Lead too hot?

[45man]

All is too cold. Do not just pour until lead forms a sprue, you must hold tight to the spout until the mold gets all the lead it needs, then tip it off.
It is very hard to ruin a mold but it looks like lead spatter on the inner surfaces. Heat and wipe clean. The six cavity is a bear to get hot and just pouring will not do it.

 

[mushka]

I prefer double moulds. My experiences with gang moulds hasn't been that great and I can cast enough balls in an hour with a two ball mould to satisfy my needs for a very long time. The single moulds that I have are for the size balls that I don't shoot a whole lot so there is no problem there. I like to cast only every once in a while so my system works for me.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I wouldn’t smoke the mold, I think it’s BS. Also look into some sprue plate lube like bull shop or two stroke engine oil. A little on a Q tip and rub a film on Top of hot sprue plate about every 30 pours.

Tooth brush and 409 cleaner to get rid of soot and good magnifying glass to check for tiny burrs.

You're wrong. Smoking a mould definitely aids in the lead releasing easier. Maybe it's a wives tale, but I think not. The carbon buildup on the mould walls definitely helps.

 

[maillemaker]

Lead melts below 700 but from what I read is the recommended pour temperature.

I almost never get quality pure-lead bullets at that low a temperature.

 

[maillemaker]

You're wrong. Smoking a mould definitely aids in the lead releasing easier. Maybe it's a wives tale, but I think not. The carbon buildup on the mould walls definitely helps.

In the Lee mold literature they say the purpose of the smoking is to create a thermal barrier between the hot lead and the cold mold. This probably helps you get quality bullets faster in a cold mold. But if your mold is up to temperature, it won't matter. And the smoke deposits are gone after about 20 drops or less anyway.

 

[flntlokr]

I agree that the mold is too cool. I would think that a long block like that could be cooler on one end, so some cavities would be ok, but others not. Always be sure to stir your flux right into the molten lead; it's sometime surprising how much crud emerges.

 

[User_Dan]

I keep my moulds smoked as they release the balls easier and fill out nicer. When I pause to add more lead to the pot I re smoke the moulds. I also smoke the top of the sprue cutter and the puddle falls right off when I strike it with a wooden hammer.

 

[Redlemur60]

Thanks guys, I'll clean the mold and give it another shot.

Flux and mix yer led as well, scrape the bottom and thow out the trash that looks like dirt

 

[Kansas Kid]

You're wrong. Smoking a mould definitely aids in the lead releasing easier. Maybe it's a wives tale, but I think not. The carbon buildup on the mould walls definitely helps.

I’ll stick with your wrong.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

A China marker, or grease pencil, is great for the top and bottom of the sprue plate. It keeps the lead from sticking and stays put for quite awhile. I melt some on the plate and rube it around with a piece of Scott towel on a kitchen match. I have a box of kitchen matches handy because I'm definitely with the smoke the mold crowd.

 

[Redlemur60]

Smoke um if ya got um!
(Yes i quit)

 

[Kansas Kid]

The sprue plates are usually too tight on Lee molds. The screw is left hand thread. The vents need to be open and not plugged with burrs or soot. It’s like a drain pipe if it’s not vented it will fill slow. Don’t worry about too hot, hot lead and hot mold is good. If sprue puddle freezes up quicker than 2-3 seconds after pouring it’s too cold. A little packet of optima 2 cycle oil applied to top and bottom of plate is good also.

 

[Redlemur60]

The sprue plates are usually too tight on Lee molds. The screw is left hand thread. The vents need to be open and not plugged with burrs or soot. It’s like a drain pipe if it’s not vented it will fill slow. Don’t worry about too hot, hot lead and hot mold is good. If sprue puddle freezes up quicker than 2-3 seconds after pouring it’s too cold. A little packet of optima 2 cycle oil applied to top and bottom of plate is good also.

A better lube for the screw
Miggt be bees wax it works is what is recommended and wont contaminate the cavitys

 

[maillemaker]

I disagree very much with the suggestion of putting any kind of oil on a bullet mold. The oil polymerizes and you end up with baked-on gunk. Same with bees wax.

What I very much recommend is Moose Juice from Moose Moulds. I suspect it is isopropyl alochol with powdered graphite in it. It paints on with a q-tip and the alcohol evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a very even and tenacious coating of graphite. I put this on the top surface of the mold and the bottom of the sprue plate. It all but eliminates galling.

Graphite is said to cause corrosion on aluminum and hence is forbidden in aviation work as I understand it. But I have had no issues with it on aluminum bullet molds.

If you don't want to find Moose Juice you can also take a pencil and rub down the sprue and mold surfaces. But it doesn't compare to Moose Juice.

https://moosemoulds.wixsite.com/mm2013/moose-juice

 

[Redlemur60]

I disagree very much with the suggestion of putting any kind of oil on a bullet mold. The oil polymerizes and you end up with baked-on gunk. Same with bees wax.

What I very much recommend is Moose Juice from Moose Moulds. I suspect it is isopropyl alochol with powdered graphite in it. It paints on with a q-tip and the alcohol evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a very even and tenacious coating of graphite. I put this on the top surface of the mold and the bottom of the sprue plate. It all but eliminates galling.

Graphite is said to cause corrosion on aluminum and hence is forbidden in aviation work as I understand it. But I have had no issues with it on aluminum bullet molds.

If you don't want to find Moose Juice you can also take a pencil and rub down the sprue and mold surfaces. But it doesn't compare to Moose Juice.

https://moosemoulds.wixsite.com/mm2013/moose-juice

Have it your way! Its america! Smear yourself wit watev! I never had an issue with wax!(and ive beez))

 

[1BadDart]

I poured a few balls yesterday afternoon. The pot was about 2/3 full and set on 8.5, the mold was sat on top and turned several times during the heat up. After the pot kicked off I fluxed the lead with saw dust and stirred it well, then scooped the crud off. After fluxing the pot went through another heat cycle, 858° at the base of the rod. My infrared thermometer doesn't work well on shiny surfaces so I couldn't get a good reading on the molds temp. I poured a few and it appeared the mold was cold and everything was dumped back into the pot. While the pot was reheating, I fluxed the lead with candle wax heated the mold with a propane torch. The balls looked a lot better and some are shootable, but most will be recast.

I emptied the pot and melted about five pounds of roof flashing and fluxed it with candle wax. Today I'll try it again. If it doesn't pour good balls today, I'll order a new two ball mold.

Thanks for the help guys. Justin

 

[maillemaker]

I was going to recommend one of these, but holy cow I don't remember them being so expensive!

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010268761?pid=357906
This is half the cost:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018278089?pid=451769
Nice thing about the old-fashioned one is it takes no batteries and will work pretty much forever.

 

[Redlemur60]

I poured a few balls yesterday afternoon. The pot was about 2/3 full and set on 8.5, the mold was sat on top and turned several times during the heat up. After the pot kicked off I fluxed the lead with saw dust and stirred it well, then scooped the crud off. After fluxing the pot went through another heat cycle, 858° at the base of the rod. My infrared thermometer doesn't work well on shiny surfaces so I couldn't get a good reading on the molds temp. I poured a few and it appeared the mold was cold and everything was dumped back into the pot. While the pot was reheating, I fluxed the lead with candle wax heated the mold with a propane torch. The balls looked a lot better and some are shootable, but most will be recast.

I emptied the pot and melted about five pounds of roof flashing and fluxed it with candle wax. Today I'll try it again. If it doesn't pour good balls today, I'll order a new two ball mold.

Thanks for the help guys. Justin

If you really hate the mold(tc?)
Cant remember? Try a lee mold very user friendly other steel molds not so much ,and id recommend precision they get them right to you
Like 3 days ikr! Happy casting!

 

[nhmoose]

Do not melt scrap in your casting pot you WILL mess it up. Melt your scrap in another vessel to melt and flux then pour ingots to go into the casting pot.

The faces on the molds are dirty beyond anything. Clean the mold again till whatever you got on them is gone. It looks like excess lube drizzled across them.

Do not use sawdust in your casting pot use a wax flux in that sawdust is a fine flux in the pot you would use to make ingots but not in the bottom pour bullet casting pot.

Pre-heat your mold on a hotplate not the top of the casting pot, trust me it will pre-heat much better. Your mold has been to cold and contaminated IMHO

OP you have multiple problems that will fix easy. Look up a forum called Cast Boolits [yes that spelling] I would give you a link but against the rules as they have a ML forum on it.

 

[1BadDart]

Thanks for all the help guys. I've ordered a Lee two cavity mold and am looking at thermometers.