Silver bullets

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  • Last Post 09 November 2009
devin1955 posted this 16 August 2009

Has anyone ever tried to cast bullets from pure silver? If so, how did it work out? Any advice?

I have quite a few silver coins and I was thinking of sacrificing one to cast a silver bullet or two. A once ounce coin is a bit over 400 grains so I could make a .44 mag and a .357 mag round, just for fun. But if it's a pointless endeavor I don't want to waste the coin. -Don

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KenK posted this 16 August 2009

It seems pointless unless you just really want a silver bullet.  If I had one I wouldn't shoot it unless I encountered a werewolf or vampire or whatever it is they are supposed to work on.

The melting point of silver is nearly 1,000 degrees.  If I were going to do it I think I would get my mould good and hot casting lead bullets and melt the silver directly in a ladle with an oxy/acetylene torch.

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devin1955 posted this 16 August 2009

I guess I didn't point out that I have no intention to SHOOT them. I was just thinking having one would be a cool conversation piece. :cool:

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KenK posted this 16 August 2009

Give it a try.  It would make a good key chain fob or something like that.

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RicinYakima posted this 16 August 2009

In my youth and watching the Lone Ranger, I tried this with my saved change. It was 90% silver in those days, the other 10% was, I think, copper, so you will need an oxy-act torch. I finially got one from the only mould I had, a Dixie round ball for 1861 Remington pistol. Today I wouldn't try it from any mould you ever wanted to use again, as the mould has to be full cherry red before you start pouring. I used a ceramic crucible to melt the dimes in and don't know if you can heat a cast iron ladle hot enough without cracking. Ric

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argie1891 posted this 16 August 2009

I melted an rcbs ladle once trying to melt a small amount of lead for a pine wood derby car. got in a hurry late at night once and used a propane torch instead of just pluging in my lead pot. if you want to melt silver better find something that is made for this  amount of heat. joe gifford

if you think you have it figured out then you just dont understand

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devin1955 posted this 16 August 2009

Well, based on Rics info, I'm pretty hesitant now. While I'm willing to invest the 16 or 17 bucks that an ounce of silver is worth, I'm not ready to trash a mold!

If I don't hear from someone who has actually done this, then I think I'm going to find something else to experiment with.

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devin1955 posted this 16 August 2009

Should'a asked Google in the first place. I think I'll pass after reading what these guys went through.

http://www.hurog.com/books/silver/silverbullets.shtml

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hunterspistol posted this 17 August 2009

      That's really interesting, entertaining as heck.  I guess you could take a lead bullet, new and shiny and paint it with clear nail polish or something. 

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timbuck posted this 22 August 2009

You might want to research the lost wax method.  It might go like this; cast wax bullet in your mould, make a sprue for it, either dip it in a ceramic slurry, let dry, put in dry sand for support and then pour your silver and let cool and trim.   The silver will melt the wax.   I saw a talk years ago on this type of casting.  the information should be out there.

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tturner53 posted this 22 August 2009

In junior high metal shop we used some kind of centrifuge. If I remember right we put the wax model in a plaster of paris type liquid, let it solidify, melt the wax out and you have a mold. One time the centrifuge opened and threw molten metal on a kid's back. It was in his boot by the time the teacher got there.

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runfiverun posted this 23 August 2009

make one from tin it'll be easier and much cheaper,you can't tell the difference.

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NORMSUTTON posted this 23 August 2009

pure silver melts at 1760  and cast at as low as 900 , 900 is as low as the tem of the mould can be, best to have the mould at 1000 to get a good fill   and that's in a casting machine not a bullet mould   NORM

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JimmyDee posted this 23 August 2009

It would be useless against werewolves.  Talk about disappointment...

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NoDakJak posted this 23 August 2009

Back in the mid sixties Dan Cotterman and the staff of Gunworld magazine attempted the same feat and ran into considerable trouble. They finally accomplished their aim but with considerable trouble. If I remember correctly, they were trying to emulate the “Lone Rangers” amunition. I believe that the “Lone Ranger” must have had his casting performed in a foundry. Neil

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 25 August 2009

Hi, there is available commercially a material under the general term ” machineable ceramic “   We made some items from this stuff about 15 years a go, I think we machined it with normal carbide tipped cutters ....  it comes in a ” green ” state, you machine it and then depending on the end use you can heat treat it in a gunsmith oven, maybe a small item on your kitchen stove (g) ... I do not remember the temps involved for heat treat just now ...

No doubt google will lead you to this material ...  maybe even machining techniques. For a bullet mold, one or two shots ... you probably would not have to heat treat it... the stuff is fragile, tho.

interesting project ....  but why stop at silver,   gold doesn't tarnish (g) ....

Heh heh, just can see going thru airport security with 3 or 4 silver bullets on a belt buckle, etc., .... ( or gold bullets ... gulp  ) ... and have them confiscated by security bureacrats.

regards, ken campbell, deltawerkes ...... who once mindlessly walked into a federal office bldg with a handful of 6PPC empty cases in my sample briefcase .... t'aint funny to those  guys ...

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CB posted this 09 November 2009

yep, its tungsten. my teacher says that it would be hard to machine though....

the second best thing the book mentioned was tantalum, which, according to the book, is for jobs requireing heat over 2000 degrees farenheit....

 

also, tungsten oxidizies at high temp, so it says it needs some kind of coating.

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