Temp to cast Lino?

[mto7464]

I have tried different temps, what works best for you?

[dardascastbullets]

I have tried different temps, what works best for you?

Well, we need to know what your 'constants' are.
>Mould criteria.
>Temperatures that you tried.
>Distance that you are pouring.
>Rate at which you are pouring.
etc., etc., etc.

Specification grade linotype is relatively easy to cast high quality bullets. You may want to take a very close gander at your mould to inspect its cleanliness. Are all the breathe slits clear? Are the cavities clean? (You may want to clean them anyway with brake cleaner, acetone, or equivalent). Typically, 700 degrees F will get you in the ballpark everytime with linotype if not hit a homerun right off the bat!

Matt Dardas
Dardas Cast Bullets

[mto7464]

I am casting at 700, everything is fine just wondering if a higher temp works better for some.

[leftiye]

500 degrees, use a mold heater.

[runfiverun]

the mold temp will dictate your lead temp unless you are using a mold heater as leftiye suggests.

[mto7464]

what's the benefit of the low temp (500)?

[leftiye]

No real advantage. Just had o throw that in there. Lino melts at about 450 F. I cast all my boolits with a mold hot enough to lightly frost, so there wouldn't be much difference in boolit size either. Production speed drives a lot of casters to use very hot melts, especially when boolit weight isn't heavy enough to provide enough heat to keep the mold hot (and being hot enough to lightly frost is fairly hot - in the 340 to 450 degree range = mold temp). If any advantage, tin and antimony oxidation would be down at the lower temps of the melt. Keeping the melt covered (layer of ashes, or charcoal) does this too, and also insulates the top of the melt. I like single cavity molds, and try for the best boolits I can make. The above approach also avoids the oxide problems a lot of people have with bottom pour furnaces.

[oso]

what's the benefit of the low temp (500)?

Personal comfort, and with some other alloys less shrunken band syndrome.