Just got done casting

Sharp Shooter · 05-18-2009, 08:48 AM

My friend let me borrow his Lee electric pot and gave me some wheel weights so I decided to try it out. I was casting .600 balls for my GM 62cal. I still dont like the idea of using wheel weights so I am going to order some lead from roto metals when I get the extra $100 but for now, its all I have.

Anyways, I decided to try the bottom pour on this pot and i really like it! Might have to get an electric pot. Its a lot easier to keep a constant temperature. I put out some decent looking roundballs. Not quite as perfect as I want but close. I had a couple come out a little "rough". They were not shiny and had a matt look to them. Anyone know what this is?

Also, the balls were sticking to one side of the mold but not the other. Anyone know how I can fix it?

Accept for a few balls that were a little wrinkly and a couple other bad ones I threw back, I think I did pretty good for my second casting session. I am hooked on casting my own balls now. Im thinking about getting a .575 Lee mold for my 58cal. I also want to find a 58cal Maxi-ball mold.

HEAD0001 · 05-18-2009, 10:02 AM

Clean the mold with pure alcohol(not isopropyl), or a good brake cleaner and Q-tips. Then smoke the mold with a candle. That should take care of the sticky round balls.

Personally I have no problem with WW. Especially with a ball since you will be using a patch-so the lead never touches the rifling. So what could possibly be wrong with the WW?? Lordy you are shooting a 62 caliber, so expansion couldn't possibly be an issue??

USPS just delivered a new bullet mold this mornig. So I will probably have to do some casting myself(tomorrow). Tom.

emptyquiver2 · 05-18-2009, 01:28 PM

sooting the mold is the best way to release the casting. WW when weighed will generally run lighter then pure lead. Dull color in the cast may be a hint that the pot is running a bit too warm. The dull color mayhave a blue tint also which is an indication of a hot pot.

Screwbolts · 05-19-2009, 04:10 AM

Congrats on trying a LEE bottom pour, I have been using the same LEE BP pot since 1977, I have the Higher version, that lets me use 4 and 6 cavity molds.

I believe thr rough boolits you were talking about are what is commonly called Frosted, did they look like they were covered with frost? This is caused by the mould getting Hot! You are casting RBs so you don't need to run this hot. try using two molds at the same time alowing one to cool with the ball still in it, while you fill the other mold, just keep routateing them.

Your WWs will make a good ball but it will be slightly harder that pure lead, this will almost always gaurantee complete pass threw. I have harvested a lot of deer in the past with a .45 RB, if i casted them of lead I almost always could recover the ball, if they were WWs complete pass threw every time. I have two 35MM film containers full of recovered .45 RBs from deer down in my colection of prizes in the shop.

If you ever felt a need to harden your Balls

, just run the mold hot to you get frosting and then drop the ball from the mold into a bucket of water, this is how I cast my 333 gr. LBT LFN Boolitzs for us with sabots. To keep spashing down or nonexistant, use a sponge floating on the water and drop the boolit onto it, or cover the serface of the water with foam rubber peanuts.

Your WWs are of value to myself and other casters, some of use would even trade you pure for WWs, and with the USPS flat rate box yo can ship then any were, up to 70 lbs for as little as $4.95 to max of $12.00

A friend In Alaska sent me 45 LBS of WWs for the Hard cast I sent him

Buck Hunter 1 · 05-19-2009, 04:17 AM

anyone have a recipe and instruction for the casting RB at begginer level? I am a starter but reading a book don't help me much, instructions or show and go work mostly for me. I will be doing 50 caliber and I am thinking .495 rb. What mold works best for begginer? I cAN;T FOIND IN THE BOX STORES. All help is appreciated fellows!

Sharp Shooter · 05-19-2009, 06:45 AM

For those of you with the Lee electric pots, what setting do you run them on? I was at about 5.

Sharp Shooter · 05-19-2009, 06:49 AM

I canput a little dent inthese balls with my finger nail so they cant be too hard.

I guess everytime I cast they will just get better and better. Takes practice.

Powerfisher · 05-19-2009, 07:16 AM

I use cooking spray on my molds. I have no problems with RBs or bulletssticking. I need to get a electricmelting pot. I use a good ole cast iron pot on a camp stove but the electric one would probly be a little safer. I do pretty good. My balls look fine

and my bullets are consistant. The weights on both are either right on or just a whisker under or over. Everything I cast seems to be quite hard. They go through just about every medium I put I out out on the range and when I do recover a bullet or RB, its not too deformed. I have shot through wet news papers, boxes of dirt/sand and so on. I am going to get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with wet sand so I can recover and recast my lead.

bronko22000 · 05-19-2009, 04:20 PM

I was thinking of trying the non-stick cooking spray too but didn't get around to it. The last time I did some casting, I put some beeswax in the lead and after it got done smoking and I scraped off the doss, I didn't have a sticking issue. Now the bullets didn't fall out all the time, but a rap on the handle bolt knocked it loose. Now I down use them new fangled Lee pots but I use a cast iron pot and a coleman propane stove. (But those lee pots are nice).

cayugad · 05-19-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Buck Hunter 1

anyone have a recipe and instruction for the casting RB at begginer level? I am a starter but reading a book don't help me much, instructions or show and go work mostly for me. I will be doing 50 caliber and I am thinking .495 rb. What mold works best for begginer? I cAN;T FOIND IN THE BOX STORES. All help is appreciated fellows!

Depending on the rifle you shoot, it might like a .490 or .495. I generally fine a .490 is a better mold size and you can increase the patch easier then decrease it and keep it in one piece.

Also LEE makes a good easy to use mold. They also include basic instructions with the mold for making roundball. When you're all set to cast I am sure we can talk you through all of the steps.