This is actually a multi-part question.  I find myself in need of some chamber casts and found a couple of plugs of what was given to me several years ago by a friend (now long deceased) which I BELIEVE he said was Cerrosafe.  It had been melted and recast into what appears to have been those little plastic condiment cups they give you at restaurants with your ketchup or salad dressing.  The questions are;

1) Short of melting it, is there a way I can determine easily whether it is indeed Cerrosafe? 

2) Where can I get whatever instructions and pointers I need to actually use the stuff?   ???

3) Anybody have any other ideas, advice, suggestions, cautions, etc about this whole process? 

As always, TIA!   
The Azure Amphibian 

My late & sorely missed friend used to do all my chamber casting with Cerrosafe.  The most important part was getting out the modeling clay and sealing off all the crevices, screw holes, etc. where it might be possible to spill the stuff into.  So take yourself to the nearest good quality children's toy store & get some colorful modeling clay.  It came in sticks wrapped in some sort of cellophane, about 4" x 1/2 " x 1/2".  The brighter the color, the easier to make sure you get it all back off.  If you make a chamber cast in a bolt action like a Mauser, you need to completely fill the locking lug recesses before you pour.

If the chamber is an unknown, maybe you can make a little dam or cup with the clay so you can get a look at the rim and maybe get a headspace measurement.

Jim used an alcohol burning lamp to melt the Cerrosafe and a little dish made out of a cat food can to hold the melted stuff.  he bent a spout in the can with pliers and used channel locks to hold the can while the stuff melted.  Not high tech.  he had an aluminum funnel to feed the stuff into the chamber.  If you don't have an alcohol lamp, you might melt the stuff with a candle.  It doesn't take much heat.

The barrel plug went more than an inch into the barrel, so you had a cast of the throat, leade, etc.  Jim gave the chamber a very light coating of oil to make sure the stuff released.   

I sure learned a lot about my 8.15 x 46 R rifles from the casts.

Good luck, 

Richard

Hey Mr. Frogster --- remember to lightly heat the bbl area around the chamber before pouring the cerrosafe into chamber or you won't get a good cast. Heat no more than warm/very warm to the touch.     Ken

somehow or ta other i missed this post. the only thing i mite add to all the above fine advice is, allways make two casts of the chamber. leave the first in for a while to get the chamber up to temp. knock it out and the second cast should be perfect. BTW, a casting ladle makes a good melting and pouring pot..

..ttfn..grampa..