Anyone cast without a mallet?

[AbitNutz]

Take a look at this video from MP molds.

http://www.mp-molds.com/index.php?nShow=27


No mallet and very pre-heated.

I've always used a mallet, which this video makes me feel like a complete moron.

I have a nice set of welding gloves that will work well for this mallet-less technique.

I've never pre-heated the molds that much either.

[HATCH]

I don't use a mallet but I do tap it on the edge of my work bench.
It isn't beating it but just using the table to move the sprue.
I don't wear gloves, I guess I should invest in a set.

[MtGun44]

First off, I don't believe that water dropping is good or necessary.
Second, I haven't (yet) gotten the hot plate habit, but that looks like a winner.

I use Miha's molds and they are excellent. I cut the sprues by gloved hand, catch the
sprue in my right (gloved) hand and drop it back in the pot, flip the mold upside down and open
it, about 1/4" above a padded surface. A couple very light taps with a wooden stick (1.5" square oak)
on the end of the cramer pins to push the boolits out - don't do too early or the pins will
tear or crack the cavity side, and a light whack on the hinge drops both boolits on their bases
sitting side by side. Flip over the mold, close the sprue plate and gently close and squeeze
to be sure the mold if fully closed, and refill. I'm sure I could push the pins with a thumb, but
I use the stick to make them let lose of the pins, so it is easy to gently tap/push the pins
sideways with the stick. Definitely NOT whacking the cramer pins, but a sharp rap on the
hinge pins releases the boolits from the cavity pins for me.

Bill

[geargnasher]

Mallets are for leather stamping and gunsmith work, not boolit casting. At least that's my opinion.

I wear a glove on my right hand only when casting, hold the mould in my left, and cut the sprue with my gloved thumb on the right. With alloys that are close to eutectic, (short or no slush phase), you have to really watch your timing to cut the sprue while it's still soft. Most boolit metals have about a 75 degree slush phase, so it's easy to tell when the sprue is still soft enough to cut by hand, yet solid enough to not smear molten metal on the top of the blocks and bottom of the sprue plate.

If you preheat your mould and sprue plate, you shouldn't need a mallet to open the first ones, either.

Gear

[Larry Gibson]

I use a glove also and only use a plastic mallet to tap the handle bolt to drop bullets from the mould. I have an old assistant machine gunners glove to set the mould on between pouring and the sprue cooling. I use a heavy leather work glove on the right hand and if ladle pouring I use a softer leather glove on the left hand for protection from molten alloy splatters. I generally only wear the right glove when bottom pouring. Since switching to gloves some years back my problems with moulds being damaged or getting out of alignment are now almost nonexistent.

Larry Gibson

[thompsonm1a1]

if you keep your mold very hot you can cast like him. i use a wooden stick just like a lot of other people casting.

[youngda9]

I was only able to fine one .44 caliber mold available on that website. Do they only build molds for group buys and not carry any stock items? I would like to buy a .44 mold that I can cast solids and HPs from...

[MT Gianni]

I use an old pin from a cross-arm off of a utility pole on four cavity molds. Even warm they are tough to cut with my gloved hand. I have used the same pin for 15 + years now so I can't be hitting it too hard.

[Daywalker]

The key is a great mold which he has. The lee moulds don't have the pins that you can push in to help release the boolits. I myself don't whack my spru plate with anything but open it with a gloved hand. After polishing the cavities on my lee mould, it is seldom that I have to tap on the nut to release out of the mould.

He did a great video. I so bad want to get some of those moulds, I just don't have the funds that will allow me to do so. One day if the funds becomes available, I will get a couple and then I will know what casting with great quality moulds are like. In the meantime. the Lee moulds keeps me shooting.....

[onondaga]

I hope beginners watch this video. It is an example of good cadence in casting. He drops 10 times in 3 minutes and 40 seconds. This is a speed that will keep your mold at good operating temperature that so many beginners don't realize is so important.

Unfortunately my hearing is poor and I am an apple pie and cheese eating Yankee so I didn't get much of what he said.

Gary

[462]

I cut the sprue with a gloved hand and use a small rubber mallet to tap the handle hinge for boolit release, though some moulds don't require tapping.

I'm a recent hot plate/mould oven convert...what a difference it makes.

[stubshaft]

I cut the sprue with a gloved hand and usually the boolit will drop out when I flick the mold open. If not then I use a small rawhide mallet to get it out.

[475BH]

Glove to open here.
Gloved finger to persuade stubborn bullets also.

[peerlesscowboy]

I use a rawhide mallet.

John C. Saubak

[Doc Highwall]

I use a gloved hand to cut the sprue and I some times push on the corner of the right half of the mould when opening it with a piece of wood.

[94Doug]

Crab Hammer. Two bucks.

Doug

[troy_mclure]

i have a dowel i tap on the hinges of some recalcitrant moulds.

[plainsman456]

Hickory hammer handle.I figure it will out last me.

[KCSO]

A friend of mine added a small lever and knob to the sprue plates of all his moulds and just pushes the lever to cut the sprue. It works well for him. I have used a mallet for over 40 years now and have yet to BEAT UP a mould. I have always been tempted to try the glove method, I first saw this in a machinests magagine maybe 30 years ago, but have had good luck doing it the way I was taught so i just never changed.

[EDK]

I was only able to fine one .44 caliber mold available on that website. Do they only build molds for group buys and not carry any stock items? I would like to buy a .44 mold that I can cast solids and HPs from...

Send him a message at HIS website and he'll get back to you. Either get a second set of pins or reverse the hollow point pins to cast solids. I'm waiting on the brass mould for 44 hollowbase wadcutter...got the 38 and it's great...got the aluminum AND brass moulds for the solid 44 Keith/429421/H&G 503 too.

[Southern Son]

I used to use a hammer handle to cut the sprues, but after wrecking a brass mould, I started cutting the sprues with a gloved hand. I then turn the mould over so that the sprue is on the under side and give the handle hinge a tap with the hammer handle. The mould usually springs apart and the boolit/boolits drop our onto a folded towel. I then turn the mould back over, close the two halves together and then give the mould handle a tap on the side of where it sits in the slot on the side of the mould to seat the two halves of the mould firmly together.

[malpaismike]

Hello the camp! Anal dude that I am, I used a rawhide mallet until I needed it back in my gun room. I took an 8" length of 1 1/4" oak dowel, bored a 2" hole in one end, filled it with shot and added a plug--a healthy dollop of glue on top of the shot prevents rattling. With grip tape wrap on the end, all I have to do is lift it, its weight will open sprue plate no problem. One of those things that takes longer to relate than do. My .02.

[cbrick]

I use a gloved hand to open the sprue also.

I don't water drop anything but if I ever get the urge to do so I can't imagine why I would do it to a pistol HP, something I intentionally use a "softer" alloy for.

Rick

[geargnasher]

I use a gloved hand to cut the sprue and I some times push on the corner of the right half of the mould when opening it with a piece of wood.

Interesting. With some two-cavity moulds, particularly the Lee and some Lyman, I have to "cradle" the bottom of the blocks with my right (glove) hand while opening to keep the parting faces parallel, otherwise they'll pop apart at the bottom before the top, tearing the driving bands.

Gear

[white eagle]

everyone has their own style
of casting to say never need to do this or that
sooner or later find out it isn't so
I never cast sitting down

[montana_charlie]

I watched the video linked in the opening post. The guy's whole operation is foreign to me.
He uses a bottom pour, casts small bullets, multi-cavity mould, and he water drops.

What I did not see was waving moulds in the air, fans blowing cool air on moulds, wet towels for freezing sprues, and dunking moulds in water to avoid overheating. He has no mould release coating the cavities, and no buildup of crusted crud from scorched beeswax/bullet lube on the sprue plate pivot.

Comparing the video with much of what is said in these threads, one could get the idea that the guy has no idea of what he is doing. He probably IS doing it wrong, but it appears that he is turning out keeper bullets efficiently, without beating his mould to death, and not running a three-ring circus.

I think I may keep on doing it his way ... but, with a dipper.

CM

[Huntducks]

i use a rawhide mallet.

John c. Saubak



same here

[casterofboolits]

I'm a whacker and have used large hammer/hatchet handles, RCBS whacker, etc. Finally settled on a Sears six ounce hammer with rubber/plastic tips and buy extra tips and replace the red rubber tip with the yellow plastic tip. I use banding tape to wrap the tips and this helps with the shock and makes the tips last a lot longer, especially when opening the H&G eight cavity moulds.

I had a boolit casting business for over twenty years and always cast with three moulds for production and to maintain a good mould temp.

Now, I only cast once or twice a year for the calibers I shoot. Just broke out my three H&G eight cavity moulds (Darn! They're starting to get heavy!) for 185 and 200 #68's and cast 3,000 of the 185's and 2,500 of the 200's. I'll spend a couple more days casting and the 45's will be set for awhile. Next up, 38 Supers with Saeco eight cavity moulds.

Running three moulds in series means that the only way to open the mould is to "whack" it. Works for me. :bigsmyl2::cbpour: As long as you do it with care and don't damage the mould. [smilie=l:

[cbrick]

Comparing the video with much of what is said in these threads, one could get the idea that the guy has no idea of what he is doing. He probably IS doing it wrong, but it appears that he is turning out keeper bullets efficiently, without beating his mould to death, and not running a three-ring circus.

I think I may keep on doing it his way ... but, with a dipper.

CM

I dunno Charlie, I watched the video, I didn't see a single keeper bullet, fact is, I didn't see a single bullet. If he showed any of his bullets in the video I missed it. Were any of his bullets keepers?

True, he wasn't beating up his mold but it was a two cavity. I always open two cavs exactly the same way. Not always so easy with 5-6 or more cavities to do it that way.

I'll ask again, what is the point of water dropping pistol hollow points?

Rick

[Von Dingo]

I was only able to fine one .44 caliber mold available on that website. Do they only build molds for group buys and not carry any stock items? I would like to buy a .44 mold that I can cast solids and HPs from...

What EDK said, also, there is a group buy in progress right now for a four hole H&G 503 mold in the active GB section. It doesn't seem that he keeps an inventory.

[Freischütz]

I use a leather glove for sprue cutting . But I can only do it with <4 cavity moulds. For four or more cavities I I use a 2" diameter pine branch.

[WildmanJack]

I use my right hand once the mold is hot enough, but until then I tap it with a rawhide mallet. Now when I use my H&G 6 banger in .45 I find I need to tap the sprue cutter a couple of times with the Rawhide hammer..
Jack

[Goatlips]

Well, This hasn't been put up for a while; my amateur tutorial on speed casting with one six banger, no video but no annoying radio in the background either. :violin:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/casting.html

Everyone does it different but I like to see a screwed-down pot in case a squirrel jumps on your back with the dog after it. Almost never use a stick but keep one handy.

Goatlips