Thanks

Paraffin or candle stubs work about as well as anything for flux.

No point in making up your own propane burner and stand. K-Mart, WalMart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc oughta have turkey fryers, aka cajun cookers, on closeout right about now for $20-30.  Can't build one for that.

Rest of your plan sounds good to me. You are pretty well stuck with single cavity moulds for the .38 LC, but a six cavity for the .45 will flat pour them out.

I cast a few .41 HBWC and I have always added some lead to WW. Might not need to, but if I am going to the trouble of casting HB, I wanna be sure that the skirts can expand.

[Will52100]

Ok, don't know where I'm gonna get pure lead around here, may find some at the scrap yard.  I don't know anything about lead hardness, but the Hornady HBWC that I use with smokless(trying to use the box up, don't like the design) expands just fine from recovered bullets but is a lot harder than the RNHB from River Junction.  I'll probably try a few plain WW and see, don't want to cast a whole bunch till I'm sure it'll work though.

Where is a good place to get lead and tin?

[Will52100]

Also wanted to add that I have absolutly no desire what so ever to resize, plan on pan lubeing! :-D

[Leftoverdj]

Pan lubing should work fine for your needs. Tumble lubing is easier, though.

Easiest source of tin is 95/5 solder from the plumbing or home supply. Some of the boys report getting the sludge from the tanks of radiator repair shops. That's high tin and cheap or free if you can swing it.

You can or could get lead from the plumbing supply, too, to tide you over until you can find scrap. My scrap lead has come out of hospital remodels. It's used as X ray shielding. Just stop and ask when you see a hospital, doctor, or dental office remodel. Likely to cost you a few bucks to the foreman to save it for you, but you can get a huge supply when you do score. I have about 400 pounds from this source.