Just might start bullet casting

[JerryB]

Been reloading since 1960, now I think I'll finally start casting some bullets. Got a couple of gift cards from Bass Pro, don't carry much of what I am looking for but they do have a couple of Lee lead 10 and 20 pound pots. Do you use these pots to melt down your wheel weights and make ingots? I have a five gallon bucket about 2/3 full. I know some are not lead must be zinc or something. I have had them for for close to 25 years.

[Thunder50]

I use a cast iron dutch oven over a turkey fryer burner to smelt my lead. You will have to sort your stash and clean out the zinc and steel ww's. I would go with the 20 lb pot. Better yet, try and find a decent used Saeco or lyman pot.

[TedH]

Jerry, it's not a good idea to use your pot that you are going to cast from to render the wheel weights. I like to use a 6 qt cast iron pot on a turkey fryer. Melting the wheel weights makes a heck of a stink and are dirty. Raw wheelweights will crud up your pot in a hurry. You can pick out the weights that you know aren't a lead alloy, but it's not a big deal if you miss a few because the zinc weights will melt at a higher temperature and will float on top of the lead so you can easily pick them out.

[BenT]

Buy the 20 lb pot and don't look back. Melting wheel weights is a seperate operation that is very smelly. Go to Good Will and buy a used pot and melt your wheel weights in that. Use a turkey frier and it will take about 10 minutes to start melting the weights . Put them in 1 pound ingots. Then use the nice clean ingots in your 20 lb pot for casting.

[KirkD]

To melt wheel weights, I use a cheap pot I got at the dollar store. Like the others said, those wheel weights put out some pretty putrid smoke. Heinous. It has to be equivalent to smoke 100 packs of cigarettes in one hour. Bottom line: do it down wind of the house and certainly not in the kitchen.

[J35]

Did they have zink WW's 25 years ago?
First one's I came across was around 2001-2003 time frame.

----- J

[guido4198]

Been reloading since 1960, now I think I'll finally start casting some bullets. Got a couple of gift cards from Bass Pro, don't carry much of what I am looking for but they do have a couple of Lee lead 10 and 20 pound pots. Do you use these pots to melt down your wheel weights and make ingots? I have a five gallon bucket about 2/3 full. I know some are not lead must be zinc or something. I have had them for for close to 25 years.

From the excellent responses so far...I hope you've gotten the idea that converting your wheel weights into bullets needs to be a 2-step process.
Step one is Smelting them into ingots of CLEAN metal. Most of us do it on some kind of gas burner setup. I use a Coleman stove. OUTDOORS. Some kind of cheap, thrift store pot ( I like cast iron stuff...too funky to cook in anymore) and utensils . The more you clean your metal at this point, the less "issues" you will have when you start casting. That said...be sure you are fluxing and mixing well so that you are only removing the trash and dross...not non-lead metals such as tin which can have a tendency to separate out. There are purpose built "ingot molds" available...but many folks find old cast iron muffin molds at thrift stores to serve the purpose well. The Lyman casting book is a darn good resource to own and will get you enough information to be able to ask intelligent specific questions on the internet forums as you get into it.
A 20 pound pot is a good minimum size when you're ready to melt down some ingots and start casting. That size gives you enough room to melt enough ingots to make a run worthwhile and still have sufficient space to do the mixing and fluxing without having to risk spillage...(Not a good thing when we're talking about 700-800 degree molten metal..!!)
Good Luck in your new hobby...BE SAFE..!!

[JayF in AZ]

And if you haven't already, head over to Cast Boolits:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I will second the Castboolits venture.
My dad and his Navy buddy were bullet (boolit) casters so from about 4 years old I was around the process. I joined Cast Boolits years ago and have no regrets. Great info awaiting anyone who wants to go past the "old wives tales" and find out what lead bullets can really do when approached from the realm of intellegent application.
Mike in Peru

[JerryB]

I want to thank you good folks for all the positive replies. I have been reading some at cast boolits. Reckon I'll dig out my son's old fryer burner and find a pot to start cleaning this pile of wheel weights.

[Rusty]

Jerry you don't need good cast iron to melt lead in. One of the cheap Chinese skillets that aren't fit to cook in will do fine. I also use a cast iron corn stick pan for making my ingots.
If you want to use can also cast your bullets out of the frying pan using a laddle if you want to but the Lee bottom pour does a better job.

[earlmck]

You've got plenty of good advice already, Jerry. And if those wheelweights are really over 20 years old you won't find any zinc in them: they are the "pure quill" old goodies.

You'll probably start out with a new mold which will have some preservative oil on it. The least hint of oil in a mold gives you wrinkled bullets. You'll just have to keep casting until the very last vestige of oil burns out of the mold: most of us casters wash a new mold good before the first use to speed things up (I use soap and hot water). Have fun!

[KirkD]

To clean the oil off my moulds, I get a half soup can of gasoline and stick the mould in it for several minutes while I'm getting everything else set up. Then, a few minutes before it is time to cast, I take the mould out and set it on a warm spot near my fire. The gasoline does not burn off so you need time to let it evaporate off. The used gasoline in the soup can I use to pour on various hard to get rid of dandelions and plantains on the driveway or sidewalk. Kills them dead. Recently, I've been ordering only brass moulds that don't need preservative.

[GoatGuy]

JerryB - When you've become an accomplished caster, maybe you'll invite me over and give me a "kick start" back to casting. Did some back in the early 80's, (that's 1980's for those of you who are wondering ) but sold all my stuff and think now I might like to get back into it.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have been casting bullets since the 60`s
Get the 20# Lee pot.
Lee molds will get you started for cheap and they make quite usable bullets.
Eventually you will want better quality molds but they are fine to begin with.
Note, I own somewhere around 50 Lee molds.
I am a dipper caster. If you think you will bottom pour,be sure to buy a bottom pour furnace.
Have fun!

[cfplinker]

When you are at the thrift store looking at pots for smelting look for cast iron or stainless steel. Aluminum gets weak when they are hot especially if there is a mechanical load on it. If it decides to let go you could easily have 20 pounds, probably a lot more, of molten lead going all over. That will spoil your smelting session and could ruin your whole day. Put cold scrap into a cold pot then heat them both up together. That way any moisture will evaporate before the lead melts If you add lead to a melt make sure the lead you are adding is preheated and dry. If moisture gets under the surface of the melt it will boil and cause a lead explosion also referred to as a visit from the tinsel fairy because the entire contents of the pot is turned into molten tinsel.

This brings up safety equipment. Safety glasses, gloves, long sleeve cotton or wool shirt, cotton or wool pants, and leather shoes are the minimum.

[6pt-sika]

I started casting about 15 years ago . And I gotta say when no ones around bugging the F outta me I find it rather relaxing .

Most folks start casting for pistols and there's nothing wrong with that . I was slightly different and started casting for rifles and did some later for handguns . My initial reason was for shooting lever action silhouette and it worked nicely .

I started with a Lee 10-4 bottom pour pot . I rendered maybe a ton of wheelweights in that thing one summer (slow process). And after that I cleaned the pot and cast bullets I still am using that pot although it's bent a bit forward . Well let me back up I got about halfway thru that ton and went and got a Lee 20-4 pot for the wheelweights and actually ran them both at the same time rendering dirty WW's into ingots .

Now I have 3 of the 10 pounders and the same 20 pounder .

Anyway they have done a good job for me to date .

When it comes to cleaning new molds or oiled molds I use plain old brake cleaner .

[JerryB]

Thank's to everyone for the helpand encouragement. My wife told me today to pick one of her old cornstick pans to use.

GoatGuy, whenever you feel like making the trip load up and come, we have a room you can have.
We don't eat high but we sure eat good.