[SOLVED] lead arsenic alloy - where a person might get a single ingot or a few pounds? Solved

Mar 03, 2004 21 Replies

New meaning to the term "hammer forge?" How do you control the diametral symmetry (i.e., the mold parting line has to be exactly on the diameter centerline, else you have more material on one side of the mold than the other, effectively locking it shut once the lead hardens). Well, maybe not locking it shut, but making it extremely difficult to pry the bullet out of the mold.

Pretty slick idea, Ed.

Mike Eberle>

Somewhere in there I mentioned that the ball tended to get stuck in one side as I got close to closing the mold around it. The answer is to pull it apart frequently and file the face of the side that's tending to stick. It never stuck so bad I couldn't get it out, but it probably would have if I wasn't careful. Gunner may run into a problem with this when he uses a press, but, heck, hubbing molds has been done for around 100 years, so it can't be too bad.

I only did it once *to completion* with a ball, and it worked. Maybe I got lucky or maybe it's really easy.

Old idea. New application. The hammer is very retro.

Ed Huntress

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