Casting silver bullets

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:35 am

Think this has been covered here before, but quite awhile ago and I cant remember what was posted. About 25 years ago when I was a geek in college I took some old silver jewelry and coins and purified them chemically, winding up maybe a couple of ounces of pure silver. Am thinking now of casting this pure silver into a few bullets (no, not to shoot, just for display). I can easily melt the silver with a propane torch or with mapp gas, but need to heat the mould up to a higher temp than usual for casting. Any body ever try this? Am concerned with warping my iron moulds. Have a lot of aluminium moulds too, and could use one of those but will it ruin my mould? Thinking that the sprue plate might be ruined trying to slice off the silver sprue, I would cast without it, then turn the base flat on the lathe. Guess I could make round stock out of the silver and turn a bullet profile using my lathe, but I'd rather cast a few. What if I SLOWLY took the mould up to temp, then when I was done let it SLOWLY cool back down to room temp? Thoughts anyone?

Comal Forge · Post by **Comal Forge** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:07 pm

Well, since it sounds like you know how to use a lathe, I would vote to turn them. I think trying to cast might injure your molds from the higher temps and the tendency of silver to possibly bond to an unwanted surface. Just my 2 pence...

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:24 pm

Cast a wax bullet in your mold and use it to make an investment mold out of plaster. Or find a local jewelry shop that does investment casting and have them do it with your wax bullets. I used to do that in the hobby shop in Germany. I made a Silver grass hopper that was microscopic in detail.

Guncase · Post by **Guncase** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:27 pm

I don't think you would harm the iron moulds. The melting point of aluminum is too close to silver, I wouldn't try it. Back to the iron, just take a look at an old tractor pulling hard at night, the iron exhaust manifold will be cherry red.

Post by **Hobie** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:56 pm

I remember reading an old article in Gun _____ (?) about 196? where they tried to duplicate the Lone Ranger's silver bullets. I think based on that that I would recommend the lost wax process.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:15 pm

I don't think you would hurt the sprue plate. I've cast bullets from pure or almost pure antimony and I never hurt one. I don't think the silver would be any harder than that.

What is the melting temp for silver?

Rusty <><

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:23 pm

Silver melts at 1763.2 deg.F . That is beond bright red in steel .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver To get the mold to fill out it would have to be near that temp I believe.

dr walker · Post by **dr walker** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:34 pm

Lost wax casting is the way to go. I have done similar sized things out of coin silver poured into plaster molds. please make sure there is no moisture in the plaster or you'll have a very painful mess. I have tried casting in sand with silver and did not have verry good results.

oldsawfever · Post by **oldsawfever** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 2:04 pm

Not sure if this will help you out or not but here's a step by step quick pictorial of the process of Wax Casting.

http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/go340/silver.htm

GANJIRO · Post by **GANJIRO** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 2:04 pm

When does the season open?

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:38 pm

I silver brazed a piece of drill rod into a Lyman mold to defeat the hollow point feature..Brought both halves slowly up to temp setting them on the element of an electric range for a while... then playing the propane torch flame over both halves as I made the braze.. Turned off the burner & let them cool off on it.. No warpage that I can see... Sprue plates on certain calibers I make bullets for will cut pure linotype bullets repeatedly when I make a few bullets to use to compress BP loads without deformation..
Good luck

coyote nose · Post by **coyote nose** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 6:11 pm

I knew this was the place to ask the question!!! Thanks to all. Never thought of the lost wax process, but it looks the best, that is an informative link oldsawfever, but being lazy by nature and the fact that Ben R had no warpage...I'm now leaning towards casting in iron. Brazing temp has to be near the heat I'll need. In iron moulds tho, not in the aluminium moulds. My moulds are coated with mold-prep, so i don't think I'll have to worry about silver sticking to the iron. My main concern was warpage. Before I go this route tho I will make several bullets out of wax to keep on hand. Now I have to decide which mould to experiment with.

jd45 · Post by **jd45** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:36 pm

JI....think about it. It's a one day season. Right, October 31st. I wonder if they work on Sasquatch, too? jd45