Hello Bulletmaker:
what do you use to wash the cutting oil off the shot?
Do you use regular cutting oil or water soluble cutting oil?
Does your shot come out round or is it dimpled or football shaped?
I look forward to your reply.
Kindest regards,
Max 
I believe it was water soluble? but when the snow melts, I`ll go outside to the garage and see for sure. I dont recall if you said you bought a little john`s shot maker yet? but if you did or going to in the future, they have an instruction manuel or paper, that is very explanatory, that comes with it.
To answer your question about the shot shape, Mine comes out nice and round. The trick, is to get your pan of oil, as close to the lip of the shot maker, so that when the lead shot drops off the lip, its only about 1/16 of an inch from the lip.I might add, to also keep that lip, chalk good.That difference forms the perfect round shot. Thats the case were I`m live at anyhow, my elevation is 825 feet above sea level. Dont know if that elevation makes any difference at all, but have heard where some people have to experiment with the difference.
After I have made of 50lbs, of shot, I put it on a screen frame, spread it out evenly, and hose it down with soapy water, I use (spic and span), you can buy it in any grocery store, where the house hold soap`s and detergence are at. I use one of them garden spray holder, (you know the type you attach to the end of a garden hose), I put my spic and span in that. And than spray the whole screen full of shot.
After its dry`s
,(the shot that is), By the way, just leave in on the screen frame you will have to make for it, out in the sun, and it will dry, in about 2 or 3 hours. If its winter, when your making your shot, then you will have to put it in the wifes over at 200 degrees for about an hour.
After it`s dry, put the shot in a tumbler, and put in about 1/2 to 1 ounce of powder grapite, you can get the graphite at the automotive store. Oh, and by the way, the tumbler has to be one of the rotary type. The powder graphit, will help keep the shot separate when your dropping in through your shot tube on the shotgun reloader. If you don`t graphite it, the shot
will stick together or bunch together when your trying to use the shot tube.
hope that help`s . let me know if you got anymore questions, I`m not an expert, just learned the hard way. (trail and error).
Oh yeah, for hard shot, I just use wheel weights from the tire shops, sometimes they will give you a 5 galon bucket for nothing, thats free that is. But others charge about 25 cents a lb. for the stuff. Just shop around and try to get it free. For soft shot I use pure lead. That gets expensive.
bullet maker
