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oteroman
01-30-2018, 10:35 AM
Bought my first Lyman mold 147gr. FP 9mm 4 cavity.
I have 20+ other aluminum molds and I alway pour, cut sprue, tap into pot then drop bullets.
My sprue won't release without some help.
A friend ordered the same mold and has no issues.
Common sense tells me I need to polis the top of the sprue plate.
Bummed big time.
Production sucks.
4 bullets a minute.

Calamity Jake
01-30-2018, 10:53 AM
Check for burrs in pour holes and roughness in the countersinks on the
sprung plate.
Polish if needed. You may need to sharpen bottom of the pour holes.

243winxb
01-30-2018, 11:01 AM
Let cool more before opening mold.
Try for more shrinkage as the alloy cools. Pour hotter or add linotype (antimony)

John Boy
01-30-2018, 11:15 AM
My sprue won't release without some help.
Your mold and melt in the pot is not hot enough

country gent
01-30-2018, 11:54 AM
I have made a wood lap to the angle of the sprue hole and with fine lapping compound, simichrome polish, flitz, or toothpaste polish the sprue some. I have also polished the plate itself. Look for dull edges edges beveled where they should be a sharp edge. Had one mould some one had lightly chamfered the bottom of the sprue hole to sharpen it or relive scrapping issues ( the tops of the blocks had been ground). When up to temp and running bullets dropped good but the bevel created a mechanical lock on the sprue. this required surface grinding and about .010 metal removal.

First I would try a light wipe of 2 cycle motor oil on the plate top and bottom and in the sprue holes. A q-tip with a drop on it wipe down to see a light coat of oil the remove excess with a clean one. You want an even coating but not to see oil just the sheen of it. A new mould needs to "break In" developing the patina that aids release.