These bullets just don't want to release...

[Jumbopanda]

I just bought one of these molds:

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=390

and I absolutely cannot figure out how to get the bullets to release properly. Each time I cast, I need to whack the handles 30-40 times to get all five bullets to fall out.

I have already done the following:

Washed and scrubbed the mold
Smoked the mold a little
Smoked the mold a lot
Used a little mold release spray
Used more mold release spray
Inspected the mold for burrs and did not see any

Am I missing something? My wood stick that I use to hit the handles is getting completely shredded and leaving splinters all over my workspace. :killingpc

[Cap'n Morgan]

Too deep grease groove, not enough taper in both the GG, the crimp groove and the gas check step.

[ourflat]

Vote #2 for the hotplate!

[Jumbopanda]

Did you follow the cycling procedure outlined by Al in the instruction sheet?
Are you using a hotplate to bring the mold up to temp before casting?
What is your alloy temp?
Are all 5 cavities sticking?

Jerry

To the best of my ability, yes.

I wasn't using a hotplate the first time but I just tried it and it didn't help. The problem isn't relegated to the first few casts anyways; I'll cycle the mold 50 times and it'll happen every single time.

I don't have a thermometer but I use a Lee 4-20 pot and have the temperature set as high as it will go, so probably around 800+. This is the only way I can get complete fill out with this mold, and even then I still get rounded edges sometimes. None of the bullets ever come out frosty. I am casting as fast as I can, but obviously having to whack the mold 40 times to clear the bullets slows things down a bit.

Yes, all five are sticking; I have not noticed any particular cavity that was noticeably worse than the others.

Also, I'm using an alloy of 50/50 Linotype and COWW with a bit of foundry type thrown in.

This is absolutely baffling to me.:(

[tomme boy]

Cut that mix in 1/2 with soft lead. Why too hard with too much antimony. Pour a big puddle on the top when you are pouring until the mold heats up. I like to let my molds and pot sit for at least 1/2 an hour to 45 min. It sound like you are not getting the mold up to temp. I have had a couple of Al's molds and they tended to want to run hot.

[Jumbopanda]

Cut that mix in 1/2 with soft lead. Why too hard with too much antimony. Pour a big puddle on the top when you are pouring until the mold heats up. I like to let my molds and pot sit for at least 1/2 an hour to 45 min. It sound like you are not getting the mold up to temp. I have had a couple of Al's molds and they tended to want to run hot.

This alloy mix is only a little bit harder than 92/2/6, so I can't see that being a problem. Plus these are going to be shot at over 2000 fps.

It's not a matter of pouring a large enough sprue because the bases come out fine every time; it's the edges around the lube groove that come out rounded sometimes.

My Lee 2-Cavity molds tend to overheat easily when I set the pot to a lower setting than what I'm using now. This is the only time I've ever cast on the max setting actually. I think it might just be the nature of a large mold dropping relatively small (129gr) bullets.

Still, I can't figure out why the bullets cling so tightly.

[longbow]

I am going to have to say that there must be some small burrs or some other issue. I have one of those moulds and it casts very well. The lube groove is a bit deep ad does not have much draft to it but with the mould tilted a bit they drop right out.

My mould cast well as new and also after lapping out a couple thou to suit my sloppy bored .303. It is a nice little boolit and shoots well.

If you can't get your boolits to release well I suggest getting hold of Al and let him know. He may suggest lapping it lightly but I suspect he will tell you to send it to him and he will make it right.

Have you miked boolits? Are they perfectly round? If the boolits are out of round it is possible the cavities are slightly off center.

If it is a mould defect I am sure Al will fix it up for you.

Longbow

[brotherdarrell]

I have some molds that stick badly if I open them with the sprue down, yet if I open them with the sprue up they pop right out. My NOE 311407 is the worst of the lot. Something else to try.

[tomme boy]

Pouring the big puddle is to help heat the mold up. Try it. knock it off into the pot. You need to get more heat into it.

[texassako]

If it is a burr, it would need to be in all of them. Adding heat(hot plate, big puddle, etc.), dropping them with the sprue plate up or down, and trying a different alloy(8%+ antimony is kind of high) are all easy to try. If it is the alloy, you could always water drop or heat treat for hardness.

[Jumbopanda]

If it is a burr, it would need to be in all of them. Adding heat(hot plate, big puddle, etc.), dropping them with the sprue plate up or down, and trying a different alloy(8%+ antimony is kind of high) are all easy to try. If it is the alloy, you could always water drop or heat treat for hardness.

Just got back from another attempted casting session. I managed to get the mold fairly hot for a while; the sprues would take maybe 10 sec to solidify. For some reason this made the fill out worse, particularly in the three middle cavities. Come to think of it, I have had more success in the first and last cavities overall as far as fill out goes. All five cavities stick though. I always open the mold with the sprue open (it just swings open when I cut the sprues and I never saw a reason to close it before opening the mold blocks). I also noticed that the mold is now quite difficult to open after a pour, so I tried lubricating it with some paraffin wax, but that didn't help. I had to wiggle the handles a bit and pull hard to get the blocks open each time.

Maybe I'll try a different alloy tomorrow; I'm tired and frustrated right now. I spent maybe five hours fighting that thing today and only got about 175 decent bullets.

[tomme boy]

Take a magnifying glass and take a look at the edges of the cavities in the mold. Look to see if there are any raised metal. If there are no burs, give NOE a call. He is a very good man and he will make it right.

You are not the only one. Mihec has a 308 mold that does the same thing to a bunch of us. So it is not only NOE's mold that can do this.

[runfiverun]

Too deep grease groove, not enough taper in both the GG, the crimp groove and the gas check step.

this...

[CPL Lou]

Try rapping the hinge pin to cause the mold to open on its own instead of pulling it open. I use this method for hollow points and molds that like to stick, even when I'm doing everything else right.
I invert the mold after cutting the sprue and tap the hinge as I gently pry with my finger tips.

CPL Lou

[Jumbopanda]

Too deep grease groove, not enough taper in both the GG, the crimp groove and the gas check step.

You might be onto something here, and it's a little ironic because I was planning on tumble lubing these anyways!


Try rapping the hinge pin to cause the mold to open on its own instead of pulling it open. I use this method for hollow points and molds that like to stick, even when I'm doing everything else right.
I invert the mold after cutting the sprue and tap the hinge as I gently pry with my finger tips.

CPL Lou

I'll give it a shot, thanks.

[SwedeNelson]

Jumbopanda

Just seen your thread and offer the following comments

This bullet has had problems in the past with its deep lube groove
But it does have a very good reputation as a shooter

Try using a straight wheel weight alloy.
Your mix is not shrinking enough to get any kind of release

Locator pins sticking in the bushings
Take a case chamfer tool and chamfer the openings on the bushings
Or use a small roll of emery cloth or light sandpaper.
Just remove the burr on the inside of the bevel on the bushing

Your blocks should pivot open if you use the corner of the block as a pivot point.

If you would like to send it back I will check it out for you and fix or replace as required
We do guarantee all our mould

Sorry for the inconvenience
Swede Nelson

[SwedeNelson]

Jumbopanda

Just got your e-mail and responded

Swede Nelson

[Cap'n Morgan]

Perhaps you could use some pointed object to free the boolits from the mold? A prick at the base and just flip the boolit out - A bit of a hassle, I know, but still faster than wackin' that pretty mold to death.

I'm sure Swede could remove part of the grease groove from the mold, but the slim "waist" may be part of the reason the boolit shoots well.

[Jailer]

Just got back from another attempted casting session. I managed to get the mold fairly hot for a while; the sprues would take maybe 10 sec to solidify. For some reason this made the fill out worse, particularly in the three middle cavities. Come to think of it, I have had more success in the first and last cavities overall as far as fill out goes. All five cavities stick though. I always open the mold with the sprue open (it just swings open when I cut the sprues and I never saw a reason to close it before opening the mold blocks). I also noticed that the mold is now quite difficult to open after a pour, so I tried lubricating it with some paraffin wax, but that didn't help. I had to wiggle the handles a bit and pull hard to get the blocks open each time.

Maybe I'll try a different alloy tomorrow; I'm tired and frustrated right now. I spent maybe five hours fighting that thing today and only got about 175 decent bullets.

Once you got to the point that your sprue puddle is taking ten seconds to solidify, then start pouring a smaller srue puddle so it solidifies faster. This will get the heat into the mold faster and get things going where you need them.

Still sounds like your mold it too cold to me. You're going to need to get it to a very light frosting on the boolits before they will drop well. You'll still likely have to give the hinge bolt a light rap to get them to release once it's up to temp.

You also should invest in a casting thermometer. It's not a necessity but when you have having trouble like you are it makes it easier to chase down the problem when you can eliminate variables.