Just started casting tonight!

[Vanquish]

First off, I just wanted to thank you guys for all the very helpful info that's on this forum. I think this might be my first post, but I've been reading on here for some time.

Anyway, I finally got around buying the tools I needed to start casting, and the UPS man delivered everything today. After a few hours of setup and practice, I was able to make about 150 that were somewhat worth keeping. :-D It is so much fun, but it definitely takes some skill to get right.

I bought the Lyman starter kit and two Lee 2 cavity molds. The 105gr swc seemed to be the easiest of the two to cast with. I had a really hard time with the 158gr swc though and I haven't figured out why yet. I'm hoping that things will go a bit smoother tomorrow with that mold. I was having lots of wrinkles, and then I was getting really smooth and rounded grooves. I managed to get 30 that weren't too bad, but I'm still not happy with them. The 105's turned out a lot better, but there were still quite a few duds. I know I need to work on keeping a good rhythm, and making sure the molds are hot enough. I don't have a thermometer yet, so I'm not quite sure where on the dial to keep the temp set at. I'll have to play around with that some more tomorrow.

Even with the rough start, I'm totally hooked now. I just need to decide on a lube method, and I'll be all set!

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a202/bladefist45/photos/DSC_5062.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a202/bladefist45/photos/DSC_5062-2.jpg

[DrCaveman]

Those are lookin pretty nice!

I am no expert, but have good results when running those two moulds very hot for a while, after I already think the moulds are up to temp via resting on the furnace. On my lee pot I run it at 7-8 (not sure how that translates to Lyman gear) but it's pretty much as hot as it gets.

Let the boolits pour nicer and nicer til they get frosty, then take a few minutes break with the mould resting on the furnace, while turning furnace temp down to 50% or so.

Go back and begin pouring very nice boolits. Of course make sure that your alloy has some tin and has been fluxed properly during melting.

I have really been enjoying that 105 gr round lately as a plinker for all my 38 guns. Also loaded to full boar 357 mag levels it has shown good accuracy for me

[Echo]

Good lookin' boolits, Vanquish! And practice (with good coaching, available right here!) makes perfect. You have earned a:

WAY TO GO!

[GP100man]

My first 1s did`nt turn out so good 29yrs ago !!!

I did`nt have internet or casting brothers of the silver stream to help ,I learned by T&R.

Very nice first casting !!!

[44man]

They look awful nice to me. The Lee push through dies will do good with GC's if you push through upside down.
Use a good lube, pan lube or get sore fingers like me when I stuff the grooves by hand. [smilie=1:

[snuffy]

My first 1s didn't turn out so good 29yrs ago !!!

I didn't have internet or casting brothers of the silver stream to help ,I learned by T&R.

Very nice first casting !!!

+1 on that!:bigsmyl2:

But, it's been so long since I started casting, I can remember what my first ones looked like.:|(1972)

[gray wolf]

Welcome to the madness, Your bullets look very nice.
You are going to do just dandy,
Here you will get
all the pertinent need to know in-for-mation.

[41 mag fan]

Make sure the molds are clean...scrub with hot water and soap like Dawn. Lee molds, IMO require a higher heat temp due to the cheaper aluminum. Once they come up to the temp the molds like and the molds are clean, they'll cast pretty good boolits.

A thermometer, IMO, is a neccessity. You might not have your melt hot enough, or it could be too hot.

[skeet1]

Vanquish,
Very nice boolits!

Ken

[MPnine]

Dang those look way nicer than my first attempt two nights ago! (although thanks to the input of the forum members, I learned that my mold was way too cold).

I too am hooked... I never knew casting would be so much fun!

Enjoy shooting them!

[Cherokee]

Looking Good - Great first try !!

[Cadillo]

Good Job! It took me a few times at the pot to get mine looking that good. I hope things continue to go so well for you.

[Vanquish]

Thanks a lot for the tips guys, they really helped out a ton! I tried another batch this afternoon, and really cleaned the molds well, and worked at more of a steady pace. I also kept the molds hot, and found a good temp to keep the pot at. Wow, what a difference it made. I can't believe how much better things went.

I was able to cast 637 keepers. :mrgreen: Yesterday I was tossing 9 out of ten boolits back in the pot, and today it was only about 1 in 50 that went back in. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I'm so excited.

I need to get this batch loaded up and test them out at the range. I'm realizing too that my 150lbs lead stash isn't going to last very long.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a202/bladefist45/photos/DSC_5064.jpg

No more smooth edges and wrinkles! The 158gr mold was working like a champ today.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a202/bladefist45/photos/DSC_5067.jpg

[geargnasher]

MUCH better! A clean mould and running the mould nice and hot (casting faster) sure helps those sharp edges. After you fix the warped sprue plate on the TC boolit mould and clean the trash out from underneath it, the bases will be perfect, too, then you can come over to my house and teach ME how to get those nice, shiny boolits1

Also, since nobody's mentioned it yet, contact member Randyrat via PM and buy a bottle of Zip Lube from him to use on the bottom of the sprue plate and alignment points of the mould, it will help keep the lead trash from building up on top of the blocks and the sprue plate, prevent the galling of the aluminium, and help the mould close properly each time. There's an excellent sticky thread in the boolit lube sub-forum that covers sprue plate lubes and a good way to use them so your mould lasts longer and you get better boolits.

Gear

[Vanquish]

After you fix the warped sprue plate on the TC boolit mould and clean the trash out from underneath it, the bases will be perfect

What's the best way to go about doing that without damaging it? There is a small amount of galling on the top of the mold, but not too much. I just assumed it was normal and didn't think anything of it.

[DrCaveman]

Now you gotta lube em... Have you decided on ingredients and technique yet?

This comment may find disagreement, but I'd go with lee liquid alox for initial runs. It is very straightforward and no tweaking required. Just go light on the stuff, and let it dry properly. I've found that my 1500+ fps 357 mag loads do fine with it, but I seem to be fortunate in that my boolits also fit my gun without a lot of effort. No gas checks.

Anyway, seems to me that the LLA test can't go wrong: it will either work great, or letcha know that your boolits aren't sized to match your chambers & barrel. At which point, ask these guys and they will set you on the corrective path.

If LLA is not an immediate option, there is a ridiculous amount of information about lube recipes & application techniques in the boolit lube sub-forum. Word to the wise, you often don't need as much lubrication as you may think.

Happy shooting!

[geargnasher]

What's the best way to go about doing that without damaging it? There is a small amount of galling on the top of the mold, but not too much. I just assumed it was normal and didn't think anything of it.

I've had to tweak some of the Lee two-cavity sprue plates in a vise so they'd lay flat when they got up to casting temperature, and many of them do just fine right out of the box. What tends to happen is aluminum and lead gall up around the sprue plate pivot, underneath the plate, and this tends to push the sprue plate up at an angle when closed so the far cavity casts a boolit with flashing on the base. Do a "daylight" check to see how much of a gap is under the sprue plate when it's closed, be aware that this may change with the mould temperature. Mould demons usually don't rear their ugly heads until the dang moulds are too hot to touch! Anyway, if there's some metal wadded up around the pivot area you'll need to remove the sprue plate and reface the top of the mould by closing it tightly and lightly dressing it with wet 400-grit sandpaper and a piece of glass or other dead-flat surface. Do the same to the bottom of the sprue plate, most Lee sprue plates are a little wonky anyway on the underside and have burrs that need to be sanded off.

Once you get the surfaces deburred, mate the mould and plate again and do the daylight check. If the sprue plate doesn't lay flat on top of the blocks naturally, or is a bananna, you can fix it pretty easily with a hammer, 3/4"-thick block of wood, solid flat surface, and a few scraps of index card stock or other thin cardstock. Put a piece of card under each end of the sprue plate to lift it a few thousandths off the flat surface, put the wood block across the middle, and smack it with the hammer. This will "un-bananna" it without going too far or hurting the sprue plate. Personally, I like a slight arch to my Lee two-banger sprue plates, about .003-5" across the blocks is plenty. This ensures that the wave washer will keep the plate down on the far end like it should as long as there's no galling or lead smears in the way.

Use of Zip lube or Bullplate sprue plate lube (out of business currently) and a quick wipe with a clean cotton rag on the bottom of the plate every once in a while when casting will help keep the lead smears from accumulating.

Whatever you do, don't follow Lee's mentally absent instructions about smoking the cavities or using Beeswax/Alox boolit lube to "lubricate" the mould. This will only lead to a gummy, burned-on mess.

Gear

[Vanquish]

Thanks a bunch Gear, that was really helpful. I'll work on them this weekend and try to get them fixed up. I'll see if I can get some of that zip lube you mentioned too.

[sig2009]

I have a Miha mold that will not cast bullets that look that good and I payed over $100 for it. Looks like I wasted some money on this mold!

[shadowcaster]

Very nice I must say!! Now you have to lube'm and shoot'm. :Fire:

Shad