sprue cutter not clean cutting

[Remington Kid]

As some of you know I'm fairly new to casting balls and I have been casting .380 and .454 with Lee double cavity molds. The molds do a good Job if I let the mold heat up first but it seems to me that the sprue cutters are not doing a real good job. They seem a little rough to me. The cut is clean but it appears that the cutter is dragging a little. Any ideas to make it cut a little smoother? Mike

[krag35]

Where is it dragging? Is it leaving a gall mark across the top of the mold blocks? I have had a couple of sprue cutters that wern't beveled all the way to the bottom of the sprue plate. I generally open up the sprue holes in all my molds with a countersink.
krag35

[sundog]

Krag is right on. Counter sink (lightly! by hand) and crocus cloth and steel wool to clean the sprue holes. Enlarging is okay as long as you don't leave a big flat on the ball. Then, tension on the plate itself. BUT, plate and block top can't have any high points or burrs. Stone them off carefully. Low points (machine marks) okay as they provide air space and vent. And, the under side of the sprue plate has to ride smoothly on the blocks. That's a tall order for some moulds that get don't get finished as well as they should. sundog

[shooter575]

There is a "stickey" up in the moulds section on tuning up your mould also.

[Remington Kid]

Thanks guy's that will help for sure. They seem to drag a little before they cut. The plate is really tight but I can see on the mold where it seems like burs are trying to dig in the top of the mold.
I'll check out that stickie, Thanks again, Mike