Baby Steps

[shaman]

I started a thread on here back in December:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?222768-Another-Step-Down-the-Road

I just thought I would give y'all an update.

I got two .358 moulds, an RCBS 200grn FN and a Lee 158 gr. SWC I have a second Lee mould, a 358-125-Rf, on order.

Over the past few days, I've been playing with them, and I'm having not-so-good results. I'm using wheelweights that I've been saving up lo these many years, until I can score some Linotype-- due to come to me next month. The bullets I'm producing all have lines and fissures in them. The alloy does not seem to be flowing smoothly like it does with my pure-lead ML bullets. Is it the alloy? the temperature? or my technique. I've even tried running the temperature on my Lee Pro IV all the way up to no avail.

One other bit of news, that you will appreciate, and then I'll back off. I've been casting ML bullets out of pure lead for a number of years. About 5 years ago, a couple of buddies came to me asking for advice. They wanted to cast pistol bullets. I told them I knew little about anything other than what I was doing, but I would demonstrate what I was doing and they could take it from there. What was that our Saviour said about mustard seeds?

I called up one of those buddies the other day to see if he wanted to go in on some Linotype. I told him what I was attempting and. . . WOW! talk about casting your seed onto fertile ground. The student has become the teacher. He's been doing lots of casting since my little demonstration 5 years ago. He's a serious boolit master now, and I suspect he's on here, but I don't know his handle. I know he was quoting this place in our discussion.

Fitz, you old bongo player, write soon. Write often.

[tazman]

When you get lines and wrinkles, one of two things is happening. You either have oil or some other substance in the mold cavities or the mold isn't hot enough yet. Clean your mold thoroughly. I use dish soap and a toothbrush to clean the gunk out of the mold, then rinse with water. Make sure it is dry. You also need to heat the mold to near 400 degrees in order for it to work properly. Some people use a hot plate or an electric skillet. I set the mold on top of my lead pot and let the heat coming off the top of the lead heat my mold. Usually I will need to remelt the first few runs through the mold because of wrinkles. after that the bullets come out fine.
Turning the heat all the way up will only help to bring the mold up to heat. After that it only wastes electricity. The lead pours well for most people at 650-750 degrees.

[waco]

+1 to what Tazman said. I would also suggest addin 2% tin to you WW for better fill out.

[tazman]

+1 to what Tazman said. I would also suggest addin 2% tin to you WW for better fill out.

I forgot about the tin part. Good idea.

[Buffalo Arms Co]

Brake cleaner is cheap, and it is your friend when it comes to cleaning mould blocks.

[chsparkman]

Brake cleaner is cheap, and it is your friend when it comes to cleaning mould blocks.

Just don't heat up the mould until it's completely dry. The fumes can be toxic.

[Buffalo Arms Co]

Correct, thanks

[Walter Laich]

I am assuming you have only changed the alloy and nothing else?
the molds have worked for you in the past?
I take that this is the case as you have been pouring ML bullets in same molds?
the answers will let us look at the molds or the melt and zero in on suggestions.
.
for a fact new Lee molds need cleaning and sometimes have to go through a few heat/cool cycles to get completely cleaned

[shaman]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty sure now it's the alloy. As I said, I just had some WW laying around, and thought I'd get the system worked out. The Linotype will show up after I get back from turkey hunting.

Funny, but brake cleaner was the first thing I hit those mould with after they got out of the packaging. Little by little, it's catching on.

BTW: the 200 gr mould is for the 35 Whelen, but I've got a hankering to try it elsewhere. I'm thinking of loading them in 38 Special brass just as an experiment.


To Walter:
No. These are brand new moulds purchased over the winter. I only mentioned the ML thing to show that I've been casting for years, but centerfire rifle and pistol are new ground for me.