Casting lead ingots...

[bigbob76]

If I'm going to be a jungle gunsmith I want to know every aspect of the trade. A neighbor gave me some free lead that had been ballast in his sailboat. A friend let me borrow his lead pot and ingot mold so here I go. The way things are going I should learn to make gunpowder too. One should not mess with hot lead while wearing shorts and sandals. It would be considered impolite to ask me how I know.

[technique]

Can't help you....sure looks like fun though.

[AaronHorrocks]

Wear a mask!

[bigbob76]

Wear a mask!

Even though I'm already a brain damaged survivor of the sixties and don't want to have any more kids? No really, I have a strong ocean breeze and I stay upwind.

[CSACANNONEER]

Bob,

I'll show you a bit about casting this weekend.

[crob241]

gunpowder

75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal and 10% sulfur.OUTSIDE use non metallic mortar and pestle to grind small( 1/2 lb.)batches. Continue to refine with smaller grits of brass screen at least 4 times, coarser for rifles and cannons and finer for pistols(blackpowder). I`ll show you how to do primers next time I C U. PS do not smoke while doing this, I checked your lead and it is hard enough to use the way it is.

[bigbob76]

75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal and 10% sulfur.OUTSIDE use non metallic mortar and pestle to grind small( 1/2 lb.)batches. Continue to refine with smaller grits of brass screen at least 4 times, coarser for rifles and cannons and finer for pistols(blackpowder). I`ll show you how to do primers next time I C U. PS do not smoke while doing this, I checked your lead and it is hard enough to use the way it is.

Cool, thanks.

[bigbob76]

Bob,

I'll show you a bit about casting this weekend.

Great, thanks Gregg.

[gunboat]

You are pouring too cold - your ingots are layering -- did you flux,stir, and skim after melt? - A sailboat keel probably has a lot of unwanted impurites in it -- But a great source of free lead!

Don't need a mask, fresh air is good, safety glasses a must , watch out for moisture --
my ha-penny

[bigbob76]

You are pouring too cold - your ingots are layering -- did you flux,stir, and skim after melt? - A sailboat keel probably has a lot of unwanted impurites in it -- But a great source of free lead!

Don't need a mask, fresh air is good, safety glasses a must , watch out for moisture --
my ha-penny

Thanks for the info. Yes, I flux, stir, and skim after melt. You can see all the crud I'm skimming off there on the plywood. How do I avoid pouring too cold? There is no control, just a plug.

[5hundo]

How do I avoid pouring too cold? There is no control, just a plug.

Set the mold on top of your furnace. The rising heat will warm the mold and keep the alloy from rapidly cooling when you put the molten alloy into the colder mold. The problem is that when you first start pouring, the alloy hits the mold and hardens and you continue to pour alloy over the top of cooled metal, thus making this layered appearance...

You're making ingots, so it doesn't matter, honestly. All you're going to do is melt them back down and make bullets out of them but when you cast bullets, it's important to pre-heat your mold before casting, or your bullets will have a similar consequence, layering from the outside in. If that happens, they may come apart...

[MILLITIAof1]

One should not mess with hot lead while wearing shorts and sandals. It would be considered impolite to ask me how I know.

I'm sure I am not the only one thinking you might have somehow got hot lead on your go nads

[bigbob76]

It really trips me out how much info is available so fast now. When I first used a computer it was connected to a mainframe and I never could have imagined something like calguns with members sharing their experience like this. Thanks for the info, I'm sure I'll need more.

[5hundo]

It really trips me out how much info is available so fast now. When I first used a computer it was connected to a mainframe and I never could have imagined something like calguns with members sharing their experience like this. Thanks for the info, I'm sure I'll need more.

To add to that, when you begin casing bullets, you can usually submerge the entire bullet mold into the molten alloy for a while to get it up to temperature (if your furnace has a large enough opening). That is a crucial procedure when casting good quality bullets...

You can also get the mold too hot as well, so be careful. A minute, or two, in the molten alloy is plenty...

[RANGER295]

75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal and 10% sulfur.OUTSIDE use non metallic mortar and pestle to grind small( 1/2 lb.)batches. Continue to refine with smaller grits of brass screen at least 4 times, coarser for rifles and cannons and finer for pistols(blackpowder). I`ll show you how to do primers next time I C U. PS do not smoke while doing this, I checked your lead and it is hard enough to use the way it is.

I use the same proportions that you mentioned, but I do it a little bit differently. Here is how I make black powder and primers.

Making Black Powder:Making primers:Loading your shells: