Posted on 07/05/2018 4:42:56 AM PDT by w1n1
Let's talk about fire. For doin' it "primitive" and casting bullets, you certainly want a hot but small fire. After all, you'll need to be able to get real close.
A small cooking fire is just about right, so keep plenty of small pieces of wood handy because you’ll find yourself feeding this little fire, probably with every ladle-full of lead you melt.
A bed of coal is very nice but not hot enough; you want some flame from those small pieces of wood to renew the coals and to lick the bottom of the ladle just to keep it real hot.
It is best to have that fire circled with rocks, but there is something more that you'll certainly want. That is either a good-sized stone or just a fairly large piece of wood to act as a heat shield.
While melting your lead, balance the ladle across this block so the ladle’s bowl is right over the fire but the handle is shielded from the heat so it can stay fairly cool.
That handle must remain cool enough for you to hold it, usually with a bare hand.
Another point about the fire is to have it in an area of very good draft or ventilation. Even though we melt lead in very small quantities while casting round balls for our muzzle-loading guns, don't forget that molten lead gives off fumes. Because of that, I very seldom cast bullets inside a tepee and always prefer to use a fire that is outside the lodge. Also, because of the possibility of fumes, I do not cook over the fire at the same time the lead is melting. Read the rest of casting bullets here.
Somebody watched “The Patriot” for the 4th did they? d;^)
Why didn’t the revolutionaries just go to Walmart and buy some?
I’ll have to try this for my .69 Charleville. Now to find an article about napping flint ...
I use a lee production pot with bottom pour. And inexpensive Lee aluminum molds. Use lots of flux. Keep the mold hot. Your first few balls/ bullets may not come out good. As the mold gets hot it will cast plenty of good balls. Buy a can of mold release spray. I try to buy 6 gang molds. Mold 6 at once.
This isn’t 1776. Get some good equipment. You don’t have to spend a lot
Back in the 1970’s competitive muzzleloader shooting was very active. As a yute I cast many many thousands of balls and minies. Sold gobs of them. Sat over an old double burner propane stove for myriad hours with a cast iron pot and Lyman molds. I got used lead plumbing pipe from the scrap yard, something you would never do today. Wheelweights have too much tin in them and don’t work well in muzzleloaders. They are ok for high power centerfire stuff.
Of course today you would not melt down used pipe in the basement because we are aware of the health problems it might cause but it sure was done a lot back then.
I still have over 2500 430 gr Maxi-balls for the TC Hawken .54cal. that me & my dad molded. He told me my grand kids would have enough bullets to shoot and he was right!
I havent shot a round ball in over 30 years.
Aw, that's cheating.
:-)
Yup. Got a lot of those on the shelf. They were cutting edge back In the day. Modern muzzleloaders aren’t much different than center fires nowadays.
Yeah ; )
I have a bar of lead here in my shop that weighs 71 lbs
I think I’ll melt this sucker down today and make smaller ingots, haven’t cast bullets in awhile.
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