new to casting

bodyalter · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:24 am Post subject: new to casting

ok so I have a lyman 4 cavity 245gr mould a second in 2 cavity with broken mould handles and a Lee 1 cavity 255gr mould so my question using the lee mould the casting pops right out with hardly a tap at the hinge, the 4 cavity sticks very badly is there something that I can do to stop the casting from sticking to the mould? I've read somthing about smokeing the cavitys but that was in conjunction with the Lee moulds now I did have to clean the lyman sence it hadn't been used in about 25 years but there was just minor surface rust that I took out with 0000 steel wool so what do I do? thanks in advance.

Vince · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: new to casting

Hm, interesting. I am thinking that maybe there is a little pitting from the surface rust. Have a good look with a magnifying glass or similar and see just what the surface is really like. You may need to have them polished. Either that or there is a little burr somewher that is "holding" the projectile.

I "smoked" my Lee Slug mould and the projectiles drop out nice and neatly, but its the only one that I have done that with.....all the other moulds (RCBS and a brass CBS) required a healthy "tap" on the hinge pin to get the projectiles to drop out. I "smoked" my fishing sinker moulds after having problems getting them out and now they come out smoothly. Its seems that aluminium moulds respond well to "smoking".

Cheers, Vince

bodyalter · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: new to casting

Thanks Vince I plan on picking up some polishing compound and putting a mirror finish on them then go through the re seasoning of them. I did the smoking of the mold and it helped for about 3 or 4 cures but its not a fix, its just a band aid. so what do you have the best luck with as far as your Alloy? I'm running somthing just a little harder then #2 if I can judge from the weight and just a little softer than lynotype. what do you all use?

Deleted_User_2665 · Super Member Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 380

If I read your post right then the single cavity works well but the four cavity doesn't.

True about maybe there is pitting or burrs that are holding things up, especially since there has already been rust on the mold surfaces.

It doesn't take much of a pit or much of a burr to cause a problem.

But.......

One thing I"ve noticed about multiple cavity molds is that they are very temperature sensitive as in they are hard to keep hot enough......

Single cavity molds tend to get too hot too fast.....

Improper mold temperature will cause bullet drop problems among other things.

Be very careful polishing the molds as the sharp edges, any and ALL sharp edges that are there are critical to proper mold function, as is the vents and the proportions those vents have been created to. Polishing the mold is removing metal and overdoing it will train wreck the mold...........

I smoke 'em with a wood match and try to not get any oils or waxes on them such as would happen with a candle or an oil lamp. There's commercial mold release agents also but never tried them.

I use pure lead for MLer's and paper patch, wheel weights for handgun practice/general purpose ammo, and linotype for CF rifles and bear loads in my .45LC........

SwampFox · Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:52 pm Post subject: Re: new to casting

Bodyalter,
The proper method for you to polish a mould would be to use very fine valve grinding paste on a bullet that has been cast in the cavity to be polished. Drill a hole centered in the bullet base, insert a screw, cut off the head, turn the screw in a drill press at slow speed, with the mould closed and locked up. However, the very best cure is probably a new mould. 99.9% of the time any rust has pitted the surface.

A good releasing agent for a mould is the spray made by Frankfort Arsenal called Drop Out. Smoke in a mould is at best a joke, more like an old wives tail.

If you want to try polishing her up, OK. Then, get some Drop Out, heat the mould up by placing it on top of the moulten lead. Let it sit until it is hot, ready to cast, spray her and try a few bullets.

I have won several cast bullet state, regional, national and international chanpionships using the following alloy:

5% Antimony
1.5% Tin
.015% Arsnic
93.3% Lead

The alloy can be achieved, aproxamately, by using 6 parts of cleaned and fluxed wheel weights, 3 parts of cleaned lynotype and 1 part of chilled lead shot. The chilled shot adds the arsnic, regular soft shot can not be used.

The alloy, water drops to 22 Brinnell and heat treats to 34. With LBT Blue lube and a gascheck the 34 will shoot to 2,800 fps without leading.

Veral Smith may still be around, bless his crotchety old heart. His casting products are second to none. LBT is or was his baby.
www.graybeardoutdoors..../index.htm

By the by, I use a 100 pound production pot to make the alloy once a year, then cast the alloy in muffin tins. I do several pot fulls at a time. I then use up to two RCBS Pro Melt pots and 4 moulds each to cast my bullets. The four moulds allow me to regulate the mould tempratures. I drop the bullets into clean water. I use LBT Blue lube for all of my bullets and use only Hornady gaschecks.
Ed

Vince · Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: Re: new to casting

bodyalter wrote:

so what do you have the best luck with as far as your Alloy? I'm running somthing just a little harder then #2 if I can judge from the weight and just a little softer than lynotype. what do you all use?

In the past I have used pure Linotype, 50/50 Linotype/Lead, wheel weights, scavenged range "lead". I have now settled on a
6% antimony/2% tin alloy made by a shooter out here who owns a scrap metal recycling yard. It is a very good alloy and, I believe, very much the same as Lyman #2. This guy will mix any alloy you want using your "recipe", if you are prepared to pay for it.

SwampFox wrote:

Bodyalter,
Smoke in a mould is at best a joke, more like an old wives tail.

Gidday Swampy.....Old Wives Tales usually came about from the old methods of doing things....trial and error. So, old wives tale or not mate....smoking the mould works......just like a lot of old wives tales do.

wildswalker wrote:

Be very careful polishing the molds as the sharp edges, any and ALL sharp edges that are there are critical to proper mold function, as is the vents and the proportions those vents have been created to. Polishing the mold is removing metal and overdoing it will train wreck the mold...........

You are 110% correct wildswalker. "Break" the edges on your mould and it is pretty much stuffed. Be a shame to ruin the mould totally.

Cheers, Vince

Crackshot · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject: Re: new to casting

"Smoke in a mould is at best a joke, more like an old wives tail. :-?"

Well if thats the case Its a very OLD wives tail, Because my Father and I cast and have used wooden matches to smoke our molds for decades, with out any release aids other than SMOKE.
Its also been used for years by old timers with affective results. A box of wooden matches is still cheaper than a can of fancy mold release. But......to each his own.