Absolute cheapest way to give casting a try?

[patrick_sween]

I would like to try casting and am trying to decide the cheapest way to get going.  I'd be casting bullets for a .357, for target/plinking ammo, so I don't need hard alloys or "perfect" match grade bullets.  I've been thinking of just picking up a Lee 158 gn. SWC mold, the Micro-Band style, and a bottle of the Liquid Alox.  No sizing, no gas checks, wheel weights I can get for free.  Load to .38 Special velocity and shoot 'em.  Can I get by with just this, a pot, a ladle, some flux, and a camp stove, or do I really need an electric lead pot?  Time I got, $$$ not so much!  Any advice on starting on an extremely tight budget would be appreciated!  Thanks.

Patrick

[JBMauser]

It sounds like a plan to me.  The only suggestion I would make is to buy a cheap mould for ingots.  This way you  could work down your WWs then cast.  I have seen cast iorn things that are used for baking that look like small ears of corn.  The Lee ingot mold is like $10.  If you have two pots, one for ww and the other for your clean melt for bullets you may find it easier. best of luck.  JB

[Cat Whisperer]

Ahhh the el-cheapo route.  Been there.  Here some hints:

1. Find a friend who's doin' it.  Do it with him.  Learn the minimum things you need.

2. Buy second-hand.  Yard sales.  Advertize in the shopper.  Look for the full set in estate sales.

3. Some things work well although designed for something else; some don't.  Read - determine which is which.  Example:  ingot mould - use a 50 cent muffin tin (STEEL) from Goodwill.  But DON'T use an aluminum suace pan for melting the alloy (aluminum looses strength at a few degrees above where you'd be melting the alloy).

4. Read, read, read.  The cast bullet forums are a great source of informtion as are the loading manuals.

[Aladin]

I would like to try casting and am trying to decide the cheapest way to get going.  I'd be casting bullets for a .357, for target/plinking ammo, so I don't need hard alloys or "perfect" match grade bullets.  I've been thinking of just picking up a Lee 158 gn. SWC mold, the Micro-Band style, and a bottle of the Liquid Alox.  No sizing, no gas checks, wheel weights I can get for free.  Load to .38 Special velocity and shoot 'em.  Can I get by with just this, a pot, a ladle, some flux, and a camp stove, or do I really need an electric lead pot?  Time I got, $$$ not so much!  Any advice on starting on an extremely tight budget would be appreciated!  Thanks.

Patrick

Patrick welcome to cast shooten-- you sound like so many who started out making their own bullets.

All you need is the Lee mold and liquid lube they sell. A heat source to melt your ww's and your set.

You'll find a forums and archives of Shooters invaluable to find the 'how to's'.

I think a Lee two cav is around 16 bucks. The lube is around 3-4. Sound doable?  Get a PB [plain base design]. Asking on the forums per your gun will help getting the one best suited for you.

Good Luck and keep us posted on how your doin'.

[patrick_sween]

It looks like I can make a decent go of it for under $50, which sounds great to me!  My S&W shoots lead 158 SWCs pretty well.  In that weight, Lee has several different SWCs to choose from.  I'm guessing for tumble lubing, the Micro Band plain base style is best?  It looks like a 2 cavity mould is about $17 online, and the lube is $3.  I'd be loading these to about 850 fps, so leading shouldn't be an issue.  The two pots and a muffin tin sounds like a good idea, so I'll do some scrounging.  Thanks for all the advice!

Patrick

[Jack Monteith]

I had an ancient Coleman stove when I started casting. Gave it a try, and I still use it. My pot is a $6 stainless steel 1 quart saucepan. A themometer is almost essential, but you'll want one even if you get a fancy electric pot.

Get at it.   :grin:

Bye
Jack

[grendel]

I have melted WW's over an old Colman stove, when it died I went to Wal-Mart and got one of there Turkey broilers.  It works for melting large batches of WW's into ingots (10qt cast iron pan) and for casting bullets (6qt pan).  Get a casting thermometer, and a ladle or a bottom pour electric pot (Some day I'll get my old one fixed up and use it some again).  Lee molds are ok, I would say that the 6gang molds are better  then the 2gang, at least that has been my experience.

Get two molds and alternate using them.  This will double your production and allow / force you to let the molds cool and let the bullets harden.  

Lee makes luber sizers that fit in a reloading press and also makes a liquid lube that you can use to lube the bullets.  Or you can use your fingers and smear other lubes on. :cry:  

WW's = Wheel Weights can be found at some (not all) tire stores (some will not sell them)  I typically pay $15 for a 5gal bucket, however the last bucket full I got cost me an empty 5gal bucket in trade.

Have fun

Grendel

[Leftoverdj]

Patrick, I understand that money is tight, and I agree with your basic plan. If you can swing the difference, go for the Lee six cavity mould rather than the two holer. The six cavities are hugely better moulds. If you can't, settle for the two holer, but accept that it is a starter deal.

[The Shrink]

Patrick

I started much the same way.  Coleman and kitchen pot.  Got a Lyman ladle locally.  Have gotten several molds off e-bay or AuctionArms.com.  Use wax left over from candlemaking for fluxing.  Took an old section of copper pipe and flattened one end to stir the pot and take off junk.  Got a muffin tin at a thrift store and am still using it.  In fact, I'm still using all of it!  If you want your bullets absolutely round get the Lee sizer kit for $12 or $13.  I have one to size down bullets for my 44-40, which wants .427 bullets.  

I cast out on the back porch.  Make lube on the kitchen stove.  I'm pan lubing for now, 44-40 and .410 rifle BP applications.  Use the Lee Alox for smokeless, but think I'll go to the dry Alox in my vibrator-cleaner next.  Mostly for the waste issue, I never know how much of the liquid to use and end up using too much!

Welcome to casting and enjoy!

Wayne the Shrink

[thecowboyace]

I have been making my fishing lures for a long time.  I have used just the pot? that is about the size of a small fist.  I know that I can turn out quite a few 1/2-3/4 oz jigs like 6 or 8 at a time.  Don't have steel thermometer but I have no way to change temperature in the pot anyways.  I use WWs, battery posts, the lead end off of battery cables.  Any of this one should not use in casting bullets
So got a pot
Buy the molds
Then what?

[The Shrink]

Ace

You really need a way to control the temp of the melt.  The quality of bullet is, to some extent, controled by the temp.  Without control, as the amount of melt in the pot goes down, the temp goes up, and consistency goes out the window.  If you are only casting for plinking pistol ammo, that's probably adequate.  If you want long range rifle ammo, or long range pistol ammo, you need more temp control.  You will probably need some tin unless you are casting for BP only.  Tin in the mix helps the melt flow into the cavity and fill it.  It provides a little hardness, but it's really antimony that provides hardness.  

Many use wheel weight metal cause it's already mixed.  

You need something to stir and flux the melt.  You need something for the bullets to land on, I use an old bath towel that is soaked in water.  I would recommend Mold Prep by Rapine or a similar graphite application to encourate bullet release from the mold.  

Then, of course, you need to load and shoot them!

Wayne the Shrink

[Robert]

The cheapo kind from the harware store, and a dipper/ladle, one bullet at a time.  I keep my mold on an old hot plate to pre-heat it and keep it warm. A pair of wire cutters or sheet metal snips to cut the W/W's. Melt enough for one at a time, the clean lead will pour out from underneath any slag.  If it builds up, heat it hot and give it a tap upside-down. When the lead melts....pour it, you can get it dialed without a thermometer.