Using a propane torch

L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
I used to "run ball" at rendezvous as another demo for the school kids and benighted public. A small ladle and a bag mould worked great, and you never don't have a campfire at an encampment.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Winelover said:
Since this country was founded, they were casting with far less equipment than we have. Exactly, how much is too much? The more equipment one uses..........the farther away it gets from Art. Eventually, becoming a lost art.
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I'm a "subscriber," "in that camp," etc. But I also have to stay as efficient as possible. I get very little "quiet time" or "quality time" to unwind.

I was reluctant to add the hot-plate as I strive to keep it as simple as possible, to the extent that I probably COULD cast better bullets using more "stuff," but the challenge is welcome using less - to a degree. Tough call on many items, but hot plat has been incredibly useful for other stuff in the shop. As is a propane or butane torch.

A body has to just keep an eye on things as "creeping elegance" will eventually leave you wondering why you have all this stuff. Maybe.

Some guys just like (or don't mind) having a bunch of stuff. Some guys don't like "clutter." Some appreciate the challenge of doing things the way it used to be done. Some straddle some or all of those fences.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
If I am impatient I use my torch to heat the lead up in the pot. 20+ min to let pot warm up. Or 10 min with the torch. I always have one at the pot. Heating up the nozzle or helping the lead melt when adding back to the pot. I would rather be cast bullets than sitting there watching the lead come up to temp.
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
seagiant1 said:
Hi,
Welcome to Florida! (We have the best Governor, also!!!)
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Ya well, we can fix that by stealing him to take a higher office. On a less dangerous note, (sorry administrators), I wanted to come down a fish off some bridges and piers this Winter but Florida looks to be too expensive and is so popular it was hard to even find vacancies.
 
seagiant1

seagiant1

Active Member
L Ross said:
Ya well, we can fix that by stealing him to take a higher office. On a less dangerous note, (sorry administrators), I wanted to come down a fish off some bridges and piers this Winter but Florida looks to be too expensive and is so popular it was hard to even find vacancies.
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Hi,
Yea, even the Dims come here to Vacation!

Who would of thunk it!!!
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Rally

Rally

NC Minnesota
I used to sell sinkers to bait shops when I was a kid, which I melted while holding a ladle over a propane torch!! Didn’t take long to graduate to a plumbers torch and brick support system. Saw an add in Fur-Fish-Game for a Lee 10 lb bottom pour pot, which put me light years ahead of my operation at the time.
I’ve never had to use a propane torch for a frozen nozzle and I cast with two 20 lb bottom pour Lee pots, also have two 10 lb pots that are over 20 years old, and have remnants of a pot that leaks from someone over heating the nozzle, for parts I’ll probably never use! Lol
Best tool I’ve found to keep the Lee nozzles clean and free flowing is a gloved hand and a 5/64” drill bit applied occasionally. Makes quite a difference for me.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I started off making sinkers too, for my own personal use. My preteen buddy and I, use to get on a DSR bus and take it down to the Detroit River. Last stop/turnaround was across from the Belle Isle bridge. We went though a lot of 5 ounce bank sinkers.

Used a Do-It mold that dropped various sizes............still around here somewhere. Along with a few others. I used one of the old fashioned blow torches that ran on white gas, as a heat source. Purchased with my paper route money.

Wasn't till I started casting bullets in the 70's that I purchased a Lee 10# bottom pour. Graduating to the much improved 20# version. Then, a used 220 volt Pro-melt, about nine years ago. Few years ago, a RCBS Easy Melt and a Lyman Mag 25. Different alloy in all except the Lee 10#, which I use for smelting the occasional jacketed/plated bullets.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Yep, sinkers! My brother and I drilled holes in a 2x4 with 3/8" or 1/2" twist-drill, and then drilled through the bottom of that hole, all the way through with a really small twist drill. Stripped some residential copper wire, twisted a loop in the end (as a "stop") and dropped the straight end through the small hole. We'd sneak the use of our grandpa's bottom pour (don't remember the brand) and pour many more sinkers than we could ever use. Dump the sinkers out of the 2x4, twist the straight end of the wire into a loop, and there ya go. I'm sure he noticed sinkers accumulating and lead ingots disappearing.

We found a couple 1C Ideal .224" moulds and started casting bunches of pretty, shiny little 22 bullets we never did use for anything. I remember them being PERFECT, with filled out bases and crisp edges, no wrinkles, no weirdness,.... Why have I subsequently struggled to repeat such success on bullets I'll actually use in adult-hood, I just don't know.

We "graduated" to a cast iron pot on the gas stove in the kitchen when our dad (step-dad) brought us officially into the fold. Hit "pause" while in the military, and again for a few years after, but have been pretty much hooked since those "sinker-days."
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Still have some of those bank sinkers laying around. I use them to keep the wind from blowing my cardboard backed targets from moving. Just attach to the bottom with those office spring clips.

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At the sand berm I have HD T-posts, with wire rope strung between them. Just drape the cardboard over the wire. Attach a bank sinker on each end, at the bottom.

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You can just make out the bank sinkers hanging on the wire rope, when not in use.
 
W

Walks

Well-Known Member
When I cast, I run 2 20lb+ pot on either end of the patio table. When one runs low, I fill it full of ingots and switch 2 other pot. Can cast a LOT of bullets that way. With a hotplate between them, I've always got hot molds ready to go. And prewarmed ingots too.
:cool:
 
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J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Walks said:
When I cast, I run 2 20lb+ pot on either end of the patio table. When one runs low, I fill it full of ingots and switch 2 other pot. Can cast a LOT of bullets that way. With a hotplate between them, I've always got hot molds ready to go. And prewarmed ingots too.
:cool:
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I like that production method.

I'm not greedy, and don't cast thousands upon thousands, because I don't get a chance to shoot thousands upon thousands - and never enjoyed just making noise and emptying brass, but I DO have to cast as efficiently as possible, because my casting time is limited and often interrupted.

Currently, I run one of two 10# LEEs at a time, and occasionally both at once. They both need "work," and maybe I should upgrade to 20# pots and do what you do. I love that idea. My bench is already way too big and this would make better use of the space.

EDIT: BTW, My casting bench is one of two almost identical benches in my garage. 30+ years ago, when I put down roots at this particular habitat, I had four 36", fire-rated walk-through doors to dispose of. Renting a hopper was too expensive, so I made two benches from the doors. One door is the bench top and another door is the back of the bench, leaving me with a back-stop so that stuff won't roll off the back. It's ideal as a casting surface, but 36" deep benches are too deep, especially when you have short legs and T-Rex arms. 24" deep would be better, because shhh....TUFF accumulates toward the back, and I don't like accumulations other than stacked firewood, canned goods, wheel weights, ingots and assorted containers of bullets, powder primers, brass,.... But they exist, I don't owe money on them and they work, so...
 
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Axman

Axman

Active Member
No propane here, just the dip and start method, and accurate record keeping of how mould behaved and what technique worked best for each mould.
 
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