Aluminum mold question

[roscoe]

In 1967 I started casting bullets in several handgun calibers and continued to do so until my Lyman pot died. I'm now thinking about casting again and have a question. I have been looking at some molds from NOE and found they are aluminum. The ones I used in the past were steel. Is there something I should know about working with aluminum molds?

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Working with aluminum molds requires two considerations; one is that aluminum is softer than steel or iron and banging it around can injure/ding it. So go slow in opening or closing it. Secondly it is known that aluminum molds shed heat faster than iron or steel and in general have to run at somewhat higher temperatures. Aluminum molds cast bullets that are every bit as good as iron and steel molds and with proper care can last a very long time. They don't rust although the sprue plates are susceptible to it. A good mold lube helps avoid any galling. NOE is one of the makers of modern aluminum molds that are well regarded by the casting community. Some casters using aluminum molds subscribe to smoking the mold, but it is a controversial practice that is practiced by some but not by others. LLS

[DocSavage]

I have several NOE molds and they are the best machined block I've seen. Aluminum heats up quicker,are much lighter than steel,brass or cast iron. With normal usage they will give you excellent bullets. Should you buy them follow Mr.Nelson's break in and you'll be good to go. BTW Lee or NOE handles fit the blocks. You will also find if you have any questions on NOE molds AL Nelson replies very quickly to inquiries.

[roscoe]

Thank you both for the reply. Thats what I wanted know.

[iraiam]

Aluminum molds make bullets just as good as steel or brass, but from my experience they don't last as long. They will last quite a while but steel and brass last longer. I may be harder on molds than others because I really don't enjoy casting so I try to get it done as quickly as possible. The lee 6 cavity aluminum molds seem to last longer for me than 2 cavity molds, likely because they have a handled sprue cutter so I don't have to smack the cutter open with a hardwood dowel.

[DocSavage]

Big difference between Lee molds and NOE. Lee are made for those who want to reload/cast and don't have a lot of money.
I have aluminum molds from LBT and nei that are at 20 years old and work as well as the day I bought them. I've tried several Lee molds and couldn't get them to cast a decent bullet and I've had 30+ years experience at casting bullets.

[Maximumbob54]

I've been casting for about ten years now and still cast with the first Lee mold I bought. At what point do I need to be aware it is worn out???

[runfiverun]

you'll know.
pins and such get worn down into the metal or come loose.

even steel molds will require some attention after a bunch of casts, I have a 2 cavity lyman 452664 mold that I have used so many times I needed to clean up the edges of the alignment pin holes and push the pins out a tick more plus clean up the edges of the mold itself.
I must have poured at least 40k boolits through that mold before it needed the tune up.
it was my number one selling boolit when I was in business, and I'm pretty sure it paid for two star sizers and one of the master casters.

[MT Chambers]

The soft Lee alum. molds wear out where the halves join at the cavity, I've worn out many, and don't use them anymore.

[pjames32]

I too have several years of casting with iron molds. In the past 3 years I've bought "several" NOE molds. The changeover for this old geezer was not easy, but I am now getting very good bullets from my NOE molds. This old dog did not learn the new tricks easily, but I now really like my NOE molds.
PJ

[Walter Laich]

FWIW: The aluminum molds are lighter and this takes weight off my shoulder (rotator cuff surgery), I can cast longer

[Tackleberry41]

The weight is an issue. The little lyman 2 bullet steel molds are not really a big deal. But the ones I have are not very big either. Lee molds don't weigh much as there isn't much to them. And no it does not take much to tear one up. The NOE aluminums are a pleasure to use, the brass NOE I have, well its more like a brick. I hit the gym 3 times a week and its still alot to hold onto for the length of time we might use something like that. I don't imagine it would be any easier for those with health issues.

I have not really found any difference between the bullets my aluminum NOE molds drop, and the brass one. And if taken care of the aluminum ones should last a long time.

[Yodogsandman]

The reason I like the NOE aluminum molds is that they're dimensions are known BEFORE you buy the mold. The NOE sketches are shown with the dimensions and you know just what size that bullet will cast...no surprises.

[paul h]

If you treat molds as the precision tools they are, aluminum blocks will cast 10's of thousands of great boolits. If you are abusive with your tools, you will damage you aluminum molds sooner or later. I've purchased used aluminum and steel molds that have been damaged by careless use. Take care of your tools.

The upside of aluminum is they are lighter which is really noticeable in the 4-6 cavity gang molds, and they don't rust.

[cajun shooter]

I started casting in 1970 and my mentor had a huge collection of H&G molds and that is what I used for a long time. I purchased many different molds over the years but never a aluminum mold. It was not until I became a member of this forum did I purchase my first one and it was a "Group Buy" mold. For you new members that are not familiar with that term, it was a process that a member would come up with a idea for a new bullet design and present it to the membership. After they had 25 paying members for the new mold, it was sent to Lee and they would take up to a year or so to deliver the molds.
My first Lee aluminum mold was dead on each cavity and worked as it should. As time went on, the molds became less precise and I had molds that had one or more of the cavities out of spec and useless for it's intended purpose. It was a nightmare trying to have Lee correct it's mistakes and I quit buying any more of the group buys.
I came across this company in Utah that was just getting a start and was run by a man named Tom. I will not stretch out this story but I now have a lot of his molds. I have some in brass and others in aluminum that are 2 cavity to 4 cavity and from my first one to the one I just received last week for my 30-40 Krag, they have all been perfect. My first mold that I ordered from Tom was ordered on Monday and I received it that Friday. His time now runs about three weeks which is still very fast.
Check out his site at Accurate Molds. Later David

[Tackleberry41]

Have been meaning to try some of accurates molds, but I only have so much cash to buy molds and NOE has been getting that.