How-to: Metal cannonballs of (nearly)any size

[lukemc]

i made marshmellow shooter with half inch pvc and an air tank but the barrel is a bit small for marbles s im going to make my own thanks for this tutorial a lot

[hi]

can you just melt pellets for a pellet gun?

[BC Pneumatics]

Only if they are lead pellets. Most (here at least) are not. In fact, CA may have banned them. Dumbasses.

Also, only 'Lead Free' pewter contains no lead, so make sure it says that.

Lead shrinks by just over 4% as it solidifies as I recall.

Playing with lead is fun, but make surer your plaster molds are very well dried. Molten lead is hell on the toesies.

[hi]

CA didn't ban them because i bought a box last week.

[BC Pneumatics]

Really? Hmm. I cant recall seeing any that aren't steel. Oh well, maybe if I looked.

[hi]

ya, just regular old crosman field hunting pellets.

[iPaintball]

Use bismuth. It is heavier than lead and just as easy to cast.

[BC Pneumatics]

and expensive

[iPaintball]

Not if you know where to get it!

[BC Pneumatics]

A hell of a lot more than lead, that is for sure. Unless you are referring to some 'free' source of yours, which doesn't concern us much at all.

[hi]

i was wondering, could i use cement as the mold and use solder as a projectile? or would the cement break and the solder be to soft?

EDIT- i think i would like to make a bullet shaped projectile, would that work too? i was going to make it for 1/2'' pipe

[hi]

another thing, when people talk about tin soup can, are they really made out of tin? tin melts at a lower tempature than lead and is safer because it isnt toxic. if soup cans aren't made of tin, what is made of tin that is easy to get a hold of?

[rna_duelers]

They are coated in Tin,usualy steel coated in tin and hence the name.

[cb4289]

for me finding the bismuth tin and stuff was kinda hard but then i found a place called http://www.alchemycastings.com you can find almost any thing there but shipping aint cheap i think antomony is 10.00 for 5 lbs and the lead is 25.00 for 50lbs. you can get it in ingots and the lead is pretty good and very pure it isnt scrap lead[/img]

[smiley face]

you could also use solder just take it all off the role and melt it in the pot or pan you have to do that with