Lesson Learned in Casting Bullets.

[Mortis]

Finally got all the bullets pulled from that batch of mixed ammo I got from the estate I got the RCBS Press and stuff.

Ended up with a 1 pound coffee can full of lead.

This morning.... decided it was time to melt it down and get it into ingots for when I start my own ammo.

Most of these bullets were covered in gunk and lead corrosion. Dinged and dented. And even those in the calibers I shoot, bullet weight was heavier then I prefer.

So..... I filled up my Lee Smelter...and started. Had to come back into the office to call vendor for more steel and left it alone. I got lucky here.... good thing I was not near the pot.

One of my hands ran into the office as I was finishing up the vendor call and said he heard something make a loud "POP" in the receiving part of the shop. Plus a smell that resembled plastic burning.

I hoofed it out there and smoke was pouring out of the pot.... and I had lead splatter all over the place.

OK.... now I have to finger out a way to disolve the lube off the bullets before I try this again.

Dad always said I led a charmed life..... me thinks he was right.

 

[Guy Miner]

:grin: Close one! Seems you had a mess to clean up!

 

[FOTIS]

Man this is one area I have NO experience in. There have been a couple of garages burned down out here though! :shock: :shock:

 

[PJGunner]

"One of my hands ran into the office as I was finishing up the vendor call and said he heard something make a loud "POP" in the receiving part of the shop. Plus a smell that resembled plastic burning."

Methinks that "loud pop" is the give away. Somehow, I think a primer got mixed in with those bullets which naturaly fired off in the molten lead making the pop and spatter. You are lucky that you or someone else wasn't near that pot when it happened. I have had a similar thing happen when cleaning wheel weights. Seems there was some trapped moisture under the clip of a weight but the sound was different, usually more of a sput than a pop.
You can eliminate most of the smoke from the lube most of the time by igniting it with a match. I use old candle wax to flux and when it gets to smoking a lit match lights it off and reduces the smoke drastically. Some lubes may not work out that way but it's worth a try.
Paul B.

 

[Mortis]

Paul....the probability is that it was a stray primer.....

I had been pulling bullets...and depriming brass. I'm usually darn careful of even expended primers...

Attention to detail on my part sorta slipped here. I really have to watch that.