45 devastator problems

[jlmomaha]

Hello,
I recently purchased a 45 dev mold, I keep getting a fin around the hollow pointer "spud?" 8 out of 10 will have this on it, its seems some of the lead gets around the shaft and make a circular fin on the top of the boolit? I have ran the lead from so cold that it wouldnt fill the mold all the way up to 900 degrees and if its warm enough to fill out the mold its warm enough to make that damn lil fin. :evil: ..lol

on a side note this place has the coolest lil smileys lol my favorite >>> [smilie=w:

lol
thanks for any advice guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fryboy]

fin ...as in flashing ? a fin is usually a whisker in a vent line , i'd check the depth screw to make sure it's tight or if it can be adjusted just a lil deeper , if it's what i believe you described it could also be sliced off with a razor blade or utility knife ( i'm thinking either not deep enough or the edge is wore round )

[jlmomaha]

urgh yeah I dont have it with me right now but thinking about it, i think that the screw can be adjusted OMG can it really be that easy??????????? Im having yet another doh moment, we need a homer simpson smiley face just for me, and yet again it is fry to the rescue lol.. think ima just put u on speed dial bro..lol..

[Jeff H]

I had that once on a LEE .44 HP mold. In my case, it was when things needed some lube and everything was not closing up perfectly.

[fryboy]

it could be that easy but may not be , but that's what it sounds like to me amigo and i have the same mold - love mine !!! works best when i get the mold good and hot on a hotplate first and then with two pots going i can cast nonstop for quite some time , it's also one of the two mold i have that frosted boolits are almost impossible in , if the edge is worn/rounded you mite need a new pin , was it new or used ? if it doesnt go any deeper because of the screw is bottomed out a judicious filing of it will make it shorter , if that's the case plz go slow as it's much easier to take a lil more off than add it ( but new screws arent as expensive as the hp plug )

edit for add ... it may not work here but my home page it does ( cuz i have those moments too ) :homer:

[buck1]

I had a .44 devestator that did that. I sent the mold back.

[jlmomaha]

ok i got an 1/8th a turn outta it so I may need to file. also when I close the mold it doesnt close all the way, after a few years of precision maching classes and doin things on my own, I feel safe to estimate the gap at .002 I can tink it and get it to close up. any ideas let me know...

[fryboy]

one other quick thought on the HP pin make sure that the e-clip isnt bent to where it helps hold it away ( ie; not drawn up tite ) and also make sure the lil ridge just in front of the e-clip doesnt have a bur on it

by closing all the way i'm sure that you mean the two die halfs ? if so check the faces for specks of lead and buildup around the two protruding alignment pins , check around the holes too for wallowed out or protruding metal , when in or out of the handles it should be so that you dont see daylight when looking thru the mold , before you go adjusting the alignment pins ( if needed ) make sure that the blocks do close when not in the handles ( this would eliminate the handles as the culprit or identify them if that's the case ) i think there's a sticky somewhere about tuning and troubleshooting molds but it may be at cast pics or lasc's site

[geargnasher]

+1 Fryboy, I'm amazed at how many "other people's" moulds I see or borrow that are covered with lead specks on the block faces and smeared all over the bottom of the spure plate and top of the blocks, seems to be a regular occurance. I'd check that area closely. Also, out of the last 11 Lyman moulds that have come into my possession new or used, I've had to drift the alignment pins on every single new single or double I've ever purchased, and a few used ones too. Seems the pins either are too far out and bind the blocks up so they stick closed, or they are too far in and the blocks shift against each other. Often one will be too far out and one too far in, there's no rhyme or reason to it. When I see the little cutesty "Inspected by ___" note with the date stamp on it I get a good laugh. "Pam" or "Marsha" or whoever did the final QC must have been really screwed over by some dude in the past and are getting their revenge against men, one mould at a time! Unfortunately, there are a few female casters out there getting screwed, too, but I'm sure it's a small percentage of the wrath.

I know that my Devastator 452374hp will fin slightly around the pin when it really gets going nice and hot pressure casting with a full 20 lb pot of 20:1, but I don't worry too much about it or the whiskers that form from the vent lines filling up, by the time the boolits get handled through the whole process of prepping and reloading all those little bits are shed off. I think the HP pins may be a bit too loose in the blocks, I made a smaller HP pin for mine out of brass and fit it more tightly and the nose "tube" went away.

Gear

[jlmomaha]

yeah I am thinking I have a pin out to far, I have thoroughly inspected the blocks and see no lead traces, so ho hard to tap that pin in a little?

[geargnasher]

They tend to be pretty tight. Brass drift, rock solid flat surface, heavy hammer (20oz or better), you'll probably drive it too far and have to move it back, they tend to overtravel the first time you break them loose. The best way is in a hydraulic press. A good bench vise can be used, too, if you have a set of brass jaws or a brass block to press against the pin.

Before you try to drive the alignment pins in, test them by removing the blocks from the handles and then trying to mate the pins in the opposite holes. Take the right side block and move it forward until the hole in the right block (closest hole to the handle in casting position) is engaging the far pin in the left block. Twist the halves against each other and check for daylight between the halves. Do the same with the other pin and hole, and check also for a raised burr around the alignment pin hole. Any burrs can be dressed off with a piece of 400-grit emory paper, water, and a heavy piece of flat glass.

Gear

[NSP64]

I recently bought two devastator molds from midway. A 45 & a 44. The 45 casts beautiful boolits. The 44 has the same problem you have. I think the pin shaft is a little small and that allows it to shift to one side allowing the lead to form a partial tube fin at the edge of the hollow point. I am making a new spud for it. I noticed the side that has a fin looks slightly thicker. I have just been taking the fin off with my fingernail when I lube them.

[Tazman1602]

JL --

If you can "tink" it to get it to close, take the handles OFF, the mold blocks APART, clean them (toothbrush or bronze brush if it's a steel mold and dish soap) but before you do that with the handles off and the mold blocks in your hands, see if you can find out WHY you have to "tink" it to get it to close all the way.

That could be a burr that needs to be taken of OR a piece of lead somewhere as Fry says, I've had both happen on my HP molds. Also make sure the HP pin gets hot too as that can cause "wrinkly" bullets............

Pictures would help us help you too if you've got a camera......

Art

[jlmomaha]

it seems one of the pins are out to farand preventing it from closing and that pin wont drift it, the other one sadly receeded all the way into the mould, I msgd lyman and will await thier response if its not a good one then I will get the punches out and get them where I need em, I have completely inspected the mould blocks, and they are clean I inspected the pin holes and they are burr free so if drifting the pins dont work it seems I am going to have to turn new ones on the lathe.... I really dont want to.. lol

[fryboy]

they are a snug fit but should tap into the place you need them , i usually use a brass punch either thru the holes if too proud or thru the back if too shallow , if too proud ( protruding out too far ) and sticking as the one seems to be it'll need a lil more ummm love applied ( harder tap ) this is where the brass or other soft punch will save you from buggering up the face of the pin and creating more problems , it'd also be as you suggested the other day - a good time to live close so one of us could help and show you , i cant seem to find the link i'm wanting for the mold troubleshooting and repairing ( anyone know where it is ? )

[fredj338]

I recently bought two devastator molds from midway. A 45 & a 44. The 45 casts beautiful boolits. The 44 has the same problem you have. I think the pin shaft is a little small and that allows it to shift to one side allowing the lead to form a partial tube fin at the edge of the hollow point. I am making a new spud for it. I noticed the side that has a fin looks slightly thicker. I have just been taking the fin off with my fingernail when I lube them.
I think this is the problem. I have the 44 & 45, both cast perfectly for me pressure casting w/ 50/50 lead/ww or 25-1 lead/tin running around 750deg. The pins should have verry little play in the mold.

[jlmomaha]

ok I think I have it fixed now..I hope, if I get a chance I will cast some up tonight and post the results

[a.squibload]

Well, this ain't a smiley but maybe it will help...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69sguoFlVzY/TPItSoI-HzI/AAAAAAAAAEM/LwcCd_uigyg/Homer%27s%20Xray.jpg

[jlmomaha]

lmao..!!

[jlmomaha]

ok well when I an casting the boolits the 2 halves of the mold are not lining up, the only way i can describe it is, when looking at the boolit from the base picture 2 half circles put together but one is about .008 higher than the other, so i am going to send it back hopefully to be replaced. does any one here have any exp. with thier customer service? what can I expect?

[geargnasher]

All I can tell you is that I have several Lyman moulds that have the cavities machined off-center, looking down into the cavity with the sprue plate open, the cavity in the left block(with sprue plate screw in it) is further forward than the right cavity, some as much as .005". The outside of the blocks will be perfectly flush when mated, but the cavity halves don't line up. All my moulds are off the same direction, I think Lyman's boring vise is worn out and the blocks get sheared away from each other from the torque of the cherry.

I fixed one of these recently by filing one side of the alignment holes out and peening the other side to shift the hole locations slightly and slide the right block forward (away from the handle hinge).

Haven't had much luck with Lyman fixing anything I sent back, but you might try it anyway.

Gear

[a.squibload]

Gear, that sounds like a good fix.
When I started this hobby I never would have thought I could fix molds like fixing cars or something.
Have already fixed a couple with help from you guys.
Now I almost look forward to mold problems!

[jlmomaha]

well if they cant fix it I hope they just refund my money, this in my opinion looks very bad for lyman, if they dont do right by me ill never buy from them again, and pass my exp. along to others so they dont have to endure this. it is rediculous that I can buy a lee 6 cavity mold for half the price of a lyman single or double mold, and it actually performs better!!
Someone over at lee needs to start making hp molds again..