Getting ready to cast.

Talk with other Shiloh Sharps shooters.

Moderators: Kirk, Lucinda

TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

The pot is full with 16:1, has been fluxed & is up to temp (770° is what the mould likes with this alloy). The mould is on the hot plate & being monitored as it comes up to temp. I like the mould around 450° when starting. The wet towel is ready to drop bullets on. I will be casting 200 bullets in this session – keeping 180 for 3 matches.

Wayne

Image
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
Gamerancher
Posts: 199
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 4:29 pm
Location: Central NSW Australia

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by Gamerancher »

That's just way too neat!
You need to clutter it up a bit, you know, tools left over from the last 5 minute job that took an hour, power cords on the floor to trip on, timber off-cuts in the way, power drill still settin' where you left it and swarf everywhere, etc.etc...... It looks like you're organised or something? :wink:
Out in western NSW where it don't rain much.
Australia
User avatar
Lumpy Grits
Posts: 7673
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2003 7:58 pm
Location: Springfield, Missouri-U.S.A. Earth

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by Lumpy Grits »

Never needed a wet towel.
I just drop on a doubled over terry cloth towel and let it sit till I drop the next bullet.
Gary
"Hav'n you along, is like loose'n two good men"
TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

And here’re the results of the 200 bullets sorted, which I think you’ll find interesting. You 1st impression may be that this guy has a problem with his casting technique since there are clearly two distinct bell-shaped distribution curves. But let me explain. The batch on the left was with an alloy temperature of 770°. The batch on the right was at 775°. That’s the only difference between the two. Everything else is the same, same alloy, same casting technique, etc. I just cranked up the pot temperature by 5° resulting in a shift of 0.6 to 0.7 grs in the bullet weight. Although this was expected since I ran a similar experiment some time ago, but over two separate casting sessions, I thought I’d try it again during one session just to double check my previous results.

There is some crossover between the two batches and the few lighter weight bullets on the left of the 770° curve were definitely cast when the mould was heating up although it was pre-heated. If nothing else the results will give you some idea of the difference in bullets weights due to changes in you pot temperature, irrespective of you casting technique. Also interesting is the 775° distribution has a tighter curve (lower standard deviation).

Wayne

Image
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

BTW, below is the link to the thread where I reported the earlier results of approximately a 1gr shift when casting with a different mould and changing the temperature from 765° to 770° and back during three separate casting sessions.

http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/viewt ... nt#p302615

Wayne
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
SSShooter
Posts: 2910
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 7:06 am
Location: Jersey Shore

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by SSShooter »

Am in agreement with Daniel. A clean casting bench is the sign of a sick mind. ;) I built a bench with an activated carbon filter on a 200cfm bathroom exhaust surrounded under the pot, side & back with sheet aluminum and I've got 10# of lead splatter, flash, etc. built up over the years that will eventually get recycled into the pot. Miscellaneous allen wrenches, brass-bristle brushes, molds, handles, whatever makes it go faster/better. That spread in your bullet weights is likely due to the clean bench. It is obviously telling you something............. :lol:

Seriously, do you shoot based on 0.1gr bullet weight difference? An article based on testing 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 1.0, 2.0 & 5.0gr differences would be interesting.
Glenn
User avatar
DAVE ROELLE
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:30 am
Location: CONROE TEXAS

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by DAVE ROELLE »

Nicely presented Wayne 8)

What alloy

Dave

Wups found it :wink:
your never lost, if ya don't care where ya are
mike herth
Posts: 293
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:22 am
Location: Buffalo, WY

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by mike herth »

This is a joke, right? I want to see a video of your casting session. I don’t let kids or dogs near me when casting for all the splatter.
BFD
Posts: 2789
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:36 pm

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by BFD »

I'm not a neatnik by any definition but Wayne's set up looks pretty reasonable to me, though maybe a bit cramped.

What spatter? Spattering lead is really NOT a good idea.
User avatar
desert deuce
Posts: 3842
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:51 pm
Location: Rio Rico, Arizona

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by desert deuce »

Perhaps Daniel and SSShooter are on to something in that certain behavioral characteristics manifest themselves in a way that may seem normal to the possessor, or others likewise afflicted, yet clearly indicate an aberration from the norm to the observer in general.

Wondering if there is a point where an obsessive compulsive disorder becomes pathologic?

Irregardless, I suspect the bulk of the readership here has over time developed an immunity to the disorder no mater the intensity of the contagion.

Certainly provides a well organized photograph suitable for publication though.
Sometimes you get the chicken, and sometimes you get the feathers!
TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

Gamerancher, Mike, Glenn, et al,

Consider me somewhat anal-retentive, maybe due to my engineering background or possibly from my mother’s potty training. :roll: :lol: But I like to keep my work benches and casting area clean and organized to some degree. A photo after the cast session would have included some small pieces of scattered lead, mostly between the towel and the pot, that fell off the mould plate as the mould is being opened. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve splattered a good bit of lead prior to learning how to cast safely, and every now and then things don’t go as planned although I rarely have a splattering issue other than some small drops once in a while when the sprue is cut & dropped into the pot, especially when it's full.

Wayne
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

SSShooter wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 5:50 am Seriously, do you shoot based on 0.1gr bullet weight difference? An article based on testing 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 1.0, 2.0 & 5.0gr differences would be interesting.
Glenn,

That would be way too much work. But if you decide to run the experiment I'd be interested in the results. :wink:

I typically shoot on 0.3 to 0.4gr differences based on the weight spread. I sort after each casting session and typically the spread is + or - 0.5gr (1gr total). Then, starting from one end of the curve, I grab 60 bullets which are stored in Styrofoam trays, then the next 60, etc. I.e., assuming 180 bullets with a mean weight of 414.5grs, the 1st 60 will weight around 414.0 to 414.4grs, the next 414.4 to 414.6grs and the last 60 414.6 to 415.0grs. When lubing & loading each batch of 60 for a match I do not keep them sorted, assuming that a spread of 0.4grs or so will make no difference.

Wayne
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
User avatar
kenny sd
Posts: 382
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:24 am
Location: florida

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by kenny sd »

Where is your eye protection? Your face mask to cut the fumes?
the fans to blow out the lead in the air?
you should be casting in the garage next to the open door.

If you don't do this you will breath in lead fumes and loose your memory.

What were we talking about????
User avatar
kenny sd
Posts: 382
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:24 am
Location: florida

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by kenny sd »

Where is your eye protection? Your face mask to cut the fumes?
the fans to blow out the lead in the air?
you should be casting in the garage next to the open door.

If you don't do this you will breath in lead fumes and loose your memory.

What were we talking about????
TexasMac
Posts: 2364
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:29 pm
Location: Central Texas
Contact:

Re: Getting ready to cast.

Post by TexasMac »

Hey you guys,

You're suppose to be paying attention to the test results not my so called obsessive compulsive disorder as DD put it. BTW DD, are you a lawyer or, cough, cough, an ex-politician? I had to reread your post a couple of time before the big words made sense. :lol:

Wayne
NRA Life (Benefactor & President's Council) Member, TSRA Life Member, NSSF Member, Author & Publisher of the Browning BPCR book
http://www.texas-mac.com
Post Reply