Frustration

[Whitespider]

I've been shooting a Lee Tumble Lube design in my .41 Magnum that I've never been happy with. A few months back I spotted a single cavity Lyman 410459 (with handles) on FleaBay and put in my $29.oo bid... heck, I won the thing.

So anyway, I'm running short on .41 boolits and decided last night to spend a little time with the ladle. It's been near a year since I poured lead into a mold... and the mold was one I've never used. Wow, was I frustrated. First I couldn't get the bands or base to fill-out and the boolit wouldn't drop without beating the snot out'a the hinge. Casting a bit faster caused the boolit to frost, and still the base was rounded. I screwed around for over an hour trying to get that mold to drop a decent boolit.

Finally I got it working by slowing my pace, "pressure pouring" with the ladle, and holding the full mold upside-down under the fan for a few seconds before cutting the sprue and opening. And just for your info... casting with a single cavity is about as close as you can get to zero production, while still having some production. I've got maybe 150 boolits after 3 hours screwin' 'round... and I'll bet half of those will be goin' back in the pot. I'm gonna' haft'a start making notes on technique for what each mold requires... I'm at that stage in my life where "forgetfulness" is SOP.

At least I'll have enough for some testing... if they work for me that mold is gonna' haft'a be replaced with a double cavity at minimum. They're dropping (the good ones) .412-.413 and the cylinder mouths of my Redhawk slug .412... should be pretty much effortless lube-sizing.

[Wayne Smith]

My 457122 is exactly like that. Of course, I'm not shooting them out of a revolver! Slow, steady, and deliberate and every cast will be a keeper with a pre-heated mold. It is doable, but for a revolver I think I'd be looking for a copy in at least a 4 cavity!

[Teddy (punchie)]

Looks like a easy caster to me, large diameter, SWC, bullet weight is high enough.

Season the mold like a cast iron skillet.

Clean it up, get it hot, maybe very hot.

Using a high temperature oil, coat it and smoke oil off.

Lightly brush (tooth brush or soft brass(or very soft wire))mold off to remove carbon or dirt left by oil.

Going to take about 20 casting to get it to start looking right.

Lead temp is the difference I find in most molds. I have yet to use a thermometer so the number I don't have. But I know some need a setting of 4.25 and 4.5 (most steel mold are in this range) on the stove and some need the 6 which is the highest.

Get a glass (magnifier) and look to see if any rough spots (burrs) that need to be smoothed.
I just got a lot of some darn rare molds (225107, 225450), the someone wire wheeled. All casting with a line, not too bad. Now I have to get a claim head, time and hone each one smooth. Some people just think that clean or pretty, beautiful is best, wish this person would have not touch them.

Don't be shy about redoing the seasoning a couple of times.

[Larry Gibson]

Alloy?

Larry Gibson

[RobS]

If you are having issues with base fill out it sounds like a venting issues. Try and loosen up the sprue plate if it's tight (I prefer my sprue plates to be able to swing open on their own weight or just a slight bit of help with a shake or so. I also make sure to clean out or deepen/widen the vent lines on the block surface with an scratch awl or I actually use the fine/sharp point of the rod that's on an electric test light. I've even went so far with one mold to work on putting additional vent lines but it was on an aluminum mold so was much easier to accomplish vs an iron mold.

If the sprue plate is ok and vent lines are cleared out then you could try putting a small break (angle) on the top of the blocks where the halves meet up. I do this on just about every mold that doesn't want to fill out at the base by using a sheet of dry/wet sand paper that is placed on a flat surface Take the mold block (I usually take the one that doesn't have a sprue plate first) and put about a 45 degree angle on the top of one of the blocks. It doesn't take much in most cases and a little goes a long way. However sometimes if only doing one block doesn't help I do the other side as well but you'll probably need to take the sprue plate off so it's easier to work on.

And yes......Alloy? as Larry is going to suggest using tin if you are not to help with fill out by reducing the surface tension of the alloy.

[Shiloh]

Is the mold pre heated??
Try running it heated up. Single cav's can take a while to head just from casting.

Shiloh

[osteodoc08]

Sounds like a combination of 2 things. A too tight sprue plate and not enough tin in the alloy. As far as beating on it, be sure the mold is clean and up to temp before the first pour.

I have the 410459 double cavity. I just had it come back from Lyman and havent had a chance to use it. It would cast with rounded bases if the sprue plate was too tight. I find the venting to be very sensitive to debris in it as well. That mold has to have clean vent lines to work well.

Give her another shot. Those boolits are awesome in the 41M.

Was this mold new old stock or used. What is the condition?

[Whitespider]

Alloy... 1:50, tin/COWW.

Once I got the thing working the base was filling out nice and square, with pretty shiny boolits... it was a matter of keeping the sprue plate plenty hot, but the mold body a bit cooler. Like I said, I needed to hold the filled mold upside-down under the fan for a few seconds before cutting the sprue and opening the mold. The darn thing never did release the boolit well; even opening the mold was "sticky"... and if I opened it a bit too soon part of the front driving band would be torn away.

I figure there's a burr or two I'm missing... tonight I'll take my lighted magnifier home from work and break-out the X-Acto knife and needle files. I haven't done anything to this mold except clean it, lube it, and pour boolits; I always figure there ain't no sense modifying something to make it work better until you first see how it works... right?? Might even haft'a lap it a touch.

The mold was listed as "used", but going on appearance it ain't been used much... heck the handles looked brand-spankin'-new. Heck, I never expected to own the thing... I just tossed out my $29 bid and the next thing I knew...

[MBTcustom]

Sounds like a typical Lyman.
Ill buy an old Ideal mold, but Lyman's have been hit or miss at best.
To my way of thinking, buying a Lyman is a way to get an idea about how well you would enjoy that boolit design from a decent mold. If I like it, I'll order one from Accurate or one of the many other superb quality mold makers we have access to here.
RCBS usually gives the best quality of any of the big name mold makers, and Lee is usable.
Compared to Accurate, MiHec, or NOE though, nothing really comes close.

[osteodoc08]

Compared to Accurate, MiHec, or NOE though, nothing really comes close.

Couldn't agree more.

[Larry Gibson]

Alloy seems good What "ladle"?

Also it being a used mould off fleabay it's hard to place "blame" (if there's even something/someone to blame). Might just be in need of a good cleaning, inspection and prepping from previous use or from dirt, grime and/or corrosion having accumulated during or after it's last use. All used moulds should be worked over as such just as any new mould needs "prepped". As you suspect sometimes just a cleaning of a used mould isn't enough. No telling if it was prepped or even used successfully by the previous owner(s).

Larry Gibson

[Smoke4320]

+++++1 on the above Accurate, MiHec or NOE

[Jeff Michel]

It may of never been broke in properly. It may be superstitious nonsense, but I don't get real good performance for half a dozen heating and cooling cycles from a new mould. Clean it, heat it up and run it, bet it will straighten out on it's own.

['74 sharps]

+++++1 on the above Accurate, MiHec or NOE

Any brand of mold will not produce if the mix of temperature of both alloy and mold is incorrect, and if mold is not cleaned and maintained properly.

[Whitespider]

I'll be playin' with it some more this week, maybe even tonight... no doubt it'll come 'round.
If'n it don't, it'll go down the road... life's to darn short to fight with a hunk of iron, especially a single cavity hunk of iron.
I can't figure out why the mold is so difficult, or "sticky" to open though... maybe I'll swap handles with another set if that continues.

[osteodoc08]

I can't figure out why the mold is so difficult, or "sticky" to open though... maybe I'll swap handles with another set if that continues.

Likely from too cold a mold or melt.

[Whitespider]

Likely from too cold a mold or melt.

Well, I'd never say never... but they were frosting pretty bad at times so I'm not thinkin' the mold was cold.
I also had the melt as hot as my heat source can make it a couple times during the messin' 'round... which ain't necessary with any other mold.

[MBTcustom]

Hey spider, I just had a thought.
Could be bad venting? Try breaking the edges of the blocks with a fil to create one ventline right across the face of the mold.

[Whitespider]

I don't know what it is... or was...
I de-burred the thing (found a couple with a cotton swap), cleaned it real good, and swapped handles... and gave it another try tonight... better, much better. It ain't what I'd call great... but not worth complaining about.

I started sorting through last night's batch and called it a wash... tossed 'em all back in the pot. I've got 'round 150-200 from tonight's work that look worlds apart from last night. Bases and bands are filled out nicely, boolits bright and shiny. The thing still won't release without a solid whack on the hinge, but oh well. A single cavity ain't gonna' work... production is way, way, too slow.

[RobS]

I can't figure out why the mold is so difficult, or "sticky" to open though... maybe I'll swap handles with another set if that continues.

If you haven't tried already, try opening the mold up vertically not horizontally (sprue plate and bottom of the mold pointing out sideways and not up and down. I've found that on some mold handles if they don't fit the mold's handle slots just right the mold tries to open up a bit off alignment and the mold catches up on the boolit(s).

[osteodoc08]

Those look nice. I dont mind a single cavity mold, just get it into a rotation and cast with 2 molds at the same time. Sure the production wont be stellar, but the bullets will be very consistent since only one cavity.

Something to consider would be to have it on standby and cast with it whenever your casting for somethign else and slowly add to the stash instead of a complete marathon.

[Whitespider]

Hmmmm..... I've never tried casting with two molds at once but that's a darn good idea
I just love a new challenge.

[Quiettime]

And just for your info... casting with a single cavity is about as close as you can get to zero production, while still having some production...

That's sig-worthy right there! Ya mind?

[Whitespider]

Naw... I don't mind, help yourself.