What causes this?

[Sturgell]

These will come up in the middle of casting and make up about 15-20% of my boolits and 100% of the ones I end up culling. Happens with both my 6 cavity Lee and double cavity RCBS. I am thinking it is from the lead when being cast into bigger boolits not being "fluid" enough in the mold. These are cast with 100% WW alloy.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z288/SturgellatOSU/IMG_2463.jpg

[Trey45]

If you're using any kind of sprue plate lube it's possible the lube is getting into the cavities. If not, it's most likely a matter of heat. Slow your cadence down to less than what it is now. A too hot mold is just as detrimental to quality pours as a too cold mold is. If slowing down your cadence doesn't help, flux and stir when the culls appear.

Edit, I had it backwards, you're mold is too cold possibly, speed your cadence up and see if that works.

[docone31]

Mold is too cool.

[Sturgell]

If the mold is allowed to get any hotter the boolits come out very very frosted. I don't use any sprue lube, most of my culls just have a few spots like the little one on the left side of the left boolit at the bottom of the first crimp groove.

[IHMSA]

Sturgell,

Dog-gone those are slightly ugly. Many here know a lot more than I, but here's my take.

1) Clean the mold cavities with a good solvent.
2) Flux the metal well with Marvelux or Eq.
3) Be sure the metal is up to proper temp.
4) Looks like the molds may not up to temp. Keep 'em moving faster.
5) If you still have problems, ask someone smarter than me. :mrgreen:

[docone31]

People are afraid of the frosting.
Frosting is good!
I have found, the worst that happens, the sprue stays liquid long enough to get bored, dump the molten metal, go have a cup of coffee and start recasting.
Your sprue should freeze in six seconds.

[Ben]

In the order I'd begin looking for answers.

1. Mold cavities are still contaminated. Heat the mold and clean with De-Natured alcohol.
2. Lightly soot with a butane lighter once the mold cavities are clean.
3. Metal needs fluxing.
4. Metal isn't hot enough
5. Mold isn't hot enough

[IHMSA]

People are afraid of the frosting.
Frosting is good!
Your sprue should freeze in six seconds.

That is a pretty good "rule of thumb"
It varies somewhat depending on the size of the boolit vs the weight of the mold.

[Bulletlube]

Lee says to clean the cavities of their new molds with hot soapy water. I use a toothbrush and scrub the heck out of mine.

[Sturgell]

My sprues solidify in 3-4 seconds I will up temps until I get to 6. Oh and just before casting I spray out all of my moulds with carb cleaner.

[yondering]

In the order I'd begin looking for answers.

1. Mold cavities are still contaminated. Heat the mold and clean with De-Natured alcohol.
2. Lightly soot with a butane lighter once the mold cavities are clean.
3. Metal needs fluxing.
4. Metal isn't hot enough
5. Mold isn't hot enough

What he said. I use carb cleaner and an old toothbrush. Smoking the cavities really helps.

[38-55]

HEy YA'll,
Iff'n I was you I'd stay away from carb cleaner/brake cleaner for mold degreaser.. And yes I've done it to..
http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm
Dude was lucky..
Stay safe
Calvin
PS the above link loads really slow but is worth the wait as a safety reminder...
PPSS as to the original question the mold is too cold and them boolits need some frosting to be really sweet !

[IHMSA]

My sprues solidify in 3-4 seconds I will up temps until I get to 6. Oh and just before casting I spray out all of my moulds with carb cleaner.

Try moving forward without the carburetor cleaner.
I think your results may improve.

[IHMSA]

:hijack:

[fredj338]

Are you casting from a bottom pour? With almost all my molds, I hold the sprue plate tight against the spout, pour, then lift off to form a small sprue. this seems to give me best mould fill out. I have a MagmaCaster that fills well too, the molds are about 1" from the pot spout, so an alternate is increse the distance the lead drops. That & large sprue wokr best for me. I usually cast straight ww or 50/50 ww/lead mix. FWIW, I use GunScrubber on the warmed cavs of the iron moulds before casting.

[docone31]

When I get my new Lee Molds, I soak them for a couple of days in mineral spirits. I have found a spray and scrub does not do it. I then let them air dry over night, and cast without lube or smoking.
Once I stopped smoking them, I got great results.
From there, I float my mold in the melt for a bit. I use the speed of the sprue freezing to determine the casting temp. If the sprue freezes too quickly, I keep the castings in the cavities a while longer, if the sprue takes forever to freeze, I set the mold down on a paver brick I use to rest hot items.
You will get the knack of them, once you do, you will really be able to read them.
I cast over 200 really crappy castings before I started makeing any progress. Keep at it.

[lathesmith]

Sturgell, I ran into this sort of thing while casting a few days ago, with one of the GB 434-207GC molds. The "uglies" in my case were always along the part line; hmmm....I quickly "beagled" the mold with a bit of tape, took a brass brush and lightly rubbed the mold's vent lines, and kept casting. Presto! The "uglies" disappeared...I suspected that my mold wasn't venting quite like it should, and the beagling tape allowed the vents to work better. In the case of this bullet, the size increased from .432 to .434; the driving bands of this bullet are so thin that it still easily sizes to .431. Just something else to try...and a little more heat.
lathesmith

[38-55]

Hey Ya'll,
For what it's worth.. I've found that when I get a new mold the best way to deal with it is give it a through degreasing and just cast with it.. AND don't expect perfect or even good results with it the first time you get it hot.. This is an across the board observation in my experince..It matters not if it is an iron mold or a aluminum mold.. they just don't seem to want to work til the second casting session.
Also heat is your friend when you are trying to get a mold to fill out..
Stay away from the mold release agents.. they have dimension and can really screw things up.. or another way to look at is they just add another variable to the equations. Being a simple person I like less variables.. But that's just me and your mileage may vary.
Stay safe
Calvin

[HeavyMetal]

You can, and should, do all the cleaning exercise's that have been mentioned. Also use a q tip soaked in denatured alcahol to wipe out the mold cavity after you hit it with break cleaner.

Never been a fan of smoking a mold.

I think you gave us a clue when you told us when the uglies started: about half way through a casting session!

I bet you added ingots to the alloy to get the pot full again. If you add enough ingots you can really cool a pot of alloy down in a hurry!

Suggest you work with a hot plate, to keep molds hot and wait 10 minutes or so after adding ingots to your pot then stir flux and stir again then continue casting and see if the uglies go away.

Bottom line is the alloy is to cold!

[DLCTEX]

It looks as if you may have two problems contributing. It apperars you have some contaminates in your alloy. I also wonder if the carb cleaner you are using is supplying some oil as the boolits appear to show oil in the cavaties. I had a new Lee mold that just wouldn't get clean so I dunked it in the melt until it was really hot. Seemed to have cooked the oils out of the metal and it went to work. Just my dos centavos.

[snaggdit]

I have always just preheated a new Lee mold on the top of the pot. When it gets warm, I wipe out (and off, do all the surfaces) the mold with white gas on a q-tip. Use several dry q-tips after, then smoke lightly with a butane lighter and start casting. With this method I have been able to drop good boolits after the third or fouth cast. Then I keep a set in the cavs and apply bull plate as prescribed. Sometimes it will take a few more to cast good boolits again, but normally from there I am off to the races.

As to the problem here, +1 on need more heat. +1 on frosted isn't bad. Additionally, I think there is some residue from the carb cleaner. You say you spray them down before casting. Do you q-tip out the cavities before casting? Solvents are typically pretty clean evaporators, but 99% pure and 1% remaining could cause you issues. Keep it up, they are getting there.

[chevyiron420]

i used to get that as well. its like the lead splashed and froze to the mold and then didnt flow right. when i went to ladle dipping i had no more problem with it. i could increase my casting speen untill my boolits were frosted bad and still got it. it seemed some molds were worse than others with this. my bottom pour furnace has been sitting unused for a wile and i ladle everything.

[dragonrider]

Some carb cleaners will leave residue behind. Easier to scrub with hot soapy water and a soft brush. Hot rinse, let dry, begin casting.

[geargnasher]

[QUOTE=dragonrider;625895]Some carb cleaners will leave residue behind. Easier to scrub with hot soapy water and a soft brush. Hot rinse, let dry, begin casting.

You might say "MOST" or even "ALL" aerosol carburetor cleaners contain oil, as lubrication is part of the job when using for their intended purpose of cleaning fuel varnish off of choke cams and linkages.

For moulds I use non-chlorinated brake cleaner made by Berryman, rubbing alcohol, or as I have said before cheap vodka:drinks::mrgreen: Just get 'em squeaky clean!

I'm no longer a fan of smoking a mould, either, I've finally concluded that clean, properly lapped/polished and broken-in moulds cast best.

Gear

[looseprojectile]

I have cast some good boolits with straight wheel weights but I hardly ever cast a bad one with wheel weights with at least some added tin.
Try adding one and a half ounces of 95% tin solder to ten pounds of your melt and flux and you will cast like the expert you have become. Amazing how so little helps so much.
I nearly always lean in the direction of tin rich metal. Makes it so easy.
I always wondered why my boolits were shiny and silver looking and other guys boolits were black colored. The tin and linotype I use in the melt produces silvery boolits. And they will stay that way. Makes them easy to cast and they don't shoot any worse. Frosted is good! If your mould is on the small side it will cast larger boolits when cooler. I try to make sure that my moulds are large enough to run them hot.

Life is good.

[Sturgell]

I cast from a Lee 4-20, flux with a dowel rod, and small amount of paraffin wax. I will keep the mould hot, I just got done washing it with really hot water and dawn soap. I will also try holding the sprue plate up against the pour spout. If all of that doesn't work I will go get some 60/40 solder.

[Marlin Hunter]

Are you adding cold lead (sprue cuts) to the pot half way through the process? Sometimes adding cold lead messes things up.

[docone31]

Those will still shoot well.
Give yourself a break. Save the 60/40 for another time. This is just an heat issue.
If, after thorough soaking in mineral spirits, and good heating, it still does that, as a last resort, try moving the sprue plate to one side, putting 1/4-20 nuts over the cavities. With the mold real hot, cast thru the nuts and let freeze solid. Open the mold, remove the castings. Lay the castings down in order of removal.
Take some fine valve lapping compound smear some on a casting, put it in the mold and slowly, and lightly close the mold while turning with a 7/16th wrench. When all the castings spin easily, swap them around to even out the polishing.
Soak in mineral spirits, heat, cast.
I had a stubborn mold that I had to do that with.
Difference between night and day.

[MtGun44]

More heat, a dab of tin and scrub the mold with Comet and an old toothbrush.

Frosty is just fine.

Bill

[Sturgell]

Got the mould and pot hotter than I have ever needed to with 38 cal WC's and I solved the problem with you guys help. Got the mould really hot and the bullets came out extremely frosty, let it cool for 45 seconds and it got a little better, then on the second pour after the really frosty ones I got the pretty ones.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z288/SturgellatOSU/IMG_2470.jpg

[snaggdit]

Yep, the ones on the right have really sharp lines and just minimally frosty. I'd say you got it licked! Nice boolits.

[Suo Gan]

Just like a CB thread should work! I bet they shoot good!

[lead-1]

I had some 30 cal boolits do that tonight, I let the lead level in the pot get a little on the low side plus I was dropping the sprues back into the pot. Thanks to your posting that pic I know what I was doing wrong.