Problem today casting

[zomby woof]

I started casting today. It was one of my LEE molds, which I've cast hundreds of boolits before with. My mold was up to temp the pot was up to temp and I kept getting wrinkled boolits. I kept cleaning the mold and still got wrinkles. It was pissing me off. I finally smoked the mold and all was well, even after the smoke wore off the mold. I'm confused. I lost over an hour of cast time. Oh well, live and learn.

[sagacious]

You did not mention that you are fluxing your lead. Without doubt, proper fluxing goes a long way towards preventing any problems during casting.

The best lead-pourers I know all take the same approach: Make sure all preparatory steps are done ahead of the pouring session, and take all measures to prevent problems before they happen.

If you find yourself working in "defensive mode" it's often because some important step was omitted. Fluxing your lead before pouring will make a positive difference when casting. Smoke the mold before each casting session. Make sure your alloy is consistent from batch to batch. If you're not following the guidelines in this fluxing article, you should include it in your pouring routine: http://www.lasc.us/FryxellFluxing.htm

Hope this helps and you get it cleared-up. Good luck!

[mooman76]

Casting can be frustrating especially for a begginer. I've been casting for years and still have an occational off day where nothing seems to go right or good. I just stop and go back later and usually everything is fine. Some times it just goes that way for no good reason or you miss something you didn't realize.

[Springfield]

I cast at least 3 times a week, but some days things just don't go right. I swear sometimes the humidity in the air affects the bullets. I can try and cast in the morning and get only crap, but do the same moulds later that night and get perfect bullets.

[snaggdit]

Yeah, It's a beautiful thing when everything is working like clockwork. Most of the time it ain't that way. Some days are just going to be rougher than others. Enjoy the good ones all the more!

[sagacious]

I cast at least 3 times a week, but some days things just don't go right. I swear sometimes the humidity in the air affects the bullets. I can try and cast in the morning and get only crap, but do the same moulds later that night and get perfect bullets.
Humidity can certainly affect the rate of dross and oxide formation. Pourers living in humid areas often express this frustration.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it sounds like you may not be fluxing your melt either. Fluxing will make those troublesome high-humidity days a thing of the past. I have helped many pourers diagnose their problems when casting in high-humidity, and many of them had decades of lead casting experience... But, they had not been fluxing the lead before (and occasionally during) the pouring session. It was to some as if a miracle had happened, and they no longer got the high reject-rate on humid days.

Try it-- flux your lead. Sight-unseen I can virtually guarantee that it'll improve your casting sessions.

Good luck!

[45-70 Chevroner]

Recently, actually a few weeks ago during a moulding casting session. I got every thing ready cleaned the mould smoked it fluxed the melt, did every thing I could do, but no go the thing would not cast a good bullet lots of wrinkles. I started over same thing, frustration sets in use a few choice words kick the wall bad idea. I finally decided the mould was not hot enough so I put the corner of the mould in the melt and being as large as the 6 cavity is I figure it would take a while. I got it so hot the lead would not solidify in the cavitys. I let it set for about 10 minutes. Tried it again. It now makes very nice no wrinkles great looking bullets. I have another 6 cavity same bullet as the new mould. I can make tons of bullets real quick, they keep two lee pots going. I rotate the two pots using one while the other one heats up another batch. This post should have been put under a new thread.

[1Shirt]

Like the lettering on the pregnant ladies t-Shirt said: "Poo Poo Occurs!". I put all my lee molds in the melt until they are good and hot. No wrinkles, and I like a little frosting. I never smoke a mold either.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Bret4207]

1st Shirt and I are on the same page. I NEVER smoke a mould except as a last resort. It produces a smaller booilt and insulates the mould from much needed heat. All smoking is doing is masking the problem. Fluxing is important and after 30+ years it's just a habit for me to stir ever now and again with a stick. This BP pot I'm trying is throwing me off on that, I'll admit. A clean mould and clean melt will make things much easier. After that it's just getting the mould up to temp and dipping a corner or the whole area of a mould that fits in the pot works. Just a couple days ago I took a brand new Lee single, cleaned it out with brake cleaner and let it sit in the pot till it stopped smoking. The first cast took a while to solidify and was heavily frosted, but the next 50 were perfect. IMO there are oils or other contaminants in the blocks that take a bit of time to "burn out". This is why some moulds seem to work so much better after 3-5 casting sessions.

All I know is it works for me.

[Whitespider]

When it comes to Lee aluminum molds, I've tried all the tricks I've read on this board plus some others. I have five Lee molds and not one will cast a good bullet without a light smoking.

Yes, I've cleaned them (multiple times), boiled them, lamented them.
Yes, I've heated them (hot enough that the boolit won't solidify in the mold).
Yes, I've varied my alloy, added tin, etc.
Yes, Ive tried a hotter alloy, a cooler alloy, etc.
Yes, I've fluxed the metal, and fluxed, and fluxed, and fluxed.
I lightly smoke with a Bic lighter (so light you can barely tell) and they start dropping good boolits immediately. After a light smoking, I can use them for multiple casting sessions without smoking again. But if I clean them (doesn't matter how or with what) I have to give them a light smokin'. I'm a "ladle only" caster, maybe they don't like a ladle?

I have rarely have problems with steel molds, never smoke 'em.

[bedwards]

My Lyman's are easy to cast with. My Lee's are somewhat more finicky. They like much more heat to work. When you hit the sweet spot, they cast well.

be

[epj]

The Lee molds like hot melt. I usually run a Lee 10# pot wide open on heat. I have a plumbers lead pot next to it to feed it preheated melt. I finally got a thermometer and discovered that I was running the pot in excess of 800*, almost 900*. I backed off some, but the Lee molds like it really hot. I was making very nice boolits at this temperature.