just starting have question

[scottd913]

My step father and I just started doing the casting thing, shotgun slugs and .50cal. ball ect. My wife ask me to make her a silver bullet. She don't care what cal. When i ask her why she said "she's herd all the jokes about the zombies and so why not be prepared for werewolf's too". hell next she'll want some wood stakes for vampires lol.Now we all know that is crap but she(my wife) has given me 25 years and i would like to grant her this; With that said if i smelt the silver into a lee's mold would i then be able to use it with lead or will it ruin the mold. I really don't care about wasting the money to make her laugh but if i can reuse the mold i will buy one i can use with my guns if not i will just get one at a low price to discard.
thanks
your long winded poster

 

[David Bachelder]

Melting temps (F):
brass - 1710
mild steel - 1425
aluminum - 1220

Silver melts at 1764 F

Most bullet molds are made of either aluminum, brass or mild steel. All of those materials will melt before the silver does.

So, no a LEE mold would not do the job. You would need to have a custom mold built and some other way to melt the silver than a conventional lead pot.

Sounds expensive. Maybe a machinist could make one for you?

 

[Sport45]

Lead bullet + silver paint...

 

[saands]

1. Buy the Lee mold you want.
2. Use the mold to cast a wax copy of the bullet you want.
3. Google "lost wax casting" and buy the supplies needed
4. Use the wax bullet from #2 with the lost wax casting process from #3 to make the silver version
5. Enjoy the smile that it puts on your wife's face.

They've been making silver jewelry like this for hundreds of years ... well, for a long time, anyway.

Saands

 

[dahermit]

"...mild steel - 1425..."

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/melting-temperature-metals-d_860.html This temperature is Centigrade, the rest in that post are Fahrenheit.

Contrary to what has been posted here, you can use an iron/steel mold to cast a silver bullet. I remember an article in either Guns and Ammo or Shooting Times in the late '60's about doing just that. They would dig the bullet from a dirt berm and recast it for each firing.
Note: melting point of pure Silver = 1761 Fahrenheit.melting point of mild steel (Lyman mould) = 2570 Fahrenheit. However, I would not care to pre-heat my good iron/steel molds that hot.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/melting-point-of-steel.html

 

[PawPaw]

My solution to this problem would be to find any nice small-caliber bullet, take it to a jeweler and have him silver-plate it. Have an eye put on for a chain, and present it to her at some memorable occasion.

That gives me an idea.

 

[David Bachelder]

OK I goofed. A steel mold would work.

1000 lashes !!!! and no pudding.

 

[griz]

You could get some Winchester Silver Tips. I think they use an aluminum jacket but they sure look silver.

 

[scottd913]

thanks guys i think it might be easier to just get a jewler to make me one... but you know i will take the credit for it