a duh moment

[labradigger1]

I cant believe i never tried this before. I have cast untold thousands and thousands of boolits from lyman 4 gang molds.
Along the way through the years while using the nutcracker style handles i have been guilty of missing the hinge rivet and smacking the sprue plate, i have not bent one yet luckily. This evening while casting 500 429421 from 50-50 lino/pure i missed again and whacked the sprue plate. The next cast and the rest of the session i smacked the sprue plate open then turned the mold upside down over my drob box. I then smack the hinge rivet with the handles open a bit and there is no chance of whacking the sprue plate. Boolits fall out easier this way due to you being able to smack the rivet harder without worrying about bending the sprue plate.
Anyone else doing this?
Lab

[wch]

Good idea-I'll follow suit.

[bhn22]

Are you mounting your block in the handles backwards?

[texassako]

I find some molds drop better upside down anyway. My one pair of nutcracker handles was wacked a few to many times by prior owner; so I try to open with a gloved hand when possible.

[labradigger1]

Are you mounting your block in the handles backwards?
Pivot of sprue plate is away from handles near hinge rivet. I prefer it this way as i dont use gloves while casting and if it were reversed i would probably knock it into my bare hands. I usually cast a fairly hard alloy so opening with a glove does not work.
lab

[BattleRife]

I was casting over the weekend with two moulds, a Lee 6-cavity TL-358-158SWC and a Lyman 2-cavity 358477. Both showed a greater reluctance to drop the bullet when held upside down. In both cases, after extended efforts at dropping the bullets upside down, I went back to the right-side-up method. I can only imagine this has to do with the direction of the draft angles on the bullets.

[dverna]

Pivot of sprue plate is away from handles near hinge rivet. I prefer it this way as i dont use gloves while casting and if it were reversed i would probably knock it into my bare hands. I usually cast a fairly hard alloy so opening with a glove does not work.
lab

It is a really bad idea not to wear welders gloves when casting. I hope you use a face shield or safety glasses.. PPE is important. Be safe

Don Verna

[labradigger1]

I cannot wear gloves, i have carpal tunnel and can only wear gloves for a few mins. I do wear saftey glasses, heavy apron and boots. I have a dedicated casting area in my reloading room.there is a remote mounted mounted squirrell cage fan and a hood directly above the pots. No water anywhere near reloading room, i was water dropping once and had a visit from the tinsel fairy, since then i harden my alloys with linotype. Saftey is paramount when working around any molten metal.
lab

[Chihuahua Floyd]

I have always turned my molds upside down before smacking the hinge. Just thought that was the way it was done. they do fall out better that way.
CF