Wobbly mold

[Khym50]

Oh goodness, what is this! I'm new to boolit casting and just got a Lyman, steel, single cavity mold for a 500 gr. .45-70 boolit. Two things I've noticed: The mold fits loosely on the handles. The screws are in as tight as they can go but the mold halves still rattle around on it. The other thing is a mold line on any bullets I cast. What's going on?

[NoZombies]

If it's a mold line, and not a mold ridge, it's normal. If it's a ridge, then the mold probably isn't closing properly. Tell us if that's the case, and somebody will help you figure out how to fix it.

As for the mold being loose on the handles, it needs to be a little loose in order to allow the mold halves to open and close properly, the important thing is that the mold halves are snug together with the mold handles closed.

[bhn22]

As mentioned, mold blocks are always a bit loose on the handles, this allows them to be aligned when the mold closes. My only question is if you have the correct handles on the mold. Can you post pics so we can be sure?

You can almost always see the molds parting line on a bullet. Once again, a pic of a couple of your bullets would help us picture what you're concerned about.

[runfiverun]

the mold might be a bit off on the pins too allowing the slop and the offset line.
if one pin is out too far it will shift the mold forward or backwards.
if the handles are too loose they might be a bit offset also causing the problem.
I have had to drill new holes in a few of my handles to get a mold to sit properly.

[paul h]

As mentioned, the mold halves need to have some give on the handles so that they can allign themselves. If you could post a picture of your bullets it would be easier to diagnose the line.

If the mold isn't closing fully the lead will create a fin where the lead seeps out. Possible causes are small bits of lead on the face of the mold, or damage to the alignment pins or their sockets.

I highly recomend getting a copy of the Lyman cast bullet manual, a great reference for problem solving, assuaging fears and preventing problems.

Another cause is if the lead and mold are too hot the lead will creep out into any minute imperfection or vent line, but this will typically create what is referred to as whiskering.