Chuckles,
I'm with you on the two-burner Coleman. I have two of them. One is splattered with lead, the other isn't and is used to make the breakfast.
Sparks

Hey there Hillbilly I am with Mike N. I enjoy molding balls over my camp fires.The way I mold is to melt the lead in a Lee pot pour it in a small bag ladle.Then drop it out I make 5 or 6 of these. After they cool just throw them in my bag.When I am at camp or on a trek I just get out my ladle and bag mold and make balls while shootin the bull.I get about 3 600 and about 5 490 balls out of the bag ladle. You could use your big ladle in place of the the pot.

Have fun Mike

Hey, y'all, whatever ye enjoy. Just do it safely. In fact, I have long thought that it might be fun to dig ones own lead ore, melt that down and then cast yer balls. There are many old lead mines in my area that one could possibly dig from. Would be a lot of work but would be another type of adventure.

I don't know if you're kidding or not but I've often wondered if it could be done by average Joe. The problems would be: lead is usually found combined with other metals, gold, silver and who would want that stuff. Smelting would be a problem, at least from what I saw on Discover TV. I'd think that with some good heads and a little equipment it could be done. But then, I know as much about smelting lead as I do about the surface of Venus. Peace.

quote:

Originally posted by Hanshi:
I don't know if you're kidding or not but I've often wondered if it could be done by average Joe. The problems would be: lead is usually found combined with other metals, gold, silver and who would want that stuff. Smelting would be a problem, at least from what I saw on Discover TV. I'd think that with some good heads and a little equipment it could be done. But then, I know as much about smelting lead as I do about the surface of Venus. Peace.

As I understand, some around here is just big chunks. Not clean, of course. However, most is also found with zinc and silver and who knows what else. There would be lots of cleaning, the other metals would float to the surface.

Re lead mining, fellas if you all do any mining, dont worry about the other metals found along with the lead, You might want to save the silver though. Go ahead and mould you up some silver ball. Then you could the masked mountain man. Hi Ho Silver Away HA HA HA HA yours Arkansawwind

Thet, er ye plan on gunnin' fer werewolves!

quote:

Originally posted by arkansawwind:
Re lead mining, fellas if you all do any mining, dont worry about the other metals found along with the lead, You might want to save the silver though. Go ahead and mould you up some silver ball. Then you could the masked mountain man. Hi Ho Silver Away HA HA HA HA yours Arkansawwind

The problejm with the silver buller myth is that silver melts at 1764 deg. F. and will ruin a steel or iron bullet mold in two or three castings. An aluminum mold would simply vaporize.

Made a good story for ol' Kemo Sabe, though.

Three Hawks

quote:

The problem with the silver buller myth is.....

Check this out:

http://www.hurog.com/books/silver/silverbullet4.shtml

It's the most complete treatise on actually trying to make and shoot silver bullets that you're apt to find. I think, in summary, Vampires or werewolves have little to fear from the Lone Ranger if he insisted on shooting his Colt 45s. However, If he had a 'flexible mental attitude' and was willing to go with a patched silver roundball out of a smoothbore, he might have a chance. : )

You could make silver bullets by sandcasting. Of course, you'd destroy the mold each time you finished casting, but you could get silver bullets.

I have to twist this in yet another direction, I have made plenty of RB's on a camp fire. My question is, Does anyone who does this over a fire still use beeswax as a....shoot, the word slips my mind, lets say a cleaner till my mind comes up with the word, wait, brain is working....flux, thats the word, does anyone use beeswax or any other product as a flux when makin balls on a fire?

I gotta go rest after that

That's what I used,beeswax,inexpensive,works and available.It also has many other uses so it is versital.

Yes, beeswax or some bids of candle scraps. Shoot sharp, Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Griz:
I have to twist this in yet another direction, I have made plenty of RB's on a camp fire. My question is, Does anyone who does this over a fire still use beeswax as a....shoot, the word slips my mind, lets say a cleaner till my mind comes up with the word, wait, brain is working....flux, thats the word, does anyone use beeswax or any other product as a flux when makin balls on a fire?

I gotta go rest after that

Take some clean charcoal out of yor fire, grind enough of it fine to cover the lead in your ladle or pot. Best lead flux there is and no smoke and no flames.

Three Hawks

Thanks for the replies, I have never used anything till now, i just took a small stick and cleaned off the dross and kept pouring. I WILL try this from now on.

quote:

Originally posted by Griz:
Thanks for the replies, I have never used anything till now, i just took a small stick and cleaned off the dross and kept pouring. I WILL try this from now on.

The small stick you've been using is an excellent fluxing tool. The carbon from scorching the stick is the active ingredient all the fluxes introduce into the process. A dry stick works the best, species of wood is irrelevant.

Heh. You've been doing a splendid job of fluxing already and didn't know it. I'll bet your lead pot/ladle is nice and clean, too.

Three Hawks

quote:

Originally posted by Three Hawks:

quote:

Originally posted by Griz:
Thanks for the replies, I have never used anything till now, i just took a small stick and cleaned off the dross and kept pouring. I WILL try this from now on.

The small stick you've been using is an excellent fluxing tool. The carbon from scorching the stick is the active ingredient all the fluxes introduce into the process. A dry stick works the best, species of wood is irrelevant.

Heh. You've been doing a splendid job of fluxing already and didn't know it. I'll bet your lead pot/ladle is nice and clean, too.

Three Hawks

Well I'll be jiggered. I never knew that a stick would do the same thing and yes my ladle is very clean. I guess that is why I was having such a hard time figuring out why I needed to add a little beeswax. I never had a stickin' problem and things are always clean. I used to own a sawmill and when we poured babbitt for the chipper knives, we always used a small stick to clean off the dross. Man, I wish I had some of them big sticks of babbitt now....Oh the round balls they would make. Thanks to all that responded so far.

what is the purpose of using the beeswax on yoru mould/
Yesterday I just melted sown some lead over my fire in my pit and I had to get a nice hot bed of coals and place the pot just about on it for the lead to melt for me. Then I skimmed off the junk and pulled the pot off to let the lead cool into ingots so they could be carried better.