Dropping Bismuth Shot - Homemade Shot Maker

[Tuleman]

IF you look at my video and play it back in slow mo you will see the metal drop and then roll and turn into a sphere, maybe if i had a longer distance for the shot to roll before it contacts the water it migh be more round?

If it fell for a longer distance before it contacts the ramp, it would be more round.
Rolling down the ramp, the still-molten droplet is not a sphere; it is flat on the bottom and somewhat elongated laterally.

 

[Ruination]

If it fell for a longer distance before it contacts the ramp, it would be more round.
Rolling down the ramp, the still-molten droplet is not a sphere; it is flat on the bottom and somewhat elongated laterally.

Have you dripped shot?

I found closer to be better.

The further drop just splatted.

I am asking because I am willing to try a further drop again

 

[Fritz]

@Fritz

First, please excuse my disgusting work bench, Hunting season makes me a complete slob.

From scrounging the internet I have come to discover that shot dripping works differently for everyone based on the exact distance they are from the moon and their astrological sign, but you can try and throw things together similarly. It definitely is easier when ambient temps are closer to 60F.

First; What didn't work.

My first try was a system like @aberisle running shot down a ramp into the coolant that was in the turkey pan. My shot was closer to cylinders than spheres.

My second system was rolling the shot into a 2ft drop and 5 gallon bucket. This gave me pancakes. (the shot was hitting the water too fast).

I then began looking at the oasis shot maker. Tried the little lip and bounce into the turkey pan filled with (very diluted at this point) coolant (cheapest fabric softener I could find). That shot came out with potential but some flat sides and stuck together shot let me know it was hitting the bottom not completely solidified.

I "built" a tower so the shot could drop into a taller container. The cylinder is filled to the top at all times and overflows into the turkey pan when displaced by shot. The shot should bounce once or twice than hit the tank. I think the bounce imparts spin on the shot (creating a ball) and slows it down so it doesn't pancake and has a chance to cool a little. The edge of the ramp should be at most 1/4 inch away from the coolant, I am still experimenting in that regard.

Things that definitely make a difference:
Ramp angle/length.
Drop (distance) onto ramp from pan, I believe less is more.
Having a smooth ramp and coating it with graphite. (Mine is currently some oak plank but I have aluminum sheet metal I am planning on cutting up in different lengths.
Low temperature. I start with the pan in reverse to pool in the back, when it melts to a droppable point I turn the heat down slow it melts slower and flip it. If it melts too fast, to much head pressure and you will just have a river. Too that regard, I have found stirring the melted Bi allows for less head pressure.

I just bought some cheap RV coolant to try because I have diluted the fabric softener to hell. and read that dimples are often due to a to thin coolant.

As you can see, very ghetto operation going here. But 50lbs of Bi will last me 3 or 4 years and even the small test runs I am doing wouldn't take me long at all.


View attachment 375339

Thanks!

 

[C M Wings]

In all seriousness isn’t is just easier and safer to buy this? Are there any toxins release melting and combining these metals? Do you shoot enough to make it worthwhile? I get the challenge and applaud the creativity and ingenuity but eating broth with a fork seems more practical….

 

[Tuleman]

I found closer to be better.
The further drop just splatted.

I can believe it.
It splattered because it was still molten.
I can see where very close would produce better (not perfect) shot than a foot or two further away, since it wouldn't have enough velocity to spatter when it hit the water molten.

If you want perfectly spherical shot, then it must be dropped from far enough away from the coolant so that it solidifies completely before it contacts the coolant.
If you are okay with nearly spherical shot, having it fall only one or two inches before it contacts the coolant could work (because it hasn't achieved enough velocity to spatter).

 

[Ruination]

I can believe it.
It splattered because it was still molten.
I can see where very close would produce better (not perfect) shot than a foot or two further away, since it wouldn't have enough velocity to spatter when it hit the water molten.

If you want perfectly spherical shot, then it must be dropped from far enough away from the coolant so that it solidifies completely before it contacts the coolant.
If you are okay with nearly spherical shot, having it fall only one or two inches before it contacts the coolant could work (because it hasn't achieved enough velocity to spatter).

So you're saying no ramp.

What you're talking about is hundreds of feet.

People create pretty much perfectly spherical shot with shot makers. More than one way to skin a cat and all that.

 

[Ruination]

In all seriousness isn’t is just easier and safer to buy this? Are there any toxins release melting and combining these metals? Do you shoot enough to make it worthwhile? I get the challenge and applaud the creativity and ingenuity but eating broth with a fork seems more practical….

Sure. $17 per/lb vs $7. It's about $500. I am looking to produce a case of bismuth shells for the price of manufactured steel.

The melting point of bismuth is 500 and the boiling point is 2800. Bismuth is a pure metal.

Minimal risk...No harm in cracking a window though.

Overall its just fun.

 

[Fritz]

I have reloaded lead sporting clay loads for years which made the jump to bismuth pretty easy (most bismuth loads use lead components). For me the ammo shortage a few years ago and the rising cost of steel made me want to get off the ammo roller coaster. Using components I have had for a while I can get a box of homemade bismuth down to about $20.
I get a kick out of it as well. I haven’t run the calculator on the cost as of late but I bet it ain’t cheap!

 

[C M Wings]

Sure. $17 per/lb vs $7. It's about $500. I am looking to produce a case of bismuth shells for the price of manufactured steel.

The melting point of bismuth is 500 and the boiling point is 2800. Bismuth is a pure metal.

Minimal risk...No harm in cracking a window though.

Overall its just fun.

Tracking. I get the personal satisfaction. Enjoy! I’m sure you’ll end up with a good repeatable process. But yeah crack a window lol.

 

[Ruination]

Well, the smaller shot came out much more round...but smaller than I wanted. Between 4 and 5 I think.

Maybe some teal loads...

Guess I need the drill bit in-between...or maybe a duplex load.

Anyways the experiment goes on.

#55 bit for 5 shot.