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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 2, 2020 7:51:44 GMT -7
There it is again, I was right, and I was wrong. The ball mold maker so much praised that I was thinking of did pass away, in about October, 2018. Problem is, it was not Larry Callahan but Jeff Tanner. Getting old is not for sissies. Spence You are no sissy! That is pure fact.
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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 2, 2020 7:58:54 GMT -7
He did custom work, he would have been able to manufacture what you wanted which is why I recommended him. Didn't know he passed, I bought two additional molds from him before he moved on, which was about a year ago. Talked with him on the phone for awhile about building and various interests, very knowledgeable and always a pleasure to converse with. Sad to hear. Make yourself a soapstone mold, you could have a machine shop make you a a few custom sized cherries for the mold cavity. Thanks, I've been wondering if he can enlarge an existing Lyman mold. But depending on what that costs I'll probably be stuck with the Lee, at least for a while. Are you wanting to run large quantities of ball in one season or are you satisfied with maybe five or six at a time? I've never used a lee mold, two cavity? I only run ball before shooting, very much enjoy the process. If you want a more personal approach I'd definitely recommend moving on one of Larry's molds, absolutely worth every dollar. I'd venture to say the cost of modifying a lee mold would outweigh a custom bag mold. Again, never used one so your experience may warrant the expense.
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Post by brokennock on Mar 2, 2020 8:20:03 GMT -7
I usually run 20 or 30 at a time. Would like to run more like 50 to 100. But I hear of folks having too many issues with double cavity moulds. I feel based on the casting I've done that 50 to 100 is doable in my limited time with a single cavity mould, thinking 50 of each in 2 different sizes.
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Post by Black Hand on Mar 2, 2020 8:39:28 GMT -7
I usually run 20 or 30 at a time. Would like to run more like 50 to 100. But I hear of folks having too many issues with double cavity moulds. I feel based on the casting I've done that 50 to 100 is doable in my limited time with a single cavity mould, thinking 50 of each in 2 different sizes. Easily done with Callahan's bag mold if you have a little more time. I sit on the porch with my bag ladle and melt enough lead for a few ball and repeat as necessary.
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spence
Hunter
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Post by spence on Mar 2, 2020 9:34:25 GMT -7
The only double mold I have is a Lee in .380" and I've used it without any problems. It's larger than a single, of course, so you have to heat it a bit longer before up to good molding temp, but that's a small inconvenience.
Thinking about how many balls to a session reminds me of my first serious casting session. I bought a .30 caliber flintlock from my local Mom and Pop black powder store in 1976. The Pop loaned me a .295" single Lee mold to make some balls for my new second-hand gun. I kept it over a 3-day weekend and cast 1000 balls. I still have more than 600 of them. Considering what a greenhorn I was at casting, I'm amazed how consistent they are.
Spence
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