Thinking about casting

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Targa

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Well I think I am going to try my hand in casting. I have the books, Lyman Casting, ABC’s of reloading etc....I am wondering about your setups for casting. I am looking at portability, I would be casting on my back patio. I have a standard, molded plastic portable table and am thinking that maybe an aluminum table would be the way to go? Also, are you all putting a fire resistance drop cloth under the table or anything to collect any lead that might splatter out of the furnace? Thanks for any suggestions or pictures of your setups.
 
I've thought about getting set up to do this again. First thing I would check is the availability of LEAD in your area. It was quite common and easy to come by back in my muzzleloading days. I've not been able to find a local source recently.

.40
 
Good point. Honestly, I am not looking at this to save money at all, if I need to buy ingots on line, that is ok. I just want to give it a go, I like reloading, it relaxing me and I think this will take that to the next level.
One other question and I am sure I will think of others is what should a beginner start out with as far as mold cavities. I am looking at Lee molds and it seems that they are pretty much 2 or 6 cavities. I will be casting for .44mag, .454Casull and eventually .500 Linebaugh.
 
Your biggest "problem" is finding affordable lead. I buy for a vendor-sponsor over at castboolits and get a good deal. As far as a table, don't use plastic. I would want a steady wood or metal table that does not wobble and is hard to tip. Thirty plus years ago I bought a Lee 4-20 bottom pour pot. Maybe because of my background I take good care of my tools it has lasted me all this time with just regular maintenance, and I do not smelt (clean lead) in my casting pot. I use a SS pan on a Coleman stove. If you are casting over a carpet, a fire resistant mat/rug might be a good idea, but I've never considered one. Other tools and equipment will be determined by you methods and style (I use a plastic mallet, a slotted spoon from Ma's kitchen and wooden slats for stirring. I drop my bullets on a folded towel in a cake pan).

Use logic when thinking safety; a fan to move air, closed shoes, long pants and normal cotton or cotton blend shirt. Eye protection is a must (I've never had a spill or a visit from the Tinsel Fairy but on one occasion I dropped a couple small sprues back in the pot and the "splash", a tiny drop of molten lead the size of a pin head, flew out and stuck to the lens of my Rx work glasses, directly in front of my iris). Your Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook will show other safety measures, but be aware that on most forums you will get everything from "The Sky is Falling" type recommendations rife with old wives tales to those recommending full Haz-Mat attire complete with full face face shields (some even use respirators) leather aprons, hats, elbow length gauntlets and shoe lace flaps. I wear my work/safety glasses 100% of the time when casting, jeans, shoes and a sweatshirt.I dislike gloves and my "lifelong mechanic's hands" still have pretty thick skin, and I have better feel/control of the tools and molds, gloves for me are clumsy. While I haven't had a spill in over 40 years of casting I screwed the Lee pot to a plank and it won't tip. I sometimes put a cookie sheet under the pot to catch spills (never needed one and my Lee pot is kept in good working order and doesn't leak). Other than that just think. (one time I dropped a "perfect" bullet from a mold and I was so impressed, I picked it up. I had blisters on my fingers for a few weeks...).

A good source of info on every aspect of lead bullet casting, processing, loading and shooting is over at the castboolits forum http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
 
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As long as your "standard, molded plastic portable table" is rock solid when set up (absolutely no chance of rocking/tipping/GodHelpYouCollapse) go ahead and lay a topper of 1/2" plywood on it to spread the melting pot weight load.
Also, go get one of those Barbecue Grill Mats to protect the decking in case of splatters
 
My Lee sits on a B&D work mate with a piece of 3/4 x24x36 plywood as a top. I find the height to be comfortable. I have as old bath towel folded in to a square that I drop (knock) the bullets onto. I’ve seen some dropping into a bucket of water. Personally I don’t want any water any where near that pot of molten lead. I knock the spruce plate open directly over the pot allowing the sprues to fall back into the pot. By preference I pour with a RCBS ladle so the sprues even with the four or six cavity are connected across the top of the plate.

As mentioned safety glasses are a must. As for the rest depending on the season I may be in shorts and t-shirt with sandals or sneakers,I do wear a glove on the left hand holding the mold handles. And yes I have on occasion got a lead splatter burn.
LOL As a telephone cable splicer in the yesterday years I worked with pots of lead and solder for years. The safety super see me casting bullets in shorts and sandals she’d have a bird. I’m not down playing the safety aspect, work as you feel comfortable with. Ventilation is important also. Here it’s my garage just inside the open overhead door.

My source of lead nowadays is my clubs pistol range back stop. I’m casting pistol or black powder balls or bullets and as I have no way of testing Brinnel Hardness I don’t worry about it. All my shooting is target velocities anyway. If the lead fills out the mold and is with in a few grains it will work fine.

I have Molds by Lee,Lyman,RCBS and H&G. Lee are the ones I use as most are 6 cavity and I prefer to cast 4 to 6 hundred of a given caliber in a session. Lee’s are in my opinion good for the money, not a big investment so therefore disposable when they get out of wack and they will get out of wack. The lighter weight cuts down on fatigue in the larger cavity molds, perhaps a factor that increases with ones age. .

Your bullets will need sizing and lubing. I’ve an RCBS heated sizer but in the past few years have gone to the lee push thru sizers and lees tumble lube. Once again opinion and good for target velocities punching holes or ringing gongs for me. Not so much for those needing a competitive edge or hunting.
 
"Not for competition or hunting"

Haha,you say that now. Get really good at it and you may very well change your view.

Agree with above,on safety. Doesn't have to be hazmat approved. Common sense really. Gloves,eyes,skin protection and shoot for about 1-2 mph slight breeze. The main thing is the air current needs to be predictable,think spray painting. You want to be on the "clean side".

Nothing wrong with starting with Lee moulds. They're a very good value and certain versions are hard to beat. Their H&G 68 "clone" is a good one(l have both). I also like their 225-55RF in bolt guns.

Sizing to fit your particular gun's throat is the quickest way to move into the fast lane. But,you can over do it....... just like the personal safety gear. A little sizing is OK, but go all hazmat,thinking you're gonna size more than a .001 or .0015 and it starts to derail. A little is good.... a lot,ain't.
 
You can start as a minimalist, like I did, or you can go whole hog and jump in with both feet! I liked the minimalist approach because I wasn't certain that I would like it or want to stick with it. I started with an old 1800w hot plate that was sitting around taking up space and an old 1.5qt. stainless steel sauce pan I found at the flee market along with an old aluminum 12 hole muffin pan to make ingots. Then a long, large slotted spoon to use to skim and flux with. Less than $10.00 invested.

For a mold I started with a Lee 2 cavity 356-102-R1 mold for my 380acp. I used a Lyman bottom pour ladle and canning wax to flux with. Set this up on our wood picnic table on the patio and away I went. The 2 cavity mold and the ladle was a great learning experience. I was quickly able to learn the temperature curve and how to judge when something was too hot or too cold. When to speed up or slow down my tempo. The first two sessions were primarily learning experiences and by the third session I was turning out some very nice specimens.

I then from there went to a Lee 452-200 SWC Two cavity and it was another learning experience going from the small bullets to much larger. Sad part for me was my 2 45acp didn't like the SWC and I couldn't get them to feed. From there I went to a Lee 452-200 RNFP two cavity mold that I am still working with.

After doing this for a few months I found a used Lee Pro IV bottom feed pot. This again added another adjustment and a learning curve but I adjusted pretty quickly. Lastly I just picked up 2 more molds. A Lyman 452374 single cavity RN iron mold and a Lyman 358498 two cavity WC iron mold. Again a change and another learning curve. I really am enjoying myself, learning a bunch, expanding the brain and keeping the hands busy.

Good luck on your new endeavor and hope you'll enjoy it.
 
I just have mine on one end of my loading bench. That is a Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot and a Lyman 10 lb ladel pot. I ladel more than I bottom pout.
I just put the pot that I'm not using under the bench so I have more room.

My setup is in my garage, so I just open the bay door, and point a fan towards it to let the smoke and stuff blow out.
It's not fancy, but it gets the job done.
I currently cast for .44 Special and Magnum, .45 Colt and .38/.357 mag.

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You are off to a good start by having and reading a couple of books. If your plastic table is sturdy enough and steady enough to hold the weight it should be ok. You might partally cover it with a piece of scrap plywood. Once again, watch the weight. You should not be slopping, spilling or splashing molten lead on the ground but if you do it peels up pretty easy from bare concrete. If its a fancy patio floor you may want to protect it in some way.

I've cast a lot of bullets in a garage and have been using my shop (not much different from a garage) for the last 30 years. I built a shallow wooden box with a partician in the middle. Its about 1-1/2 inches high. My pot sits on one side and I dump the bullets on an old folded up towel on the other side. Something like this would protect your table top, contain any spills and keep your finished bullets in one place. When I'm smelting raw bulk lead I set everything up over a sheet of plywood.

As far as equipment goes, you can spend as much or as little as you want.

Someone mentioned lead. You may want to source a lead supply before you invest too heavily in equipment. There is usually someone on the Cast Boolits site selling lead for reasonable prices. I browse Ebay quite a bit but seldom see lead at a decent price. A want to buy ad placed on your local swap shops may produce something for you.

I'm not good at posting pictures but if you want to PM me with a phone number or Email address I can send you a picture or two of my set up.
 
^^^ That looks good. My reloading bench is in the garage as well but am a bit hesitant to cast in their. Looks like it works well for you, I might have to rethink it.

I wouldn't hesitate to cast clean lead in the garage, with the door open and a fan of course.
I wouldn't do much smelting. I'll occasionally toss a few wheel weights in the Lyman pot, but the VAST majority of our smelting gets done with a turkey fryer and a cast iron dutch oven outside. I don't know if it's dangerous or not, but I don't want to be inhaling all that grease smoke and such from dirty wheel weights.
 
Thank you for that detailed response mdi, I appreciate it
Yer welcome. I started casting in the mid eighties with a SS pot, a Coleman stove a few hand tools, a Lee mold and of course my trusty yellar mallet. It opened up a whole new world for my reloading/shooting. For me there's great satisfaction scrounging some lead, scrap, junk wheel weights, buying "alloy", whatever and smelting/cleaning it and casting it into ingots (or pucks. I often use a muffin pan). Then taking those clean ingots and melting them in my electric pot and pouring the lead into my molds. Then processing the cast bullets (inspect, size and lube) and loading them for a particular gun. Then shooting those loads and experiencing the satisfaction. Much, much more rewarding than loading jacketed or purchasing cast bullets. I have worked out any problems often associated with cast bullets and I get good, clean, accurate bullets...
 
my advice is this: put aluminum foil under your setup, its dissipates heat extremely well, and the lead will harder the instant it touches it. If your casting area is composite prepare for it to be damaged without a fire blanket. Fire blankets are usually for welding kick off, and not necessarily going to stop liquid metal from burning. DO NOT ALLOW WATER to get near. A friend cast outdoors and somehow water got in the pot. 10lb in the pot turned into 4lb, and 6lb went flying, destroying his porch ceiling, If you cast anything other than solid, use only pure lead. Clean your pot if you used anything else. Hammering molds in not good for them.
 
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