Casting 58cal Minie Question

[THBailey]

I am using a Lyman 575 213 to cast up some Minie boolits for a newly acquired repro Springfield 1861. I got the mold running and thought I was doing well, skirts fully filled, etc. On a closer look I found about half had a holiday at the top of the hollow base, at and above the tip of the hollow base plug. What am I doing wrong here?

[Rimfire]

I get the same hole in the base when using a bottom pour furnace. Switched to ladle , and holes went away.

[dondiego]

I am assuming pure or nearly pure lead. Run it on high and ladle pour or pressure pour.

[THBailey]

You are correct, I am using pure lead. I have an old Lee bottom pour production pot. I don't yet have ladle equipment, sounds like I need to get it. What is "pressure pour"?

[THBailey]

You are correct, I am using pure lead. I have an old Lee bottom pour production pot. I don't yet have ladle equipment, sounds like I need to get it. What is "pressure pour"?

Thanks again, I did a search and think I understand pressure pour. I will give it a try with my pot and see what happens.

[dondiego]

Place the sprue plate directly in contact with the bottom spout and introduce the lead into the mold. Hold until you are sure the mold is filled. If you have a full pot the head pressure of the lead will give you good fillout of these huge cavities. It can also cause "fins". Keep your hollow base plug hot too.

[Zymurgy50]

When casting with pure lead you may have to bump the heat much higher than casting alloy. I usually get better minnies casting around 725-750*f.

[Hickok]

When casting with pure lead you may have to bump the heat much higher than casting alloy. I usually get better minnies casting around 725-750*f.Exactly right. I shoot and cast alot of 58 minies. Run hot! Also, a Minie 001"-002" under bore diameter nearly also shoots best. Charges in the 40-50 gr area. Strive for 2" groups or less @ 50 yards, and 4" groups or less @ 100 yards and you have a properly shooting rifle musket!

[curator]

I have found that the Lyman575213 casts best for me with lead about 750-800 degrees and I keep the base-plug on an electric hot plate between pours. If the base-plug cools down, voids appear. I also add about 1/2% tin to my melt which increases fluidity slightly without adding appreciable hardness. I use a bottom pour furnace and allow about 1/2 inch between spout and sprue plate but direct the stream down the hole instead of swirling about the funnel. The Lee minie moulds require a different technique and seem easier to get good minies if lead is hot and a tiny amount of tin is added.

[ABJ]

I'll throw my 2 cents in. i have cast thousands of 575213's in both the lyman hand mold and also a copy that Steve Brooks made to run on a master caster bottom pour. I never did get good results from pressure casting. For hand casting, assuming mold is hot and ready to go, tilt the mold on a slight angle and start the pour. as the lead nears the top pull the mold back straight and puddle the lead on top of the sprue cutter. Any time i poured the lead straight down through the hole and hit the hollow base pin i had a void just like your picture. For the bottom pour method just let the stream of lead go in the mold a little off center so the stream is hitting the side of the hollow base pin.
hope this helps. oh buy the way, i run pure lead at 800 degrees and keep that pin hot.

[andrew375]

Run the metal hotter. I have my ProMelt on maximum for Minies. Also, voids in the base are due to the plug being cold. Iheat up the plug on the gas ring before casting and make sure I keep the speed up during casting.