lessons learned.

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  • Last Post 15 August 2009
Seabee posted this 30 July 2009

I need to read more and ment less.. I have new leep casting pot.

I was menting  WW and droping wax on top of the melt. Waiting until it was dark brown and skiming it off. Every time i put my ladle in it would show a dirty soot come off of it.?? I cleaned it many times. I think my fluxing method is very wrong:shock:  I also think i need to start melting and fluxing  the weights appart from the main pot. I was told this. I am not that smart. Funny thing is I thought the bullets were looking good. This may account for the wide range in weight?....

 

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hunterspistol posted this 30 July 2009

To a degree, yes. It also matters if air is introduced into the lead that goes in the mold, either from the pot or the casting method. Air voids cause most of the light ones. 

  If the bullets look good and it suits you, don't worry about it.

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CB posted this 30 July 2009

You have to stir the flux into the melt not just drop it on top. Use an old spoon, wear some gloves, and stir the flux in for a bit scraping the sides and bottom of the pot while you do it. Remove the powdery garbage that's floating on top after you're done. When melting down WW or scrap for the first time if you have something besides your priamry melting pot it's a good idea to use it. Fluxing more than once doesn't hurt anything and will remove more of the initial crap.

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hunterspistol posted this 30 July 2009

     :coffee  Agree with Pat, flux a second time after skimming the clips off, stir it in deeply to float the stuff off.

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CB posted this 31 July 2009

Seabee

Agree with Pat and Hunter. I use a Saeco pot to melt down WW and make bars and I cast in 2 Lee Pots. Works for me the alloy looks and is cleaner and flow easy out my Lee 10# and dips well out of my Lee 4#. I always flux and often in all 3 pots.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire 

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Seabee posted this 31 July 2009

I use wax of unknown kind. It is hard. they are 45 cal bullets made of wax. I used them to shoot dogs and cans. Does not hurt dogs. I just use primers and no powder. Any way th wax turns into a tar like film and does not turn into a foam like substance . It sticks to the spoon. Does other wax do the same??

 

Another question is  I used the same wax to put on my molds. It seems to work but turns brown after a while. I have not seen any issue with it but??

 

I cant answer PM's  right now. Every time i try my computer locks me out of this website. this started last night. I have to a lot of stuff to get back on. Only this site..

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hunterspistol posted this 31 July 2009

     The easiest way to come up with cheap parafin or candle wax is just to buy big candles at a discount, like Walmart, etc.  Parafin is a by-product of oil although, it take tons of distilled oil to get a little parafin. There's just not a lot in crude.  Beeswax is more natural, possibly better stuff.

      If you don't mind the brown residue, it may be alright. Personally, I like white refined wax, or mixed with bullet lube (if I've got some hard lube that I don't want to return).  Some wax has pretty nasty stuff mixed in, if it's colored or scented.  That can have an effect when you go to stirring it into the lead. Sometimes, if your pot is hot enough, it doesn't make a bit of difference.

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Seabee posted this 31 July 2009

Hay hunter. I seen you PM but as soon as it opened my computer would not work on this site only. I deleted it and pm works fine now??? Strange. I do live in Clovis NM, I know of 1 person here . He is almost blind i guess. I did buy some of his 500g bullets for my 45-120. It was amazing looking . Better than anything i have ever bought. It is for shooting the 1000 yd. It has alignment markings and exact weight. I loaded his stuff up and was plinking with it. Very nice. I don't want to use any more of it. Keep it for later use. Back to the point. I don't know him but have attempted to find him.

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hunterspistol posted this 31 July 2009

The Rifle in America, lists the Sharps 45-120 as a 45 with 2&7/8” case. The 45-120 was introduced in 1876, if I read this correctly.  The production rifle in 45-120 was introduced in 1879 as the Sharps-Borchardt Sporting Rifle. The Sharps-Borchardt Long Range Rifle was introduced sometime around 1877, (?) is the exact expression. And, of course, it's not real clear when the company went under.

  Lyman lists smokeless loads, and suggests that you slug the bore and size bullets accordingly. Lyman places the 45-120 somewhere around 1879 and says that some reproductions from Europe have surfaced on the market in recent years with a 3&1/4” case and groove diameters as small as .456 (hence slugging the bore).  It is originally designed for blackpowder with a large case and operates at relatively low pressures.

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JSH posted this 01 August 2009

I flux my raw WW with motor oil. It does flame up pretty quick, but works pretty good. I have read a lot of things being used for a flux. I would however not use somthing that leaves a gummy residue or slag stuck to the pot. That is why I quit with the marvelux. Stir it with what ever you useladle or a spoon, even a stick. But, make sure to scrap the bottoms and sides of the pot and drag to the surface. If the bullet does not look EXACTLY like the inside of the mold, it is a cull in my book. I expect no less from a CB than a FLGC. jeff

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CB posted this 01 August 2009

JSH

I use paraffin to flux with the last block I bought was made by Gulf. It flames up quick, I like the pyro part, I keep my other liquid flammables at a distance. Have used some type of parrafin or tallow to flux with for 47 years. I stir flux in deep into the pot regularly. I remove slag after stir.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR

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X-Wrench3 posted this 09 August 2009

i am pretty new to this, but i have been using gulf wax exclusivly (with the accidental experiment of using lee alox, which i droped by mistake)(and by the way, the alox made a mess, left a gooey slime all over everything) for all of my fluxing (which is as soon as the lead alloy melts, and about every 1/4 of a pot poured). that is going to change the next time i cast. i have been reading about using sawdust to flux with. i like the idea of leaving a coating on the top of the mix to keep further oxidation from occuring. i am going to try it next time. when i do, i will report back to let you know what i think.

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hunterspistol posted this 09 August 2009

    X-wrench, alox is a commercial lubricant so, it may not be natural or well suited to fluxing although, I think some guys use a very small amount for that.  This can depend on whether you ladle cast or use a bottom pour.  Even though fluxing should be about the same, a bottom pour won't have you dipping from the top and disturbing whatever antioxidant is floating there.  Myself, I ladle cast so, some of this seems foreign to me.

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cityboy posted this 09 August 2009

I have used several fluxes over the years, and the best of them all is plain old Ivory Snow soap. Scrape several thin slivers into the pot and stir. Very little smoke, a pleasent smell and CHEAP.

Jim

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Seabee posted this 10 August 2009

I will have to give that a try. Another lessoned learned was every bullet is hot. Darn if i forgot to put on my gloves as i reached to look at a bullet i saw near the pot.. Is someone frying something? WOW. I have no idea where that bullet went. Also i had a fly or bug drop in the melt. Then there was a small POP. 1 small drop of lead right in the center of my plastic eye protection.. Need new glasses. Also small chunk hit my cheek. OUCH! Need face shield. I did melt down 170 lbs of WW. It came out to 125 lbs of lead. I casted about 2000 sat and sun. I have about 50 lbs left. I am now looking at a sizer lube set up. Thinking of the Mark IV from Ballisti-Cast. I do not like to take aton of time to do this ans this unit says it can do up to 2500 bullets a hour.

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hunterspistol posted this 11 August 2009

     If it's a penny's worth of lead, you know you just heated to 800*, what makes a grown man pick it up like a crow attracted to shiny things?  The burn will hurt for about 24 hours, doesn't last long.  I did that once.

      These guys have stories about cleaning lead off the ceiling with a putty knife.  The last time I poured 7mm water quenched,  I had one drop of water hit in the center of the pot. On my cheek, in my eyebrow, on my glasses, what a pop! Didn't burn bad, just taught me to watch how close I got the mold to the water bucket. I don't have that factor just air cooling a pile of bullets on a towel.  I pour up a batch and let them sit there until I'm finished, pot's unplugged and all the equipment gathered in. Then, I go back for the bullets with a coffee can.

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CB posted this 11 August 2009

Seabee

One thing I learned is to do stand up casting. I have tried sitting on the ground, sitiing in a chair, but stand up casting always gave better control of casting. Have everything in front of you. I now cast beside my side garage door. This gives me plenty of ventilation and light. Light is a very important part of casting. I cast on a 5' workbench with masonite top.  All my molds, handles, 36 drawer file that includes cast dies and punch tops, gas checks, caranuba sticks, parrafin, boxes and casting tools are on the back half of the bench and underneath. The front half is where I cast. Plenty of room for 3 pots if I want to usually 2 pots.

All my sizing is done with either a Lyman 45 or 450. The sizers are mounted on my jacketed bullet jacket making bench. All my lead bars, linno bars, and surplus lead are stored next to my casting bench. I have several buckets of ww behind my lathe.

Lots of stuff but it all works in my garage. This is just a part of my garage. My whole garage is set up as a bullet making and loading shop.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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Seabee posted this 11 August 2009

My bench is about 5' I have a bar stool I sit on. I rather stand but the problem is seeing what I am doing. I am 6'4'' tall. I was thinking of making a stand to put the pot onto. cover it with thin sheet metal.

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CB posted this 15 August 2009

Seabee

I would be against raising yout pot off it's base that being the table. Scares me too think of  a pot tipping and spilling. Don't you think if you left the tablle and pot alone and cut 6' inches off your bar stool that you would be comfortable casting. Maybe.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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Seabee posted this 15 August 2009

This is what i did. I took 2 large ammo cans. Filled them with lead. placed them together and then used tapping screws and secured the pot to the top of the ammo boxes. It now sits about 8'' higher. the base is about 16'' wide. I cant push it as it weighs about 80 lbs. I also cut the bar stool legs be 3'' and it feels perfect now. standing is a little odd still but doable .

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