Problems with new mold

[skyegod]

Greetings all,
I recently purchased a new NOE mold (.311 4 cav fp gc)
Looks great, feels great - fits perfectly on my lee handles - no problems there.

Today I fired up the lead pot, smoked the mold as I do.
got the lead nice and warm (700) had the mold sitting on top of the pot to heat up - as I have done with all my other molds. Then I started to pour, I know the first few pours are usually ****. No problem 5-10 pours later I can usually expect to see good casts coming out of the mold.

Today not so much. Okay I think to myself, maybe the mold is not hot - I dip the corner into the pot, and it comes up clean - okay mold is definitely hot. Pour another 10 pours - still ****.

I try slow pours, angled pours, fast pours, front to back, and back to front ( bottom pour Lee Pot) - every single one of them was ****.
67771

I turned the heat up - got it up to 800, still not 1 decent cast - pushed it up further to 900 - still ****.

What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Andrew

[Love Life]

Oil in the mould?

[skyegod]

No oil - before I used it - I scrubbed it out with Dawn Dish soap and a scrubber - then I seasoned it according to NOE's instructions ( heating up to 400, and cooling - several times)
Mold was clean.

[**oneshot**]

One of my 30cal and my 7mm aluminum mold like to be pressure poured. I ladle cast so it isn't much problem.

[Tatume]

Sure looks like oil in the mold. Could there have been some oil in the sprue plate screw that migrated to the cavity after you cleaned the mold. In any case, I'd scrub it again and give it another try.

[skyegod]

I did try to pressure pour - I think - I held the sprue right up to the pour spout and hit it till it was full - same results.

I will try to clean it with some carb cleaner tomorrow, and resmoke - let you know then.

Thanks

[dmclark523]

Wow those do look pretty bad. Maybe try some different type of cleaner? I've used rubbing alcohol before successfully, but my go to cleaner is DT-870 Reducer by PPG. It's a generic urethane reducer that will take ANY foreign substance out of my mold with a toothbrush.

[runfiverun]

follow the directions that come with the mold.

[BBQJOE]

Contaminated mold. Clean with carb or brake cleaner and q-tips.
When it looks really clean, clean it again.
My last new mold, I think it took like 100 pours before it was "seasoned" well enough to start casting right.

[supv26]

What lube are you using on the mold? If you are using paraffin wax you will get bullets that look like that. The paraffin will migrate into the mold cavity and cast bullets that appear to have come from a cold mold. I use Lees bees wax Alox mix or bees wax and Xlox mix. Even it that gets into the cavity you will not get wrinkled bullets.
Another thing I have learned.......... Every now and then the moons and stars do not align correctly and nothing seems to work right, even if you've been doing the same thing for 30 years...... LOL. But, when I get that situation I'll heat my mold hotter than normal. Heat it up until you get frosty bullets then cast until it cools to the correct temp, or when you get nice smooth boolits with a shine!!
Not to brag or anything, but I can get perfect boollits from the first pour. After I get the melt ready I heat the molds by holding then over the melt and then slowly putting them closer to the melt then I finally dip the corner of it into the melt. When the lube on the sprue bolt starts to smoke then it's hot enough.

[runfiverun]

follow the directions.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Hi and welcome to the forum. You have a fine mold and it should/will turn out perfect bullets.With the heat turned up as you indicated and no improvement then the problem is definitely related to oil, wax or some other hydrocarbon based ingredient that is in or getting into the mold cavity. Get a good solvent like acetone...work outdoors or in a well ventilated area. Put the blocks in (immersed) a large enough cup will do. Let things soak a while. Using a brush/toothbrush...scrub every surface you see, the sprue plate and the screws. Take it all out and wipe off, then let air dry. Or to speed things up use a hairdryer. Re-assemble, preheat and then cast. You don't need to wash the mold with detergents, put it in the dishwasher, mumble prayers or have it blessed. Acetone or lacquer thinner will solve the problem you have, but don't/try not to-- breathe the stuff as it will do a number on you. Keep the mold blocks clean and dry from then on and you should never have the same problem happen again. LLS

[Jal5]

+1 to LLS those are good instructions.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Today I fired up the lead pot, smoked the mold as I do.
got the lead nice and warm (700) had the mold sitting on top of the pot to heat up - as I have done with all my other molds.
If you smoked the mold with a parafin candle, and heavily sooted the cavities, I wonder if that could cause that ?

#IdontSMOKEmy MOLDS

[Tatume]

I'm with Jon; I don't smoke molds. There is no need. If the mold is clean, it should drop good bullets and they should drop easily. Also, I no longer use organic solvents, although they do work. Hot water and dishwashing detergent work just as well. I use a washcloth, as the terry cloth works very well at scrubbing cavities. Use water as hot as you can stand it, dry the mold with paper towels, heat the mold and cast.

I hope the OP will post some more photos after he gets his mold working.

Take care, Tom

[skyegod]

I will. Thanks for all the advice


I'm with Jon; I don't smoke molds. There is no need. If the mold is clean, it should drop good bullets and they should drop easily. Also, I no longer use organic solvents, although they do work. Hot water and dishwashing detergent work just as well. I use a washcloth, as the terry cloth works very well at scrubbing cavities. Use water as hot as you can stand it, dry the mold with paper towels, heat the mold and cast.

I hope the OP will post some more photos after he gets his mold working.

Take care, Tom

[mpmarty]

Smoke a pipe, smoke a cigar, smoke cigarettes but don't smoke molds. There is no reason to do so and all the smoke does is make smaller boolits.

[DeanWinchester]

THis is a brass mold, no? I borrowed the same one. It had me madder than a shaved wookie.
Does yours stick? Mine refused to release the dang boolits.
Inevitably I had to use a boolit and some diamond lapping compound to lap the mold just a touch. I used a bic lighter to lightly smoke the cavities and it started dropping decent boolits, but I had to run her HOT. I mean, way hotter than I like. They were frosting just a little. Not excessively mind you, but it would NOT make a decent boolit if I didn't.

In the end, I got some REAL NICE boolits from it but it has got to be the most frustrating mold I ever used.

[Carolina Cast Bullets]

I had the same or similar problem with two 5 hole NOE molds. Nothing I would do would get good bullets. So, I called Swede. His advice was to simply keep casting, the molds will come in, and they did. Took quite a few pours but, eventually, they did. When they did, got mounds and mounds and mounds of good bullets.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

[trixter]

I bought a new Lee mold about 6 months ago, when It arrived I scrubbed it with dish soap, rinsed it a lot, then used a little Comet cleanser with a tooth brush in the cavities, let it dry overnight, turned my hot plate on to medium (which I measured with a thermometer: 500deg) set in the hot plate, turned on the melter and about 35 minutes later I take a 'Q' tip and get some synthetic 2 stroke oil, dob it off on a towel, then lube around the sprue holes, all over the top of the mold blocks (not in the cavities though), on the hinge bolt for the sprue plate, and some on the sprue plate where it goes under the guide bolt/washer. I put some more here often to avoid wear, or then the sprue plate acts (or is) loose, causing bad sprue cuts and smeared bottoms. I do not smoke my molds, and I clean them after every use. After casting way more than 1000 boolits, the mold still looks the same as it did when I took it out of the box. Just remember; with lube, a little dab'll do ya. To me the hot plate and lube are the key to first drop keepers.

[white eagle]

Alloy

[dragonrider]

Forget the smoke, it insulates the cavity and keeps the mold heat away from the boolit, hence the wrinkles, get it clean, get every bit of smoke out of the mold. Lead temp around 725 + or - a bit. Heat the mold by dipping a corner into the melted lead for about 1 minute or untill the alloy no longer sticks to the mold. If they come out frosted, slow down your cadence, this will cool the mold abit. Experience will tell you how fast to cast.