Bullet casting needs

[venomballistics]

Lee 4-20 pot. Mold of your choosing. Lee sizing die of desired dimension.

saw dust and candle wax. cleans the lead and lubes the pins and sprue plate.

Shop towels to drop them onto as you cast ... welding rods to stir your lead, spoons to skim, Pins and pliers to clear the spout every so often.

Traditional lube route, you can add beeswax and wheel bearing grease to the consumables to roll your own lube and dip treat.

coating route, opt for a toaster oven to cure the coating.

 

[mtgianni]

No one mentions pan lubing any more but it worked for decades. Stack your cast bullets as close as possible in an aluminum foil pan. Melt your lube and pour to the level of the lube grooves. When it cools, use a home made cookie cutter to remove the bullets. For 38's, beg a 35 Whelen, 35 Remington or 358 case, cut off the rear and slide it over the bullet. Invert and the lubed bullet falls out. Keep the lube in the pan, the next time you cast out the bullets in the holes. Warm it until the lube melts adding some if needed. Bullets do not need to be sized before loading but Lee and NOE make sizing dies. I like the NOE as you buy the die once and interchangeable bushings for each size you need.

 

[BillBro]

Wow! Thanks folks. Mean that. I want to see if casting is for me. Im a true redneck too si I can make due with alot less than alot of people and all of the YouTube vids I do watch these people look like theyve spent a small fortune on all of their stuff and I have to just sit there and think, its just lead and heat basically. I watched that movie The Patriot a hundred times and I always remembered Mel Gibson sitting by the fire with his ladle melting Thomas' last lead soldier for a ball.

I am very intrigued by the whole casting thing but right now I cant go out and go hog wild buying a bunch of equipment.

Ive thought just like somebof you said, coleman stoves and a ladle and pot. The molds I dont mind paying for, and the alloys, or even wheelweights but all the furnaces etc just look like luxuries I dont have the luxury of buying.

So, thanks for all the basics.

 

[venomballistics]

this has been a thing since a campfire was your probably source of heat.
Get your feet in the water and assess the ordeal for what made it an ordeal and buy a convenience to reduce the trauma as needed and desired.
at some point you'll be happy with your rig

 

[GypsmJim]

I am very intrigued by the whole casting thing but right now I cant go out and go hog wild buying a bunch of equipment.

coleman stoves and a ladle and pot. The molds I dont mind paying for, and the alloys, or even wheelweights but all the furnaces etc just look like luxuries I dont have the luxury of buying.

I started with a propane torch because I already had one. Needed a pot and a ladle.

The cost of a pot, ladle and torch will probably equal the cost of a Lee production pot. Then you won't need a pot, ladle, etc.

 

[venomballistics]

I started with a propane torch because I already had one. Needed a pot and a ladle.

The cost of a pot, ladle and torch will probably equal the cost of a Lee production pot. Then you won't need a pot, ladle, etc.

yep ... that's kinda the way I saw it when I started.
The lee pot did all the things I needed from it for just a few dollars more than a piecemeal solution.
It's a good place to splurge

 

[4barrel]

A 12 pound electric pot with bottom pour and temperature control takes up a lot less space and easier to use. Propane is costly and you burn gas and time going after it. With Lee molds you don't HAVE TO size the bullets and you can alox or powder coat them. If I didn't have 9 lube sizers I would powder coat. Lead is getting expensive and a little hard to come by. I just ordered 120 pounds and when it got here the boxes were torn and I got 25 pounds. The flat rate boxes were insured and took 3 weeks to settle that and made an enemy. I built a table to hold my junk and a $50 roll around ac unit when the weather is hot. If 38 an 44 is what you load the only powder you need is 231<hp38>and maybe Unique. So--for about $500 you can start casting bullets. Lead is about $1.30 a pound shipped to your door. For about $8.00 you can cast 400 or so 38 bullets.

 

[austintexas]

casting

I started in '62, Which ever way you go with equipment, I found out that I produced more bullets in less time with 4 cavity molds. Dual cavity at the least.
SWCA 892

 

[243winxb]

Lee Alox to tumble lube. Load and shoot.