Casting Video

[buyobuyo]

I needed to cast some more boolits for my 9mm, and after the first pot, I decided to setup the camera and make a video of me casting and rambling on about various things casting related. So I figured, I would share. I have to break it up into two parts because of the length. Anyway, feel free to make comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HSgvY1F3A&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBU3rViEOFA&feature=youtu.be

[runfiverun]

wow that's a lot of motion i was getting tired just watching it.

[MikeS]

That was an interesting video. As Runfiverun said, lots of motion going on! If I cast like that I wouldn't last 10 minutes. I sit down, and don't cast quite that fast. Another thing I do is to mount the mould on the handles reversed from the way you have them so the part of the sprue plate you handle is closer to you, like they're usually used on 4 or more cavity moulds, but I do that even with 2 cavity moulds whenever possible.

Why do you drop the boolits from so high? if you either raised up the bucket, or got down lower to it, and used a couple of towels over the bucket, one facing one way, the other below it facing the other direction will cut down on the splashes coming out of the bucket as well. Other than that, not a bad video. One other thing that might make the video easier to watch would be if instead of talking thru the whole thing WHILE doing the casting, if you did a calmer voice over added while editing the video it might not seem quite as 'busy' as it does now.

Of course, your video is much better than mine, because I didn't make one! And of course everyone is a critic! :)

[geargnasher]

Was that casting, or P290X? :kidding:

Much better pace and techniques than most, but LOTS of wasted motion. Why do you switch hands with the mould three times per pour? I know it's a Cramer-style HP mould, but just keep holding it in your left hand and, after you cut the sprue, flip it over to dump the sprue off the plate (it should just fall off on it's own), then swing over the bucket and pop it open, if the boolits don't fall out on their own, a quick tap across the handle hinge bolt with a hammer handle will pop them right out and straight into the bucket. When I need to use the mallet, I just hold it loosely in my right hand, lift the pot valve with my right index finger, push the sprue plate open with the end of the hammer handle, and after dumping sprue, tapping out boolits, and closing them mould, I swing the sprue plate closed by hooking it with my right thumb tip while the mould is held sideways so I can flip it in an arc away from me. This is very comfortable, requires a minimum of hand motion, and a minimum of strain on the wrists. I don't wear a glove on my left hand, either, which leaves it free to work the Q-tip from time to time and reduces fatigue.

Things I really liked (because that's the way I do it, of course!) are the ventilation, pace, proper application of the sprue plate lube, pot less than 750, using sawdust for a flux/reducant and lighting it to make more reducing carbon monoxide and leaving the ash on top, NOT returning the sprues to the pot as you cast, use of thermometer, pour distance, cutting the sprue by hand, and the fact that you actually made a video of it for the harshest critics in the world!

What I didn't like so much was banging the mould with a gloved palm to get the boolits out (ouch!), and all the unneccesary fuss.

A couple more tips: If you let more slack in your tee shirt on the quench bucket so that it makes a funnel and is about halfway in the water, the boolits will quench better and roll through the submerged hole on their own without bouncing out. You get a bit more splash, but it's minor. Also, take a quick glance at your bases right after you cut the sprue, you get a chance to cull rounded bases and visible voids right then and there. A gooseneck lamp right above your sprue catch plate is a good place for the inspection.

Anyway, looks like your process should yield excellent boolits, carry on!

Gear

[ku4hx]

I guess I'm just way "old school", too chicken or both. When I cast ... I cast. No music, no camera, no TV, no radio, no phone, no talking, no visitors, no pets, just me and the melt. And after two hours, or there abouts, I've had enough. There's always another day.

[buyobuyo]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions so far.

Watching the video it does seem like I'm moving around a lot, but it doesn't really wear me out. I keep my feet planted and just sort of pivot/bend. Usually it's my grip that starts giving out first. I'm one of those people that doesn't sit still, so I'm used to it. I also think that I with trying to talk I was off my rhythm. I would start talking and then notice that sprue had already solidified, so I may have been rushing a bit.

Mike: I mounted the mold with the sprue handle coming out the front because it seems easier to use that way for me. When I was just starting to learn casting, the fellow who's equipment I was using mounted his with the sprue handle toward the handles like you do. I always found it a pain to get to the handle and cut the sprue, so I mount mine up "backwards". Actually, I find I do quite a bit backwards from most people being left-handed. :lol: I agree that I need to raise my bucket. A bit less water in the bucket would help too. I've been running the bucket pretty full so far. I just haven't figured out a good way to go about it yet. Right now it is sitting on top of a couple of extra .30 cal ammo cans. If I can remember, I'll ask about snagging a couple of big ammo cans from work. They're at least 2-3 time taller than the .30 cal cans. Do you have a picture of what you're talking about with the towels? I'm not quite picturing it in my head.

Gear: The way I have the mold/pins mounted I need to mold in my right hand to push the pins with my left, so I switch hands after I pour. Also, I'm left-handed and feel more comfortable using my left to cut the sprue. The sprue does fall right off the plate after it's cut. I just get smeared lead on the sprue plate from what's trying to drip when I put the mold under the valve, and the front sprue puddle usually smears some when I take the mold out. That's what I wipe off into the pan, so it doesn't fall off somewhere in between and have to be picked up later. I think what you're seeing as banging on the mold is me pushing the pins out to drop the boolits. The pins are on the left side, and they don't pull out on their own when I open the mold even though they move freely. I think part of it maybe because the front alignment pin seems to be hanging up, so the non-side comes free of the boolits. Then I have to push the pins out from the other side. The glove provides enough padding that it doesn't hurt at all. I do inspect the bases after cutting the sprue. I mention it a couple of times, and you'll notice in the video me doing it a number of times. There's a light on the wall right above where I'm casting, and I get decent light from the window next to me when the sun's up of course. :P

[geargnasher]

Hmmm. I'm left handed, too! Try putting a coat of sprue plate lube on TOP of the sprue plate too, it will keep the sprues from sticking and only needs to be reapplied to the wells every 50-75 cycles or so. Also, I can't imagine that you haven't done it, but if you haven't, lube the HP rails in the left block, and double-check to make sure you haven't bent them so they bind in their bores. If you hammer the boolits out of the block by shoving the pins you can tear the boolit noses up or stretch the HP cavity. Give tapping the handle hinge bolt a try next time, if you hold the mould at a 45 degree angle so the weight of the stuck boolits will help carry the HP pin rails out, you might not need to touch the rails at all, just a thought. I guess I got mesmerized by the shiny stuff and quit listening to the dialogue at some point. I do remember you talking about the back cavity not filling well sometimes, but you were flitting about so much it was really tough to tell exactly what you were doing half the time!

When you're older, you'll know what we mean about efficiency of motion. Uncle Pain and Grampa Hurt will let you know what you need to change when the time comes.

Gear

[Humbo]

Nice job. Although the casting technique is quite different from mine, I found the videos interesting. You seem to fill the cavities very fast, how's fill out? And how's expansion with that hard hollow points?
Keep 'em coming, I love watching casting movies.

[Blammer]

good video! Any novice could learn a great deal from your video! Thanks for sharing!

[Ole]

If I were you, I would cut the hole in your water bucket T shirt bigger. I drop straight into the bucket with no Tshirt, but touching a wet Tshirt with your gloved hand probably isn't a good idea (IMO: it would be safer to just drop straight into a bucket with a couple inches of water in it).

Fun watching your video though. :mrgreen:

[buyobuyo]

Thanks again for all the comments.

Gear: I do get some tearing of the HP cavity. That actually seemed to be the source of most of my culls in this batch. I'll give knocking the handle pivot with a stick a try. I need to figure out why the front alignment pin is sticking on opening. I may give it a tap with a brass rod and hammer to set it back a hair.

Humbo: Fill out is good. Usually if a cavity doesn't fill out, it is the base of the cavity closest to the handle pivot. I haven't really done any expansion testing yet. I tried one time, but one round exited mid water jug stack and was never found, and the second didn't expand. My current load only pushes these at about 1050 fps. Whenever I can find the time, I want to do more testing over the chronograph to check velocity (avg and spread). Also, collect some newspaper for wet pack testing.