Your TMA Officers and Board of Directors
Support the TMA! ~ Traditional Muzzleloaders ~ The TMA is here for YOU!
For TMA related products, please check out the new TMA Store !

*** Folk Firearms Collective Videos ***



Changes are a'coming to the TMA website and forum. Please stay tuned!


Recent Posts

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 10
11
The Campfire / Re: changes?
« Last post by RobD on Today at 06:35:47 AM »
The core goal of the TMA has always been the sentence at the top of every page ...

The TMA is dedicated to preserving the rich and fascinating heritage of the traditional muzzleloading firearms of early America.

For more than a few reasons, TMA forum participation has dwindled over more than a few years.

"Ya can lead a horse to water but ya can't make it drink."

We all at the TMA officer level have done a buncha things over the last few or more years to encourage participation in our organization.  IMHO none have been effective at bringing in new forum registrants let alone contributing members.  This may be due to other like minded forums that have a longer established membership, and that the TMA was more of a physical "localized" get-together organization that lost some or most of that local group.  I dunno exactly.

Add to this the continuing trend of social media leaving forums for linear "fast food" media such as Facebook, Instagram, Tic Tok, and the like.

What we have now is a TMA club of sorts where the forum is more of a loose gathering of like-minded folks sitting around a campfire and chatting.  Not a thing wrong with that.

What it takes to keep this virtual campfire going is the website forum server space and domain name.

What next, you say?


12
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by No Powder on January 10, 2026, 06:52:22 PM »
Uh oh John. Sounds like I'll be getting the vernier calipers out to do some checking. Maybe they tumbled them too long.  I've heard about the addition of graphite. I don't know of any other advantages to using it other than making a nice looking ball. I wouldn't think the graphite had anything to do with the size differences.
13
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by Bigsmoke on January 10, 2026, 05:19:35 PM »
A long time ago I visited Warren Manufacturing in Arkansas.  One of their products was cast round ball.  I guess they used a casting machine and then they tumbled the ball.  I think graphite was added to the mix at some point as well.  The last man to leave the plant put the ball in a series of tumblers and it was tumbled overnight.  Then they would package them the next morning.  IIRC, it made for a good looking ball.  Problem was with consistency.  In a box of 20 large diameter (.678 to .715") there were probably 4 or 5 different diameters.  In my sporting rifles they shot OK, but I finally decided to cast my own for a tighter control of the output.  I used the brass moulds from England.  Those were great.
14
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by No Powder on January 10, 2026, 05:05:52 PM »
I think I tried some .530's. Tumbled against not tumbled. IIRC, the tumbled ones shot a bit tighter group than those that weren't tumbled. But that one time didn't prove a thing. Could have been some human error involved.
15
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by RobD on January 10, 2026, 04:13:40 PM »
Quote from: No Powder on January 10, 2026, 03:32:50 PM
I seem to have pretty good success with Lee molds too. But I will tumble those until there is a little dimple where the sprue was. Takes about an hour and I load that little dimple up.

I've done Exhaustive testing with Lee cast balls - loading sprue cutoff up and tumbling the balls till there is no clue where the sprue was in the first place.  None matter for consistent accuracy, so I gave the tumbling up (though darn if tumbling didn't seem like the right thing to do).
16
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by No Powder on January 10, 2026, 03:32:50 PM »
I seem to have pretty good success with Lee molds too. But I will tumble those until there is a little dimple where the sprue was. Takes about an hour and I load that little dimple up.
17
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by RobD on January 10, 2026, 02:23:00 PM »
Fluxing either "pure" lead or tin:lead alloy, along with stirring it all up well, will get any impurities (that are lighter than lead) to float up as dross that's to be removed (don't do that with yer ladle, do it with a spoon). 

So far, and after trying a buncha molds where some cost big buck$, the best ball molds for me are by Lee.
18
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by No Powder on January 10, 2026, 02:08:37 PM »
Thanks guys. I always thought that fluxing would mix all the impurities and lead together and then there wouldn't be anything coming to the top to skim off. Like usual, I must have figured wrong. I use to put a little paraffin or bees wax in, but I believe I'll be fluxing a little more often. I probably have all the round balls I need. But I'll still make some more because I like doing it. Make most of mine with a bag mold, so it takes a little more time. Cutting sprue and smoothing them a bit.
19
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by doggoner on January 10, 2026, 11:58:07 AM »
Quote from: LongWalker on January 10, 2026, 01:04:25 AM
Quote from: No Powder on January 09, 2026, 05:53:54 PM
From what I'm reading, it doesn't matter what kind of sawdust or shavings you use. Is that correct?
Pretty much.  It has to be DRY, you don't want to risk adding wet sawdust or shavings and getting a visit from the tinsel fairies.

I stick with sawdust from poplar/pine/oak/cherry (but those are the woods I cut the most).  Sticking with the lighter-colored woods makes it easier for me to see if I'm getting woods that I know will mess up my sinuses.  But they all work. 

YMMV, of course.

The dry part is VERY important!! The tinsel fairy comes with heat you don't want on your person. The wood chips from my planer are free (sort of- I did pay for the wood it comes from.) and they don't have to by thrown away. I also use them in my bee smoker for tending to my bees. Again, good luck in your casting adventures.

P.S If your cast for those other unmentionable type rifles/pistols, One part 50/50 solder added to 9 parts wheel weight lead (clip-on type) will give you a melt very close to Lyman #2 alloy which is the unofficial standard for those unmentionable types.

doggoner
20
General Interest / Re: FLUXING
« Last post by RobD on January 10, 2026, 05:57:09 AM »
Quote from: Salty on December 31, 2025, 04:10:18 PM
A few questions for you experienced LRB casters...

Do you cast with "pure lead?

As "pure" as possible, which will never ever be 100% pure.  For cast ML balls, it won't matter much.  For other cast projectiles specifically for long distance shooting, particularly those that require a bit more hardness by alloying with tin, slick/bullet composition is important.

Do you cast with a bottom pour or a dipper?

NEVER bottom pour - most of us in BPCR will only ladle via "compression casting".

Do you flux it?
What do you use for flux?

YES and YES - DRY wood dust or candle wax.  Anything wet introduced into a pot of molten lead is asking for trouble.

Do you stir it in and skim from the surface?

YES - stir well and then skim off the dross.

If you bottom pour, is it really necessary to flux, mix and skim?

Yes ... but again, I won't ever  use a bottom pour furnace again.


I am trying to get as pure a lead ball as possible. I suspect that impurities in the lead pot affect the weight and accuracy of the ball.

Sure will ... but in reality it's air or dirty lead that'll be the biggest issue.  Compression casting with a ladle is the way to go, at least for me and most BPCR shooters.

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 10