First attempt at casting rifle bullets 1/2 were bent

[drobinson]

I got my Lyman 311041 mold from Midway yesterday, soaked it in mineral spirits for about 8 hours. Wiped out cavity and dried block with a cotton towel. Smoked the mold and warmed it on top of the pot. I was casting WW and water dropping into a 5 gallon bucket with water and a towel in the bottom.

One of the cavities did not want to let go, but I realized later that the mold was not hot enough. once it got hot, it released just fine.

I thought I was doing great until I dumped the bucket when I was done and found that at least 1/2 of the bullets were banana shaped. What can I do to prevent this?

[bedwards]

I think you need to hold um in the mould a little longer before you dump them in the bucket. Is your sprue plate smearing the bases? Sounds like your dumping them before they have hardened enough. Just slow down some.

be

[Wayne Smith]

Yup, bedwards has the answer. You need to not drop them quite so quickly. If you are getting lead on your sprue plate a little Bullplate and Bruce B's cooling the sprue plate on a wet sponge or towel will stop that.

Another solution is to cast with two molds, letting one harden while filling the other.

[drobinson]

I was using Bullshops lube, great stuff. I was cutting the sprues as soon as the shimmer was gone. How long should it take to allow the bullets to harden? The mold was HOT though, I will try cooling it off on a wet towel tonight, and slowing down a little.

[AZ-Stew]

Wait until the sprue cools - 3 to 5 seconds. You should see the sprue sink in the neighborhood of the sprue hole, letting you know the boolit shrinkage is complete and the casting has sucked metal from the sprue into the mould. This is important to prevent voids in the base of the boolit. When you've seen the little dimple and have watched it go from shiny to dull, wait a second or two before you cut the sprue. By that time the boolits should be hard enough to drop without bending.

Regards,

Stew

[Rocky Raab]

Agree. Opening the mould too soon. I set up a fan to blow across my bottom pour pot for fume removal. After I get a good puddle atop the sprue plate, I wait for it to skim over (so it won't run) and then hold it in front of the fan while I count to five or six. My bases cut cleanly and bullets drop out perfectly. I never water quench, and simply drop onto a towel folded into ten or so layers.

[mooman76]

I agree with all said here. After you see the lead turn to a dull haze showing it's cooled wait a couple seconds before you drop it out. Check a few after you have done this to see if you are on track.