Steve, I am really enjoying these videos. Particularly the flintlock series. After years of hunting with modern muzzleloaders and caplocks. I started primarily using the .20g fowler back in 2007. Thanks for all of the information
Steve.. excellent tutorial. I see in the comments that you don't use wheel weights for scrap lead because they are too hard. This only applies to a muzzle loader that is rifled. With a smooth bore, you can shoot most anything you put down the barrel. Wheel weights make excellent round balls, buck shot, bird shot as small as #8, (no shot tower needed) and swan shot, all of which can easily be made around the camp fire. Make sure that you clean your scrap lead before pouring. Also, you can always cut the wheel weights with pure lead for your rifled flintlock for a softer alloy. That's a cool ladle.. It would make a good how-to video on its construction. Shad
Good Old School type molding Steve. Like the old ball mold. I use 2 Lees for my 44 ball and cap and a 50 for my inlines. And I have over 40 others for anything fishing lead wise. Getting harder to come by lead as scrap.
Very good. I do all my own casting too! 10 different round and elongated for my Colt s pistols of pocket, belt and holster calibers. I have all period equiptment,- powder kegs, belts, pouches ,. I do only traditional shooting. Nothing modern. I made very unique socket holsters for all of them. Very flexible and slim. No bulk. I made a ladle out of a broiler pan by peening it. It was quite easy and it worked very well. The light pocket molds I have don t have spru cutters. It s difficult removing the excess. I m on the lookout for a small nipper. One thing I do it use a small mill file to finish the spru area of the ball. This works real well.
Hey Steve, you can go down to the local automotive tire shops and pick up old wheel weights. Most tire shops have buckets full that are just laying around. Most of the time they are free.
have a 1851 and a 1858 Pietta cap and ball revolvers and my .454 mold should be here tomorrow but saving up for a nice Black Powder rifle cant wait also want to deer hunt with the Rifle having so much fun with the Black Powder that i can not believe i waited so long to get in to it so much fun to shoot and my 12 year old Daughter got to be the first to load and shoot my 1858 so she has claimed it as hers :-) but that is ok i really prefer the 1851 my self thanks for the simple casting video will be molding my own soon
lead bird shot is typically made by pouring hot lead down a tube. commercial shot towers were sometimes 5 to 10 stories tall. hot lead was dribbled down the cold tube and gravity did the rest. By coiling the tube you could get rounder shot since the ball would roll around the inside of the tube more.
Yup, its melting point only 327.5C, while small to moderate sized wood fires often reach about 600C, and bonfires can exceed 1000C, and coal fire forges can reach as high as 1927C. That means even small basic wood fires anyone could make in the woods is able to rapidly melt a hunk of lead with ease, which combined with its abundance is the reason why its been used so much throughout human history and is one of the first metals we discovered.
if you dont want perfectly round shot, just take a pan or cook pot lid that can handle the 630 degree heat from molten lead and put holes in the bottom like a pepper shaker lid. or take the lid handle off and just use the one hole if you didnt want to crater an otherwise functional cook piece. put that over a pan of water and let it drip thru. hot lead hitting water is going to make a big display so dont underestimate the power of steam explosions.
Don't melt lead if there's a chance of rain and don't let your sweat drip down onto the molten lead. I buy lead wheel weights from my local junk yard for 15 cents per pound. Wheel weights already have some tin and antimony in them so they work perfect for making any bullet. Water dropping the bullets makes them harder. A lot of states are starting to ban lead wheel weights so now is a good time to get what you can.
Let me guess, you used a ball peen hammer as an anvil to shape the spoon and then folded the handle over a sharpened metal cylinder or rod, maybe a rebar digging stick.
Steve,
I am really enjoying these videos. Particularly the flintlock series. After years of hunting with modern muzzleloaders and caplocks. I started primarily using the .20g fowler back in 2007. Thanks for all of the information
Gotta love a video that starts out with Foggy Mountain Breakdown.
Steve.. excellent tutorial. I see in the comments that you don't use wheel weights for scrap lead because they are too hard. This only applies to a muzzle loader that is rifled. With a smooth bore, you can shoot most anything you put down the barrel. Wheel weights make excellent round balls, buck shot, bird shot as small as #8, (no shot tower needed) and swan shot, all of which can easily be made around the camp fire. Make sure that you clean your scrap lead before pouring. Also, you can always cut the wheel weights with pure lead for your rifled flintlock for a softer alloy. That's a cool ladle.. It would make a good how-to video on its construction.
Shad
Good Old School type molding Steve. Like the old ball mold. I use 2 Lees for my 44 ball and cap and a 50 for my inlines. And I have over 40 others for anything fishing lead wise. Getting harder to come by lead as scrap.
Awesome video Steve. Made a few of the traps i learned from you on daves channel. Good job on the vids. Keep them coming. Thanks!
Thanks Steve! That’s cool 😎. I mean hot! Well you know what I mean!!! 👍👍😎
Very good. I do all my own casting too! 10 different round and elongated for my Colt s pistols of pocket, belt and holster calibers. I have all period equiptment,- powder kegs, belts, pouches ,. I do only traditional shooting. Nothing modern. I made very unique socket holsters for all of them. Very flexible and slim. No bulk. I made a ladle out of a broiler pan by peening it. It was quite easy and it worked very well. The light pocket molds I have don t have spru cutters. It s difficult removing the excess. I m on the lookout for a small nipper. One thing I do it use a small mill file to finish the spru area of the ball. This works real well.
Nice detail Steve, thanks for the video.
Hey Steve, you can go down to the local automotive tire shops and pick up old wheel weights. Most tire shops have buckets full that are just laying around. Most of the time they are free.
Thank you for that good demonstration and explanation!
You can always wrap the bag mold handles in raw hide. This makes them much easier to work with !
Very Good Job. Thank you.
have a 1851 and a 1858 Pietta cap and ball revolvers and my .454 mold should be here tomorrow
but saving up for a nice Black Powder rifle cant wait also want to deer hunt with the Rifle
having so much fun with the Black Powder that i can not believe i waited so long to get in to it
so much fun to shoot
and my 12 year old Daughter got to be the first to load and shoot my 1858 so she has claimed it as hers :-) but that is ok i really prefer the 1851 my self
thanks for the simple casting video will be molding my own soon
lead bird shot is typically made by pouring hot lead down a tube. commercial shot towers were sometimes 5 to 10 stories tall. hot lead was dribbled down the cold tube and gravity did the rest. By coiling the tube you could get rounder shot since the ball would roll around the inside of the tube more.
Pretty cool. I didn't know lead was that easy to melt.
Yup, its melting point only 327.5C, while small to moderate sized wood fires often reach about 600C, and bonfires can exceed 1000C, and coal fire forges can reach as high as 1927C. That means even small basic wood fires anyone could make in the woods is able to rapidly melt a hunk of lead with ease, which combined with its abundance is the reason why its been used so much throughout human history and is one of the first metals we discovered.
Crankin em out kid! Nice
Waitin on my bag mold in the mail now
if you dont want perfectly round shot, just take a pan or cook pot lid that can handle the 630 degree heat from molten lead and put holes in the bottom like a pepper shaker lid. or take the lid handle off and just use the one hole if you didnt want to crater an otherwise functional cook piece. put that over a pan of water and let it drip thru. hot lead hitting water is going to make a big display so dont underestimate the power of steam explosions.
Don't melt lead if there's a chance of rain and don't let your sweat drip down onto the molten lead.
I buy lead wheel weights from my local junk yard for 15 cents per pound. Wheel weights already have some tin and antimony in them so they work perfect for making any bullet. Water dropping the bullets makes them harder. A lot of states are starting to ban lead wheel weights so now is a good time to get what you can.
where did you get that ball mold
What mold is that ?
He critter can you try to show us how to make the round ball mold. Please.
BEST GUNS EVER NO BACKGROUND CHECKS
no fluxing ?
Do you make ladles to sell?
Mucha charla para muy poco
I generally won't use wheel weights anymore. The newer ones are high in alloys which make them to hard.
thanks for the vid..
always use leather gloves when making castings, even thin ones will save your hands.
interesting
Let me guess, you used a ball peen hammer as an anvil to shape the spoon and then folded the handle over a sharpened metal cylinder or rod, maybe a rebar digging stick.
iget my lead from the tire place.frend works there and he saves all the old lead.
Stupid loud music couldn’t even watch.