# How do they do this



## Alabama938 (Apr 15, 2021)

Are there any tips to making such perfect silver shot or any metal shot for that matter…
I’ve tried super cold water, super deep turkey fryer pot, it always comes out looking like corn flakes. I’ve seen the technique of drilling a tiny hole in the bottom of a melt dish but that didn’t seem to make it quite this fine. It really is about the size of nerds candy.


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## etack (Apr 15, 2021)

https://www.crhill.com/15-2252whiteceramiccrucible.aspx
You need a hole on the bottom of your dish to drip out of.

This is a crucible that is used for shot. They make different size holes for different size shot.

Eric


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## Gsracer (Apr 16, 2021)

Alternatively you can take a melt dish at least 100g size. Drill a hole in it. Put it on a ring stand over a 5 gallon bucket of water with a stainless pot inside and pour the molten silver into it from your larger crucible. It helps to have a map gas torch heating the melt dish from the bottom. I have done it this way and achieved nice round shot.


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## Martijn (Apr 16, 2021)

I've heard of putting a wet board tilted in the water and slowly let the molten metal run down them so they form balls. Maybe pouring it through the hole in the crucible might give a better result. 
Never tried this myself though.

Why do you want to make your shot like that? Sale purposes? Jewelery making? 
Small metal spheres can also be made with a torch and just a bit of metal, is will form a ball once it melts. takes long to make a lot, but just a few is realy easy.
This can be done in your crucible, or on a heat resistant tile or even on a piece of wood. Some Jewellers use this technique to make a nice round ball. 

Martijn.


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## rickbb (Apr 16, 2021)

Or you could build a shot tower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower


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## g_axelsson (Apr 16, 2021)

:lol: I was going to mention it too, but I didn't know they built towers for it. The one I saw was a one store house with a deep basement... a disused mine shaft going straight down with a large water barrel at the bottom.

For precious metal shots you can get away with a lower drop as it solidifies a lot faster than lead.

Göran


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## ION 47 (Apr 18, 2021)

Alabama938 said:


> Are there any tips to making such perfect silver shot or any metal shot for that matter…
> I’ve tried super cold water, super deep turkey fryer pot, it always comes out looking like corn flakes. I’ve seen the technique of drilling a tiny hole in the bottom of a melt dish but that didn’t seem to make it quite this fine. It really is about the size of nerds candy.



I do it very simply. Place the apple in a deep bucket of cold water to float to the surface. Pour the metal in a thin stream over the apple from a height of about a foot. And you will be happy!


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## justinhcase (Apr 18, 2021)

I am reminded of an old story from Bristol.
If ever you visit the city and walk around you will be bound to notice a very large concrete tower not far from the centre of the town.
In the 1700s there was a need for uniform shot but at the time each had to be cast individually and finished by hand.
This was not very practical, but most people took the time to make their own at home.
The legend goes a Mr Watt awoke from a terrible dream, in which the Bristol cathedral was on fire.
The fire was melting the roof which was partly made of lead and running through the Gargoyles that decorated the eaves of the roof for rain water.
As the lead ran out and fell it formed perfect spheres in the air before hitting the ground.
When Mr watt awoke he had a eureka moment and designed a tower based on the dream.
I have no idea if there is any truth to the story, it may be partly correct, or an embellishment after the fact. Or a complete fiction by local lore.
But the system most certainly works and made Bristol the foremost producer of such shot for quite some time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_Lane_Shot_Tower


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## Alabama938 (Apr 19, 2021)

Reading about the shot towers and the development of that technology was fascinating. I still don’t think I’ll ever be able to make such pretty shot in my garage


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## justinhcase (Apr 19, 2021)

Alabama938 said:


> Reading about the shot towers and the development of that technology was fascinating. I still don’t think I’ll ever be able to make such pretty shot in my garage



Well the two main methods both depend on the metal cooling in a precise manner.
The first is limited by the rate of cooling in air, thus necessitating a very long drop.
The longer the drop the rounder the shot, but the higher you drop from the more the metal will spread out so the larger the quench bath must be. Or you will miss it.
Also, dealing with metal in the 1200c region instead of 375c of lead exasperates this issue and others.
The second method relies on a hot liquid quench to slow cooling and mechanical action of cooling metal rolling down a funnel at the same time.
I can not think of a liquid suitable for this method at the higher temperature but maybe someone else can.
So hight would seem to be the best rout to work with. 
Even a small ten-foot drop would improve the results, but that would need quite a tub underneath it.


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## ION 47 (Apr 20, 2021)

Alabama938 said:


> Are there any tips to making such perfect silver shot or any metal shot for that matter…
> I’ve tried super cold water, super deep turkey fryer pot, it always comes out looking like corn flakes. I’ve seen the technique of drilling a tiny hole in the bottom of a melt dish but that didn’t seem to make it quite this fine. It really is about the size of nerds candy.


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