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kooldecker
04-24-2011, 09:04 AM
Let me please start with a "Thank You " to all of you out there that generously post your knowledge, trials , successes , and dreams on this page. If it were not for this page, and this page alone, i would not be casting today and i thank you all! I have "lurked" on here for a while now and hesitated to post because well.....there is just so much on here to read and absorb! By the way the wife already hates you guys lol. So let me start with my story, after the purchase of a 1911, it was apparent very quickly that i would need to start this addiction to feed the 1911 addiction. Much to my suprise, looking in a box of my brothers old stuff he left me that i hadnt sifted through in about 15 years was not only a beauty of a lyman 61 furnace, but a Lyman .45 200 gr SWC (you know the one!) mold , a 450 lubrasizer and a .38 mold as well! Holy **** i was in business! I even had a tub of 45 bullets he must have cast 30 years ago! So i began by melting them down , i knew they were clean and the right alloy so i figured i would start there, smelting would come later when i got my WW at least for now i knew i could work on the molding aspect and then i figured it would be easier to pick out smelting problems after casting some with known clean lead. Started out and had the typical cold mold results, at this point i was really just fooling around to get used to the whole setup and trying to get some of the common problems out of the way, once things heated up they were churning out like butter. I stopped and shut down, to go through the new children and critique my work. The bullets themselves looked great (i thought...pics later when i learn to post them lol) but my mold had a blue tinge to it once it had cooled down. Now i remember heating metal as a kid almost glowing and it leaving it bluish in hue. I am hoping i have not damaged my mold here, and i am wondering if there IS too hot of a mold and what are the signs i can look for ? I have read Bruces technique with the wet rag, and i have seen some of your setups with a small fan for the mold. I have also seen the hotplate for the mold. Is the hotplate to get it started? Then switch to the fan or rag? Any help I could get would be GREAT!

Tracy
04-24-2011, 09:25 AM
Remember that you are heating the mould with lead. You cannot get lead hot enough to damage your mould, so don't worry about it.

Just watch the casting qualities of your alloy. You would get crystallized bullets long before you could damage even an aluminum mould, much less steel or iron. At that point, your casting would slow way down because you would be waiting a long time for each bullet to solidify.
It is a good idea though to get a casting thermometer so you can monitor your lead temperature in the pot. Keep it below 800F, and just slow down a bit if your bullets start coming out too frosty. Casters cool their moulds so they can cast faster, not because the mould needs any protection.

HeavyMetal
04-24-2011, 09:38 AM
Welcome to the site!


When using a steel mold I make it turn that Blueish color in the cavities!

That is a sign the mold is "broken in" and it actually works like a release agent! Do not remove it and do not coat that mold wiith any kind of grease or oil as this color will be removed when you go to clean it again. I also would not, and don't, leave the last casting in the mold.

My experince is this actually draws rust rather than keeps it away!

To store your mold put it in a good clean ammo can that has a good intact rubber seal around the lid and add a container of dissacant to keep the inside mositure level zero!

This storage set up has worked for me for years and all my steel molds are ready to go on a moments notice.

runfiverun
04-24-2011, 12:51 PM
that blue gold color is correct and desired i have to go through a few casting cycles with new molds just to break them in.
i run them hot and cool them 4 or 5 short sessions before i expect any kind of results.