Lessons learned by a rookie

Boolit Mold Join DateMar 2013LocationColoradoPosts15

Sine I am new to casting, I thought a few notes might prevent having to relearn lessons over and over. . . ( this remains to be seen)

Note to self:

1. Lead stays hot a lot longer than it looks. ( index finger will recover from minor burn, boolit wil not recover from dent received after being hurriedly dropped to the hard concrete floor)

2. Spruce plate gets REALLY hot! Maybe gloves are a good idea!

3. Sawdust is a great flux. Smells like a campfire and smokes like one too. Smoke always finds your eyes. Safety glasses don't block smoke. Smoke detectors can sense sawdust smoking in the melting pot. This annoying noise will make the dog bark, which will irritate the wife. (See #4)

4. Wife does not appreciate the conversion of kitchen implements into casting implements. Take wife shopping for new kitchenware. (This should not count against casting budget.)

5. Did I mention that everything gets really hot?

6. Not all wrinkles are caused by age.

Last edited by cf5757; Yesterday at 06:02 PM.

Boolit Man Join DateApr 2012LocationUtahPosts147 Boolit Mold Join DateNov 2012Posts12 Boolit Master Join DateAug 2009LocationHouston, Is this Texas?Posts170

Read the STICKIES here bro...there are more rats in the wood pile that can eat the cheese....

"it ain't fun if your hurtin'

Nose Dive

Cheap, fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

That is a great post, everyone new to casting should read it!

it is so so true!

Tom

Not me. Her. She has a very limited amount in mind. I just work around it. BUT...BUT...BUT...

The more you cast the more you save!

"When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat." - Ronald Reagan

The stays really hot for a long time is a lesson we all learn. The hard way.....

Boolit Bub Join DateMar 2013Posts34

So are shorts, and also any kind of polyester fabric involved in construction of any pc of clothing, never tell yer buddy "hold my beer & watch this" or "you ain't gonna believe what happens when I do this"........Oh yeah, and never anger or tempt the tinsel fairy, she's a vindictive lil biscuit!

An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life. "Inside me two wolves fight," he told the boy.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, lies, false pride, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth and faith. The same fight is inside you - and every other person, too."
The grandson thought for a minute and asked,"Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

Hey, some issues that i can (kinda) answer!

1. Yes it does. Larger boolits (say 500 gr 45-70 spitzers) will make this true for an even longer time. Ive found it prudent to do other things for a bunch of minutes...usually mess with lube heating/recipes, maybe inventory existing unlubed boolits to decide which mold to heat up next...anything other than handling the boolits or preparing dinner.

2. Yeah gloves. I can run without them while getting things up to temp. Then, if the mold is proper temp the gloved thumb is the best sprue breaker available. I think that a properly heated mold would turn an un-gloved thumb into 3rd degree burn pretty quick.

3. Sawdust is great. I also find 'other things to do' when it is smoking like mad. Again, lube melting and boolit inventory or mold lapping/polishing are great uses during this time. Then you come back to charcoal, stir it good, and remove dross or dont, cast some clean alloy

4. Yeah dude. I trashed one stainless saucepan and another small cast iron pot before realizing this. Hit the thrift stores, buy up their beat-to-hell pans in stainless and cast iron. Should come pretty cheap if you are discriminating, and the kitchen stays fully stocked with 'her' tools

5. Haha i am nursing several hand blisters right now, pretty much always have a few. Try melting ivory soap properly into mineral oil (actually, dont!) and you see some serious heat that will splash and stick to you like tar. Like you said, gloves are a good thing!

6. Yeah well put. In this world they are caused by cold mold or oil in cavities but i think you knew that.

Good post and thread! I could have used it when i was a few months into this awesome hobby.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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