Got me a bucket of lead & questions

Did pretty well. 4 1/2 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket. Most I've ever had (wish I had a scale, it was a load). Got it for 35 and some tax. Pretty fair I thought. Now I can get some boolits done up. Been piddling around with small amounts but I should have a good bit.
Question, heating them up in a cast iron dutch oven. Anyone ever drilled into one and put a valve on the bottom? What did you use for a valve and metal seal? Was thinking of a of a short piece with a 90 going out to the end with the valve and another 90 going down to fill the trays.

Thought about this once befor. You need a high temp ball valve

Really not that hard to just ladle it out...just be careful. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle.

Did you get a lubesizer yet? What do you have for ingot molds?

I aint sure I'd do all that just to make ignots....Guess you could go BIG TIME and buy a smelter like Sub...I forget how He's poured his big ole purty ingots...But He can flat roll em out....I don't need that much production...when I pour bullets it aint but 10 lbs at a time...

A plain Jane cast iron dutch oven, a wooden laddle and corn bread stick pan works just fine for my pouring...

Its a great time to do it...its cool outside and you aint gotta be worried about sweat dropping off in the ingot mould as you pour etc etc....ask me how I knows dis....

I still got all those pure lead ingots we made at the casting party. What do I need to buy to add to the lead? Also who wants me to come over to their shop and make some bullets?

If you wanna drive to mccomb im always looking for an excuse to crank out lead : )

I'd love to but always gotta stay within 30 min of highway 18 in jackson. I'm interviewing for a new job now. If I get it I'll be off work every other weekend instead of 1 weekend a month, so lets all keep our fingers crossed so I can come down there and try out that 45 hollow point mold you got. Maybe a 9 too. I'm really thinking about getting one of those CZ's cliff shoots. I looked it over real good the other day and dryfired a few times it is nice.

Now is a great time to melt and flux all your WW's and put em up as ingots...Then you aint gotta mess with that part when you wanna cast 10 lbs in the hot summer time.

You'll lose about 30% in the ingot making process due to (stem's cig butt, zinc WW)...in your WW's if they are like most bucket full's I've seen...I really like the ones that have transmission fluid and stuff on em...then the neighbors come outside looking at that big cloud of black hanging in that back yard

Buy your el cheapo Dutch over etc at Harbour Freight

Get you some Welder's type gloves...You'll need em

Good Luck

shoeshooter wrote:Really not that hard to just ladle it out...just be careful. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle.

Did you get a lubesizer yet? What do you have for ingot molds?

Still looking but I find guns instead and then I'm out money for a luber. I got some lee molds but also a change holder from an old bank.
'Neck, I got the dutch oven from Harbor Freight.
Yeah, ya'll are right. Need to keep it simple. Spilt a whole lee ingot mold so I'll just set the molds on something next to the fryer so I got a free hand.
Thanks to everyone for the advice

Still got 3/4 of a bucket left over from the casting party, guess I need to go by Bayou classic and grab a cast iron pot to smelt in and some cornbread pans it pour in.

BigDaddyQ wrote:I still got all those pure lead ingots we made at the casting party. What do I need to buy to add to the lead? Also who wants me to come over to their shop and make some bullets?

I have a surplus of monotype, need some pure lead to mix it with, we can probably work out a win-win. I can have you over, but not until January, maybe Feb.

Sounds like we need another CASTING PARTY!!

Sid, get on Ebay. Lyman's for $60 - $80, RCBS for $80 - $100. You worked hard this year. You deserve it.

shoeshooter wrote:

BigDaddyQ wrote:I still got all those pure lead ingots we made at the casting party. What do I need to buy to add to the lead? Also who wants me to come over to their shop and make some bullets?

I have a surplus of monotype, need some pure lead to mix it with, we can probably work out a win-win. I can have you over, but not until January, maybe Feb.

Sounds like we need another CASTING PARTY!!

Sid, get on Ebay. Lyman's for $60 - $80, RCBS for $80 - $100. You worked hard this year. You deserve it.

I gots some lead too shoe, let me know if you want to do a swap?

Sounds great to me. I'm in Madison too. I can wait till jan or feb if need be. PM me when you want to do it.

I need to smelt it first, pretty nasty as is, mold smallish ingots, and do a little calculating on proper alloy...after Christmas...not "happy time" when you work in retail.

Sid, we stole your thread. If I ever get my Star figured out I'll make you a deal on a RCBS lubesizer. But don't hold your breath.

My shop has heat I wouldn't mind hosting another casting party

Beladran wrote:My shop has heat I wouldn't mind hosting another casting party

I am in for late January, but if not ill drive down and visit after I get done on the coasy and after deer season.