Would anyone be interested in a child board on casting bullets?

I got into casting a couple of years ago, under the coaching of some wise old guys on the 'net. From Salvation Army I picked up a cast iron pot with wooden handle, oven mitts, aluminum muffin tin (the dirtier tin the better, pick the ones that are coated with the brown residue from pam or oil), ladle and tongs (make sure they have wood or plastic handle) - $10. I got a bunch of candle wax, shredded plastic, and fine saw dust for fluxing - $0. Picked up the inexpensive Lee 2 cavity molds, sprayed them with pam - $20 ea. In the past 2 years I've picked up close to 200# of scrap lead alloy, cast them into the muffin tin - $0. Each muffin is about 2.5#, which is roughly 100 158gr 38/357 bullets.

I use the side burner on my grill, wear coveralls, close toed shoes, and a dust mask - eventhough I'm outside, when you look into the pot, its good to have something over your face. I use an old 5 gal plastic bucket full of water to quench, and I cut a piece of scrap plywood to fill the cooking area of my grill so I don't splash anything on a surface that would come in contact with food. Once I get in a rhythym I can cast about 100 an hour, and I go for a couple of hours. Its therapeutic, like reloading.

Cast akamai!
Chaps

I think watching this process would be quite interesting!

I'll take pictures next time and post them if that's okay here?
Mahalo, Chaps

That would be terrific!

My uncle used to cast, back when I was small, but he's too old now to teach, and all his equipment is gonners.  This would be a very interesting topic for sure!
 
Thanks Chaps.

I used to cast lead sinkers for fishing with my grandpa prolly 25 years ago.... it's an interesting process, would love to see how bullets are done. 

We cast bullets when I was a young thing.  After a long day's shooting, Dad would send the sons to dig lead out of the backdrop.  We also visited service stations to collect cast-off wheel weights.  Melted all that down, cast them in a cornbread mold for ingots.

I remember casting .38/.357 and .41.  Used a gasoline blowtorch and two propane torches for heat.  Lots of fun, and very cathartic. 

I would love to get back into casting.

When I Was competing, would make over 500 a night and have them all loaded by the week end.

Shot it all up and did it over and over again and agian.

I still have RCBS 20 # melting pots, several ingot molds, hundreds of pounds of lead, tin and alloys.

Used to buy primers in 5,ooo packs and powder in 5# containers.

Not to mention the fishing mold that I have.

Didn't realize that I had cast several 100s of 375 H & H 300 gr heads with gas checks.
   Found then and a bunch of others while organizing stuff

Don't ask how many molds I have.  I really don't know myself.

I really Have to get back More into shooting and fishing.

Old Guy, wow! That's a lot of casting!

I'm on the low budget end admittedly, and I don't see myself ever really getting fancier. But there's something to be said about that freshly cast bullet, nice and shiny, that you made. I'm getting to the point when I can "feel" when it's not going to be quite right y'know, the lead is too thick maybe, or the mold isn't the right temp. Drop em right back into the pot for another chance, until they come out just right. Then you seat it in a case over your own recipe, to fire out of your favorite firearm. I have yet to hunt with my own cast bullets, but I hope to take care of that next year on the mainland! Think I'm gonna cast some 230gr .45s tonight.

Now that I have my "hanai" son, I'm hoping we can do  a lot of guy stuff together.

With his help, I'm hoping to shoot more and get back into fishing/diving. 

NEED to set up my "man cave" all over again.  One side for gun stuff and the other for fishing stuff.

Would anyone be interested in a child board on casting bullets?

I got into casting a couple of years ago, under the coaching of some wise old guys on the 'net. From Salvation Army I picked up a cast iron pot with wooden handle, oven mitts, aluminum muffin tin (the dirtier tin the better, pick the ones that are coated with the brown residue from pam or oil), ladle and tongs (make sure they have wood or plastic handle) - $10. I got a bunch of candle wax, shredded plastic, and fine saw dust for fluxing - $0. Picked up the inexpensive Lee 2 cavity molds, sprayed them with pam - $20 ea. In the past 2 years I've picked up close to 200# of scrap lead alloy, cast them into the muffin tin - $0. Each muffin is about 2.5#, which is roughly 100 158gr 38/357 bullets.

I use the side burner on my grill, wear coveralls, close toed shoes, and a dust mask - eventhough I'm outside, when you look into the pot, its good to have something over your face. I use an old 5 gal plastic bucket full of water to quench, and I cut a piece of scrap plywood to fill the cooking area of my grill so I don't splash anything on a surface that would come in contact with food. Once I get in a rhythym I can cast about 100 an hour, and I go for a couple of hours. Its therapeutic, like reloading.

Cast akamai!
Chaps

I am glad to hear that you are enjoying bullet casting. There is a sense of satisfaction from making a large pile of bullets. When I first started casting I nearly got into big trouble when a large chunk of lead fell into the pot after the pieces below it melted away. A lead volcano erupted. I was unhurt but the lesson was not forgotten. I wear a full face shield and long sleeves. Wearing any type of foot wear that will allow molten lead to enter is asking for trouble. It has been years since I last casted any bullets, maybe I will do some casting next week. I got a lot of linotype sitting around.   

Old thread, I know.

I've been casting since I was "helping" my dad cast his when I was way to young to actually be of much help. .32 round ball for a BP pistol, if I recall correctly.

Lead is expensive to get (tire shops are using steel weights now, did you know?  ) but casting is still the cheapest way to feed your habit. I love it.

IF you scuba dive, picking up fishing sinkers off the bottom is one way to get lots of lead.

I have friends who did a FEW times. 

Try getting all that lead up to the surface......

And then getting it into the boat or onto shore.

Most dangerous part is melting the lead CAREFULLY.  Water soaked into the lead EXPLODES VIOLENTLY

sprayin HOT LEAD everywhere. 

All my lead are in ingots and stored safely.

I taught my kids how to cast so I don't have to. If they want to shoot free boolits, they do the work.
It is a useful skill to pass on because you never know nowdays....

Yup. I really appreciate all the stuff my dad passed on to me. When my brother and I were young we'd make fun of him for always doing things "the hard way" (hand tools when he could find cool old tools, lighting the dinner table with a kerosene lamp, casting his own bullets and preferring black powder, etc.) He always just smile and say "but that's the fun way!"

These days I understand completely. And for all the "hard way" comments when I was a kid... I really appreciate the sense of self sufficiency a broad base of doing things by hand brings. I thought he was an oddball. That he was but he knew exactly what he was doing. Part of the reason I got back into casting and shooting after he died was to exercise these skills a bit, fill in the cracks of details I missed when I was a kid and keep it alive. There is no cheaper way to shoot and making your own ammo increases the amount of surface area one has with shooting as an overall experience. I enjoy every step of it.

Any of you guys interested in teaching another young pup the ways of casting.

Any of you guys interested in teaching another young pup the ways of casting.

This pup wants to learn too!

This pup wants to learn too!

Perhaps y'all could drop in the next time I fire up the pot.
I am in Leeward Oahu.

Let me know I'm down for sure and that's right in my neighborhood. I'll bring supplies if needed.

Let me know I'm down for sure and that's right in my neighborhood. I'll bring supplies if needed.

You have supplies for bullet casting?? BTW, I would only be doing 45 acp pistol bullets.
What caliber are you interested in?

Need lead? I can get some pretty cheap.