Casting problems

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Andy Q.

32 Cal.
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
Messages
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Location
Fano - ITALY
Hi fellows,
I have a single piece bullet mould ( not two halves ) for a winget bullet. I use to smoke the mould before to pour the lead inside but I was wondering if you can suggest me a valid specific product to cast bullets fast and easy …

Thank you.

Cheers,
Andy
 
Are you asking what to use instead of smoking the bullet? I use a commercial spray that is made for that purpose.
https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Aerosol-Release-Reloading/dp/B00EVNSFKY
To make the bullet fall out easier, I take a wooden dowel about 1" in dia, and simple push on the molds corner when opening it. Causes the bullet to drop out.

FLeener
Hi Fleener,
The problem is that the mould it's one piece mould, you cannot open it. In addition the bullet is a " winged bullet " and it's not easy to remove the bullet from the mould....
 
Hi fellows,
I have a single piece bullet mould ( not two halves ) for a winget bullet. I use to smoke the mould before to pour the lead inside but I was wondering if you can suggest me a valid specific product to cast bullets fast and easy …

Thank you.

Cheers,
Andy
Andy
I think you would get more response to your questions if you put it in the Shooting Accessories forum and not this For Sale forum.
 
I would be interested in a picture of your mold. Dont think I have ever seen a one piece mold.

Fleener
 

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I've used similar moulds for pickett bullets. They are a pain to work with; the presence of what Andy Q describes as "wings" just makes it worse.

The best advice I could give would be to clean the mould, then clean it again with acetone. The goal is to remove all contaminants from the surface of the mould. Release agents (including smoke) tend to not work well in brass moulds, especially moulds for conical bullets.

Once clean, do NOT smoke the mould. Instead, pre-heat the mould (on a hotplate) to appx. 100-125 degrees C. Heat your lead to appx 450 degrees C. Cast several bullets quickly, until it takes about 15 seconds for the sprue to solidify. What you are actually doing is using the heat of the lead to ensure all contaminants are burned out of the mould; the bullets should all be recycled.

When actually casting bullets to shoot, use only pure lead. Because of the design of the mould, any alloying component will make the bullets more-difficult to remove (the diameter will be larger than pure lead). Again pre-heat the mould on a hot plate. Cast with your lead about 425-450 degrees C. Cast several bullets quickly, to get the mould up to working temp. The mould temp should be about right when it takes about 25-30 seconds for the sprue to solidify.

Cut the sprue and drop the bullet from the mould. If you need to tap on the mould to shake the bullet loose, tap only on the bottom of the (inverted) mould, and only do so with a light wooden mallet (I use a piece of broomhandle about 30-35 cm long).
 
I've used similar moulds for pickett bullets. They are a pain to work with; the presence of what Andy Q describes as "wings" just makes it worse.

The best advice I could give would be to clean the mould, then clean it again with acetone. The goal is to remove all contaminants from the surface of the mould. Release agents (including smoke) tend to not work well in brass moulds, especially moulds for conical bullets.

Once clean, do NOT smoke the mould. Instead, pre-heat the mould (on a hotplate) to appx. 100-125 degrees C. Heat your lead to appx 450 degrees C. Cast several bullets quickly, until it takes about 15 seconds for the sprue to solidify. What you are actually doing is using the heat of the lead to ensure all contaminants are burned out of the mould; the bullets should all be recycled.

When actually casting bullets to shoot, use only pure lead. Because of the design of the mould, any alloying component will make the bullets more-difficult to remove (the diameter will be larger than pure lead). Again pre-heat the mould on a hot plate. Cast with your lead about 425-450 degrees C. Cast several bullets quickly, to get the mould up to working temp. The mould temp should be about right when it takes about 25-30 seconds for the sprue to solidify.

Cut the sprue and drop the bullet from the mould. If you need to tap on the mould to shake the bullet loose, tap only on the bottom of the (inverted) mould, and only do so with a light wooden mallet (I use a piece of broomhandle about 30-35 cm long).
Long Waker thank you for your help.
Actually I use an alloy 1:20. Probably pure lead could be too soft for this kind of bullet for a, not less, charge of 10-12 drams of powder. I have in mind to make a round ball mould for a lighter bullet easy to manage and to shoot.
 
Hi fellows,
I have a single piece bullet mould ( not two halves ) for a winget bullet. I use to smoke the mould before to pour the lead inside but I was wondering if you can suggest me a valid specific product to cast bullets fast and easy …

Thank you.

Cheers,
Andy
I can't visualize that. Can you post a picture of it?
 
Long Waker thank you for your help.
Actually I use an alloy 1:20. Probably pure lead could be too soft for this kind of bullet for a, not less, charge of 10-12 drams of powder. I have in mind to make a round ball mould for a lighter bullet easy to manage and to shoot.
What caliber is that?
If you are shooting black powder there is no way you need anything harder than pure lead.
There just isn't enough pressure in a black powder barrel to need harder lead. (Reference Lee Second Edition pressure vs lead hardness table and Lyman black powder handbook for pressures)
Take the pure lead advice - that's a great piece of information. 1:20 is WAY too hard.
 
How would you design a split mold with three wings? It would appear that however you would do it you would have either a seam in the middle of a wing or an asymmetrical split that would be equally hard to remove the bullet from because one "half" would be past center.
 

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