First Time Casting

[RAK2018]

Today I tried my hand at casting. I have a lot to learn. I have some 45cal. cast boolits that I bought awhile back from MBC. So I thought that I would melt them down and try to cast some boolits. The mold is a Accurate Mold in 45-70 405gr WFN (which is a work of art). Well out of maybe 200 boolits I got maybe 25 good ones. I have a question the boolits came out at 385grs. Is there the way to change this. The other problem is my new LEE pot wouldn't hold temp very well. I did contact LEE and there sending a new Thermostat. I do have a PID that I bought from Hatch but didn't set it up yet. I'm still working things out and looking for help.

[725]

Welcome aboard. First, there is a learning curve to deal with, but, take heart, it's not that big a deal. Alloy and temps can slightly affect weight, expect variances. When a bunch don't turn out well, there are a few things to check: Lead is up to temp, mold is up to temp, mold is clean of machining oil or other contaminants, and pouring technique allows for a good full hot pour. There are a couple basics to cover. No doubt others, who are better than I, will chime in with some good advise. Good luck.

[Yodogsandman]

No worries about getting poor bullets at first. Just melt them back down, no one will know. Cast quickly to heat up your mold to temperature. Don't start inspecting your boolits until they start frosting over. Then, you can slow down your cadence. Be sure to leave a big sprue puddle to keep heat in your sprue plate, too.

It's a lot easier to control the pot with a PID. I just set my PID to the temperature and run the pot dial set to wide open.

[RAK2018]

Thanks for the help. I bought a PID from Hatch and just got it this week. I hope to get that working this week.

[daloper]

Welcome to world of casting. I had to do a lot of reading when I started. One thing that really helped me was getting a hot plate and making a little oven to set on it to preheat my molds. It can be as simple as an upside down coffee can with a hole cut in it on a circular saw blade. Search the board and you will find pictures of others that have made them. Something else is to update your profile with your location. Maybe you are close to someone that can mentor and give you some one on one hints. Another thing to remember is, if your mold gets to hot and your boolits get frosty, They are still good to shoot. Just slow down a little and it will clear up. If you get wrinkles in your boolits, your mold is to cold.

[Boolseye]

Welcome aboard. Heat is your friend–The mould needs to be hot, no trace of oil in the cavities. I dip the corner in the melt AND use a hot plate. With good alloy, you will find success quickly. Getting the Alloy up to 750-800º will help when you start. It can be lower once the mould is hot enough. don't be afraid of a frosty bullet.

[Wayne Smith]

If the original boolits weighed 405gr then your alloy is OK. The question of weight may be temp. but I would question that much variability. Did you add anything to the melt other than the boolits you bought? Lighter weight means a greater amount of lighter alloys, tin, antimony, and less lead.