Lead melting temp

[mooman76]

I wish to expand my knowledge of casting. Can some explain how pouring temperatures effect the bullets weight. Given that the lead is hot enough to completely fill out the mold that is. It’s been mentioned twice in this thread.

It has to do with expansion of both the mould and the lead.

 

[Whughett]

So the hotter the lead the more it and the mold will expand therefore throw a larger bullet. ??

 

[Eterry]

Tried my hand at casting some .44 Lee Conicals, My first time ever casting. Don’t laugh Ha Ha.. I poured with one of those Palmer electric Pots, seemed to have worked ok. View attachment 101263

Nothing to laugh about in my book. They'll go bang, go down range, punch a hole in whatever you aim at.
Congrats.

 

[Tenring]

Why thank you that means a lot.

 

[BadDaditood]

If you want a Factory Mold i swear by the Lyman Plains, It shoots EXTREMELY well in every Rifle i own, .50 & .54 Cal.

If you want a Custom mold, These 2 are my Favorites from Accurate Bullet Molds, I have several of them and they are Excellent.

These 2 are my Favorites in .50 Cal
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=50-415IThe .50 Cal, Accurate Molds #50-415I

Cast of PURE Lead

Gotta Love a BIG WIDE Meplat

5 Shot Group, Shot with my Green Mountain LRH 1:28 Twist at 60 Yards

And this one, This is from an Original Bullshop 460 that i sent to Tom at Accurate Molds and had him make for me. I would make a few simple changes here, Go with ALL Bands the Diameter you need instead of a Taper Design (Size to fit your Bore) And do away with the slight Bevel Base
https://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=51-450M

Thanks Idaho. I really like Accurate molds, the price and the turnaround are great.
(Unless you want something round!)
I have half a dozen brassers… I love that look!
I’m gonna order that 415 tomorrow after I double check the bore diameter.

 

[BadDaditood]

You might check with Steve Brooks out in Montana, if he is still making molds he will custom make it any way you want it.

Yeah Brooks is good too. A couple months ago he made a 20mm mold for a buddy’s cannon. Last weekend he won the second match he used them in!!

 

[Tenring]

Just casted some .454 .44 Cal. Round Balls, Lee Mold. Had to quit though it started to get dark and I didn’t need a third degree burn, I was going to just cast here inside the garage but I don’t have any way to exhaust the lead fumes no windows and only one door, gotta buy a fan and put it in the door Way.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Just casted some .454 .44 Cal. Round Balls, Lee Mold. Had to quit though it started to get dark and I didn’t need a third degree burn, I was going to just cast here inside the garage but I don’t have any way to exhaust the lead fumes no windows and only one door, gotta buy a fan and put it in the door Way.View attachment 101987

If you are staying under 3,180 degrees them you have nothing to be concerned about with lead fumes.
Molten lead does not produce lead fumes.
Depending on what you are using for flux, it's probably not a good idea to breathe those fumes.
Nice look balls. And enough of them to have a good heaping amount of fun!

 

[Tenring]

Thank you for the info Griz and the compliment ..

 

[Tenring]

Can some one answer this question, My sprew plate sits flush on top of the aluminum mold but after I pour it’s raised a little over a 1/16th , but after I smack it open and cut the sprew off and swing it back over it’s nice and flush to the mold again. Lead does not expand as it cools does it, and will this damage the mold itself over time.?

 

[Whughett]

Should not be any play other than swing with the sprue plate. The screw tight ? My Lee mold plates come loose from time to time. If it’s a Lyman or RCBS there’s a set screw in the side locking the plate screw down and they never come loose.

 

[Tenring]

There is 0 play I mean it is tight, but once the cavity is filled you can see the black Sprew plate lift ever so slightly and once you smack it open and tilt everything out and swing it back to the ready position it’s flat rock solid tight and ready to go, that’s why I was wondering about the little bit of lift when it’s filled and cooled. Lead must expand a little when it cools down I don’t know . The balls all mic out the same and are beautiful so I guess it is what it is I just won’t look the next time. LOL…

 

[French Colonial]

Lead does not expand when it cools, some alloys do.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I wish to expand my knowledge of casting. Can some explain how pouring temperatures effect the bullets weight. Given that the lead is hot enough to completely fill out the mold that is. It’s been mentioned twice in this thread.

Lead expands as it is heated. It continues to expand once molten and the temperature continues to climb.
Very very hot lead in the pot and then into the mold will start to cool.
If the lead solidifies before it has time to draw sufficient material from the sprue pool the bullet could have an occlusion in it. V(Here you will see it called a "bubble". Bullets cast with adequate sprue pools do not get bubbles. I had that argument with a guy here that swears EVERY bullet has as a bubble, I invited him over and we cut open 3 balls he made and 3 balls I made - 2 of his had a bubble - none of mine did. @hrt4me and I did some casting last week and he witnessed how and why bullets get bubbles. We had a fun day!
When the lead in the mold solidifies on the outer shell first, the hotter the lead was, the more it will shrink.
We are talking thousandths of an inch and hundredth of a grain here. It is not enough to have any effect on a black powder bullet with "normal" loading and shooting.
If you are talking custom long range shooting - it probably could. That would be less than .001% of black powder shooters shooting out past 500 yards and farther.

 

[Griz44Mag]

There is 0 play I mean it is tight, but once the cavity is filled you can see the black Sprew plate lift ever so slightly and once you smack it open and tilt everything out and swing it back to the ready position it’s flat rock solid tight and ready to go, that’s why I was wondering about the little bit of lift when it’s filled and cooled. Lead must expand a little when it cools down I don’t know . The balls all mic out the same and are beautiful so I guess it is what it is I just won’t look the next time. LOL…

It's not lift, it's the sprue pool being sucked into the mold as the lead cools. Lead contracts as it cools.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Can some one answer this question, My sprew plate sits flush on top of the aluminum mold but after I pour it’s raised a little over a 1/16th , but after I smack it open and cut the sprew off and swing it back over it’s nice and flush to the mold again. Lead does not expand as it cools does it, and will this damage the mold itself over time.?

Tighten your sprue plate screw. I've had a couple of mine I drilled and put a set screw in at 90 degrees to the sprue hinge screw.
Many of the Lee sprue plate screws are left handed thread so opening the sprue plate has a tendency to unscrew them.

 

[Tenring]

Thank all of you I new I would get an answer, This is an awesome site, I just got into casting but have been shooting since i was old enough to Carry a rifle, should have started casting years ago.

 

[45man]

So the hotter the lead the more it and the mold will expand therefore throw a larger bullet. ??

No. Best for pure is 800 degrees but the mold will cast at 500 just fine. Getting the mold too hot will change the dimensions as the cavity is not a hole in solid metal. bullets and balls will get out of round. cast by holding the spout of the ladle tight to the mold until the cavity takes all the lead it needs from the ladle, NOT the sprue. Tip off the ladle quick to leave a small sprue and it should only shrink a tiny amount (just sprue shrinkage.) My friends can't do it as they don't seem to get one hand to move without the other! I tell then to keep the mold level as they tip away the ladle. The other gets lead all over the mold and inside too. He never adjusts the sprue plate if it loosens and gets bad fins. Then balls stick so he beats harder and longer so I will refuse to loan him my molds.
I have been casting from sinkers to bullets for close to 80 years and can cast a full 20# pot without a single reject. I was about 10 when I made my own sinker mold. Darn did I catch the perch from lake Erie.

 

[45man]

Lead expands as it is heated. It continues to expand once molten and the temperature continues to climb.
Very very hot lead in the pot and then into the mold will start to cool.
If the lead solidifies before it has time to draw sufficient material from the sprue pool the bullet could have an occlusion in it. V(Here you will see it called a "bubble". Bullets cast with adequate sprue pools do not get bubbles. I had that argument with a guy here that swears EVERY bullet has as a bubble, I invited him over and we cut open 3 balls he made and 3 balls I made - 2 of his had a bubble - none of mine did. @hrt4me and I did some casting last week and he witnessed how and why bullets get bubbles. We had a fun day!
When the lead in the mold solidifies on the outer shell first, the hotter the lead was, the more it will shrink.
We are talking thousandths of an inch and hundredth of a grain here. It is not enough to have any effect on a black powder bullet with "normal" loading and shooting.
If you are talking custom long range shooting - it probably could. That would be less than .001% of black powder shooters shooting out past 500 yards and farther.

Read my last post, use lead from the ladle to fill and not the sprue.

 

[45man]

Can some one answer this question, My sprew plate sits flush on top of the aluminum mold but after I pour it’s raised a little over a 1/16th , but after I smack it open and cut the sprew off and swing it back over it’s nice and flush to the mold again. Lead does not expand as it cools does it, and will this damage the mold itself over time.?

Adjust so you need to push with little force to swing, not free swinging. I change the screws on lee and put in set screws. Drop a tiny copper piece from wire in the hole to tighten against the screw.