Keep Getting Wrinkles. Help Appreciated.

[Z.F.Bowles]

So I'm still new to this. Had Accurate molds made up for my 8mm Mausers closer to the .318 groove. Cleaned the mold with brake cleaner twice. No luck casting. Probably cast more than 50 Boolits and every single one has wrinkles. Alloy is stick on weights already hand sorted and melted down with a turkey fryer. Cast into ingots. Positive there's no zinc. Just wanted to test the mold and figure it out on reclaimed lead rather than spending the cash on rotometals. Soon as I get the hang of it I will get harder alloy from them. Ingots were melted down in my Lee 4-20. Have a PID set at 750*F, Lyman digital thermometer read same. Even pre heated the mold. I just don't understand the problem. I think I'm moving along at a decent pace, too.

[redhawk0]

You might want to try adding a little tin. SOWW are almost pure lead. The tin helps fill out the mold. A good source is Tin solder or pewter. 2-4% Tin is a good thing.

redhawk

[Wheelguns 1961]

I would guess that you didn’t get your mold hot enough, or it still has some oil in it.

[tmanbuckhunter]

Oil in the mold, not enough tin, mold not hot enough. One or any combination of the 3.

[sigep1764]

Some of those cleaners contain an oil in them. Scrub the mold down with dish detergent, Dawn or similar. Should clear right up.

[jcren]

Wrinkles are mostly caused by the mold being too cold, setting layers of the lead individually instead of the lead staying liquid long enough to fill the mold. Get the mold hotter, if you dip the corner of the mold into the pot and lead sticks to it, it ain't hot enough. Also, don't get discouraged over 50. Cast fast to build heat in the mold until you see frosting ( mold getting too hot) then slow up and find your rhythm. It takes several hundred sometimes to find your groove with a particular mold, so just keep casting and noting changes in how the mold and sprue puddle act, then when your mold gets too hot, cull the bad back into the pot.

[daloper]

My guess would be a cold mold. It might also be caused by your stream being to slow allowing the lead to set as you pour. Try a faster pour.

[Chill Wills]

I keep getting wrinkles - help

Too many birthdays...

I have the same problem.

[Dusty Bannister]

Pure lead, which is close to what you have with stick on weights, likes to be cast at about 800 degrees. If the sprue puddle freezes in a couple of seconds, the mold and alloy is too cold and the pace is too slow. Since you are bottom pour casting, open up the valve so it flows free and fast and a little too much will just slide off the sprue plate. You might consider getting the alloy you plan to use and learn with that and avoid having to start things over again. If your session is less than 30 minutes, you are probably not getting into the pace, temperature or consistent pours. All mistakes can be remelted and done again. Do NOT stop and look at the product. Get going and keep going and just glance at the bullets from time to time. Inspect when out of alloy or too tired to keep casting. You will get there, just get moving. Dusty

[Bird]

set the PID higher. Try setting at 780 and see if you get better castings. Mold sounds too cold.

[Land Owner]

Just wanted to test the mold and figure it out ... Soon as I get the hang of it ...

Your own words coming back to you as well as some good advice above about adding tin (Sn). I make mine 49/49/2 - Pb/WW/Sn and there is a world of difference in that alloy and 100% lead (Pb). I had a lot of trouble before tin (and increased heat). WW = Wheel Weights with arsenic, antimony, and other metals we cannot combine and not just the hand picked stick on kind.

If the spru plate (in particular) is too cold, it sucks heat out of the lead passing through it before the lead has a chance to fill the voids - thus wrinkling the boolits. Quicker cadence will often offset a cold spru plate and mold.

At least nothing is wasted - except energy. Recast the wrinkled boolits till they conform to your tolerance.

[Taylor]

I keep getting wrinkles - help

Too many birthdays...

I have the same problem.

That's what I was thinking, got one coming up.

[nun2kute]

???? Keep Getting Wrinkles ???? :violin: ...... Quit growing OLD !! :kidding:

[gwpercle]

Wrinkles , 2 things might cause.
1.) alloy and mould not hot enough . Preheat mould for sure .

2.) Oil in the cavity . Clean with acetone . Use mould lube sparingly...it takes so little to lube it's unbelievable .

Don't forget , it takes about 3 complete heating/cooling cycles and 2 casting sessions to season the mould cavities and get it broken in .
Aluminum moulds retain a lot of machining oil , from the cavity cutting operation , heat drives oil up to the surface that's why the 3 heating/cooling cycles and 2 casting sessions with acetone cleaning in between is required . You have to drive that oil out .
Gary

[Conditor22]

I agree with gw I just use dish soap then warm the mold to 400°

Is it a brass or aluminum mold?

flux the alloy with both pine sawdust (burn it completely then mix it in well) and wax

the only time I cast at over 700° is when I using pure lead.

I don't trust Lyman casting thermometers, seen a few more than 50° off.

Pictures would be helpful.

[Mica_Hiebert]

I had a noe mould that I got melted wax in the cavities when I lubed the sprue plate. Tried scrubbing it twice then just decided it would work out eventually. Took me probably 5 minutes of casting to burn it out of the cavities and get decent bullets.

[Tom W.]

And I was thinking Oil of Olay....

[fredj338]

I have found with new molds it can take 100 bullets to get them "seasoned". Plus pure lead is really hard to get good results with in smaller calibers imo.

[Texas by God]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned smoking the cavities.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[ABJ]

gw is spot on concerning the heating/cooling cycles. I have over a dozen molds from Tom and every one is a little different on how many cycles. My last one took 4 times with at least 150 pours each. All but one cavity threw clean boolits on the fifth heating and that problem cavity cleaned up toward the end of that run. Now that mold throws clean as soon as it's up to temp. Most of Accurate's molds I have take at least 3 cvcles with complete room temp cool down to set. Don't get discouraged, we have all been down that road.
Tony

[John Boy]

* With a clean mold & fluxed melt, heat both to a temperature so with a 5 second pour in each cavity ... the sprue puddle frosts in 5 to 8 seconds. Then cut with sprue plate
That's all there is to casting perfect bullets

[Traffer]

* with a clean mold & fluxed melt, heat both to a temperature so with a 5 second pour in each cavity ... The sprue puddle frosts in 5 to 8 seconds. Then cut with sprue plate
that's all there is to casting perfect bullets

^^^what he said^^^

[trapper9260]

It sounds to me that the mold was not smoke like stated and also turn the heat on the pot as high as you can and then cast and when the boolits start to frost start to turn down the heat. You want to get the alloy and mold up to temp .I have some molds that did the same and I turn up the heat on the pot and the problem went away also each mold have its own to heat.

[Burnt Fingers]

When I get a new aluminum mold I use these steps.

1. Clean it with a toothbrush, hot water and Dawn. Dry the mold off.

2. Heat cycle the mold three times in the oven set to 375. This is a full heat/cool cycle. I run 45 minutes of heat.

3. Now to start casting. Preheat the mold and smoke the cavities.


Using those steps most new aluminum molds will start casting good boolits within the first few pours. I also run my PID controlled pot a bit warmer than most. 775.

[fredj338]

* With a clean mold & fluxed melt, heat both to a temperature so with a 5 second pour in each cavity ... the sprue puddle frosts in 5 to 8 seconds. Then cut with sprue plate
That's all there is to casting perfect bullets
Well not totally true with some molds. I just got a new 6cav Lee mold from a friend. Cleaned it, heated it on a hot plate, it took about 100 bullets, what 15-16 pours, to get good fill-out in all cavs. I Think most molds need some seasoning to get 100% good bullets.