I have built a homemade casting machine and was just wondering if anyone else has done this. I can't be the only one.... so fess up.

Hey, tell us more about your "machine."

I've seen pics of it, and I'm here to tell ya, it is a helluva nice piece of 'chenery. Sorta looks like the cockpit of a B-29, though. <GGG>

We need to keep pestering DE until he breaks down and posts the pics. <G>

It uses one 4 cavity Lyman or one 6 cavity Lee mold. It is run by 110 volt timers and relays. These control air solenoids that in turn control air cylinders. Everything is adjustable for speed and power and the machine runs quite well on automatic. Outputs vary with the mold but cast iron 4 cavity run up to 1200 per hour while aluminium 6 cavity run closer to 800. Bullet quality can be excellant. The pot is on a "slide" and moves over the mold as it pours into the mold. This machine was made in '96' and has over 50,000 cycles on it. At 4 or 6 bullets per cycle- you do the math. This is the 3rd machine , and I want to make another one to 'fix' some things. More adjustments, faster/easier mold changes, be able to change the travel speed of the pot with the turn of a knob (It takes a wrench now)and, above all, simplier and lighter.

The parts came from a salvage yard that specialized(sp?) in factory machine throwaways. I bought parts for .01 on the $ but still have a few $$$ in it.

The 1st machine was like Atari: you push the buttons and the mold reacts.No timers involved. Fun and effective but I was determined to make something that would run on it's own. (It needs an IQ of at least .001. lol)The timers were necessary because I wanted to heat treat right out of the machine. I can make wheel weights harder than Linotype.

The hardest part was the wiring. It needed to run thru a cycle and keep repeating BUT always start in a certain spot regardless of where it stopped. The answer was simple but took a lot of time to find.

If you had the parts ,I would think you could build it easy in a week. Design is what slows me down.

oh, If you want to build one, ALWAYS make sure the pot will stay firmly on the machine. Ask me how I know.
Someone show me how to post pictures & I will. Dale

Cool!


To post pictures, first they have to be posted on a website somewhere. Then you paste the URL of the picture into your message here.

I'll bet they'd put your pics over on http://castpics.net/ Can't imagine a more suitable hosting site for them!

Attatch pictures as email attatchments and send to webmaster@castpics.net

I have sent 3 pictures to "Castpiks". I have more if anyone is interested.

Hi kbmoly thank you for your description. I got most of it but will have to "tune" my "imaginator" up a little to understand the rest. Your idea is so simple.( read as ingenious !) John Moses Browning would be proud! (my hero!) A few questions if I might?

The spring that closes the molds is fairly weak? Do the molds slap together? Since you have already said it works fine, this must not be a problem. I think I have an extra hydraulic "cushion". (think machine rated shock absorber about the size of a hot dog). Would you like to have it to cushion the blocks coming together?

I am still a bit lost on the design of the sprue plate. Please bear with me. Thanks, Dale