Cold Weather Casting

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  • Last Post 29 January 2011
Lefty posted this 16 January 2010

This is the time of year that I have the most time to devote to casting  bullets.  Like many of us I suspect, I do my casting in the garage and provide ventilation by opening one or more doors.  Last week I cast 400 bullets when the temperature was 6 degrees F in the garage.  Yesterday I made another 400 while the temperature was 19 degrees.  We have a heat wave moving in today and I think the temperature should get over 20 degrees in the garage.  I will probably cast another 400.

Yesterday the temperature of the mold kept migrating any time something interrupted my pace even slightly.  I found that I had to control my ladel perfectly to direct the alloy in the exact center of the sprue hole and then continue the pore for 2-3 seconds after the cavity was full.  The second cavity I then pressure fed by placing the ladel spout into the sprue hole as I pored.  The alloy had to be kept about 100 degees hotter than it needs to be when casting in shirt sleeve weather.

I ended up with 5%-10% rejects which is quite high for the mold design I am using.  I assume other northern types have similar problems.  Not everyone can have heated garages and vent hoods.  Are the tricks of the trade which can make cold casting a little easier or quicker?

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Lefty posted this 29 January 2011

Hey Wally

I don't have an M1 but I am thinking seriously about coming to one of your military shoots later in the year.

Good to hear from you.

Jim

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Wally Enga posted this 29 January 2011

HI Lefty

That's a really nice casting setup.

I also do my casting in a shop type building that I don't keep the heated all the time.

A couple of weeks ago --- after some sub zero temps, I went out and turned the propane heat on and fired up my 40 LB Magma pot to do some casting. I have a range hood over the pot and as the pot was coming up to temp, I turned it's fan on for some ventilation.  The fan didn't sound like it came up to full rpm so I thought maybe the flapper valve didn't open all the way. I look up into the range hood and see frost on the screen filter that is just turning into water droplets directly above what is soon going to be 40 LB's of molten alloy.  That was about as close a call as I have had with a visit from the “Tinsel Fairy” for a long time.

Now that you have all those cast up ---- load some up for your Garand and make the trip down here to Sioux Falls for some real cold weather shooting.  Our first C B Military match of the year is next Sat. Feb 5th   ----  the  “Frozen Chosin”  M1 Garand Match we hold each winter.

Wally

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frank l jr posted this 29 January 2011

boy o boy, i guess i know what a wimp i am. outside temp is 68 f.shirt sleeve weather, still not casting until later. i also believe in casting in the summer, sizing in winter, at least in late spring. don't like to cast covered with enough fabric so as not to be able to move. that way the good lead will able to hit more hide. wonder how i learned that? all kidding aside, am well covered, eyes and all, don't any extra to go around. lefty, looks good to me, i use a vent i found at lowes, actually 2, slightly dinged, both for about 10 bucks if memory serves me, both above my pot,RCBS, one on each side, above the bench. allows me to have a variable amount of draft as needed.jeff, i also use a double wall, not as elaborite, but so to keep heat away from me instead as you northiners who cast in the COLD,the lowest this winter, 21 f,we had four days last of 11 to 14 f. way to da## cold. luck to all keep the faith..                                                            see ya  frank l jr:lovecast:.>

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JetMech posted this 29 January 2011

I like it, Lefty! That looks to be the solution to my problem. The in-line fan - is that something you can get at Home Depot or Lowes?

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Lefty posted this 29 January 2011

Because I am married. :drillsgt: Seriously a very experienced caster I know got in real trouble casting in the basement with no venting. And yes I know others who have done it their whole life and never had an issue.

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joeb33050 posted this 29 January 2011

I cast a lot of bullets in the cellar in MA from 1964-2000. It was cool in the summer and cooler to chilly in the winter, but never really uncomfortable. There was no venting, and I didn't and don't flux. Now I cast outside, by request, and still don't flux. Why don't you guys cast in the cellar?

joe b.  

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Lefty posted this 28 January 2011

I finally finished my casting bench. Its purpose is to allow me to cast in a closed garage with only one door slightly open. The front view shows the lighting and a valance in the center top. That valance contains a 300 cfm vent fan. On the right end of the bench is 4 outlets. Two are individually switched and two are hot. the fan(s) and the lights are on the two switched outlets. The other two are for the melting pot and a hot plate.

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CB posted this 20 December 2010

No not yet.. I keep it next to the casting pot

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smokiejoe posted this 20 December 2010

Jeff: You out of antifreeze

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CB posted this 20 December 2010

Darn Joe are you nuts? Its cold out there..

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smokiejoe posted this 20 December 2010

You should be out ice fishing and not wasting your time casting bullets

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CB posted this 18 December 2010

I'll try to get some pics tomorrow

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Lefty posted this 17 December 2010

Jeff Any chance you could send us a picture of your heat shield setup? Jim

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Lefty posted this 17 December 2010

It is winter once again. I was casting rifle bullets yesterday. The mold is a loverin style nose pour mold. The sprue holes are relatively small. I could only get the cavities to fill out if I refilled the ladle with fresh (hot) alloy between each cavity. Obviously this slowed production and as I learned last year, the slower the pace the more difficulties I encounter in cold weather. I suspect heat lamps directed onto the work surface might help. I may have to wait for warmer weather to cast with this mold.

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Richard Pickering posted this 19 February 2010

Lefty, Winter is for sizing and lubing. Summer is for casting. Speaking of iron pots, some years ago I left my Lyman iron pot outside and when I recovered it there was some orange crystalline substance in it. I wiped it out and began to heat the pot over a Coleman stove. Have you ever had the privilege of 600 deg cat pee ? RP

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Lefty posted this 17 February 2010

a cast iron ingot mold draws moisture if you allow it to cool while sitting on a cold garage floor or similar cold porous surface. This is ok if you dump the ingots while the mold is fairly hot but if you allow the mold to cool completely with the ingots in place bad things can happen on the next fill. I proved this yesterday much to my dismay. I will cool my ingot molds on a steel plate from now on.

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Bongo Boy posted this 12 February 2010

Similar conditions here, and similar problems. I use a low cajun cooker (about a foot off the floor), and a 5 quart dutch oven, generally about 1/3 to 1/2 full--about 30 lbs of lead I'd estimate.

Anyway, I run the setup only about 3 feet, at most, inside the double garage door. It's not been as cold here as where you are--but maybe in the low 20s when I'm casting.

If I have to take a break, I set the mold on the cast lip/handle at the rim of the dutch oven, and if the mold has gotten way too hot, I set it down on an ammo can positioned about 2 ft off the floor. I crack the main garage door only about 6 inches to relieve carbon monoxide, and wear an MSA lead vapor mask. I don't open the service door for cross ventilation, and just rely on the one big door being cracked open.

A hot mold will cool under those conditions in about 15 seconds, I'd say.

My rejects last night, in two hours, were due almost entirely to the lead stream sticking to my ladle cup and preventing a thin stream, which in turn means I couldn't drop the stream into the sprue hole and watch the cavity fill. I just started another thread on that pesky topic. Averaged maybe 1 reject in 6.

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Lefty posted this 06 February 2010

I miked a bunch of my cold weather bullets yesterday. One or two moulds dropped bullets slightly smaller than normal. I don't know if this was a shift in alloy composition (different wheel weights) or that I was running the mould too cool some of the time. Can you have a mould hot enough to fill out but still end up with slightly undersized (.0005 to .001) bullets?

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Lefty posted this 20 January 2010

Bob I think you are more hardy than I am. I cast outside but only after it gets up above 40 degrees on the south side of the garage.

I have now cast 2,000 bullets since I started this thread. I started out focusing on good bullets with little thought to technique or speed. After focusing on doing it “right” during 6 extended casting sessions, not only is the quality good, but my speed is better than it ever has been during warmer weather. By turning the pot temp up some and then working quickly, I am now casting almost 200 bullets per hour. I think the additional speed is due to never having to wait for the mold to cool. I can make nice frosty bullets just as fast as I can ladle and drop the bullets. Maybe (just maybe) cold weather casting has some unexpected benefits.

I am still going to build a dedicated bench complete with removable heat lamps as well as a hot plate. I'll share when I have pictures.

Thanks to everyone for the input.

Jim

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canalupo posted this 18 January 2010

Lefty

It's a little chilly in North eastern PA. Average range is around 20 above to 5 below this time of year. A foot or two of snow pack and 2000 ft elevation does not help.

I use a propane venturi burner to heat 40lb lead plumbers pot over a homemade chimney type stove. My stove is a piece of 8 inch steel smoke pipe with a grate on top and burner is up from the bottom (similar to a plumbers stove). The mold can be kept warm over the side opening around base of pot and I ladle pour bullets. It is much to smokey to use inside. So I made a little three sided lean to for a work area. Works for me and I don't have to jump start any cars or tractors to clear work area.

Good Luck

Bob D

 

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