Casting Lead Bullets Part 1 - Making Ingots from Lead Tire Weights

[thegizmoguy1]

I'd rather pay a few coins per round and know that my lead is pure and my rounds are consistent.

[LongRifle100]

Nice video. However you want to monitor the temperature, so you don't melt the Zinc weights into your lead. Also, helps to make friends with the tire store people, before asking for stuff. Especially now, that the lead prices are going through the roof.

[Devorvan]

anyone else just love seeing a pile of ingots stacked up? xD

[ataurus62]

Should you wear a mask too?

[iserhof1234]

I was wondering if u knew anything about makeing shell caseings

[monsterman27]

dont tire weights have too much tin in them making the lead to hard?

[tom77685]

how did you get free lead noone around here will give me free lead they say they cant give it out they wont sale it to me so i dont think u got free lead

[tom77685]

well no one around here will will give me lead I went to all the tire shops and asked to day a whole tank of gas and noting and a brand new Lyman Big Dipper Casting Starter Kit $135 and I can’t use it I can’t find any lead and the $1,000 Dillon 550b press and dies for it all sitting set up and I can’t use them. I am out of money now so I can’t buy lead don’t know how you got free lead I cant

[deviljunkie23]

@tom77685 did you try a salvage yard?

[Aassymcass]

Cool!

[dogman1117]

Due to lead fumes, I would NOT recommend that this be done in a house!! Outside or a garage that is well ventilated. Doesn't hurt to have a small fan blowing the fumes away from the user.

[dogman1117]

The fluxing aspect of this allows the tin and lead to blend more effectively. I flux at the stage of the initial melting of the wheel weights or what ever kind of lead I'm using. I use a modest portion of canning wax, and then remove the dross. If this step is repeated is will work fine. The more dross or slag you remove the purer the lead will be for casting.

[fcunderwood]

I wish it was gold shit!

[wolfcookieo9]

im very intrested in this but not lead im looking into sterling silver or silver for ingots where did you get that ingot mold tray and what do you suggest for a begginer

[supermotardmario]

mmm , looks tasty.

[empty5290]

why does it say lyman?

[deviljunkie23]

@empty5290 its the brand

[Mryourface1997]

its not trash its called impurities 

[ConnerPlainLiving]

In "going green," more tire weights are now made of steel; not lead.

[rasey077]

@ConnerPlainLiving

I have found this out to be true also in shopping Discount Tire, Tire Rack, Wal Mart, and other big name tire and wheel places.

However, I found 3-5 mom and pop tire shops within 30 minutes of my house. These guys were MORE than willing to ditch old buckets of lead and because they deal in almost all used wheels and tires, particularly old ones, they had nothing BUT lead. One place I went to had 12, 5gallon buckets full and he PAID me 100$ to dig them out of his garage.

[mazerrackham001]

Doesn't firing bullets with exposed lead cause lead fouling in your gun? Is there a way to prevent or minimize this as an individual without the industrial means to produce copper jacketed bullets?

[deviljunkie23]

@mazerrackham001 proper sizing and lubrication of the bullit helps tremendously

[AsianBoyz8909]

ppl r cheap now they dont gav it away 4 free......

[PkSage89]

Something about making ignots that really interests me.

And isn't lead toxic to some degree? Those fumes look nasty :\

[MrOlekul]

and hwat is dross?

[shotbyspike]

I am having trouble finding a tire store that will sell them to me much less give them to me.

[PsychoSmart]

So you just go to a tire shop and ask for old wheel weights? And they give them to you for free?

[depthhoar]

Where do you find that matrix to make small ingots?

[CDPorche]

@depthhoar you can get those at Cabelas

[OHwrestlingIO]

Just one question? Will making these lead ingots make us a better cook or chef?

[gavinthegamekiller]

where did you get that mold, all u have to do is put it in a pot and boil it and would you be able to sell them?

[campr723]

HONEY!! Have you been using my pots and pans again?!?!?!

[Tacticalreview]

copper has a melting point of almost 2000 degrees F. You need special equipment for that. Pure copper without a lead core would be to hard to use as a bullet and would fail to form to the barrel when shot, thus causing damage. That is if it did not stove pipe.

[daniel3188]

@Tacticalreview How would a squib be a stovepipe? When you have a stovepipe it would be a problem with the semi-auto action catching an empty brass on the way out.

[blackgaymidgetjew]

@Tacticalreview u dont know what u r talkin about. i shoot pure copper rounds all the time. you twat!

[oldstock1607]

ever make copper ingots?

[JVL8701]

red necks fav' pass time

[armykiller96]

where can i get me a inget thing?

[trickykwoo2]

says he rarely fluxes making ingots, MISTAKE! It would help mix in and retain the tin that is needed in the mix. I also noticed stick on wieghts in there, they are almost pure lead, I bet his lead runs all over the scale of BHN!

OH, I use pine sawdust to flux also

[jcremayer2]

This is how Chuck Norris eats his cereal.

[VladiSSius]

man... its my first time seeing smelting iron and making ingots... and that was exciting! Next step, making bullets XD

[paulviek]

By the way, some of that "slag" you are skimming off is tin. You want to retain as much of this as possible, since it helps to break the surface tension of the lead, and allows the bullet molds to fill out much better.

[ILOVEFIATBRAVA]

how much does it cost 1kg of a pour lead ingot?

[DeadHandRed]

you should really flux while making ingots. it lowers the surface tension and allows the other metals to mix back into the lead instead of floating and being scraped away with your dross. the whole reason wheel weights are awesome is the other valuable metals (antimony, arsenic, tin...) are already mixed into this nice hard (free) alloy. depends what youre casting for though i suppose, if you want a softer bullet you may not notice any difference. nice vid mate. stay safe

[supergoat343]

What did he use for flux?

[Tacticalreview]

I mentioned the brand I use in my videos on casting lead bullets. For the initial melting and ingot making, I rarely use flux. When I melt the ingots in mu lead furnace I use flux.

[paulviek]

Believe it or not, I always use pine sawdust when smelting my wheelweights. I discovered this on a blog when I was researching the best flux to use for bullet casting. I always smelt WW's in my boiler house, so the smoke is not a problem. The resin in the sawdust leaves the lead extra clean, the dross floats up real nice and clean, and keeps the precious TIN mixed in real well. Apparently, this is what was often used in the old days. Try it, I don't think you'll be disappointed!!

[TeenageIronman]

if I old you the secret of how to turn lead into gold you would be a rich man

[cpac97]

how did u get the metal out? does it float to the top or does it melt to?

[fixitman21]

I trust you have ample ventillation? DO NOT BREATH LEAD FUMES!

[legendofmatty]

You said you went to a local tire store and got wheel weights... How did that conversation go... I have called around to different places and they just shut me down saying "we recycle"

Any Ideas?

[flyer230]

Cooking lead For Dinner :)

[cjoIIProductionz]

Found it out, The Stove is a: Ozark Trail 2 Burner Propane Camp Stove

[Tacticalreview]

Elements Melt Point F Aluminum 1218 Brass 1652-1724 Bronze 1562-1832 Cast Iron 2300 Carbon  6512 Chromium 3034 Copper 1981 Gold 1946 Hydrogen -434.2 Inconel 2540 Iron 2786 Lead 621 Magnesium 1240 Manganese 2300 Monel 2400 Nickel 2646 Phosphorous 111 Silicon 2588 Silver 1762 Stainless Steel 2550 Steel-High Carbon 2500 Medium Carbon 2600 Low Carbon 2700 Tin 450 Titanium 3263 Tungsten 5432 Zinc 786

[24TheLaney]

@Tacticalreview what about unoctium? lol jk

[frasatat2]

@Tacticalreview altimony?

[Tacticalreview]

The stove is a no name brand I got from walmart. Nothing special. All metals have different melting points. For example, Aluminum melts at 1218 degrees, copper at 181, and bronze at 1562. However, lead melts at 621 and tin melts at 451. Lead and tin are manageable with basic equipment. Other metals would not be easy to melt without special equipment.

[natedog2069]

@Tacticalreview fucking pedo

[cjoIIProductionz]

please please tell me what stove that is I want to try to make ingots, but cant make a homemade foundry can you tell me the stove name instead, plus can I melt aluminum, copper, bronze, etc. in this method?

[MrL0R3NZ0]

so wats dross?

[fishluv1]

is that pot aluminum?

[k10sh1r0]

2:53 its actually funny once you've started mixing it like some kind of a stir fry...

[crazycrackergabe]

lol your the evil chef of doom

[sacr3]

So you can just melt lead basically on any stove top? Or does it have to be direct fire?

[Tacticalreview]

As long as the fire is hot enough, any fire will do.

[wafflecushioned]

@Tacticalreview Don't you have to wear a type of mask also? I thought working with lead is dangerous for your lungs.

[realgungho]

@wafflecushioned - I have always been told if you keep the lead at just above melting point then it wont give off fumes, the fumes only form when the lead is hotter & the liquid is beginning to change into vapour. I always cast outside on a warm sunny day.

[rasey077]

@Tacticalreview

How long do you usually wait before removing the ingots from the ingot mold? I'm curious to know whether I should buy more than the 2 molds I have right now; if the wait time is a lot longer, I will need more molds. I am just getting into loading my own cast bullets and have about 15 5gal buckets of tire weights sitting in my garage...lol...just trying to get all the info I can before I start.

[hifatpeople]

Sounds like u have a cold at 5:30. Had no idea you could melt lead with just one of these things. I'm pretty sure you should have a gasmask when melting the lead.

How much was the mold?

[fourpointohh]

instead of lead would it be possible to use solder wire?

[Tacticalreview]

Don't try solder. Plumbers lead yes.

[KingYaba]

Lead is virtually impossible to find around here. Great video, though.

[klesmer]

The only problem I have run into is lately is alot of the wheel weights are made of steel nowadays, the damn things won't melt.

[CBob357]

Interesting video, but you made no mention of ventilation of the area, or of fluxing the lead.

[1rawdawg007]

BUT.. remember there are a lot of cars with lead on them that will get them removed as well. Take a bucket and give it to em, for just lead.

[BaneOfIslam10]

Damn, I wish those were gold Lyman ingots.

[Tacticalreview]

you and me both

[edwordist]

@Tacticalreview can you put water on your ingots right after poring them

[pcblah]

@Tacticalreview dont cook with that pot XD or you die DX

[mainewilderness]

where did u get the ingot mold

[CBob357]

@mainewilderness Don't really need a ingot mold. I use a cast iron muffin tin, check your local "antique" shops.

[HONORGUARD308]

@CBob357 what is fluxing?? i just got my bullet mold today for my .58BP

[CBob357]

@HONORGUARD308 check out ammosmith and Iraqveteran8888 ‎both have good videos on the process. but fluxing in this instance is when you add flux to the molten lead to help any dross (impurities or oxidation) come to the surface where you can remove it with a spoon.

[CanadianReich]

5:30

now all you need to do is find a way to change that lead to gold!

[hemna]

I hope he wears a respirator as well.

[loku1125]

where do you get the ingot trays

[2066241]

@loku1125 Barlows tackle.com is one place..It is where i buy all my Casting Gear..I make fishing sinkers...the shipping is fast..I ordered monday morning like 2:30 in the morning..And recieved wendesday..So monday afternoon roughly shipped...Then tuesday to get from texas to iowa then wednes day from post office in iowa to my house..Cant beat that

[bluelagoon10023]

make sure you have an extractor fan otherwise you will die quick enough

[coisa0010]

To clean best the lead I use to throw a small piece of wax(like a piece of candle) in the melt lead...it prevents some of de oxidation and helps to get the trash together...but be carefull because it gets on fire for some seconds...but thats fun =D

[OregonBackpacker]

ya i went to like a dozen tire shops and they all said that by law you have to use steel wheel weights. needless to say i dident get any after 3 hours of driving around

[Tacticalreview]

Sorry to hear that. Easy to fine here.

[JaycubL]

@OregonBackpacker You can get lead sinkers at fishing shops or some supermarkets.

[loku1125]

@OregonBackpacker my dad works at a shop and they still use lead weights

[OregonBackpacker]

@loku1125 im shure they do. I think its just oregon that is making the compines switch. I want to at least a dozen shops and 11 of them told me they switched. Thanks Jesse

[loku1125]

@OregonBackpacker oh i see well i live in canada so i dont have a problem

[solider1986]

@OregonBackpacker do u have a junk yard around where u live they might sell u some weights or in ingot form i cant find wheel weights any more EPA has said no to giving them away

[2066241]

@OregonBackpacker check scrap yards...It is worth the money to get lead pipe..It is pore soft lead and probabally easier to find...Or if you have a plumber that will give yoou the pipe it is usually cheaper to buy it from them then the scrap yard....

[9DragonMaster]

@OregonBackpacker i went to used tire shops and found them by the box, the guys were happy to give them too me after i told them what i was doing. which was making lead balls for making gun powder.

[Tacticalreview]

Initally, it takes about 20 min to get everything hot. Once hot, added tire weights melt almost instantly.

[OregonBackpacker]

in total time how long did it take for the lead to melt using the recycled led

[BuffaloArms]

Good Vid.

[Tacticalreview]

The zinc should not melt if you are using a lead smelting pot. I just fish them out as part of the ingot making process. Use tim to make your bullets harder. If you are using old tire weights, they will be hard enough.

[hangfirew8]

Is that an aluminum or steel pot? Aluminum is infamous for working great until it builds your confidence and then failing catastrophically, dumping the lead melt everywhere. Steel usually fails with a small crack or two at first. Cast iron is the way to go.

[chirsjack66]

You say you need safety gear but are you venting your room well enough, doesn't melting lead give off poisonous gasses?????????

[hangemhigh2000]

How about that?

[Tardisius]

This process needs to be Very Very well ventilated!

[Tacticalreview]

@Tardisius . You are correct. There must be goodf air flow.

[jesseholmz]

you're leaving the steel on some of the weights. some of the molds, such as the lee slug mold, requests you to use pure lead. is there any issues with leading the steel on it in that regard?

[Tacticalreview]

The steel clips do not melt. They rise to the top once the lead melts and I scoop them off. The Tire weights are approximately 95% pure lead. The remaining 5% is typically tin and antimony. I typically have better performance and less leading with old wheel weights than I do usong pure lead.

[Tacticalreview]

@jesseholmz The steel clips do not melt. They rise to the top once the lead melts and I scoop them off. The Tire weights are approximately 95% pure lead. The remaining 5% is typically tin and antimony. I typically have better performance and less leading with old wheel weights than I do usong pure lead. 1 sec ago

[silver760]

You can use tallow (animal fat) as a flux to draw the contaminents out of the lead,it will cause it all to collect on the top and makes it easier to remove.

[Tacticalreview]

Good info. Thanks

[silver760]

Just a note:the majority of modern and especially new tyre weights are made from zinc,obviously due to environmental factors manufaturers are moving away from using lead to manufacture tyre weights,you can usually tell by colour which are lead as they dull with age whereas zinc weights stay bright or have a white powdery oxide.

[DobermansRock]

This is becoming more fun by the minute. I cannot wait to start reloading. Any recommendations are accepted for equipment. Been looking at the Hornady Lock and Load single stage.

[Tacticalreview]

Hornady is a good brand. RCBS is another really good setup. YOu get the most bang for your buck from Lee. They really have a great selection for the price. In my opinion, new comers to the sport will find it eaiser delaing with Lee products.

[DobermansRock]

I like the way the Lee looks. It has a wide area to work inside.

[Tacticalreview]

You just can't go wrong with Lee. As you continue, you will collect a varity of different brands of equipment. most are interchangable, Lee dies will work in RCBS presses and v/v). Good luck. Can't wait to see your video posted. The more posts the better for all of us.

[Gacky2k]

Thanks largely to your videos here, I've gone ahead and decided to start casting my own 45 ACP and 9 mm bullets. Just got my Lee Production Pot 4 and molds in today actually! Also picked up 2 large buckets of tire weights and am eager to go. Question: Am I best served to contain my eagerness a bit and get an old pot and camping stove to first melt them like you do, or can I go straight into my Lee Pot with the tire weights and use that to pour into my ingot mold?

[Tacticalreview]

In order to heat effectively and consistently, Lee keeps their pots narrow. This is good for efficiency but not that good for fishing trash and steel tire weight clips out of it. Using a larger pot to melt & clean your lead as first will give you a more pure consistent product. You want a bullet with no voids, trash or dirt. I would melt the tire weight into ingots first. If you dont have an ingot mold use a cupcake tin. I keep my pot clean by using ingots that I have already cleaned once.

[Gacky2k]

Gotcha...guess I go shopping for a cheap'o pan tomorrow to melt those weights down then! How do you fish the steel clips out? Your spoon?

[Tacticalreview]

If you can, get a pot with a teflon coating and a pour spout in the rim. It's not completely necessary, but it makes things eaiser. I got my old pot at a garage sale for 50 cents. The clips and trasn will float to the surface due to the density of the molten lead. Just scoop them off anong with as much of the dirt as possible. Use a cheap stainless steel spoon. I think I paid $1 for mine. I have a couple of different sizes. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out. Be safe and don't get burned.

[coolgun789]

im looking into casting and reloading. how much do you think al the equipment will cost not including brass, primers, etc. thanks.

[Tacticalreview]

I hav a video on that very subject. Check it out. The csts wil vary, but all in at a min... you are looking at $350 to make your first bullet.

[mcneezey]

do u need an industrial pot or something? will any stovetop pot work?

[Tacticalreview]

I use an old teflon pot I found at a flea market for $1.00. Is has a pour spout that makes it easy to pour the lead off. You don't need anything special. It won't be good for anything else after you use it, so don;t go spend a ton of money on something.

[TKadmos]

Not to be rude, but slag is also called dross, not draws. Common mistake. Good video though.

[Tacticalreview]

Thanks. I will correct and you are not being rude.

[GyroscopesAndInfared]

excellent vid dude

[spinesales]

how long before the ingots are soild enough to dump out of the mold?

[Tacticalreview]

Just a few min. Typically i let them set for 5 min. That lets them get hard enough and cool enough to handle

[spinesales]

one more question. why do you not put flux in this first part and only in the second part? would it make the lead cleaner to flux twice?

[Tacticalreview]

Just through trial and error I've found that by using a large pot in the first process you are able to remove most, and I do mean most, of the impure stuff and garbage. In a lot of cases, I could actually get by without fluxing in the second part becsue I start with such a clean product. However I would have to discard the remaing 1/8 inch of lead in the pot if I did not. You can flux both treatments and I sometimes will if i'm using junk, dirty lead. Up to you,

[spinesales]

thanks so much man. like i said its going to be my first casting. your videos and quick responces have been invaluable. truly i couldent have don it with out ya. thanks man

[Tacticalreview]

It's so easy and fun. And it's sooooo not complicated. Just one thing. Once you get started, pass along the knowledge and fun. Spread the things you learn to the rest of us becasue we surely don't know it all and help others get started. That's what these videos are about.

[spinesales]

im getting ready to cast some .44 mag bullets for the first time. your video is great. very informative. i have a question though. i got some weights from the tire store but i think some of the weights are not lead. can these be added or sorted ? what are your thoughts?

[Tacticalreview]

Some of the weights will not lead. You will know when you try and melt them down as they will not melt. After you've done it a few times you will be able to tell the differnece and sort them out. They are designed and feel a little differently. It won't hurt to put them in the pot with the rest. They will just not melt and you can pull them out when you pull the clips out from the others. Lead weights are great becasue they are harder and can be used as is without adding tin. Good Luck. Its fun.

[perspicacity89]

3:10 Mmmm, tasty. I see you were making Chuck Norris a snack.

Awesome video. :)

[lookin4memarbles]

i used to do this when i was a kid we would make sinkers! 5*****

[izaak78]

very interesting, looking forward to the next video.