He's got the biggest balls of them all! -AC/DC

I like that Lee production pot. We used to melt lead in a pot and ladle it into molds.

HI I JUST WATCHED SOME OF YOUR VIDS ON CARBIDE LAMPS. IN ABOUT 1962 AS A KID (ABOUT 14) WE USED THIES FOR PICKING WORMS FOR FISHING AND TO SELL. THIS LIGHT WILL NOT DISTURB THE WORMS LIKE A REGULAR BULB FLASH LIGHT DID. ALLSO IT DID NOT REFLECT OFF THE WATER WHEN WE WERE SPERING FISH. LOTS OF GOOD MEMERIES, THANK YOU.

@ElementalMaker

4 жыл бұрын

Happy to bring back some good memories Tommy. Sounds like alot of fun!

@tommyschauer3093

4 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU FOR VIDS.

This is great. Lot of us probobly haven't done casting before. Good principles to go by. Thank you.

Theory: ElementalMaker and AvE are actually the same person... *X-Files Music*

Never thought I would watch video about balls with such interest 😂 Thank You for sharing.

Mites crawl up, tites get pulled down. Memory device from my creepy science teacher.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Good trick! Thanks!

@GMCLabs

4 жыл бұрын

went to a cave, tight to the ceiling, mites live on the ground is what they used.

@killmimes

4 жыл бұрын

Hang tite from the ceiling

@asvarien

4 жыл бұрын

I came up with that one myself, I thought I was pretty clever. Guess it is a pretty obvious memory trick thinking on it.

@diablominero

4 жыл бұрын

stalaCtites are on the Ceiling, stalaGmites are on the Ground

You can heat the mould with a blow torch and you can make much harder balls by adding a little tin or antimony to the lead pot. I rate the Elementalmaker and Cody's lab as a couple of the best video makers on KZread. Keep up the great work.

@jrwatkins3872

10 ай бұрын

Cody's Lab a classic before Google/ YT chaannel.

@samwilliams1142

Ай бұрын

He is using range scrap. High probability that antimony is in there.

great tutorial! thanks for sharing your ball handling technique :):)

@nejiniisan1265

5 жыл бұрын

lol

@nejiniisan1265

5 жыл бұрын

He knows how to handle hot balls

@motormaker

5 жыл бұрын

Years of practice

Informative straight forward video. Just getting into this, makes sense, thanks for sharing!

You have good taste in beer 🍻 Hoegaarden is one of my favorites!

Sorry I'm late for the show, but thanks for the rapid video response to our request!

When I worked at the News I bought a Wrist Rocket catapult. As we used hot metal in those days, bought a sinker mould from a sporting-goods store, and had myself a (typemetal) ball!

Great video! Now I also want to cast some lead balls, however I do already have enough of them and no use.

Those are some fine balls you have there sir!

That shell end would make a magic little hot plate

@Jimmeh_B

5 жыл бұрын

@keith moore I instantly thought camp stove for some reason. It'd tarnish pretty hard though

Thanks for sharing your method.

Sprue plate, its for cutting the sprue off your ball :-) Also a tip on heating your mold, dip it into the lead, it will come out clean (the lead won't stick to the mold unless the lead gets "cold") and you won't have as many wrinkly balls.

Been wanting to get one of these for a while now. Saw this vid and ordered last week. I'm using mine for melting down pewter. I get that stuff cheap at goodwill and thrift shops. Then I sell the ingots on ebay. PPl don't realize how much tin is worth, something like $10/lbs and that's what about 90% of pewter is. Been making some balls, makes great slingshot ammo and should be just as good as lead in a ball mill, bit less dense, but is much harder and no worries of lead contamination in the final product. Seems a bit harder to knock off the sprue, gotta time it just right to knock it off just after the ball is solid and the sprue is still a little soft, or ya gotta beat on it pretty hard. Can't tell from your vid, but the mold does leave a tinny nub on the ball, not enough to be a problem for ball mill or ammo use, but wouldn't want to use it as a ball bearing. I could file it off, but that's a hell of a lot of work that I don't wanna do. lol

StalagMites - M - sticks up from the floor like an uppercase M StalacTite - T - drops from the ceiling like uppercase T

@matrix626

4 жыл бұрын

g= ground. c= ceiling

@jacobkudrowich

Жыл бұрын

And helictites go all sideways and diagonal they are the funky Bois

1:30 reminds me of getting in my swimming pool when the water is cold....lol

5” -54. I use to load the Powder shell, about 44 lbs in the side breech then someone else would drop the “Bullet” about 77 lbs from the other side & on top.. we had the Fastest gun ever. 9 rpm was standard & ours was 13 rpm. Captain Rodgers came to see how we do fast, but had to deny as our Process was highly unacceptable. I was scared of loosing a hand in the breach so I would toss them in and kick them. Very fast 💨 DD985. USS Cushing 1983-1986

@marksams1037

4 жыл бұрын

That's very interesting. My mother in law gave me a 5 inch naval shell, cut down and turned into an ash tray. The headstamp dates to 1943. Thanks for sharing!

Fun video :-) stalagmites grow up and might get to the roof, stalagtite holds on tight to the roof, very similar to my sinker molds, they also do a much nicer job hot :-) haven't seen the carbon lube trick I'll definitely be using it. Thanks again

For years I have been using Linotype metal from old print shop Linotype machines when I can get it. It is very hard and makes great pistol bullets. Usually we have a local metal smelter reformulate the Linotype metal by adding a little more lead to soften it a bit for shooting. The harder Linotype metal does work well for tumbling applications though.

@ElementalMaker

Жыл бұрын

Wish I could find a local source for linotype! Great stuff

Two improvements. 1 use a wooden mallet to protect your sprue plate. 2 there is a slot for a screwdriver in the top of that rod wiggle it gently to stop the drips.

That lead is really hard. Doesnt normaly crystallize like that. Use cold water when washing your hands. Or goto a gun store and get lead wipes. They are designed to get rid of lead better than soap.

That shell case is fucking sweet. Also, thanks for the awesome tips on ball casting.

I love your videos..... ... ..... ..............gratitude💕

Had 2 lead pots like that,both had a screw driver slot cut in the top of valve rod to turn back and forth when the lead dripped,was quite handy.

@roberthousedorfii1743

5 жыл бұрын

yeah, your pot should be dripping. If you can't adjust it so it doesn't drip, take the valve apart and clean out the scale / rust. Mine does NOT drip, but rarely. And then I fix it.

Finally was able to remember that "stalagtites hang on tight". The one on the floor is just sitting there, yah, so what, who cares. The one above is holding on (stalag)tite! Worked for me for decades. YMMV.

I use a propane torch to keep the mold to temp and wax will lube the mold nicely

An oil lamp works really well for coating molds with the carbon

Nice looking balls man awesome video

"stalactites hold on tight to the roof, stalagmites use all their might to grow to the roof" , that's how my grandfather helped me remember it:) cool video, i never thought of a mold duh lol

the ball will shrink up... lol :D :D you're the funniest guy out there lol

“You don’t want shrunk balls that’s for sure *awkward pause* so....”

The comments didn’t disappoint me either! Glad to see I am not the only big kid out there 😂

This one's a stalagmite. Think about a "mound" that's a stalagmite. I don't know if there's a good word in english for it though. It's easy in French: stalag(t)ite = (t)omber (to fall down) stalag(m)ite = (m)onter (to go up)

@pattems_

4 жыл бұрын

What I was taught in English is stalag(t)ites have to hold on (t)ight to the ceiling stalag(m)ites have to be (m)ighty to keep from collapsing. Not as eloquent, but works well enough.

Good show!

Ive got a couple shell bottoms similar to those i inherted from my grandfather he was a tank operator in korea

If you throw a small tea candle in the bottom of those muffin tins, you can use that to pre-heat the mould.

It would be a stalagmite. I always think of it as mites crawling on the ground, so stalagmites are the ones that grow from the ground up, and stalactites are the ones that grow from the ceiling down

Damn Bro ! You could do voice acting for Jason Sudeikis ! Awesome Vid !

I've made battery terminals for a hgv with lead and got plastered in the stuff it's not as bad as you think if it was every fisherman/woman on the planet would be dumber than a box of rocks by the time they get to 40. I literally crush lead shots with my teeth when out fishing and over the past 5 years have been studying human psychology so yeah I wouldn't recommend eating or drinking it but have absolutely zero worries about it going on your hands it's not that bad, the fumes are and of course ingestion isn't good but don't worry about holding lead. Awesome video I can't believe people give these free informational videos a thumbs down.

So cool

I gotta say, you got balls.

Beryllium alloys. Spark-free and hard! You can limit the drip with a heavier handle. Use a short can half full of water to catch the drops so they don't splatter.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

You go ahead and find pricing on some BeCu Alloy balls LOL. Brass would be much less expensive and easier to obtain. I use lead because its free (aside from my time), and non sparking.

@officermeowmeowfuzzyface4408

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker add a CuBe alloy to brass and cast it. Lost wax, investment.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

I stay away from Beryllium. Berylliosis is nasty. I'll take lead any day.

If you your Lee pot is dripping. The screwdriver slot on top of the valve pin. If you give it a little twist back and forth it will stop the drip.

This mnemonic will help not just with which formation grows up or down, but with spelling too: StalaCtite, C = ceiling. StalaGmite, G = ground. I think it came from The Magic School Bus series growing up. Also, I figured the ball media were made with a .69 cal mold, because that's simply a musket ball mold. Super easy method for making lead balls, and quite time-tested.

@pacman10182

2 жыл бұрын

is that why stalag 13 was on the ground, not on the ceiling?

This looks fun, I've only cast aluminum copper and bronze before.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Its a good bit of fun for sure! Lead is much easier to work with than aluminum or bronze.

@samnottheotherone4363

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker I have some gallium I'm thinking of casting with as well, think the process would be about the same as lead just much colder?

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

I would think so. Gallium does tend to be a bit sticky, so you may run into issues with it adhering to various tools and mold materials. Just dont use aluminum with it as it'll alloy with it.

Wow those are some really nice looking balls! Lol

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

I pride myself in having some beautiful balls. I appreciate your kind words about them 👍

I always remembered it by thinking “stalagtites make things tight and for stalagmites, you might step on them”

It seems like every video I watch on Round ball casting, everyone refers to the wrinkles in the ball, and they must be melted down and remade, I have killed tons of game from pheasants, grouse, rabbits the whole way up to deer and elk, and I don’t think any of this wild Game ever knew the difference of being hit with a perfect round ball or ones with wrinkles . Bewildered. Rock on Gents.

@ElementalMaker

3 жыл бұрын

Its not so much that the target downrange cares about the wrinkles. The reason is the ridges of the wrinkle can catch on the bore and cause inaccuracy and leading of the bore, in addition to decreasing the velocity since the expanding gasses can escape though the valleys of the wrinkles. In my small cannon I'm sure I could send them downrange no issues, but with my being OCD they have to be nice and smooth.

I'm guessing that harder would be better? The correct alloy water quenched should be 22+ bhn

Do you add antimony to make the lead harder or does the range lead already have it in. Great video

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Much of the range lead already has antimony in it. It's not quite as much as normal boolit alloy, but still very usable

I kept running out of glass marbles for my sling shot, ill try making my own metal ones after this

This would be great for cannon grape shot, or for a Hawkin flintlock rifle.👍(which is probably what the mold is usually for)

@ElementalMaker

4 жыл бұрын

Check out my other video firing a Cannon from scratch 👍

Wonder if wrinkly balls have further range? Like a golf ball. The dimples give them better range and control. Or would it make the slug "hook"? That may be bad...:)

I got the 69 mold for cannons and 12 ga BP loads(even though 69=14 ga).I use 451 ball for ball mill ops.When I used 1.50 balls they opened up my ball mill canisters and spilled all over the place.So I'm timid to use big balls.I pour hot to frost my balls when using Alox.Last heat I used a electric 2 burner with ladle.But usually pour 3 pound pigs out the bottom of my tilt reverb furnace,while ladling out of a cast iron pot over the furnace exhaust stack.Nice looking balls ya got there!

I have made hundreds of perfect lead .69 cal balls with that same Lee mold. All I ever did was hit it with a propane torch the very first time I used it. I never even have to tap, they just fall right out.

Good video but you don't flux your lead which is pretty crucial. Also not a great idea to knock the sprue into the pot. Good way to splash lead on yourself.

Yes.

The way to remember the difference between stalagmites and stalactites is: stalagmite has a g in its spelling and it comes from the ground. Stalactite has a c in its spelling and come from the ceiling.

Casting ball media, that just so happens to fit your "toy" cannon. 😂

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

SHHHH dont tell the CensorTube! LOL

Another nice soot maker that doesn't burn your fingers, if you need to soot larger things, is a piece of wood with the tip dipped in kerosene.

Ceramic mill balls👌

Does stainless steel make a spark?

so like does this not contaminate everything you mill with lead dust? Esp. since lead is softer than aluminum and such...

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

As long as you have a proper charge of material to be milled the lead should not break down. There still always is a chance of lead contamination. So if making black powder only use it in a an open area and stay out of the smoke

I recently bought 100 'hardened' balls from woodysrockets. I'm guessing they have antimony in them. I was using some hornady muzzle loader balls in the past, seemed like they flaked off and caused some sort of contamination... I'm just using a small HF rock tumbler. I didn't realize I needed so much media, always used around 20 balls in the past. Guess I need to fill my barrel more.

@ElementalMaker

3 ай бұрын

Yessir, llyod spoenburgh has a great book on ball milling theory and best practices. I think for optimal performance a mill jar should be 50% full of the mill media (if I'm remembering correctly). The hardened balls are good, you will get less wear, although there will still be lead contamination in your final milled products. I think moving forward I'm going to get some non sparking ceramic media, as now that I have young children the lead toxicity scares me.

@MegaMarclar

3 ай бұрын

@@ElementalMaker ya lead is no joke, one of the heavy metals the body can not easily get rid of. problem with this whole mill/bp thing I have found is there is soooo much conflicting information. I have watched almost every video on yt about bp and some make it seem super simple. I am just trying to do some simply fireworks stuff but found my results vary significantly. I recently tried a small batch of toilet paper bp, and couldnt even get it to burn worth a crap, wouldnt hold together in a puck after pressing, and burnt like crap. I said F it and bought bulk cedar charcoal. most people say willow but I'm not paying 40$ in shipping on a 20$ pound. appreciate your videos man, I'm just beginning learned a lot so far.

Had you thought about adding antimony ?

4:00 you can cook a meal for the whole family in that god damn monster

Would there be a problem with hitting the mold with a propane torch for a little bit to pre-heat it? Seems like it would be easier than making a dozen balls to preheat it.

@cloakndagger085

5 жыл бұрын

A lot of reloaders who make their own lead will dip the edge of the mold in the lead to preheat it.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

I actually did preheat for about 30 seconds off screen with a torch, but the video was already getting too long

@horacegentleman3296

5 жыл бұрын

@@cloakndagger085 yep that's what i do

Do they have a pot like this that can melt copper and let it come out of the bottom to make cast in the same way as the lead

@ElementalMaker

3 жыл бұрын

Coppers melting point is wayyyy too high for this kind of thing. If your looking for a non toxic alternative bismuth or tin are your best options

@rickdaruler333

3 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker i want to cast 1in copper balls and was wondering if there was a furnace that works the same way as the lead pot. It seems easy to work with how the lead comes out as you push down on the handle

Great video. What media is best for ball milling flash powders. Aluminum, Magnesium, Potassium Nitrate, Potassium perchlorate.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

NEVER mill flash powder. It's far too sensitive and will go bang. Flash can only be made by the diapering method

@joerowland607

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker most people do not realize that when milling aluminum alone you are supposed to shut your mill down daily, and allow it to rest before opening and checking the metal powder. Super fine milled aluminum can ignite at the moment you provide oxygen by opening the mill container. It is best to add about 5 percent by weight with charcoal(dark German powdered aluminum) thus coating the aluminum and cutting off any oxygen. Safety tip. 1 pound of powdered aluminum packs one hell of a punch.

I noticed your pot always drips my never has dripped so I guess some do some don’t

Do you have to smoke the mold every time you cast a new ball, or just once before you start casting?

@ElementalMaker

3 жыл бұрын

Oh hell no, just on a new mold, and then every few hundred rounds out so

To remember how to tell the difference between steltigtights and and stelegmites is steltigtights have to hang on stite

Stalagmites “might reach the ceiling”, stalactites” hold on tight so they don’t fall off the ceiling”.

1:00 nice

whats up my dude. when are we going to be seeing your oxygen experiments that you planned on doing since you got your concentrator

Why not use something less hazardous, perhaps thick electroplating tin or copper onto the lead balls before milling with it. You can then even electropolish or mill with no abrasive after a thick coat of either tin or copper for better surface finish. Lead dust is not good to breathe. Using it wet creates lead process waste. Anything you mill with it then has lead in it, even for black powder that is more lead in the air than there otherwise would be after firing. Lead will also perhaps reduce the velocity of the powder's gasses.

Wrinkles on the balls, won't that make for more surface area when milling and such work better?

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

The issue is they act as cavities for material to get stuck in and then that material won't be ground down

Is there an application for aluminum balls? I have a TON of aluminum, literally, and I'm trying to find other uses for some of it.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Aluminum would be significantly more difficult to cast into ball molds. You would need a very high temperature melting pot. Aluminum would also be too light for being a very effective milling media. It might make for decent slingshot ammo though!

@BackYardScience2000

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker , good idea! Aluminum slingshot balls would be perfect! I have a small iron ball mold I could use that should would. 1/4 inch I think. Thanks for the advice man. I recently suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 50% of my right hand and am trying to find things to do to take my mind off of the pain while I am off from work for the next few months. I probably won't be making many new videos in that time though, unfortunately.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

@@BackYardScience2000 oh man that's awful. Mind if I ask how it happened? I wish you a very speedy recovery.

@BackYardScience2000

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker , I wish I had a better excuse. I really do, but I fell asleep with a cigarette in my hand and it caught my bed on fire. The bed is memory foam and the sheets were polyester. I guess when memory foam and polyester burn they melt. Well, when the smoke detector alarm woke me all I saw was flames right next to me and instinctively, I started swatting at the flames. It was then that I noticed exactly what was going on and that my hand was on fire because the melted foam and polyester stuck to my hand and I could not get it to go out. I rushed and put my hand out in the sink and then grabbed a towel, got it wet and threw it on the fire, extinguishing it. It was then that I realized the amount of damage to my hand. The left hand has burns too, but they are nowhere near as bad as the right. That was last Tuesday morning and I've just been trying to deal with the whole situation ever since. It's definitely been a nightmare to say the least.

What you miss in size , you make up for in volume . "Science" 😁

What’s a good size for black powder? Paul

@ElementalMaker

5 ай бұрын

I've been using Lee 9mm bullet molds as ball mill media for some time now. The irregular shape does really great in the mill for BP

I wall a economic yet reliable tumbler to make BP. I have the Lee .690 mold. Ammo independence ahead!

@ElementalMaker

10 ай бұрын

I actually moved away from the .690 balls (which is use for my BP cannon) and now use my lee 9mm cast booliots for BP tumbler media, the irregular shape and smaller size gives incredibly fast milling results with the same media weight charge

Greetings from Denmark. Hey man sorry i had to cancel my Patreon donation but the Army cut my pension I guess they were low on ammo!

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

No worries my friend, I appreciate your support and hope your pension is brought back. I'm sorry to hear they cut it on you.

@Tatersalade

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker Thanks mate...

@tarstarkusz

5 жыл бұрын

They cut YOUR pension to give welfare money to the invaders. These people WILL pay!

Lee mounds can be preheated by placing the lead edge directly in the molten lead, the lead will not adhere to the aluminum blocks. You can’t do this with steel moulds. I would advise NOT using hammer on the sprue cutter use a wood mallet.

Could you make a mold for rocket tools and cast those?

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Sadly lead would be way too soft for use in rocket tooling. That would be pretty damn cool though

So you didn't fancy building shot tower then? It'd have to be pretty damn high to get ball that big to solidify before the water catch bath at the bottom!

@johnbeck3270

2 жыл бұрын

Watch Mysteries of the Abandoned they showed a shot tower in Philadelphia I believe, what an interesting way to make ammunition

Easy way to remember is stalagmites mite reach the ceiling one day and stalagtites stick tite to the ceiling.

As you're milling do you lose lead into your compound?

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

It is possible to get lead contamination into your composition. Some guys use brass or stainless steel media alternatively so that can't happen.

Get and use D-Lead soap if you are a caster, reloader or shooter.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

I'll have to check that out. Didn't realize they made a soap specifically for working with lead. That's petty neat

Hey i remember you were going to make magnalium what happened to that ps i love your content awsome viewing

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

That one is coming shortly! Possibly the next video

Load some caps almost hunting season.

fired many 5 inch 38s on USS Shangrila CVA38 mid 60s!!!!!

@ElementalMaker

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your service Milton! 👍

Is the mold aluminum or steel ?

@ElementalMaker

2 жыл бұрын

That's an aluminum mold. Steel are better, but way more expensive

Stalagmite ;) Only way I found of remembering is that a mite is like a ground dwelling creature, so stalagmite is on the ground. Stalactite is the hanging one.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Good trick to remember! Thanks!

@yoctoflop

5 жыл бұрын

That's the way I learned it

So I just looked into this myself but do you know a source of hardened lead treated with antimony

@hanelyp1

5 жыл бұрын

They used to make wheel balance weight from lead hardened with antimony. These days regulations favor zinc.

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Yep as mentioned wheel weights are a good source with plenty of antimony for hardness

@pa-pyro2804

5 жыл бұрын

@@ElementalMaker awesome man I didn't know that I'm new to making my own lead milling media but it seems way more cost effective thanks for the response. Keep up the great content man

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

@@pa-pyro2804 you can also grab very high antimony hardened lead from Roto metals. I buy I bunch of stuff from them. It's certainly not as cheap as from free range scrap though 😁

Consider getting involved with FairTube and Jorg Sprave (The Slingshot Channel).

@ElementalMaker

5 жыл бұрын

Joined the day Joerg started it 👍