If you missed the smelting thread, https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Did-some-smelting-today/42-552175/



Set up my casting table inside my woodshed, it can get moist here in Wa. state.
Lyman furnace on custom stand, hot plate for preheating molds. If you like fully formed bullets on the first pour, get a hotplate, I run mine on medium.
6 gang Lee 7mm 135 gr RNFP "soup can". For fire forming loads in 7TCU and 7-30 Waters.
5 gang Arsenal 10 mm 200 gr RNFP, no lube groves. I like heavy bullets in 10mm.
4 gang Accurate brass, 357 180 gr RNFP.  I like heavy bullets in GP-100 and Marlin. The XTP is accurate, so trying cast.
4 gang Accurate brass, 45 255 gr RNFP (45 Colt)
6 gang 155 gr .310 Spire point. After PC, Sized to .310 = 300 blk, 308, and fireforming 30-30 AI (Ackley Improved) , sized .312 = 7.62x39



Molds in tray under custom shelf, wood chips from planer for fluxing, small blue bottle of 2 cycle mix for lubing mold moving parts.
Can with Lee scoop in can with dross. Bean can full of reject bullets to be remelted.
Upper left, custom tray with pan, covered with 2 towels to drop hot bullets on. Bullets roll down into a pile on the bottom.
I never drop hot bullets from mold on top of cooling bullets. So no dents and dings.
Sharp eyed readers can see I had to switch to my Lee 20 pound pot, because plug on Lyman melted. Will fix later.



This why I have a custom tray. It elevates furnace to a better height to see furnace spout.
But mostly gives me room to place my molds and sprues in.
I NEVER put sprues back in the melt. Anytime I add lead to the furnace, I flux. Sprues get added when refilling pot.
I pick up a mold, cut off sprue, refill and place back in tray. Then on to the next one.
With this method I run my furnace full on, and get good fill out on the molds. Never get frosted bullets.



Fluxing, stirring the post with Lee dross spoon after wood chips were added.



Clean lead after fluxing and dross removal.



Layer of wood chips on fresh fluxed mix.
Chips are left on the melt until pot is emptied and fresh lead added.



Close up on custom bullet drop tray. Bullets dropped about 1/4 way down and roll to the bottom.



Here is what I got when a pot was emptied. Notice bins for sorted bullets that passed inspection.
This is what I do is sort bullets while waiting for the furnace to melt the lead I added after emptying it.



These are the rejects from the pic above. Voids, wrinkles, not fully filled out, get rejected and remelted.
I'm getting better as in the past I would reject half of the bullets of a melt.
Those brass molds work really well and rarely throw a bad bullet.
So all of you that posted in the past about brass mold, I finally listened. And of course you were right.

These pics are from the last 2 days, Sunday and Monday. Going to cast today also.
Rained all day yesterday, but being under cover, I didn't have to stop. Sunny so far today.
All of these bullets will get PC, powder coated, sometime soon.

Thought you might stop by.

You will love those brass molds.

I could never just get the old school lube to work for me. Bullet size and hardness just eluded me.

Got tired of cleaning leading from my bores.

I started with 2 gang molds. My first 6 gang Lee ruined me on 2 gang.

Changed molds and started running;

9mm 120 gr TC Lee 6 gang, 357 Arsenal 5 gang 160 gr RNFN no lube groves,

357 Lee 6 gang 200 RNFP, 44 Arsenal 5 gang 250 gr Keith SWC.



Used up all the leads that I had smelted, so got into my store.

One tray of WW's and the other unknown.



Adding ingots and culled bullets, waiting for the pot to melt.

Bullet sorting time.

Well done, great pics.

Today was mostly repair of the Lee furnace.

The top hold down screw came loose from the spout mechanism.

Took furnace apart, and ended up putting a larger screw so the screw would grab on to metal.

So only got one load run through the furnace.

Yes

Got that trick from here, http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Chapter 4.

BTW, thanks for the assist (IM).

Thanks brother.

Update, this is where I'm at.

31 round ball  for buckshot loads and very light 32 H&R loads.
6.5mm   170 gr for 6.5 Swedish RNFP
7mm      135 gr "soup can" for 7-TCU and 7-30 Waters RNFP
31 cal     155 gr, for 300 blk, 308, 7.62x39 spitzer depending on how sized.
9mm       120 gr TC (truncated cone FP)
.358        160 gr RNFP for 357
.358        180 gr RNFP for 357 and 35 Remington
.358        200 gr RNFP for 357 and 35 Remington
10mm     200 gr RNFP      
44           250 gr SWC, Keith style
45           230 gr TC (truncated cone FP) for 45 ACP
45           255 gr RNFP for 45 Colt. Used a Lee and a Accurate molds. Forgot I had both of these.

All of these will get powder coated.

Nice looking bullets chase45.

Cast some more today and began with the same molds as yesterday, about midway added some other molds;

.311 94 gr RM for 7.62x25
.356 90 gr RNFP for 380
.308 71 gr RN for 32 Auto

Kept casting with the .356 120 gr TC mold for 9mm. I'm gonna have a pile of these.

This was my 8th day casting, I ran through about 1/3 of my lead supply.



This is what I cast,

31 round ball  for buckshot loads and very light 32 H&R loads.

6.5mm   170 gr for 6.5 Swedish RNFP
7mm      135 gr "soup can" for 7-TCU and 7-30 Waters RNFP
31 cal     155 gr, for 300 blk, 308, 7.62x39 spitzer depending on how sized.

30 cal 93 gr   for 7.62x25 RN
32 cal 75 gr for 32 ACP  RN
9mm 95 gr for 380 TC (truncated cone FP)
9mm       120 gr TC (truncated cone FP)
.358        160 gr RNFP for 357
.358        180 gr RNFP for 357 and 35 Remington
.358        200 gr RNFP for 357 and 35 Remington
10mm     200 gr RNFP      
44           250 gr SWC, Keith style
45           230 gr TC (truncated cone FP) for 45 ACP
45           255 gr RNFP for 45 Colt. Used a Lee and a Accurate molds. Forgot I had both of these.

All of these will get powder coated.

Powder coating adds .002 to the diameter.

Run through the sizing die after powder coating, 357 bullets will be sized to .358, 44 cal .430, ect.

Lead bullets are normally .001 larger than the jacketed bullets for a caliber.