Pam spray+Lee pot=wrinkly bullets?

[txshooter524]

Took out my lee 20lb bottom pourer today for the second time. The first time I used it everything went smoothly. I was casting into a lee 6cav 240gr swc and once it heated up it turned out some nice bullets. I cleaned the mold up with a little rubbing alcohol first and smoked it with a match. When I stored the pot after the first session I left an inch of lead in the bottom and hit the inside with a little cooking spray, per Lee's instructions, and let it be. Today I brought everything out again. I had a 230 gr TL mold I wanted to add in the rotation. So I wiped it out with a little rubbing alcohol and gave it a smoke treatment and sat down to what I thought would be a pleasurable casting session. I heated some previously cast ingots to 750, and got ready to go. The first couple openings were wrinkly as they were the first time until the mold got heated up. So I continued for at least 30 min turning out wrinkly bullets from both molds, including the one that previously spit out some fine looking pieces of lead. Even stopped for a few minutes and hit the mold with a torch to make sure it was good and hot. So what I'm wondering here is did the cooking spray get in my melt and cause wrinkly bullets? That's the only variably that's different from the first time.

[jdgabbard]

Next time try boiling the mold in a pot of water with just a little bit of dish soap. My guess is that the cooking oil wasn't completely cleaned out of the mold. Wrinkled boolits is a sign of that.

[georgeld]

Flux your melt real good too, that should help solve the problems.
I use ATF from a saline bottle to drip onto the mold pins and sometimes get a little in a cavity and they'll be wrinkled for a few casts but, seems to help them release better after that so I'm not real careful about it.

I also never "treat" the molds, seems everytime I do they'll give problems for a long while afterward. I also have started emptying the pot when done to get all the build up and lead, everything else out of it. Then start fresh the next time. I usually cast with it plugged in until the bottom quarter then unplug it and keep casting til the needle plugs up or it gets to 600. Then quit and pour what little is left out on a steel plate.

The last half dozen casting sessions after doing this and making sure the molds are up to temp and melt is 750 or so I haven't had a scrap boolet the first dozen or so casts unless I'd gotten some ATF in a cavity.

[docone31]

The PAM in your pot will float upwards in the melt. I wouldn't have done that neccessarily though. I just shut down my pot and reheat it when I need it.
I had wrinkled crap for a long time. I fired them off though. I have no experience with the six bangers. With my two holers, I did LeeMent them. That made a major difference. That combined with really heating my mold, I got good, predictable results.
I get my best results with the two holers with the six second rule. I kinda made that up as I have not found a rule like that, but, When I pour, then count six, my last sprue pulls in the puddle flashes to grey and I cut the sprue.
Again, I have no knowlege of six bangers. Just my two holers that finally trained me.
Instead of alcohol, I would use acetone, or brake cleaner. Heat really helps also.

[jdgabbard]

That, and also make sure your pot and mold are up to temp. I know you said everything is the same. But while I was casting outside this winter I noticed that sometimes I would have my temp on the same setting as before and it would be getting way too hot, some times I just wasn't casting fast enough. Sometimes my pot was just too cold on the same setting. Best to buy a lyman thermometer for $35 and set dial to whatever it takes to reach 700 degrees.

[zxcvbob]

You didn't get any cooking spray on the molds did you? That is exactly what you don't want (oil or grease in the mold cavities) and would cause the problem you're having. Oil in the melter won't hurt anything, it's probably good for it.

[Tom W.]

I don't spray anything into my Lee molds, I just leave the last boolit in it when I'm through. In my RCBS molds I spray Rem Oil in and on the mold when it cools. After about five or six pours at the next session the stuff is all burned off, and I have no problems with it at all....

Your results may not reflect mine...

[Bret4207]

Someone has mentioned PAM leaves a hard residue when over heated, I don't know never having used it in that capacity. Flux the melt, clean the moulds increase casting speed to get he moulds up to temp.

The only thing I've recommended PAM for is as a makeshift boolit lube using the Lee push through's and as a makeshift case lube.

[Tom W.]

I used to use PAM on my power lift seats on my bass boat....WAAAAY better than WD-40..