Pouring your own balls

[Minnesota Mike]

If one wanted to try his hand at pouring his own balls instead of buying them, what sort of advice has this august body of experts got to give?

And is it really worth it from a time/cost perspective vice just buying them?

r/
MM

[FG1]

All depends on how you value your time . For me I get enjoyment and saticfaction from making my own . Once set up with gear it is cheaper to make your own . I dont count time as its less time in front of tube watching reruns or a break from another project in shop.

[R.M.]

Mike, do you think you have a fairly reliable source of soft lead? You can spend a lot of time scrounging, and though buying lead still is a cheaper alternative, free lead is obviously better.
I truly believe it's a cost saving measure, as well as a type of hobby. You can start with the bare essentials, and upgrade as you go if you wish.

[Bigsmoke]

Good ventilation is a must.  Wear good gloves and keep your sleeves rolled down and wear eye protection, a face mask is not a bad idea either.
Some people really like doing it, others view it as a necessary evil.  I don't really care to do it, but it's acceptable.  Also, If you need a size not readily available, it's almost mandatory.  For example, my 20 bore likes .610, my 14 bore rifle likes .678 and my 8 bore needs .820.  Sorry, my local sporting goods store doesn't carry those sizes, so - what else you gonna do but cast your own.
Is it worth it from a time/cost viewpoint?  Probably not, but when viewing it as entertainment, it becomes more acceptable.  Plus, what is your time worth?  How easy is it to get good lead?  Do you have the time to do it?  All questions you need to answer for yourself.

[melsdad]

Casting balls is something I am looking into also. For those that cast there own, aside from the lead what is the start up equiptment cost of casting? Do most use an electric pot? Any information will be helpful.

[david32cal]

i use a small cast iron pot and an old coleman stove. when i worked at the local wal-mart in the tire and lube i accumulated around 400 lbs of sticky wheel wieghts,which are 98% lead. i'd say my biggest investment was the molds,i can certainly make my own cheaper than buying them.

[R.M.]

I use a cast iron pot to melt the raw lead and pour it into ingots.
I then use bottom pour pots to cast with.
You could use the same pot that you melt ingots with to dipper-cast. So to get started, you need a pot, ladle, heat source such as a camp stove, and a mold. When using an electric pot, it's best to just use clean ingots in it. Have a separate pot for smelting.
You can get started pretty cheaply, and there's lots of lead out there if you just look. It can come from some of the strangest sources.

[Bigsmoke]

It can come from some of the strangest sources.

Sheathing for power lines - however it is usually pretty oxidized.

Used in walls around x-ray rooms - great stuff, usually in 1/8" sheets - that's what I use.

I think it is used in some roofing applications.

Mine the area where your local black powder club shoots

Tire shops

Old plumbing

[biliff]

With off the shelf balls going anywhere from $11 to $19 per hundred casting your own can save some bucks. How much depends on your source of lead. If I buy pure lead (rotometals) which ain't cheap I figure I'm saving around 8 to 12c per ball depending on exactly what size I'm casting.  Obviously free lead is even better when you can get it. At that rate it doesn't take long to amortize the cost of your equipment.

How many you can cast per hour depends on your setup with simpler setups being slower (casting pot, hand ladle, single cavity mold). Even a simple setup should let you do 80-100 in an hour once you get the hang of it. Biggest problem is keeping the lead and mold at a good temperature.

Most of the safety stuff seems to have been covered all ready except for water. DON'T ever drop anything wet into a pot of molten lead (like when returning sprues/bad castings) into the pot. The water instantly vaporizes and blows molten lead all over the place.

[R.M.]

You're almost right about the water. Water that somehow gets under the surface of the molten lead will cause a small explosion, sending lead everywhere. Water that just hits the surface will just bounce and sizzle till it's evaporated. None the less, you just need to be careful. Moisture can lurk on or in your scrap lead. If you add scrap to melted lead, any moisture in/on it can be very bad. It's best to pre-warm your ingots before adding them to your pot. Old lead water pipes can hold moisture in the scale inside for years. Watch that stuff.

[Sir Michael]

If you are shooting anything larger than .45 I'd recommend making your own and if you shoot .50 or larger I'd strongly recommend making your own (they are typically sold per 50) and if you shoot .600 or larger you can't afford to buy balls (they are typically sold per 25) unless your independently wealthy.  I shoot .600 and .610 most of the time and there is no way I'm going to pay about $8.00 for 25.

The first thing I'd recommend is you figure out exactly what size ball you need and then get a mold block that size and handles (leave the bag mold till latter unless you really want one).  

As has already been said pure lead can either be purchased or you can gather lead from any of a variety of sources.

Once you have the mold and lead you will need a pot (most folks use a small cast iron one.  You can also get a bottom pour pot if you don't want to use a ladle.  If you go with the iron pot you will need a ladle (there are a variety of types from simple over-sized spoons to special cast types made expressly for pouring lead).  If you go with an iron pot you will need a heat source.  Many use a camp stove or you can use a propane torch.  If you go with the bottom pour pot you won't need a stove or other heat source.  You may also want to invest in a good thermometer (one that goes up to at least 900 deg and is made for metal casting).

Fireplace or welders gloves are a good investment as is a leather shop apron.  

DO NOT ALLOW ANY WATER ANYWHERE NEAR WHERE YOU ARE CASTING.  IF YOU SWEAT A LOT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SWEAT RAG HANDY, KEEP IT IN YOUR BACK POCKET, AND MOVE AWAY FROM THE LEAD WHEN YOU WIPE YOUR BROW.  

Good ventilation is must as well as has been said.

Lead melts at 327.5 deg C (621.5 deg F) you will need to get it hotter than just melted to to cast good balls.  Also you will need to get the mold hot and keep it hot to cast good balls.

Once you get started you should develop a rhythm and you will find yourself not wanting to stop but the pot keeps needing to refilled with lead so you will have to.  

[Three Hawks]

The reason I cast is the same reason I handload for my centerfire calibers.  I like doing it.  There's a real good side benefit as well.  The more things I do and make for myself, the more difficult it is for my line of supply to be disrupted.   For the last six months anything having to do with shooting sports has been either in very short supply or not available.   I, personally, have been almost unaffected by this gap in the supply line.   Things are trickling into dealer's inventories now, slowly, but they're showing up.  I am resupplying as I can but I've pretty  much quit using jacketed bullets  and am casting up good quantities for my centerfires and for my muzzleloaders.  

I'd recommend an electric pot, Lee has several that are very good and not at all expensive.  The instruction sheet that comes in the box is very good.   The convenience, and safety  of an electric melter cannot be overstated.

MidwayUSA  http://www.midwayusa.com Midsouth Shooter's Supply http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com  or Graf's  http://www.grafs.com   usually have excellent prices and service.

Using a coleman stove and a frying pan will work, of course, but I always try to discourage that.  Dedicated casting gear designed and made for melting and handling hot lead is always a better choice.  

A question not often asked  is what happens in the future if your cool  old iron kettle or dutch oven you use for a casting pot  or the cornstick or muffin pans that make such good ingots ends up back in the kitchen?  

Would you like to have your grandkids eating food lovingly cooked  in Grampa's old lead pot, you know, the one that looks exactly like a dutch oven?  

I still have my original casting pot, made from a short piece of 4" exhaust tubing with a bottom welded into it and a ladle made of an old iron spoon, reshaped, cut short and driven into a piece of broomstick for a handle.  I have an ooooold Coleman 502 stove for a heat source.   A small, bright fire would do as well.

Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Three Hawks

[FG1]

You can get started pretty cheap with Lee equipment . I started with one mould and a Lee bottem pour pot and a hammer type sizing die for centerfire boolits in '74 . I have 3 -10# electric Lee bottem pour pots ,20# dipper Lee pot , 10# Lyman bottem pour , a homemade LP 120# cleaning pot and over 100 moulds for centerfire and black powder projectiles  :lol:

Casting for me is relaxing and fulfilling just as building a gun or shooting is . As I see it , it goes hand in hand  .

[Kermit]

Another vote here for Lee equipment. Their aluminum molds are inexpensive and very easy to use. I also recommend electric pots, and Lee's are definitely for the budget conscious. The pricier molds and pots can come along later if you find you really are shooting and reloading enough to justify their purchase.

If you don't immediately spring for a bottom pour pot, like the inexpensive Lee's (and I've been using one for about 25 years), and opt to pour from a ladle, both

Lyman
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?p ... ber=286579

and RCBS
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?p ... ber=283142

make dandy little cast iron ladles that have a little round spout that really controls where the lead goes. The RCBS is pricier by a few bucks, but can be converted for left-handed use. They also can be held against the mold as the lead hardens and shrinks so you reduce the number of balls/bullets you replace in the pot cuz they have holes where a sprue should be. You wind up with smaller sprues too--more casting and less remelting.

BUT the first question you need to ask is where you are going to get your lead. If you buy clean and pure lead, you can get started with a smaller investment. Smelting scrap will take a little more equipment.

All this said, I cast everything I shoot except shot and #4 buckshot that I feed my .25 flinter. Somebody, SAECO I think, makes a .240 buckshot mold, but 5lbs of shot is a LOT of wee balls, and I can buy more than I'll shoot in my lifetime for the cost of that one mold.  

[BEAVERMAN]

One other safety issue, if you find old fishing weights and want to melt them down, make sure you have cut ALL the brass fittings from them ( if they have them such as snaps and barrel swivels etc.) BEFORE YOU DROP IT INTO A HOT POT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mount Vesuvious time if you dont, please dont ask how I know this, its dang ugly!