I am going to try my hand at casting soon, my sons are going to buy me a Lee 20# production pot for fathers day.
my question(s) are whats needed.
When you get your pot out of the box and are setting it up. First thing you can do that will help you on down the road is to lap in the seat and stem. I used some Clover brand valve lapping compound and it took maybe half an hour to get it down nice and shiny on both mating surfaces. After you get to using is you will find that every once in a while it will drip. A drip here and there isn't an issue, a steady drip can and will be an issue. If it begins to get more steady especially when you simply heating up alloy or while cooling down or changing molds, then once your done with that session drain and clean your pot. While it's still hot and empty, and while wearing gloves, pick it up and dump out what ever is left in it, then let it cool off. I use a small wooden handled SS wire cleaning brush to scrub down the sides and bottom. Be sure to do so with a fan blowing the dust outside and away from you, or while using a shop vac with a dust filter to catch the dust, don't want to be breathin that stuff in. Once the pot is clean I take a piece of steel wool and use it to polish up the tip of the stem and then hold it down with the stem and polish the seat back up. Put it all back together and your ready for business. I usually go between 4 to 9 or 10 sessions depending on what alloy I am using, before having to clean everything back up.
I work for a utility and have all my crews looking for lead from old water services. That will probably be my main sorce of lead, plus scrounging on my own.
Pure lead is the basic building block to many great bullets. Most of what you will find will be close to if not pure lead. Mixed with straight wheel weight lead 50-50, it can be used for most handgun velocity loads. If that is all you have I might suggest you look at Rotometals and try and pick up some of their Hardball or possibly the Lyman #2 and use it instead of the WW's. What you will find in researching most forums and such is that commercial casters use alloy which is for the most part overly hard for most applications. At the most I have some I consider hard that is only around a 15 or so BHN. I hardly use it straight at all and usually blend it with softer stuff to come in around a 10 or so. There are also plenty of folks who sell off small batches of their wheel weight alloy in order to fund new molds or firearms even so if you can find a source don't be afraid to pick up a medium flat rate box of it for somewhere in the $70 range. Usually you will end up with around 60 or so pounds of alloy and that will pour a bunch of bullets, especially if you cut it with the softer stuff.
I will be buying Lee molds.
As mentioned above, Lee produces some good molds, and they will throw some good bullets. They might have a bit of a learning curve, but temp is the general issue with most who have issues. If you have other issues with them besides wrinkles, spots, frosting, there are plenty of tips over on the Castboolit site on them.
so what kind of fluxing material is best to use ?
Like plenty of others, I use plain ol sawdust for the most part coupled with pure paraffin as a finisher so to speak. I like to use it last so as to try and get all of the finer gunk out of my alloy before pouring ingots. This also helps to keep the Lee pot cleaner as well.
and what other equipment will I need.
Something to pour up ingots in, I use a cast iron corncob corn bread iron, and a couple of the commercial aluminum type like the Lyman or Lee for smaller chunks or for a special type of alloy. It helps me keep things separated and usually I don't blend up a big batch of something different just to try it out.
Also a few sheet metal pans to dump your bullets into, some long handled spoons, and a thermometer not to be forgotten.
I allready have a full face shield from a weilding shop and a good pair of leather gloves, also from a weilding shop.
I also bought the Lyman casting book.
I have read the book, but I need to garner more information from actuall casters.
Castboolits is a great source of information as is the The Los Angeles Silhouette Club, or LASC where you will find plenty of information on various topics and most are in down loadable PDF format as well.
I will be casting for 380acp 9MM 357 40S&W 41mag 44mag 45acp 45colt and 454 casull (gas checks)
Of the above calibers, the 9mm and 40 will probably be the most challenging, simply due to the pressures they operate at. Most cast loads work best using lower pressure powders and loads. Not saying it cannot be done as I see plenty who have done it, just as well I have seen plenty more having issues. Don't get discouraged with them just work through any issues.
If you can get in touch with him, I highly suggest you contact the owner of MP molds off his website and see if he has any of the 359-640, the 41-258, the 432-256, the 452-640, or the 45 270 SAA molds available. These are all awesome molds, and they are priced pretty steep. Don't let that blind you. With each of them you are able to pour several types of HP bullets as well as the standard solids. So your sort of getting several molds for the price of one. I have them all and yes I do enjoy them. Yes you can buy several similar Lee molds for the same money, but you DO get what you pay for with them. You can search for the above molds over on Castboolits and see what the folsk that are using them have to say about the molds and the bullets poured with them.
I also have a dozen or so Lee 6 cavity as well and use them for all of my revolvers as well. IF your going to start out with them try and stick with the RF types for the revolvers and the TC or RN types for the autos. If you look on ebay you might run across the Lee 6 cavity 410-215, if you find one get it, it is a great SWC tumble lube type mold for the 41. They shoot great over a decent load of 2400 or even loaded lighter using Unique. I use the 358-158 for my 357's, the 429-200 and 429-310 in my 44, the 452-230 in my ACP, the 452-255RF and the 300RF in my 45 Colt and 454. All of these are great shooting bullets and if you can swing it go for the six cavity molds. The double cavity are Ok if your just shooting a few here and there, and some even pour up large quantities with them. Myself when I pour, I pour and am doen with them for a good while. That way they are all out of the same batch run through at the same temp and aged about the same. It just works for me.
Anyway hope this helps some, and don't let th prices on the MP's frighten you off if you find one you like. You will not regret them one bit.
