"Bullet Casting Part 1- Basic Equipment and getting started" Iraqveteran8888 Video 74

[ruckmanite2]

Iraqiveteran, I have a question about fluxing. Is it ok to use old votive candles you have about the house for a source of paraffin wax for fluxing?

[wackedoutdude]

I have no intension of ever making a bullet. I live in england and bullet gun licence's are hard to pbtain but this vid is awsome. I always wondered how it was done.

[rushymoto]

I like the comment "The whole 9 yards" . How many of you know what that pertains to? :)

[Iraqveteran8888]

@rushymoto "The whole nine yards" prefers to pilots carrying their full combat loads of ammunition in their plane. If they knew a given mission would not require a lot of ammo, they would take a small amount to save weight, but if they were going to expect heavy resistance, they would ask for "the whole nine yards" which was literally nine yards of .50 BMG belted ammo.

[rushymoto]

@Iraqveteran8888 I think you will find it pre dates that with the 9 yard long fabric machine gun belt used by the British in Africa around the Boer war.

[jenjinger]

I learned a lot from these videos. Thank you

[1234bogusname]

This vid is great. Thanks for keeping it real and not kowtowing to the safety sallies.

[sphinxrising58]

asides from the molds, not all that much different from making your own sinkers.

[busyhands94]

dangit, i was at the flea market the other day and saw one of those corncob molds. i totally should have picked it up! i have been casting for a while, i mainly cast mullets for my .50 flintlock, round balls, and even some tiny .17 bullets for my derringer! it's cool!

[jedbeddo1]

i heard a guy say you can use sawdust as flux is that true? cuz ive got a cubic shit ton of sawdust

[frasatat2]

@jedbeddo1 yes u can use saw dust. it does the same job as wax & if u leave it sitting on top , it will stop the lead oxidizing, but dont let it get into the spout if u are using a lee production pot otherwise u will get all the crap(dross) in the spout n that will be whole other pain in the ass

[inverseactuality]

Can I make a decent amount of money doing this? Not a decent amount for an adult, a decent amount for a 15 year old. The stupid laws say I can't work more than 3 hours a day and no more than a total of 18 hours a week, and I don't want to do something boring like flipping burgers for minimum wage anyway.

[jspring0945]

Looks like a lot of fun

[Pawnbroker00]

@jspring0945 No its not, its boring but worth.

[jspring0945]

@Pawnbroker00 Ohhhhh, I dont know... It can be fun if you enjoy doing it. Thats all that matters, right?

[MrBallistics]

hahahhahahaha love the corncob ingots, hilarious! Your cornbread must taste funny now though...

[jimbeefy]

i need a little advice. I melted down some old lead pipes and i am starting to get a purple "skin" on the surface. is this from a poor quality lead?

[superiorshooter]

I had to laugh when I saw your annotation about local shops getting stuff from midway and jacking up the prices. I went into my local shop the other day. I was looking for a new media separator for my brass. Well they didn't have any in stock. Before I could say a word, the guy that owns the shop, who I have a great rapport with, says he'll order me one up. I just cringed at the thought, as I'm sure I'll be paying midway's price plus some... I do like shopping locally, dep. how much extra I pay

[kornphr34k]

would u mind measuring the bottom of your lyman lead pot?

[chuckematthewsify]

Do you at Moss 5 days a week?

[StonyRC]

I really like your sensible and practical approach to safety - careful but pragmatic! Another really interesting video. Thanks for posting.

[mikelikefatcat]

i had about 1/2 lbs of liquid lead land on my foot three days ago it happend because it was wet.....

[klesmer]

@mikelikefatcat Amen, that was one of my early mistakes, water and hot lead DO NOT MIX.

[762full]

If you fill the cast up half way (and wait for it to solidify) and then pour in the the rest, would it somehow make the bullet more likely to fragment during shooting?

What if you filled up 1/3, 2/3 and then 3/3? Would you get a bullet that fragments into 3 pieces because the metal cooled off in 3 different segments?

[BuffaloArms]

Excellent Video! Great information for people wanting to get into bullet casting!

[BuffaloArms]

@MrTadaaaaaaaaaaaa

.308 or .309 Moulds should work for that, and 150 grn is pretty standard.

[solider1986]

the wax is nedded to make the bullets a bit softer and more pure and cleaner

[58sb]

no offence to you or your video but you talk way too much and very little work is done

[Iraqveteran8888]

@58sb Well...it is what it is. I can't help it that there is a certain amount of information that has to be put out regarding the subject. People either want to learn properly or why would they bother?

[tattat44]

@58sb You're not even old enough to own a gun. Move along and find a video more your age level.

[58sb]

@tattat44

yea i know that, but just because im not old enough doesnt mean i dont have guns, i bet i have alot more shooting knowledge than you do, my uncle is a firearms instructor and a former sniper, and he's taught me alot of things believe me, it may sound dumb but in reality its not

[tattat44]

@58sb

Always an interesting day when a 17 year old civilian claims that he knows his firearms simply because he plays a lot of Call of Duty. I try not to be exasperated anymore, but I can't help it. You have just told not one but two Iraq war veterans that you know more about this than they do, and one of them has a zillion fucking videos of him casting his own bullets and demonstrating shooting knowledge.

[rushymoto]

@58sb I think the intention of this guys videos is to help and educate others and not to demonstrate business economics.

[ivaherre]

HI everyone, can any one tell me, why is the WAX needed, and if we can cast lead with out it?? and why the pot has to be store with some lead left in the pot, I think that the lead will dry and become hard, is it difficult for the next time you want to use it?? THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP HAVE A NICE ONE

[Iraqveteran8888]

@ivaherre The wax is used as a fluxing agent to help draw impurities out of the lead. You leave a little lead in the bottom when you store to help keep it from rusting and to protect the small parts from moving around when not it use. The pot has to come up to temp before you use it anyways, so no big deal.

[BuffaloArms]

There is also fluxing agent out there you can use like Marvelux

[ivaherre]

HI everyone, can any one tell me, why is the WAX needed, and if we can cast lead with out it?? and why the pot has to be store with some lead left in the pot, I think that the lead will dry and become hard, is it difficult for the next time you want to use it?? THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP HAVE A NICE ONE

[TheShotgunHunter]

he did that in the back of a pickup

[Iraqveteran8888]

Yep...It's actually pretty convienent.

[foodog1]

talc, soot, mouldex spray, high tempreze, caulk also good for using in moulds when casting .'/

[Iraqveteran8888]

@foodog1

Yeah you can use pretty much about anything. I have even heard of people using old tubes of lipstick...lol

[foodog1]

each has it's +'s and -'s from what I wrote above, btw I work in a lead foundry, the sprays are good for use on mould pins, or larger casts, but prefer to use caulk as it gives a 'cleaner' finish, i.e. no pour lines or hot spots, soot more for larger, i.e. 100kg+ casts or moulds where there's only a small gap for pouring, as it holds the heat better in the mould.

Ps, I liked you're little pot, not a patch on the 60 tonne pots @ work though ,'/

[tntrex0]

Lots of good info in your vids. This one is REAL good because this is about the only place that has all this basic info together without much fan fare. Keep it up!

[Iraqveteran8888]

Thanks for watching.

[samn100]

corn bricks lol

[sonick808]

great vid. That's some of the cleanest lead i've seen dross-wise....

[iraqvetrecon]

bullets are great, great video

[hunter15234]

Can you mold a solid copper bullet?

[fokkeddie]

...that pot is designed to melt lead.

Melting temperature of copper is 1357,6 K (1084,6ºC). You should have some custom made furnace (like some turbogas or propane powered one) but it is extremely dangerous. There are some videos over YT of people melting some Aluminium. Melting temp is 933,47 K, (660,32 °C) and you will see how difficult is to reach tha temp and mantain it.

Another reason to cast lead bullets instead of copper one is that copper cost is insane.

[spamlovr]

Copper cannot be cast easily "at home". Lead melts and pours well around 600 degrees F. Copper needs damn near 2000 degrees F to melt.

[sonick808]

no, but you can swage one....

[fokkeddie]

...i sent you an email using the youtube interface, with some questions.

A reply would be really appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

[Iraqveteran8888]

@fokkeddie

I will respond ASAP...There are like 40 emails in front of you...lol

[fokkeddie]

...no problem :)

[Iraqveteran8888]

You can buy Lee's Spire point .312 150 grain mold that E Harris designed, or you can go with something like a Lyman 314299 for your 7.62x54r and similar. Lee makes a mold comparable to the 314299, but it doesn't drop as big of a bullet.

[lostcowhand]

I would suggest storing a lead pot completely Full of alloy. I was just given an old Lee 5# pot that was stored about half full and it still took me about a week of work to get all the rust and dross out of it.

[Iraqveteran8888]

I either store is close to full or spray it down with Strike Hold.

I think the issue with storing it near full is the heavier weight puts more stress on the heating element.

[lostcowhand]

I hadn't even thought of the element. May just have to spray the pots down from now on.

[fokkeddie]

Nice video, and really useful.

[firerescue442]

I am going to the police range with my father tomorrow good sorce of lead about once a year. If i melt ww how much plumbing soder should i add to get a good BHN

[Iraqveteran8888]

@firerescue442

For a 10 pound pot, I would try 8 pounds of WWs and 2 pounds of tin plumbing solder.

Quench the bullets when dropping from the mold.

Keep them under 1800 FPS if you can (not sure off the top of my head what velocity .357 SIG shoots at but I am sure they are moving)

[firerescue442]

thanks for the help I know what you mean I am a vet too but got out just befor the war started. I hate to see what the friends i have are going through they cant find work either PTSD sucks too many people in Texas with it now. I would like to talk more but dont remember my yahoo. messenger name lol havent been on it in a long time

[firerescue442]

thanks i hear you on the DC think jusst hope the dammage can be held to a min. so do i need to add any thing to the lead and if so how much i cant find any charts on this just fourm chater that itshould be mixed. i know that plumbers soder is a good thing to use but how muck per # of ww thanks for your time i hope that a fire department picks me up soon i cant take much more sitting around the house. or job applications LOL

[Iraqveteran8888]

@firerescue442

No...don't worry about adding anything. The cool thing about WWs right off the bat if they have a good amount of antimony in them already.

Go ahead and do your initial fluxing, but with the above mixture, don't flux it anymore...just stir the mix.

It will get a skim milk looking layer on the top....this is fine....just stir it in occasionally.

Good luck on the job search....trust me....I know how you feel.

I'm a stranger in my own country!

[firerescue442]

can u use ww for casting .356 for a 357 sig will that be hard enough i just stared casting bought a lyman 20 for 20.00 with 50# led for a g-sale

[Iraqveteran8888]

@firerescue442

Good find on the equipment! You did very well!

The .357 Sig is a hot little cartridge, you might want to go with a Linotype bullet for shooting that fast.

A few questions though before I call it....

Are you shooting in a Glock?

What velocity are your planning on shooting them at?

[firerescue442]

@Iraqveteran8888 Yes it is a Glock 32 Well i am not sure i am using some universal with 124 tc or round nose havent ordered the mold yet witch would u suggest. This is my wifes for the police academy she loves it they will use a lot of ammo so i want to reload for her the universal is 5.5-5.8 around 1235 or so and this power was my dads so it is around 10yr old i made some fmj and they shoot sweet. I love your videos they are most helpful i to am unemployed.

[Iraqveteran8888]

@firerescue442

Glocks have polygonal rifling, so you will likely need to buy a Wolf Stainless Steel replacement barrel that is cut with standard rifling to shoot cast bullets. They are only like $89.

I hear you on the saving money part...My income is stretched pretty damn thin right now as well. Hang in there, it will get better as soon as we boot this garbage out of DC.

[ramv36]

Excellent video! I remember as a kid watching my dad cast bullets for several of his pistols and wondered "why do that when you can just buy them"...

Well, now it's 18 or so years later and I had the good fortune to receive a full reloading "starter package" of the stuff my dad bought when he was my age and started reloading. Most of it's equip from the 70's, but as with many things still works, sometimes better than the new stuff...

Next I'm trying to talk him out of his whole casting rig!

[ramv36]

If that seemed like a sentimental story with no real point, let me finish here: after getting the desire and equipment to reload, and discovering the COST, I want to produce my own bullets too!

Both are crafts, an art really, that any firearm enthusiast should pursue in their career.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Thats a cool story. Thanks for sharing.

I'm a "first generation" handloader, although my family has shot guns for a long time.

I agree with you though, sometimes the actual process of creating the ammo is much more fun than the shooting of it, especially when you show up to the range and your buddies are like "you have silver bullets!?"

[migkillertwo]

"unsuspecting customers" support the industry d00d! More mom-and-pop stores means less likelihood of strict gun control laws.

[Iraqveteran8888]

@migkillertwo

I didn't mean to come off that way, but at the same time, I am not made of money and many local places just charge too much money!

Here is a good for instance....

I bought this melting pot from my local gun store at a tune of $79 (only because everybody including Midway was sold out) and Midway sells them for HALF that amount.

Also, when "mom and pop" quit trying to make 150 percent profit on powder and primers over everyone's fears, I might be inclined to buy!

[gixernel]

very usefull info, i made my first 100 balls today, bad advice from a mate had me using a really filthy contaminated lead from down the range! clogged my brand new melting pot like yours! i just stripped and drilled it, probably ruined now, i live and learn, wish i watched your vid first.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Range lead is okay to use if you wash it with warm, soapy water first.

Do this....

Empty all the melt out of the pot and allow it to cool down before touching it any more.

Take a stiff bronze bristled brush and scrub the walls and bottom of the pot with some solvent.

Wipe off all the excess, then oil lightly with a graphite based lubricant or teflon based.

Let me know if that helps.

I had the same problem and that cleared it right up.

[gixernel]

thanks for advice, i have cleaned out now, but i drilled a new hole in spout, and now it dont seal, may have to make a new rod, as hole a bit big, butiwill scrub it up even more as you say, ile let you know how i get on, cheers.

[Iraqveteran8888]

I can't help you with the new hole without looking at it.

Why did you need to drill a new hole?

If need be, Lee makes replacement pot assemblies...You can just remove your base and heating element.

By the time you do all that, it may be cheaper to buy a new pot though....hard to say.

[gixernel]

@Iraqveteran8888 i couldnt unblock so pushed a dril through, a bit to big though, not to worry, ile use this as my learning pot ha ha, then buy a new one after xmas, only £56, thanks for your advice mate.

[aerodynamicband]

do tou use straight lead or do you add tin? i want to make 50 cal. slugs for my blackpowder rifle and i was just wondering

[Iraqveteran8888]

@aerodynamicband

If you are casting balls for your muzzle loader, I would recommend pure lead and a good lubricant that is fairly soft.

What are you loading for, and what speed are wanting to push them at?

[aerodynamicband]

i should have specified it is for my muzzleloader and i'm looking to load between 90-120 grains of powder depending on what works best. i don't know if you shoot them much but would you recomend minne ball, maxi ball ,or the lyman great plains style mold?

[sjstewart1]

You and Ammosmith should team up. You have the best videos on You Tube when it comes to ammunition/reloading etc. I am amazed at how much stuff I don't know as I learn something new, interesting and useful from you two each time I watch. Keep up the great work.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Thanks for the compliments.

Ammosmith works very hard to produce his videos as do I.

We have discussed teaming up on some things in the future, but it is ultimately going to have to wait until I can upgrade my equipment.

[solstice70]

This guy knows his stuff people. I recently started casting after watching his videos and it makes beautiful boolits. I now have 2500 9mm sitting in coffee cans just after two weeks of using the Lee pot and mold. My next ambition is 45ACP, just haven't decided which profile yet.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Glad to hear you are churning out soon good ones! Thanks for watching.

[joeratti]

@solstice70 lol boolits. thats from doom right?

[Iraqveteran8888]

alloys are pretty much either simple or complex metallic mixtures that form given metals. Pretty much any metal.

Steel, Lead, Tin, etc.

[solstice70]

I'm getting a Lee pot tomorrow. Can you melt down wheelweights in it? I don't have a dedicated melting pot or anything.

[Iraqveteran8888]

I would not recommend you melt unprocessed WWs in your Lee Production pot....I made the mistake of doing it, and it is a bitch to clean up after.

A lot of WWs have paint on them and that paint or coating will melt and form a nasty glue on top of the melt. Its a pain in the butt to clean up. I had to scrub the pot after with a brass wired brush after it cooled for like 4 casting sessions to clear it up.

[E1ectrotherapy]

make sure u wash ur hands dude

[Iraqveteran8888]

I hope that would go without saying...lol

[Wireman134]

Excellent boolit casting "You Tube" movie.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Thanks for the support.

[Geochron]

I have a corn mold also.. but I use it for cornbread. Seems like a nice idea for an ingot mold though.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Cheap and it works...lol

[Iraqveteran8888]

Hmmm....yeah....Try that and see how it goes. Let me know.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Hmm...I use WWs all the time and never have the slightest problem with them. I just allow the wax to burn into a crust and fold it into the mix.

Mine turn out very shiney, but over time they will turn dull again no matter what.

Do you quench?

[Iraqveteran8888]

By automotive do you mean from car batteries?

What are you using to flux?

[Iraqveteran8888]

Thats what I'm thinking too, but the proof is in the pudding. I'm going to try it.

Might as well go ahead and shoot the lead explosion video while I am at it to show people what the silver dragon looks like.

[Iraqveteran8888]

Just because you took the time to respond, I am going to try this the next time I cast some boolits and of course I will make a video of the results.

[Jrhoney]

Hmmmmm. I dont know about a green tree branch. If you put it in molten aluminum, it wont be green very long and after a while, it wont even be a stick.

[Iraqveteran8888]

I've never heard of people doing that, and I don't think I would be inclined to try myself either...lol

[Jrhoney]

what kind of mold did you use to cast your lead ingots? I know they look like corncobs but i have never seen a metal mold that makes corncob shapes?

[Iraqveteran8888]

Its a corn shaped muffin cast iron pan. You can get them at any walmart or similar.

[ViperQc]

why wax?

[Iraqveteran8888]

Wax serves as a fluxing agent. It melts and draws all the impurities out of the wax and brings all the dross to the surface.

You can use other substances, but wax is generally considered the best. You can use animal fat, lard, crisco, hair, etc.

Wax burns the cleanest.

[ViperQc]

Thanks for the answer.

[bulkfull]

Bro I'll dip my cigarette in there and smoke it hahaha.

hey I could find you video w/the elect/ammonia cleaning. I was gonna forward it to a buddy davids113113

he has some good stuff also.

[LokiEarth]

i need equipment that can stand temps of at least 1763.2 °F

[Iraqveteran8888]

Damn what are you making bullets out of? LOL

You could make some silver bullets, maybe some damn alluminum bullets. If I had a furnace or pot that got that hot I would use it for case hardening steel.

[LokiEarth]

its some steal that i got from a scrap yard that is used as wing bolts on planes, super heavy and extremely expensive, and a friend ask if i could make him some silver rounds to.

[Iraqveteran8888]

That would do the trick...LOL

[Jrhoney]

Well, the melting point of silver is 1763.2 °F.

Are there a lot of werewolves where you live? :p

[Iraqveteran8888]

lol...I know, right?

[Iraqveteran8888]

I hear you on the damn brass...Ever bought Norma 7.5x55mm? Yeah....

[AA550cord]

My father has been casting his own .38 specials for as long as I can remember. There was a short time in the 80's when he didn't because bullets were so cheap. I just don't have time to be able to shoot, reload, and cast. Maybe in the future.

[ECTBWHO]

Thanks for the info... I am going to start doing this. Due to the short ammo supply on the west coast... : )

[Iraqveteran8888]

Smart move....email me with any issues you may have...I'll do what I can to help.