What does it mean when I start to get partial frosting inside the lube grooves?

[jamesp81]

I'm steadily reducing my reject rate. As of now, my biggest source of rejects is boolits with minor frosting inside the lube grooves. I've attached a picture to show what I'm talking about.

What does this indicate? Is my mold borderline too hot?

Photo below. This boolit was made in a Lee .452 diameter 200gr SWC 2 cavity mold. Notice the frosting in the bottom of the lube groove. The frosting doesn't circle the entire boolit, the other side of it is relatively frost free.

The boolit itself is, otherwise, moderately well formed. Not quite good enough for me to shoot it, as it is slightly out of round. The base is .4515 at its narrowest and .4525 to .453 at its widest, so it is somewhat out of round, though not hugely.


189760

[gwpercle]

Yes , things are heating up. But light frosting is not terrible , I like to cast right at the frosty temperature, things fill out better . If you are going to tumble lube/coat , the light frosty surface holds the lube better. Frosty bullets shoot just fine. The most important part is the base. You want a perfectly filled out flat base with no holes or divots torn out.
The new Lee 2 cavity moulds don't have a lot of mass, so getting frosties is hard not to do . Just remember , light frost, even all over the boolit , is not a defect.
If out of round , just size them...makes them all good.
Show some more photo's and Keep on Keepin on! Ya lookin good!
Gary

[oldblinddog]

That bullet is plenty good enough to shoot. Size it and shoot it.

[mozeppa]

nope ...has to be perfect.

i'll see that frosting under the lube a 900 feet per second!

and THAT'S what i'll blame the miss on!

[NoAngel]

Several of my molds won't make good bullets until they come out frosted like a birthday cake. Can't see it under powder coat. They shoot well & I couldn't care less.

[waksupi]

I'm not happy if my bullets AREN'T frosty!

[acoop101]

It means you are looking too closely...

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

[OS OK]

"Frost discrimination! This makes you an admitted . . . 'F R O S T I S T' . . . IT AIN'T POLITICALLY CORRECT! . . . :bigsmyl2: .

What's our little family here coming to?"

[C. Latch]

I prefer frosted bullets. YMMV.

[jamesp81]

Once again I have demonstrated my noobishness :D

I will be less picky about this, and just size them all to correct any slight out of roundness. Thanks again to all for their input.

[JWFilips]

Frost....Try to wipe it down after cooling If it changes you are good to go!
Best cast are right at the frost point

[jamesp81]

I'm really going to have to get a PID for my pot, I can see. Hard to keep the temp where I want it with a rheostat.

[JWFilips]

I have a 20 lb. Lee with a good thermometer Once I achieve liquidus the thermometer goes in the pot then I bring it to 710/20 It will stay there! no need for anything else if you monitor the pot. Been doing it this way for years

[DSRichert]

Save your rejects in a sperate pile when you get a couple hundred load them up and shoot them and see if it makes a difference. I think your just being too picky

Sent from my LG-K330 using Tapatalk

[454PB]

I also strive for frosted boolits, but sometimes localized frosting like we see in your picture is caused by some impurity it the mould cavity (usually oil). It may be worth checking the mould and doing a thorough cleaning.

[7br]

Heck, I've been casting for 20+ years and I am still picking stuff up.

[44man]

Just a hot spot. I avoid frost, the more you have the more the boolit will be out of round and the smaller it will be.

[jamesp81]

I have a 20 lb. Lee with a good thermometer Once I achieve liquidus the thermometer goes in the pot then I bring it to 710/20 It will stay there! no need for anything else if you monitor the pot. Been doing it this way for years

What thermometer are you using?

[plainsman456]

They look good to me and i bet they will shoot.

Sent from my computer using my fingers.:D

[Shiloh]

Shoot it. Some times warmer temps give better fill out. I TL traditional lube groove pistol boolits with no issues.

Shiloh

[gray wolf]

kick the temp up a tad and it go away.

[GhostHawk]

Some molds I have will go frosty easier than others. If it is a concern a damp towel on a flat spot where you can give your mold a 1-3 second cool down every so many boolits is a great solution.

A better one is to not sweat the small stuff.

This ain't rocket science. They do not have to be perfect in every detail. A wrinkle or a little frost may not be what I want want to load for a competition. But for most everything else it will work just fine.

Relax and cast, and if it gets frostier than you like, cool it a shade.