Is this frosting?

[jrebs]

I've done a fair bit of reading and research in getting into casting, and I'm aware that a cool mix will wrinkle while a hot mix will frost. I've looked at photos of frosting, but I am not 100% certain that my boolits are frosting or if there's another factor here. Do these photos look like frosting from hot melt or is it just something that comes with cheap Lee aluminum moulds? Almost all of my boolits come out exactly like this and they seem to shoot OK, but when I look at the boolits my friend casts (in a Lyman steel mould), his look beautiful and smooth.

These are cast from a Lee 309-200-R mould and they come out around .311-.3115. I size them to .311 and load them for 308Winchester.

The alloy is all wheel weights with ~1.5% tin by weight.

Thanks in advance for the assessment.

http://i.imgur.com/gGhHbWb.jpg

[1Shirt]

Looks like some frosting. I personally like some as I believe it holds lube better, plus I know the mold is hot enouogh, and usually the bases are completely filled out. Just my opinion.
1Shirt!

[w0fms]

A little bit of frost isn't bad especially if you are tumble lubing.. imho.. but I'm a noob, too. ;)

[MtGun44]

Yes, but so what. Nothing wrong with frosted boolits.

Bill

[Blammer]

look frosted, look good.

I only worry about frosting when it's on cake.

More importantly, make sure it's cooling enough before you crack the sprue that you're not smearing the lead on the bottom of the sprue, then you'll know you're too hot.

[archmaker]

Yep those are what they call frosted. I do not get that worried about frosting, but if you want to understand what is going on, recommend you cast some bullets in this order.

1. Start with a cold mold, First cast dump out and save, note which ones they are
2. Cast 5 more as fast as you can, dump and save (set aside and note which ones say group #2)
3. Continue doing until you know you are running your mold really hot.
4. Then you can see the progression of from cold to 'just right' to way hot, and have a way to visualize what is going on with the lead.

I like to run mine toward the the hot side as I tend to have less problems with fill out then if they are runnning on the cool side.

[jrebs]

Yes, but so what. Nothing wrong with frosted boolits.

Bill

Oh, I'm not concerned about frosting. What I was wanting to do was make that frosting is all this is and not some other issue that is worth understanding/addressing. :)

Thanks for all the feedback.

[runfiverun]

it's mold temp dictating the frosting not alloy temp.

try turning your alloy temp down when you get the mold up to temp.
i generally run my alloy temp right between 675 and 700.
i usually start my first few casts at about 725, then turn the temp down and throw in a cold ingot to help get the alloy temp down,then i just start casting and counting.

[Wayne Smith]

An easy way to check, frosting will wipe off with a cloth. You then have a shiny boolit. It is that thin.

[williamwaco]

those bullets are PERFECT.

Try to make a zillion more just like'em.

[dragonrider]

In my experience frosted boolits are small boolits. Frosting usually means your mold it too hot. Try a slower casting pace.

[ddixie884]

Better frosted and filled out, than shiney and rounded edges.

[josper]

I started using a digital temp gauge like the one NOE sells on his website .I keep the mold between 350 -400-deg. This produces uniform bullets from start to finish. IMOP frosted bullets = small bullets[to hot] When you get to this point slow down a little.

[geargnasher]

An easy way to check, frosting will wipe off with a cloth. You then have a shiny boolit. It is that thin.

Exactly. I call that light frosting and a quick twist in a dry rag will show shiny underneath. If it's dull and pitted like broken cast iron after a wipe, it's TOO frosted due to severe mould overtemp and will likely be undersized and poorly filled-out as well. A nice satin frost is what I strive for. Wheel weight boolits with all the trace metals in it, plus the additional tin put in, will give the faceted, bright galvanized effect represented by the boolits in the pic. I'd say they're just right. Watch them as you cast and try to keep the "finish" the same on all of them, it will tell you that your cadence is consistent and you're maintaining your mould temperature at a steady point. Doing that will promote consistency of boolit temper and size and that translates to one more accuracy variable you have conquered.

Gear

[454PB]

Just the way I like them.....except your nose punch doesn't fit very well:mrgreen: