First attemp at casting prb

[ricky5042]

Hi all
here are a few pics of my first attempt at casting my own .44cal round balls
I thought as it was a dry day id give it a go I did 234 in total with none that looked iffy lol
beginners luck :grin:
What do you more experienced casters think of the pics? do they look ok?
I measured them just to check size and the measurements around the balls was from .454 to .458 so should be perfect

Rick

 

[Patocazador]

You're a natural. They look a whole lot better than some of mine do still .. and I've been casting for years. :applause:

 

[azmntman]

When I casted once 20 yrs ago they looked that good but wife forbids a retry due to the smoke filling the whole hose from the garage. :idunno:

Now when I cast nothing hardly ever bites? :rotf:

 

[ricky5042]

Thanks guys
beginners luck im sure lol
I have to do mine outside which is why I had to wait for a dry day the first two goes went back but other than that I was pleasantly surprised how well I did
I will be test firing these on sunday so il let you know how I got on.

Rick

 

[tenngun]

Been casting since the 70s,only prb however. Tait a lot to it. welcome to the club.

 

[fleener]

check their weight to see how good you did.

The best looking one can be light.

Fleener

 

[ricky5042]

Hi
Thanks guys this is a good way for me to practice before I start casting for my cannon I will weigh them tomoz and see how I did.

Rick

 

[nchawkeye]

Shoot 'em!!! :thumbsup:

 

[AZbpBurner]

OK, so I read the topic about Casting PRB's. Now, while your castings look nearly as fabulous as mine :thumbsup: , what I was hoping to find out was how you managed to cast them with the patch integrated with the RB (Casting PATCHED Round Balls) :idunno: .

But, alas, the technique remains a mystery :rotf:

 

[bpd303]

I say you're good to go. I've been casting for 50+ years and mine look no better. :thumbsup:

 

[Wes/Tex]

Been casting since the 70s,only prb however. Tait a lot to it. welcome to the club.

Got an extra decade on yah there, but hard to do it ain't! Like to watch muzzleloaders eyes widen when I tell them I started heating lead on Ma Williams gas stove in a tin can and picked the can up with Dad's pliers to pour the lead into an old bag mold. High tech it weren't...worked just fine but had to tediously clean the lead spills from Ma's stove...she had an eagle eye! :wink: :haha:

 

[Spikebuck]

Can I ask if you're using an aluminum or steel mold?

I'm asking because a friend of mine uses aluminum and in measuring sees the kind of diameter variance you are reporting...4 or 5 thousanths difference. I use steel and don't generally see any variance if maybe 1/1000th.

I've wondered if aluminum molds, not being as stable temperature wise (heat up and cool faster) cause more variation in diameter. :idunno:

 

[Zonie]

As a side note, a change of temperature of 200 degrees F will change a aluminum mold made to cast a .454 diameter ball about .0012 on the diameter.
Higher temperatures will make the cavity expand creating larger castings.

Steel molds seeing the same temperature variation can be expected to change size 0.0006 for the same size ball cavity.


As with most things in the world of muzzleloading, consistency is more important than it first appears.

 

[ricky5042]

Hi
Thanks guys
It is an ally mould from lee, I did find after a while I had to let the mould cool as it seemed to take ages for the lead on top of the mould to solidify other than that it was ok
The size of the balls im not to worried about because I loaded a shop bought one from a friend in .454" and there was no lead ring after pressing it into the chamber so if mine are slightly bigger then in theory they should seal better
I will weigh them to see if there is any real difference in the weight from the first to the last I cast.
Thanks

Rick

 

[Zonie]

IMO, taking ages for the pool of lead to solidify can be a good thing.

When any casting is made, the cast part starts to cool and freeze shortly after the metal fills the mold.
When it does this cooling, it shrinks.

If the metal feeding the cavity is still liquid, it will flow down into the cast part to fill the void that starts to form inside it. This is good.

If the metal feeding the cast part solidifies in the "gate" it feeds thru, the cast part will continue to solidify but the void that is formed just below the gate will become a permanent cavity.

Often, the metal in that area will become sponge like. While this isn't a problem with cast roundballs or bullets, it can be a reason for a cast part to fail in use.

Anyway, if the cast balls are not frosted, indicating the lead was too hot, don't worry about the lead taking a little bit to chill.

 

[Ken Cormier]

They look good to me. Also like you when I set up everything to cast I cast hundreds of all the calibers that the family shoots. I use a coffe can on a coleman stove to melt the dirty roofing lead to ingots into 1lb blocks for the lee elec pot.I was a roofer for 30yrs I brought home every scrap of lead that was on the job. I probaly have 5 or 6 hundred lbs left. Lol can't tell how much I have put down range with 4 kids a wife and me shooting for years

 

[tenngun]

Been casting since the 70s,only prb however. Tait a lot to it. welcome to the club.

Got an extra decade on yah there, but hard to do it ain't! Like to watch muzzleloaders eyes widen when I tell them I started heating lead on Ma Williams gas stove in a tin can and picked the can up with Dad's pliers to pour the lead into an old bag mold. High tech it weren't...worked just fine but had to tediously clean the lead spills from Ma's stove...she had an eagle eye! :wink: :haha:

My first pot was a Denmark Christmas cookie pan, very thin, but I melted about 10 pounds of lead my first time...At my moms gas stove.