Casting bullets in subzero temperatures?

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Skyhawk

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I'd be using Lee aluminum 2-cavity molds and a Lee Magnum 20lb melting pot with a ladle, while ambient air temperature would be as low as -5 degrees Celsius.

Other than being careful to gradually preheat my mold, keeping the lead on the hot side, and working quickly, any thoughts on the feasibility of casting half-decent bullets in freezing temperatures with this setup? Is it even possible?
 
ive never cast lead at all, but i did do a bit of aluminum, copper, and zinc casting.

i discovered that it shouldnt be done if there is any snow ice or water anywhere near your work area, molten metal propelled by steam explosions is not as fun as it sounds

also, the 20-25 degree difference between normal and cold is only about 5 or 10 percent of the melting temperature anyway, i dont think it will matter
 
Outdoor casting

A friend and I used to cast bullets with an RCBS lead furnace in his unheated shop all winter long. It was our summer supply as we didn't shoot as much in the winter. It was frequently -10 to -15 C when we were casting. Other than the issue of keeping water and snow away from your lead furnace as previously mentioned, it wasn't an issue. One added benefit was that the molds didn't overheat as often so we didn't have to let them cool down as frequently if bullets had that frosty look. We would do about 500-1,000 at a time with multiple molds so have at it. :D
 
i do a bit of casting during the winter months. today is -12 and im casting some 22, 30 cal and 458 cal.

keep moister out, pre heat the ingots prior to adding them to a current molten pot of lead.
also keep in mind to get the molds up to temp'.
i am able to cast at a higher rate since the molds cool down much faster. i preheat them on a hotplate by the lead furnace.
i dress up warm.
be extra careful not to bump things over or burn your cloths, it is a bit tricky casting with many layers on.

happy cast'n
 
No problem....just takes the lead a little longer to melt. I find I can work a little quicker because I'm not trying to cool the mold down as often. The heat from the dropped bullets will keep the pail of water from freezing over. Dress warm....don't try casting right beside the door if it's snowing out (moisture in the pot...bad bad bad) and you're good to go.
 
Lots of guys cast in unheated sheds in the winter, just takes more energy and time to heat stuff up. I like to do mine in a heated shop with a ventilation fan though.
 
I did cast some bullets when snowing, but I made a home made hood to keep away the snow or rain and breathing bad stuff away from my face..it help regulating temperature also..here is the pic..

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5218570#post5218570
 
Thanks guys, I'm going to give it a go next weekend - weather permitting.

mrq5daw said:
I did cast some bullets when snowing, but I made a home made hood to keep away the snow or rain and breathing bad stuff away from my face..it help regulating temperature also..here is the pic..

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5218570#post5218570
Click to expand...

That's really cool, and reminds me of the hoods we used in chem class. My setup for next weekend's attempt will be casting in the garage near (and facing) the edge of the open doorway with a floor fan behind me. Obviously this only works well when conditions (wind intensity and direction) are in my favor. We'll see....
 
Go for it, I cast in my unheated garage during the winter all the time. My table is set up in the middle of the floor with the main door open at the front as wel as the man door on the side for a good cross draft.

As mentioned above, it takes longer to heat things up but once the mix is ready you cast more faster because the moulds don't overheat as fast. In the winter, I quench in a bucket of snow rather than water. Perfect bullets from the soft landing and nothing to splash.

Cactus
 
I just did some 12g slugs last night in the garage, low temp was -30 according to environment canada, and once the mold was heated up they turned out perfect.
 
I'd rather cast at -20 than +25. Slaving away over a hot pot, wearing leather gloves, coveralls, and a face shield sucks when it's hot. At -20, it's no big deal.
 
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