My first HP mold

[cwlongshot]

I have a new NOE 10MM HP mold. Never cast a HP bullet. Gonna start this weekend. (I have Cast Countless pounds of regular cast bullets in the last thirty years.)

Any suggestions or comments and is anything different than a regular mold. Anticipating issues with the HP as far as Heat and release. I assump when you crack it open, the bullets sit upon the pins?

All help & tips much appreciated.

I should have it today or tomorrow.

Thank you

CW

[Wheelguns 1961]

Go to mp-molds website. There are a couple of articles there with some very good suggestions. It helped me out a bunch. Good luck!

[castalott]

The better casters here will chime in soon but I find each mold has a sweet spot for temperature. This is also true for speed or rhythm. I have seen 10 degrees or a few seconds make a big difference in quality...

On hollow point molds, I like to run the sprue plate very loose and I pressure pour each cavity for good fill out. I use the dipper to force the sprue plate down to the mold. I do the farthest cavity from the hinge first. When the cavity is full, rotate the dipper so it doesn't pour but still holds the sprue down and wait until that cavity is solid to help hold the sprue plate in place. Then pressure pour the other cavities in the same way.

To open the sprue use a series of gentle taps and hit the sprue plate like you are trying to force it down to the mold a little. This helps keep the bases flat. You can inspect the bases here before you open the mold. Any bullet with a bad base I can remove by pushing that pin when the mold is open. I cull the bad bases this way.

When the sprue plate is open, turn the mold upside down on a soft towel. Gently tap the hinge pin of the handles as you gently open the handles. This way you don't have to hold up the mold weight.

Raise the mold just a tiny bit to get the bases of the bullets above the towel. Gently push on the pins to push the bullets out of the mold. Usually the bullets will fall off the pins and stand just under the mold. This way you can inspect the hollow points. If the bullets stick to the pins, you can strike the handle hinge to shake them off.
But this is a poor way to do it.

Polish the pins with a very fine steel wool or some other method. Maybe add some lube to just the pins to help bullet release. The other help is time, rhythm, or cooling time. I have seen bullets release from the pins just by cooling.

So a few things you might try are:

1) add some time before opening the sprue
2) or adding some time after you open the sprue but before you open the handles
3) or waiting 1 to 10 seconds after you push the pins out to push the bullets out of the mold before you strike the handle pivot pin.

Or any and all of the combinations above. Remember some of the pins bind if tightened too tight. Some molds need vented to work right.

There should be someone here soon who will point out the obvious thing I have forgotten. I have several of these that work WONDERFUL! Just remember to lube all the HP pins and the mold alignment pins.

Good Luck...let us know how you like your new mold

Dale

[mattw]

I find that heat is the key, those will want to run hot! I run my pot at 725 with NOE pin moulds. Polish the pins with 1000 grit paper or a buffer with very fine compound. I also find that if they are not filling out well or extracting well, a small butane torch to heat the pins will go a long way. In time, the pins will develop a seasoning and will change color to almost a blue and then they work like a dream!

BTW, I have 2 of their 10mm moulds and would not give them up!

[stubshaft]

I don't polish the pins or even smoke my molds. You will find the sweet spot as far as the temperature goes (I don't know what it is, because in over 40 years of casting I never bothered with a thermometer). The most critical thing for me when I cast HP boolits is to cast FAST. Keeping the pins hot will make life a lot easier for you. Don't try to assess (cull) the boolits as you are casting but keep the rhythm up and cull them later.

[Beagle333]

Keeping the pins hot will make life a lot easier for you. Don't try to assess (cull) the boolits as you are casting but keep the rhythm up and cull them later.

This!:goodpost: I believe the main reason people get poor HP boolits is from stopping to look at them as they are casting. Keep on putting that hot lead into that mold until it gives you what you want. Good luck!

[Burnt Fingers]

I've got around a dozen HP molds.

If your NOE is aluminum make sure you've broke it in.

Clean it with hot water, Dawn, and an old toothbrush.

Dry it off and heat cycle it in the oven. I set the oven at 400°, put the mold in the cold oven, bake it for 30-40 minutes and leave it in the oven while it cools. Do this three times. The mold should be in the closed position when heat cycling it.

I've had my best luck with new NOE molds by smoking them with one of those long BBQ butane lighters. Make sure to smoke the pins. Preheat the mold on a hot plate.

All my HP molds like to be run HOT. 775°-800°. Run them fast, don't stop to admire your work.

You may need to adjust the pins to get the hollow points correct. There are instructions on the NOE website on how to do this.

You will need to tap the handles to get the boolits to drop. I like using a rawhide mallet. If the boolits are sticking to the pins chances are the pins aren't hot enough.

[klenke.ryan]

My third time casting and I was able to figure it out, NOE RG 10mm mold. Careful on seating them, the bullet nose can squish closed with soft lead.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190328/235cf741f168585f1d36da051b4adeb7.jpg

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[waco]

Keep the pins HOT. This is the best advice I can give you. Cold pins and the boolits will stick on them. Get everything up to temp and the boolits will just jump off the pins.

[44Blam]

I have a few of the NOE HP molds.
They are a PITA. But, you can do it. I smoke the pins and the cavities. Also, I set the mold so the pins and the metal holder are what touch the hot plate and I turn the hot plate up a little from a normal mold. (Little above Medium on my plate)
I find that I need the alloy temp to be just above 700 and I keep the mold hot.
One problem I found when the mold is cold is that the boolits want to stick on the pins. So, you gotta cast pretty fast, but then the boolits stick so it slows you down...
The other thing I found is you can open the mold wide and pull the boolits off with your gloved hand... It's easier with the cup points...
What ends up happening with me is I get a good number of HPs and then I switch to the cup points. Those cast WAY easier...

Edit:
Maybe it would work to set the pins/pin holders in the melt for a bit... I might try this next time...
Edit 2:
I bought a 40 cal mold: HTC402-188-WFN
I cast 116 perfect HPs... But I was culling probably 30-40%. When I switched to the cup point, I was culling less than 10% and cast about 400 cup point boolits in my first session with that mold.

[cwlongshot]

Thanks guys!! VERY MUCH appreciated!!!


I got home late so didnt have time to fiddle with it. Hoping tonight but defineately tomorrow. I cleared my schedule. (Almost anyway)

CW

[EMR]

Just adding another vote for: keep the pins hot!!!

I’ve used NOE and MP and the NOE definitely needs to sit on the heat plate longer and hotter.

Make sure you do a good break in.

[daloper]

When I used my first HP mold from MP, after heat cycling 4 times, I took a pencil and colored the pins to coat with graphite. I did not have any problem with them sticking on the pins. Not sure it that helped but it did not hurt.

[cwlongshot]

OK, Ill cycle heat it couple times tonight after a good cleaning! Be ready for tomorrow AM!

I have the WHP pins in now. (I think) GRMPS also says to graphite the pins!

CW

[44Blam]

OK, Ill cycle heat it couple times tonight after a good cleaning! Be ready for tomorrow AM!

I have the WHP pins in now. (I think) GRMPS also says to graphite the pins!

CW
Graphite is a great idea... Will have to try this.

[stubshaft]

As an aside, I usually keep a carpenters pencil handy when casting. It is a great tool for removing some of the small lead splatters on the face of the mold without damaging the mold.

[sukivel]

I have two MP HP molds as well and stopped using the hp’s cause they were a pita.

I will heed this advice as well since I would love to use them as hp’s.


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[KenT7021]

The only hollow point molds I have used are Lyman with the separate pin.If the pins are kept hot they cast very well.I heat the pins with a propane torch before I start casting and cast as fast as possible to keep the pins hot.

[cwlongshot]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/68A6908B-574F-4C85-8702-0817FD095E60_zpsjhskcsc0.jpeg

[44Blam]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/CWLONGSHOT/68A6908B-574F-4C85-8702-0817FD095E60_zpsjhskcsc0.jpeg

Nice looking boolits!