Off day casting

[plmitch]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but just got to throw it out there, maybe to whine a little, maybe just to get a little reassurance that I’m not the only one. Has anyone or everyone ever just had one of those days where they couldn’t cast to save their life? I had one of those days. Temp just wouldn’t stay even, molds just not working with me, spilled lead on the floor, and then my wife came in and said “Well by the look of those boolits, if the zombies come for me and you have to protect me, I’m screwed”. Ended up casting about 250 boolits to only keep TWO! And they aren’t all that good looking. I figured I give up for the day and try some other time. Just venting a bit.

[geargnasher]

I never have "off days" casting, my boolits are always perfect. If you believe me on that, I also have some ocean-front property in Arizona for sale if you get tired of California, I'll sell it cheap.

Gear

[frankenfab]

Yeah, it usually happens to me every time I cast, for the first hour or so lately. It comes from not casting often enough, I believe. The seasoned pros here have much less of this, I'm sure. They can do it all from memory, muscle memory, particularly. But they have their act together in every other aspects, too.

Those of us that don't cast enough can stay in the curve better by using pot and mold thermometers, and taking notes. I haven't been doing so well on the taking notes part, myself.

Hope it gets better. I know it will!

[Cherokee]

Sometimes it don't work. Go do something else.

[FN in MT]

Yeah! Yesterday. I was about ready to throw EVERY one of my new BRASS molds out into the field. Couldn't turn out two good bullets out of FOUR probably half the time. TOO hot, then too cold. Etc. Etc. Finally taking all the patience I have...set them aside and pulled out my H&G #34 and started turning out 230 gr RN forty five slugs like no tommorow.

But...Today I cleaned up the bench, resupplied the ingots, and thoroughly cleaned the three molds I wanted to use this week.

Went out this aftn and FINALLY got my 4 cav BRASS H&G #68 running...and I mean REALLY running.......perfectly flat bases...simply beautiful boolits.

Good days and bad days are part of life I guess.

FN in MT

[runfiverun]

i usually just stop and go have a soda, or switch molds and wait for it to come up to temp.
i have been just running the same mold for extended periods of time lately trying to get a stockpile of the ones i use most.
it's was working pretty good but i have run out of a couple and will need to get a couple of molds going this winter.

[mustanggt]

I cast about 500 or so 311365 and 314299 today. It went like I always wish it would. That don't happen too often. Had just a few rejects at first then started throwing good boolits. Most of the time I struggle for at least an hour before I start getting it together. I hate going out there to cast and try to get something done for my few hours of effort which is how long I can stand it, and have it all go scat on me. My most problem children are my BPCR moulds. Trying to get them within a grain is all I ask and it can be real struggle. Each of those moulds are like a child with a different personality that has to be contended with. When I'm throwing good boolits they are a thing of beauty. So no you aren't alone on this at all.

[Beau Cassidy]

Yep. Once I spent a few hours trying to get a .45 rifle mold to fill out by bottom pour. Got fustrated and dug out the ladle. At this point I had never used it (got it as a gift). Good bullets from the first throw. Now all rifle bullets are ladle cast.

[JohnH]

Somedays the dragon wins.

As ridiculous as this may sound, drizzly days are the best days I've found for casting. Sundog wrote about this a few years back, I thought he was full of it, but after at least three years of watching to see, he's right. Doesn't mean I limit myself to drizzly or high humidty days, it just means that the whole process goes smoother and I get better results faster.

[2wheelDuke]

I had one of those a couple nights ago. I got some knockoff Bullplate lube to try out. I must've used to much and got some in the cavities. I think I need to lap the blocks and get the galling taken care of that was the reason I got the lube in the first place.

I was also messing with a .50cal REAL boolit mold that I haven't had drop a good boolit yet. It's time for some more intense Lee-menting there.

[wallenba]

Mark the day on your calendar. It may be a low in your bio-rythmn cycle. If you believe in that stuff. We all have those days. Mine are marked with minor accidents like dropping an egg on the kitchen floor or tripping on something. I never go shooting when the day has those markers stacking up, because my aim will be off a bit for sure.

[waksupi]

I definitely have off days in the shop. When I make a mistake, I quit for the day, as I know if i made one, I will make more. Never fails. I can go back the next day, and go for weeks or months with everything running smooth. Sometimes a man's just gotta know his limitations.

[geargnasher]

Somedays the dragon wins.

As ridiculous as this may sound, drizzly days are the best days I've found for casting. Sundog wrote about this a few years back, I thought he was full of it, but after at least three years of watching to see, he's right. Doesn't mean I limit myself to drizzly or high humidty days, it just means that the whole process goes smoother and I get better results faster.

I've noted the comments in the past from Corky and Felix both regarding casting in a "condensing atmosphere" as Felix put it, I'll be danged if they aren't right. It's almost like the molten lead stream doesn't oxidize as much, because the finish is better on the boolits and they drop much more easily from the mould. Seems like the oxide scum formation on top slows dramatically too, especially when casting with a Rowell ladle.

Gear

[mpmarty]

I too have days like that. That's why I've got a wood stove in my woodshop.

[Bret4207]

I get a lot of days like that. Sometimes it's obviously me, other times it's those little devils that just make everything go wrong. Best to just put it all down and go do something really simple on days like that. Hard to mess up stacking wood or picking rocks.

[10x]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but just got to throw it out there, maybe to whine a little, maybe just to get a little reassurance that I’m not the only one. Has anyone or everyone ever just had one of those days where they couldn’t cast to save their life? I had one of those days. Temp just wouldn’t stay even, molds just not working with me, spilled lead on the floor, and then my wife came in and said “Well by the look of those boolits, if the zombies come for me and you have to protect me, I’m screwed”. Ended up casting about 250 boolits to only keep TWO! And they aren’t all that good looking. I figured I give up for the day and try some other time. Just venting a bit.

Things were not going well casting and you got that hint from your wife and you just kept casting?????

[fishnbob]

Ended up casting about 250 boolits to only keep TWO! And they aren’t all that good looking. I figured I give up for the day and try some other time. Just venting a bit.

That happened to me yesterday. I spent the whole day backing up[smilie=b:

[fishnbob]

[QUOTE=FN in MT;1439743]Yeah! Yesterday. I was about ready to throw EVERY one of my new BRASS molds out into the field. Couldn't turn out two good bullets out of FOUR probably half the time. TOO hot, then too cold. Etc. Etc.

Darn, I can't remember ever getting any of my brass molds too hot! Too cool has always plagued me, even with the addition of a hot plate.:shock:

[Moonie]

Some days you are the windshield some days you are the bug. Last night I was the windshield, everything went great. Last time I cast I was the bug, couldn't get good boolits to drop to save my life, sticking to HP pins, not filling out, just put it away and came back another day.