Hollow Points

[Dickieray]

I'm new to casting hollow points. I have a NOE 360 200 grain aluminum mold and my boolits are wanting to stick to the pins.
The cavities are filling out well and the projectiles just don't want to turn loose from the pins. They turn loose from the cavity fine.
I smoked the pins along with the cavities before the first use.
Any tips would be appreciated.

[RobS]

Pins need to be hotter. You may try to preheat your mold on a hotplate or dip the corner of the mold as a last option into the hot alloy. You may also need to increase your alloy temp but also try some of the sprue plate lube on the pins as that can help. New pins often times do this and just need more time to break in but his can be a real PITA.

[Beagle333]

Make sure the pins are very smooth. If not, spin them by hand in some very fine sandpaper (600, 800, or 1000) until they are like a mirror on the tips. Then get them hot. Turn up the alloy and cast fast. You gotta get those pins hot and they'll let go. :cool:

[dragonrider]

After you preheat your mold by dipping a corner in your lead pot for about 1 minute or until the lead no longer sticks to the mold then use a propane torch to heat the pins a bit more, not red hot but hotter than the mold. That should help. Also as said above make sure the pins are smooth with no burrs.

[fredj338]

Polish the pins as noted. You can also try a thin film of 2 stoke oil, very thin.

[Dale53]

I have several Mihec hollow point moulds. They also wanted to stick (the bullets to the hollow point pins). I simply applied a coat of mould release to the part of the pin that formed the hollow point. I did it just before I started getting ready for casting. The release is just micro-fine graphite in an alcohol base. It drys almost instantly. You only have to do it one time (each time) before you start casting and it lasts through the whole session (20 lbs. of finished bullets). I suspect if you cast all day that you would NOT have to redo it but my typical casting session is just 20 lbs. of bullets at a session.

FWIW
Dale53

[ballistim]

I'm new to casting hollow points. I have a NOE 360 200 grain aluminum mold and my boolits are wanting to stick to the pins.
The cavities are filling out well and the projectiles just don't want to turn loose from the pins. They turn loose from the cavity fine.
I smoked the pins along with the cavities before the first use.
Any tips would be appreciated.

I have the same mold with the same problem, will buy another in a solid either a 5 cavity aluminum or a 4 cavity brass, sent a PM to see if brass solid molds for that design would be available soon last week but no reply yet. Accuracy out of my .358 Winchester is awesome, but high percentage of rejects because of pins hanging up.

[Don Purcell]

Definitely polish the pins. Life will be good. Then put a thin film of oil on them then wipe it off. That micro thickness of lube will be enough. Doing these two things makes all the difference. I GENTLY chucked my pins in a variable speed drill and used very fine 600 to 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You can get the sandpaper at Wally World in the automotive paint section.

[Dickieray]

Thanks for the suggestions folks, very helpful.
Anyone else have any ideas/comments?