Cool old picture

[LeupoldMRK4]

I was looking though some old picutes and this came up. I dont know where it came from but I thought some else might like it too.

[varmintpopper]

Yes that is a cool old picture, Thanks for posting.
I'm still using a Saeco lead pot identical to the one pictured.
Appears to be a portable casting and loading set-up, perhaps for a police range, looks 1950's or so.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[dbltapster]

Gee Wally, Isn't Dad's reloading room swell?

[nascarkent]

What do you think the salt shaker was used for?

[varmintpopper]

The Salt Shaker was probably A storage bottle for either grease or oil to lube the machines. it would have a cap without holes in it and an Ice Cream stick or rod of some
sort to get the lube out and applied to the machines. But , That's only a guess on my part.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[1TonyE]

Great Pic!!

I have a lead melter exactly the same also. Works wonders on lead. Thanks for posting!!

Thanks!! Tony

[2150]

I believe the Salt Shaker contains a bullet casting flux for ease of application into the SAECO electric furnace. I still use a GI grease can similar to the one pictured ahead of the powder keg to catch my mould sprue while casting. The back drop looks like it could be a training room in a "modern" department or an indoor shooting range in a large city during the 1950's.

I started bullet casting when I found a ten cavity Hensley & Gibbs mould for the classic Number 50 .38 wadcutter in a dark corner of a supply building. It was sitting on a shelf next to a plumbers blow torch (pump pot gas burner) with several five gallon cans of tire weights nearby. I had some idea about the mould and how to clean the dirty lead but knew nothing about the operation of the plumber's furnace. It was the item that caused the most concern about safety. A mechanic helped me to set the apparatus up correctly and clean off the accumulated debris on the adjustment features. Another fellow knew about proper fueling and lighting -- it took a little while before I was comfortable working next to a potential Molotov cocktail. Once the cast iron pot started to liquefy the old lead alloy things got better very quickly. Within a few hours I was dropping good quality wadcutters with each cycle of the mould. It was difficult to cut off the gas and stop casting when things were up to temp and rolling along. That H&G mould had produced a lot of practice bullets for the Tulsa police department -- because of its weight it gained the moniker "Popeye" .

[nascarkent]

Im sure that a ten cav. mold must get pretty darn heavy during a casting session.
I have two H&G molds ,45cal #78 and a 38cal #50 both in 4 cav.
Nothing casts as nice as an H&G mold!
 I also have the same seaco casting furnace. As in the old picture.
  Kent