Melting and pouring lead for BP pistol

[Scimmy]

Hi all, what do you lot do when making your own?
Any tips greatly appreciated, I'm now thinking of casting my own after using swaged ball that have been shop bought.
Any links to suppliers of the knicknacks req'd would be great. Thinking of both conical and ball casting.

Cheers for any replies and if anyone wouldn't mind me looking over their shoulder so to speak to get the hang of this then please pm.
Thanks all

[steve medlock]

I use a Lee bottom pour melting pot that I've had for many years. Trouble free so long as it is cleaned occasionally. Round ball and conical bullets are no problem although I do have problems with Minies from time to time.

If you just want pistol ammo though, a ladle and lead molten in a saucepan will do the job adequately.

Steve.

[harricook]

I use a lead pot over a propane burner.

Only problems I have are having 2 x 2 gang moulds & 1 gang minie. I looked into having 6 gangs made but the cost .....

I melt all my scrap down & cast clean 'ingots' - you can pour into DRY brick frogs ...(no water or damp for gods sake !) and then just tip them out into the concrete floor

All the scrapings/dirt/muck etc can then be discarded

Then when I am casting bullets I am usiing 'clean' lead - just flux it !

I use either a standard ladle with a little spout formed in it (think it was a small soup ladle - boot fair £1) and I also sometimes use a bottom pour RCBS jobby - but this slows the process down again

Cheers

Roy

[lightning22]

I use a Lee bottom pour, though if I were to buy another one I wouldn't bother with the pour facility, it's too slow and clogs.

For pouring I use a Lee ladle and beeswax for flux.

Rich

[Scimmy]

Cheers guys, re flux, is this applied to the mold or to the molton lead? Please excuse my ignorance, newbie at all this. Bandaids and burneeze at the ready!

[Voodoo]

Drop it in the molten lead, you can buy commercial flux or use beeswax you can buy it in little ingots from Hobbycraft for about £1.50 you only need to put a piece about the size of a pea in your molten lead stir and then just skim the scum off the top with a spoon. Get you mould hot before you pour or it will stick. I heat mine by dipping the corner of the mould in the hot lead.

[Scimmy]

Brilliant, cheers for that. I'll pop a post up with the results soon I hope.
ATB

[lightning22]

Drop it in the molten lead, you can buy commercial flux or use beeswax you can buy it in little ingots from Hobbycraft for about £1.50 you only need to put a piece about the size of a pea in your molten lead stir and then just skim the scum off the top with a spoon. Get you mould hot before you pour or it will stick. I heat mine by dipping the corner of the mould in the hot lead.

I have a colleague who keeps bees and is partial to rabbit meat, works for both of us.

Rich

[davederrick]

Here are a couple of articles I found a while ago -
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._98124194/pg_1
http://www.tacticoolproducts.com/bulletcasting/
http://www.freewebs.com/castbullets/
Also, check out the Ammosmith channel on YouTube, do a search on his channel for "casting", lots of good videos.
http://uk.youtube.com/user/ammosmith

[robinghewitt]

The problem with pouring lead in to a mould is the sprue. The outside of the ball/suppository sets almost immediately. I say almost, if the mould is too cold you get wrinkles. If the lead is too hot you get a golden sheen.

Anyway, long after the outside has set it still has a molten core which contracts as it cools down. This is fine and dandy so long as the centre of the sprue stays molten so it can pull more lead in. If the sprue sets too soon you get a void.

Easy to test for if you have scales because they come out light.

A big fat sprue with not a lot of metal around it helps. Those using a ladel often continue pouring long after the mould is full to keep putting heat in to the sprue.

[Scimmy]

Excellent, all good stuff. Many thanks all.
Anyone know of good purveyors of the tools required. I've got together some crude basics but anything for the easy life!

[Smokeless Coal]

I use a camping gaz stove and various stainless pots for melting and a large stainless spoon as my ladle fitted in a wooden handle.

By far the most important thing missing comment so far is Ventilation.

Lead fumes are toxic, continued exposure causes these toxins to build up and take years for your body to get rid of, if ever. They affect your brain and give a headache that just does not go away.

Dont melt Lead indoors and make sure fumes are not in your direction.

I melt mine in my shed. I wear a face mask fed with air through a flexible hose from outside. And have an extractor fan drawing Lead fumes and carbon monoxide from the burner away from me and outside.

The fine oxides in the air around you can be absorbed by the skin so get changed and shower as soon as possible afterwards.

[tim56]

I use a 10lb Lee electric pot with pouring spout at the bottom. Works a treat but you do have to clear the pouring hole occasionally or the flow gets too slow and the lead starts to go off in layers. I have used it for approx 8 years to make .357" .45" and .577" bullets as well as several sizes of round ball. Only problem so far is a heating coil that burnt out, £13 off the internet to replace. Round ball and smaller size bullet molds are the Lee ally ones but bigger .45 postell and .577 bullet molds are steel ones made by lyman. Steel takes longer to get to working temp but seems allow the bullet to cool down slightly slower so is less prone to shrinkage and blow holes in the finished bullet.
As has been said above. Ventilation is VERY IMPORTANT. Lead poisoning is not recommended. I cast in the garage with the main door and the side door open which sucks the fumes out and even use an electric fan to help clear the air. Allways wear goggles and gloves.

[LONG REACH]

Hi Tim,
I think I may have the same pot as yourself, is the box section that supports the pot rectangular ? unlike the later ones that are hexagonal. I've just replaced the pot, coil, thermostat and the lower platewhere the spout pokes through (got a bit close with the torch when trying to clear the pouring hole, coz it wouldn't heat up properly because of the knackered thermostat , but even with the little problems it's still good. had it ages, but still can't find the perfect setting

All the best
Baz

[davederrick]

I always cast outdoors in the open air. But be careful, if its starts to rain, even slightly, any water entering your melt will explode molten lead everywhere.