Just a bad Friday for casting

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I got home from work, ate, and headed to the garage to cast some boolits. I really wanted to make a bunch of them tonght. It didn't work that way. I had one of the two cavaties that the boolit would stick in. After about a half hour of trying to just cast through it, I went and cleaned the mould. That worked but now one of the pins for the HP was sticking so I stopped again and tried to loosen the shaft. I broke one of the pins off. Ok, so now I put a new pin in so that it is just a FN boolit. My Lee 20 pot started leaking after awhile and I tried to clean it out. I used a wire to run up the spout. Leak stopped. After another half hour the spout started to plug up and I had a time of it gettting it to run again. Heat the mould up again so I can cast some. I cast for another hour and my back is just killing me. It is hot and as I lift my visor I'm wearing, the band that holds it on breaks. That's it. I go inside, take a shower and am glad I didn't burn myself. Just one of those kind of days. Vacation is in a week and I'm ready to go.

[captain-03]

Hey -- things do happen!! Shake it off; tomorrow is another day!!

[DLCTEX]

Mama said there'd be days like that! She didn't say there'd be so many of them.

[Munkeyjoe]

Good choice my man..... Just wasn't in the cards today for ya it seems....

[mold maker]

Aren't you glad there can't be over 31 days a month like that???

[riverwalker76]

No kidding ... I feel your pain.

I went out today to my shop with the intentions of casting up at least 500 9mm boolits.

I ended up giving up after 50 'Duds'. :???:

Between the pouring sweat and the 100 degree temps inside my metal shop ... I called it quits in frustration after only 30 minutes.

I told the wife ... if it weren't for my crops needing the Summer heat ... I wouldn't care if it were 65 degrees year round. :)

[WILCO]

Shake it off; tomorrow is another day!!

Plus one brotha!

[RobS]

I see where you are at and then some; casting can be a small PITA once in a while that's for sure.

[qajaq59]

I think we all get those days. I sure know I do. I usually quit faster then you did though. When it's not in the cards I just walk away.

[gray wolf]

Sometimes just trying to Pee straight can be a challenge Eh.
Thank you for sharing, sometimes we all have a bad day.
I think some of the new guy's think it is always a piece of cake.
There have been times ( more than I like to recall )
That I have taken the same mold same metal the same chair
The same shirt, pants and boots, --even had the sun in the same place,
And everything I did was a disaster.
Hey I even had the dog lay in the same place.
I think Julie looks through the window at my bullet pile, and after an hour or so
If the pile is small she knows I ain't having a good time.
But hey we got to take it in stride, ( after a few choice #@%$&*%# words )
And an hour of sulking, I move on.

[Shooter6br]

A bad day of casting is better than a good day at work!

[stephen perry]

I only have one good suggestion and a few crummy ones. Sell your LEE 20 and buy a LEE 20 dipping pot or an old SAECO 20 dipping pot, if you are lucky to find one. The crummy suggstions are smelt ww and make bars or watch the Harry Tracy Western I am watching as I write.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[DLCTEX]

Try some Bullplate lube on those sticky pins and Leement those sticky cavities. A cigarette lighter will heat the spout and usually helps get it flowing again.

[theperfessor]

I've had days like that and have painfully learned that sometimes ya just gotta shut things down and walk away. Every time I've pushed beyond the point of "it ain't gonna happen" I've ended up hurting myself one way or another. Like Clint says, a good man knows his limitations.

[mooman76]

Some days it just doesn't pay. Quit and come back later and it usually works out.

[Trey45]

Wow and I thought I had a bad day, but yours was worse.

How does that saying go, I once complained for want of shoes till i saw the man with no feet?

[HeavyMetal]

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite songs says it all:

"Ya got to know when to hold'em and know when to fold'em"!

[stephen perry]

Actually it goes you ' gotta know how to roll em and when to smoke em '.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[casterofboolits]

Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt!!!:groner:[smilie=b:

When that happens, I just shut it down and come back the next day and start over.

My MA Systems Collater almost drove me over the edge one evening. I had 14,000 38 simi wadcutters for delivery the next day and it was throwing every other bullet in backwards. Or so it seemed. I was standing there looking at it after the thousandeth adjustmenty and thinking about shooting the #$*&^ thing with my right hand actually resting on the butt of my Combat Commander. Thought better of it, shut down, took a bath and went to bed. Got up early, reset every thing to zero and went from there. The darn thing then ran perfect and only had three boolits misfeed out of the entire run. :drinks: Thank goodness for a Magma Auto Luber.

[PatMarlin]

I've had days like that and have painfully learned that sometimes ya just gotta shut things down and walk away. Every time I've pushed beyond the point of "it ain't gonna happen" I've ended up hurting myself one way or another. Like Clint says, a good man knows his limitations.

Ain't thatthe truth. I always screw up at the end of the day.

[theperfessor]

Seems like after I back off and have a chance to think about things the next time I try to do whatever it is I was doing things go much better, sometimes scarey better. Charlie, I'd bet things will go great for you the next time.

[AZ-Stew]

A bad day of casting is better than a good day at work!

Shooter kinda beat me to it. I was going to tell you that if you want to look at the good side, the whole time you were fighting the frustrations of a poor day casting, you weren't thinking about your REAL job. Casting took your mind completely off your other problems.

Regards,

Stew

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I just cast some today and things did go better. Nothing fell apart and the boolits looked better. I am still not satisfied with my dropped boolits but they did look better. I think that it is a matter of just practicing and trying to learn what works and what doesn't. I ain't giving up that's for sure! My MP-359-125 is dropping at 385.5 and I am trying to make it drop at least 359 or better. Some did, some didn't.