Noob needs help

[Espie]

Hi I'm new to forum and new to casting. i started today with my first castings , i'm using the Lee TL452-230-2R and will resize down to .451. my question is I have looked at a lot of your castings and the look a lot diffrent from mine. looking for a any advice . I did everything the mold said to prep.

[plainsman456]

Looks like the mold needs to be somewhat hotter before pouring.
Sometimes it takes several castings before new molds cook in and you get good smooth boolits.
Don't give up yet try casting some more you can always remelt the bad ones.

[454PB]

It looks like you need to flux more, that "wet" look is actually slag inclusions caused by dross suspended in the melt, and possibly some remaining oil/preservative in the mould cavities. I use brake cleaner or Gunscrubber to remove all traces of oil and grease.

[Tedak]

Welcome aboard!

Pics 1 and 3 aren't looking too bad. #2 looks like there was oil in the cavities as the alloy was poured.

Don't be afraid to experament with different alloy temps and mold temps. Since you may not know what too-cool looks like, I suggest warming the alloy and mold until you are dropping boolets that look frosted (too hot). They may look shiny as they are dropped, but after they cool for a bit (30 sec) the frosting appears. The aluminum molds will cool quickly, so when they get too hot, I allow mine to air cool for a few seconds with the mold open, then I'll slow my pace a bit.

(My 1911 likes this same boolit with Unique).

[geargnasher]

Pockmarks on the boolits look like they were caused by machining oil in the cavities. Clean the mould several times with VERY hot water and dish detergent, scrub it with a soft toothbrush.

"Frost" on the tops of the driving bands are caused by the mould being hotter in those areas than the shiny parts of the boolits. Notice I said "hotter", not "too hot". It is a matter of personal preference whether you cast at a fast enough pace to get the mould hot enough to make boolits that are evenly but lightly frosted all over, or are shiny all over.

I would suggest getting the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, third edition, and read the chapters on casting, just about everything you need to know about the basics of casting are in there, and well beyond the scope of a few internet forum posts. Boolit casting is one hobby that actually does have a written, "how-to" manual that will answer most any question you have, and lots of the ones you haven't thought to ask yet! Pick up a copy and spend a few evenings reading it until you understand the basics of casting safety, alloy, mould temperature, alloy temperature, pouring techniques, timing, fluxing, etc. My only warning is NOT to use any sort of borate flux in your alloy, it removes tin and makes a royal mess of everything. Use a little sawdust instead, and stir it in with a dry wooden stick.

Gear

[williamwaco]

Pockmarks on the boolits look like they were caused by machining oil in the cavities. Clean the mould several times with VERY hot water and dish detergent, scrub it with a soft toothbrush.

"Frost" on the tops of the driving bands are caused by the mould being hotter in those areas than the shiny parts of the boolits. Notice I said "hotter", not "too hot". It is a matter of personal preference whether you cast at a fast enough pace to get the mould hot enough to make boolits that are evenly but lightly frosted all over, or are shiny all over.

I would suggest getting the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, third edition, and read the chapters on casting, just about everything you need to know about the basics of casting are in there, and well beyond the scope of a few internet forum posts. Boolit casting is one hobby that actually does have a written, "how-to" manual that will answer most any question you have, and lots of the ones you haven't thought to ask yet! Pick up a copy and spend a few evenings reading it until you understand the basics of casting safety, alloy, mould temperature, alloy temperature, pouring techniques, timing, fluxing, etc. My only warning is NOT to use any sort of borate flux in your alloy, it removes tin and makes a royal mess of everything. Use a little sawdust instead, and stir it in with a dry wooden stick.

Gear

I agree with everything in this post. If you have not scrubbed the mold at least three or four times with hot soapy water, you still have work to do here.

And I would like to add that those dimples can also be caused by spray type mold release. If you have sprayed anything in those cavities, get it out.

[runfiverun]

i am going with the mold being too hot causing the dented ones and then the whitish rounded grooves.
you have a pretty good boolit in pic #4
get the mold clean, run it 3-4 times to heat cycle it [relieves sress in the metal too]
then pay attention to your mold/alloy temp relationship and....adopt a rythmn to your casting speed.

[462]

Espie,
Welcome.

You've been given a lot of excellent advise, follow it and it'll all come right.
I'll add the following:
1. Completely ignore the Lee instructions.
2. Read and follow the Leementing sticky.
3. Read the stickies and spend as much time as possible in the archive -- link at the bottom of every page.

[Espie]

Thanks For the advice .i'll pick up the lyman tomorrow. and just keep on goin. today was day one of many.thanks

[bigjason6]

Thanks For the advice .i'll pick up the lyman tomorrow. and just keep on goin. today was day one of many.thanks

It's addicting, isn't it? Welcome and have fun!

[Bret4207]

I have found that despite my best cleaning methods, using chemicals that are likely the cause of my childrens lack of ambition and ability to pick up after themselves, it often takes 2-4 casting sessions for my Lee's to get get the idea they are supposed to drop nice boolits. I think the heating-cooling cycle "bakes" the oils out of the mould.

[Lizard333]

Don't fret about how purty your boolits look. Ugly, correctly made boolits shoot just as well the really purty shinny ones. Get your rhythm and get a good temp for your mold and pot. When I first started casting I worried about everything. Go out and cast and shoot them. You may find they work really well. You will get better the longer you do it. Like everything else.......