Gettin started casting, question for Dick

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Sumpin' else:

I recommend higher temps for your melt and moulds, too.  Better consistency, in my experience.

Also, the Lee Pro 20 Mark IV furnace (or whatever it's exact name is), works very well.  It will hold about 20 lbs of pure lead, which becomes about 15-17 lbs of lead alloy,  like wheelweights.  If you get one of the 6-cavity BigLube moulds (by Lee and sold by Dick Dastardly) you'll be REAL glad you got the 20 pound pot (furnace) instead of one of the smaller ones.  Be SURE to get the PRO 20 Mark IV (4) or however it's marked - it's an improvement over their OTHER 20 pound, bottom pour pot.  Among other things, it sits higher and is easier to work with.

[Four Eyed Floyd]

  Wow pards thanks so much this is a lot of useful info and a big help. I'll keep at it and let you know how it goes. 

[panhead pete]

Howdy,
Goatlips has a great website for the beginning caster.  He describes in detail smelting the wheelweights and casting with a 6 cavity mould.  I am not sure of his web address, I always search for "Goatlips" on Google.   I bought a turkey deep fryer set up JUST FOR the burner at a yard sale.  It works great.  I bought an old dutch oven from an antique store as well. 

Good luck,

Panhead

[Steel Horse Bailey]

See my post of a few back. 

[panhead pete]

Sorry Steel Horse! 

I missed that one.  Goatlips sure put a nice site together.

Kind Regards,

Panhead

[Four Eyed Floyd]

Well got the new cast which are very shiny but no wrinkles.  Ok now a lube question. I have some 357's loaded and dipped them in some of my home made lube. Will that work? 

The boolits I cast have very small grease grooves (haven't ordered the grease wagons from DD yet) I lubed them with Alox so I guess I'll be using that fad smokeless powder for the first round.

Next question; I have a lot of garbage left during the melting process, and yes I did put some bee's wax in the mix is that normal?
And no I am not sure what grade of lead I have may have been WW but I am not sure.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Lift off the "dross" with an old spoon and dispose of it as hazardous waste, after fluxing of course.  I love to see that shiny melt before I resume casting.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy 4 I,

Sargent Smokepole did the lube dip workaround before Big Lube™ bullets came along.  Only bad thing is that you have to be careful not to pick up a lot of grit and dirt with the external lubed bullets.

DD-DLoS

[Four Eyed Floyd]

It is only temporary DD until I can order a Lee 4-20 and some of your 38 big lube (tm) bullet molds with bigger grooves. 

[panhead pete]

Howdy Floyd,

I use an over-powder card and then put a small amount of lube (think of pencil eraser diameter by 1'16" thick) under the bullet and on top of the card.  I make my cards using a 3/8" punch and stamp them from milk cartons.  It is a bit time consuming but it works well with alox or other lubes as well.
I just started casting 56-50 for my Armi-Sport Spencer.  Now that I am familiar with casting, I will go to the big lube boolit moulds when I run out of my current stock of smokeless lead.  Mixing the lubes should have no ill effects using black powder.  I have used the overpowder cards in my .357 Ruger, my 45 LC Colt Cowboy, 45 LC Millenium and my 38 Cal. 51 Navy conversions.  Occasionally I have to use a little Balistol on the front and back of the cylinder to keep things free. 

Good Luck,

Panhead

[Dick Dastardly]

With Holy Black and our kind of intensive shooting, lube is the answer.  Experience indicates that more is better.  Thus, Big Lube™ bullets were born.  They were developed mostly independently and separately and without knowledge of the others work.  The results are now history.  The common solution found was that LOTS of lube made high intensity bp SASS shooting both possible and enjoyable.

I didn't invent the bullets.  I did, however, put them under an umbrella of a Trademark.  It has always been my intention to bring the true enjoyment of black powder shooting to the many SASS shooters that want to experience 1880s gunfights without the pain of foul outs and hang ups.

Welcome to the Darkside.

DD-DLoS

[Four Eyed Floyd]

Ya'll got me hooked, it made what was fun extreme fun, I am hopelessly addicted and I must have Big Lube (tm)...must have Big Lube...must have Big Lube.
No really I had a problem with my 73 because I did not have enough lube to get the boolit down the barrel and took a while to get it out. It is not so hard with a revolver but a real pain in the rifle.