Casting Projectiles

[ninosdemente]

A family member has access to lead from work that is labeled as non usable. He asked me if I would be interested in the lead. I have never cast a projectile, so even if I wanted to try it don't know what is needed, cost of tools, what am I limited to cast, molds, etc. Basically don't know what I would be getting myself into. Hope I can get some guidance. Any help will greatly be appreciated. I don't have a location and don't think a basement would be the ideal to cast. TIA!

[mehavey]

Unfortunately your basement -- unless equipped with significant force-air ventilation -- is the last place you would want to cast lead
(fumes from both the lead and the flux material used). Think outside or near outside, e.g., garage door proximity.

Be that as it may, what kind of lead is being labeled as 'non-usable' ?

[ligonierbill]

I recently started casting my own, so here is my narrative. The front of the garage with the door open and a fan blowing across the setup is my location. Protective gear! I use a full face shield and a sturdy apron. You can get face masks rated for lead particles, but I am depending on ventilation. You need a melter, and your decision on using a bottom tap or a dipper. I am using a Lee bottom tap, so far working well. Get a dipper anyway. Lead thermometer, something to strike the sprue cutter, mold handles, and of course molds. These things are readily available on line, so check prices on Midway or others. I got most of my molds from Accurate Molds, a little pricey, but they are customized, important when your old 32-20 slugs at 0.318. I set up on a rolling tool box with a work surface, and got some cheap cookie trays to give me a metal surface. Very much a rookie still.

[Unclenick]

I have moved your thread to the cast bullet sub-forum.

Find out what they do with the lead at your family member's workplace. That will give us a clue as to what they mean by non-usable. It could be as simple as it needs to be melted and fluxed and dirt floated to the top and removed. But if it is contaminated with zinc, it won't be castable, and removing the zinc with molten sulfur is a pain and has flammable acrid fumes associated with it that won't be welcome in a residential area.

If you can make the lead usable for casting by cleaning, then you will find pure lead, while suitable for some muzzle loading projectiles, is too soft for most bullets and you will want to add some tin to it. A common source is lead-free solder which is usually about 95% tin. But check the label and be sure to get some that has no zinc in it (a few of the lead-free solders do have zinc). Figure to add one pound to ever twenty pounds of lead for target velocity loads and one pound to every sixteen pounds of lead for middling velocities. RCBS recommended one pound of tin for ever ten pounds of lead for their molds when I bought a couple of them many years ago.

[Shadow9mm]

so for a quick rundown.
well ventilated area
safety glasses
gloves

as far as equipment to make your bullets
lee 4-20 pot about $90
lee mold about $27 (per bullet design)
lee bullet sizing die $18 (per caliber)
lyman ingot mold $35 (lee makes one for $18, however it has 2-1lb slots and 2- 1/2 lb slots, where the lyman has 4-1lb slots. The lyman is nicer and much more effecient imho.)

Grand total around $180 give or take a bit with shipping and tax.

then you need to decide on a lubrication method
pan lube
tumble lube
powder coat

basic process to prep lead
melt lead
flux lead (clean)
add tin/antimoney as needed to make harder
pour ingots

basic process casting bullets
Melt ingots
warm mold
cast bullets
size bullets (you generally want 0.001 over groove diameter)
lube bullets
load bullets
shoot bullets

one last thing to keep in mind, gas checks are generally recommended when going over 1200fps. however proper sizing is the most important thing.