Bullets not casting properly

[Trooper Jake]

I have a custom aluminum 4 Cavity mold, made by Accurate Molds. 32 Cal. 60 grains SWC
i an getting a line around 3 sides of the bullet. At first I thought it was indented, I contacted Accurate Molds and got a very short reply that I was not casting properly and the lead was not filling out properly.
this was the same on all 4 cavities.
I get this line, at temperatures from 650-1,000 F. It also hapens at all lead types from pure to very hard foundry lead. I have casted lead for many years with no problem.
after a very careful inspection of the bullets, it is not an indentation, but a very slight out filling.
when I size the bullet thru a die the 2 sides below the nose are pushed in, and the line on top gets pushed in when the top punch pushes the bullet in the die.
but I am left with a line on 2 sides of the nose.
is there something I am doing wrong, or is the mold at fault.
thanks in advance.

[Tar Heel]

Some pictures would be helpful if you can post them too.

[Love Life]

Are you talking about finning? Can you post pictures? That may help us see what you are talking about.

[JSnover]

On 3 sides??

[Love Life]

On 3 sides??

Honestly, I am having a hard time forming a mental picture based off the OP's description.

[Yodogsandman]

Check to see if the mold is closing right. There could be a small spot of lead or a burr making it hang up. If it is OK, are you casting too hot?

[runfiverun]

the accurate molds are a bit temp sensitive.
the ones I have will cast best at temps lower than other aluminum molds.

I'm having a hard time picturing what the OP is saying about three lines, unless it's some light finning.

[country gent]

My thoughts are there may be an alighnment issue with the blocks or a slight bevel around the cavity causing this. My question is are all 4 cavities off the same and the same exact defect? If so a slight pin adjustment may cure it.

[GabbyM]

Honestly, I am having a hard time forming a mental picture based off the OP's description.

Yes only a photo will give enough information to make any sort of informed diagnosis. ONe from a tripod mounted camera.

[Trooper Jake]

151479Disregard the flare of light on nose edge.
As you can see I get sharp edges. The bullet casts very shiny.

[35 shooter]

If the three sides your talking about are the 2 sides and the top being no.3.
Isn't that just the parting line? Otherwise i'm still lost on the 3 side thing.

[sljacob]

I would check and make sure that the mold is closing properly.
From the picture I will guess that there is an alignment issue.

[Trooper Jake]

All 4 cavities are the same, yet the mold seems to align properly.

[Trooper Jake]

Yes it a very light finning

[Echo]

Wow - blowing it up, it looks like alignment to me, with the two halves off by a couple thousandths.

[sljacob]

I agree...Blow the pic up and look at the shadow at the base. you can see the misalignment in the shadow

[RED333]

Well I can not read

[Love Life]

Alignment issue. Ensure your mold and alloy are up to temp. Maybe a light tap of the mould blocks on the bench prior to pouring. I'd expect bullets like that from a Lee, not a premium mould.

[Love Life]

Yes only a photo will give enough information to make any sort of informed diagnosis. ONe from a tripod mounted camera.

Tripod not necessary.

[runfiverun]

have you lubed the alignment pins?
your only off a tiny little bit.
how do the bases look?
is one side is a bit lower than the other.
or is one side of the mold shifted further forward?
all of these things are alignment pin related, and it could be something as small as a burr around a pins base or in the hole, or one pin is in/out a bit more than the others.
it could be something as simple as the mold needs some use for the parts to wear in to each other too.

[popper]

Break the sharp edge at the top of the blocks. I think it's venting - looks like a cut through the drive bands on the right hand side. DON'T cast with alloy above 750F - hard on the mould. As others say, finning is due to mould block alignment and possibly too much tin and/or heat.

[Larry Gibson]

Looks very much to be an afore mentioned alignment problem.

Several potential problems;

Blocks do not close completed. With the sprue plate open or removed hold the blocks, held closed with the handles, up to a light and see if there is any light between them. If there is light then they are not closing correctly. Determine the cause and fix or adjust it if you can. Could be debris or a burr keeping the blocks from closing completely and aligning.

If you do not find any reason the blocks do not close the holes in the handles for the attachment pins/screws could be too tight causing the blocks to misalign when closed. Remove the blocks and hold together w/o the handles. If they close correctly the solution is to enlarge or elongate the pin holes in the handles so each block has sufficient wiggle room to align correctly when the handles are closed.

Also if the blocks close together with no light showing between them with the sprue plate open or removed look at the alignment of the holes. If the edges of the holes where the mould halves come together are slightly offset the blocks are not aligning properly. I suggest returning them to Accurate with an explanation as I'm sure the problem will be promptly corrected.

With the blocks on the handles and if the alignment appears to be correct then close the sprue plate and see if when close it causes the blocks to slightly misalign. If so then correct it if you can or return the mould to Accurate with an explanation.

Lastly; sometimes it is operator error and not the mould. If all is good with the mould and everything appears aligned then examine how you hold the mould when actually casting. Sometimes squeezing the handles too tightly while holding under a bottom pour or when ladling can move the blocks. Usually fixing the tight fit in the handles will correct this. You may also be relaxing the hold on the handles which allows them to slightly open and misalign when the alloy is poured.

If you locate the potential problem additional pictures might help us provide a positive ID and a good, easy potential solution.

Larry Gibson

[Trooper Jake]

I lube the pins with 50/50 lube, bases look good, nice clean cuts.
by looking at the mold, it seems to lock up tight.

[Trooper Jake]

Larry,
i have cast about 300 bullets since I got the mold.
trying every thing. Different temps, different lead hardness.
every bullet cast has these lines, some more, some less.
i will try what you describe. Thanks.

[JSnover]

Different temps, different lead hardness.
every bullet cast has these lines, some more, some less.
You have gotten some great advice.
I might add, cast small lots of each type and inspect them closely. You might be able to narrow things down if you find one group more prone than others, although it does look like an alignment issue.

[JSnover]

FWIW, they don't look terrible. My first choice would be to size a few and see how they shoot.

[sparky45]

If it were mine, it would be on it's way back to the maker with the expectation of a new mold being shipped. OP's description of interaction with the maker was less than what I would consider good customer relations.

[Alan in Vermont]

NOE is a great company, get in touch with them, send some good pics.
NOE will take care of the mold.

Really? NOE will take care of it?

Quoted from the original post;
I have a custom aluminum 4 Cavity mold, made by Accurate Molds. 32 Cal. 60 grains SWC

[JSnover]

Measure the boolit. If it's oversize at the mold line (where the blocks meet) it's misaligned. If it's over the other way, the blocks are likely not closing all the way.

[RED333]

Really? NOE will take care of it?

Quoted from the original post;
I messed up but good on this, I should read closer and slower.

[John Boy]

With a cold mold - hold it up to the light and look down into the mold from the sprue hole. You should see no light and if you do, the mold halves are not closing completely. Also note where the light can be seen in the cavity:top-bottom or middle. This will tell you where the non alignment of the halves is. If you can't see any light in the cavity, the mold is aligned properly and it is a casting issue

[runfiverun]

oh one more thing that can do that is the handles themselves.
I have had molds hate different handles that they looked correct on, but were just enough off things didn't work just right.

[masscaster]

Try a different set of handles.
Handles can put the mould out of alignment without making a larger seam.

Jeff

[shooter93]

I think it could be a mold handle problem too. It's something often over looked but does at times cause a problem. If it does happen to be a defective mold ( I'll be surprised how it slipped past Tom's quality control) I'm sure he would make things right.

[Pistol Champ]

I have the same mold and I preheat my mold to 350 - 375. I cast at 750 degrees to keep the mold hot on cool days and closer to 700 on warm days. (I cast outside) If these are for a Pardini HP I like to size them between 0.3145 and 0.3150 and lube with 50/50. With this combination I get no leading even after many thousands of rounds. I hope you get this casting problem solved so you can enjoy your toy.