Beagling a vent ???

[GP100man]

Me & BCall got on a trade & I had dressed all my 38-162 Lachmillers & he wanted fresh off the press !!

This mold is a work of art & I decided not to have it vented as it mite be a millionares dream 1 day so I cast BCalls & ya just can`t get in a hurry when the mold gets to temp , it blows out the drive bands is the best way to explain it !

I tilt it ,I pour slow-fast & still ya gotta let it cool a bit !!

Now I have no problem waitin but the problem is I can`t get a handle counting or tappin my foot or other wise gettin a consistent time for coolin & most of the time let it cool too much & get wrinkly boolits !!

I`ve run temp up & down & the only way to get a well filled boolit is to let the mold cool then pour a couple of cycles at 780-810f with the vave adjustment wide open & pressure cast em !!!

So I came up with some auto electric induction shielding tape , it`s .002 thick & has a stiky side.

When I put the strips on I can see just a tad of lite thru the mold halves , is this gonna work ??

I`ll cast some tomorrow fosho !!! but just a few to see how they run thru the sizer !!

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0504.jpg

[fredj338]

try recutting your vent lines w/ a sharp utility knife. I did this on an old RCBS mold that was giving me issue w/ base fill out. Snapped it right back into shape.

[MtGun44]

None to recut, it looks like.

Bill

[462]

Essentially, you've "beagled" the mould and it will cast fatter boolits.

[GP100man]

MtGun & fredj338

There`s no vent lines !! the face of it is the 1/2s are a machine finish smooth !! so smooth that when I tried smokin the cavitys with a bic liter lead just piled on top of the sprue until I cleaned it off.

I know they`ll drop a little fatter, but it`s gotta help the vent problem !!!

[fredj338]

I couldn't tell. No reason you could not cut your own vent lines w/ a sharp ut knife. It doesn't take much, just use a straight metal edge & go slow. A fine edge triagnle file would also do it, but I would feel better w/ a ut knife blade.

[GP100man]

Nope not gonna happen , I even contacted erik & he asked me to think it over before doing permanent work to a truely vintage mold !!

How many 38-162 Lachmillers with Lachmiller handles do ya see ????

& if ya work with the mold it makes beatiful boolits & I don`t really need that many ,but I was tryin for a more consistent way to help mold & production.

It`ll ladle cast all daylong , but the ar in my hands & wrists won`t hardly stand for it anymore !!! It`s funny how some really small movement can incapacitate your control of motor functions & with 700-800f molten lead ladling ain`t an option anymore .

[HeavyMetal]

I understand not wanting to "adjust" a mold liket that!

Not sure the beagling isn't going to give you another problem, like casting flash, because the mold is smooth.

I have had several Ideal's that aren't vented. What I did was my usual prep for molds and that is bevel, ever so slightly, the two mating suface's of the mold under the sprue plate and set the tension on the sprue plate just a little loose.

When finished this will have a sprue plate that you can move by tipping the mold one way or another and a very small "trough" where th molds come together under the plate.

This should be all the venting you need.

[Moonie]

+1 to HeavyMetals idea, I've done this to several molds that seemed to have venting issues.

[rintinglen]

Lachmiller collector's--the woods must be full of 'em--cause they ain't been none around here.

[GP100man]

Well it was a good suggestion but it looks as if it was done at the manufacturer & the blocks are closed , held tite by a innertube band.

I even clean em with a single edge razor blade `bout everyother cooling cycle.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0506.jpg

[bobthenailer]

Hi , you may want to try stoneing a slight bevel on the inside top edge of each one of the mould blocks halves, thus creating a vent between the top inside of the mould blocks where they meet
take it slow and repeat untill i vents correctly .
I have done this to all of my 25 + moulds . as outlined in LBT s book on cast bullets

[GP100man]

The cross ya see on the top of the mold & the heavy 1 on the face , it`s already been done .

[Doby45]

Personally, I think the beageling tape will work perfectly. The boolit will be fatter by a tad but I don;t think you will have a problem at all with finning or venting. I have beageled molds WITH vent lines and not had issues with finning. Try it, I think you will be pleased.

[jtaylor1960]

If you can see light between the halves as you can when you Beagle a mold you should have plenty of venting.As mentioned above you may get some flashing around the edges.I recommend not pressure pouring.

[SciFiJim]

I don't understand "blows out the drive bands". Can you post a picture of one of the boolits?

Also, you might try turning the center piece of tape vertical. This would increase the venting possible instead of blocking it.

[onondaga]

With temp at 780-810 and pressure casting it is likely to fin through the parting lines. I think you would get fins ladle casting at that temp.. I hope it is not that you are physically handicapped and just cant cast any faster. A quicker rhythm would definitely help.

I can give you some tips that will pickup your speed. Set a clock or watch with a second hand close and easy to see while working. Review your bench setup. Everything should be close in a cluster so you don't have to turn in your chair for anything. I cast with two brownie pans touching the base of my Lee 4-20. one for sprues and one with a towel for catching bullets. Behind the sprue pan on the right I have a soup can and spoon for droz.. My table and chair height are set so my eyes are at the same height as the bottom pour nozzle, so I don't have to stoop to see the nozzle. Use the mold guide to locate your mold under the nozzle so your flow is 1/8 to 1/2 inch-- longer will cool your metal noticeably.

Ventless molds and difficult to pour molds are usually tamed easily if the sprue plate isn't too tight. A couple thousands bevel on the inside top edge of each block works well to top vent a mold. Most importantly try the swirl casting method:

Put mold on the guide with sprue gate hole under the nozzle and tip the mold 5 degrees left or right so that when you start the flow , the flow will run half the diameter of the sprue gate hole off center. The tilt and the off-center pour will swirl the metal into the mold. Keep over pour puddles big and slide the mold to the right off the guide. Vents are not needed for this pour method. The off center pour is critical with this technique: it lets the air out as the metal goes in. This is a challenging skill to develop and you need good lighting to see the precise pour being off center and leaving an airway for venting. I have a couple molds that will not pour any other way but with a swirl.

A 4 count for the sprue puddle to solidify indicates good temperature of alloy/mold. After the 4 count and the puddle solidifies, a 5 count, then hit the sprue plate to cut, then a 5 count to open the mold and tap out bullets.. Three to 4 castings per minute is usually a good rhythm for two cavity molds. One or two per minute and you will not likely be able to increase your metal temperature enough to successfully compensate for slow casting speed and end up with a variety of problems like you are experiencing and blaming on your equipment.

Gary

[GP100man]

Mr. beagle is a smart man , he`s a practical solution genius !!!

I beagled to get some venting not enlarge the dia. The tape is only .002 thick & will only add .001 to each side uniformly so the bullet will be "balanced"

I could`nt stand it any longer I heated up the pot to 800f & started ,first 2 were wrinkly but good the rest of the way & I cast 1/4 " from the spout , then started dialin down the heat , stopped at 725f with good bullets all the way thru !!!! with no oxidizing of drive bamds !!!

When the bullets cooled I mic`ed em .359 across the seam & 360 opposite the seam , sized & lubed 25 & will size the others at 48hrs.

I had no issues sizing em to .3585 no issues with lube grooves closing or smearing of drive bands just a good sizing witness mark !!!

The weight of the bullet increased 2.2 grs. , but fit worries me more than weight to a point of course.:D

I was very happy with the venting also , now I can get a rythum going !!!

SciFiJim , the best I could describe it was a blow out but really it`s oxidizing of the alloy (a step past frosting) & stops fill out , it happens at driving bands first because that`s the thinnest point of the alloy .Here`s a pic of the same thing on a 314299 boolit , the 2 boolits were poured from a 2 cavity just seconds apart , the 1 with out the GC is what I`m describing .
http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0417.jpg

onondaga , this is my second nonvented mold & while your suggestions are spot on with the first (an IDEAL 311314) this 1 would not fall into line so to speak , but i`m very happy now

Forgot to mention I had no fins just a heavy "seam" where before the seam did not exist.

If anyone has a nonvented mold & works with a moderately soft alloy I urge ya to give beagling a try !!!

[Doby45]

Good on ya brother. Excellent use of a mold, without permanently modifying it..