I like to turn them by hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by jsizemore
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I like to turn them by hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by jsizemore
Progress!
Evaporust. Man, that stuff is handy. After a 1/2 day soak and some work with Dawn soap and a toothbrush, the cavities are looking pretty good. The metal was looking parched after the de-rust operation, so everything got a coat of Ballistol for storage while I figure out the handle situation. In my experience, Ballistol cleans out of the cavities pretty easily.
I fixed the retention screw heads by taping the threads with painters tape and lightly chucking in a drill. I spun the perimeter of the screw heads on sandpaper to remove a teansie bit of radius. They are now able to turn deep enough into the block to reach the sprue pivot and stop screws.
Next up:
remove lead from the cavity faces, and
contact NV Ballistics that JonB referenced for handles (thanks JonB!).
https://s20.postimg.cc/a3q554d59/20180318_153538.jpg
It good to see that you are getting that nice old mold back into useable condition. The H&G molds that I have are a pleasure to cast with.
If you watch the video posted by skeettx the guy hits the sprue plate after it's open. Don't do that!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Taterhead
That is an awesome solution for the sprue plate !Quote:
Originally Posted by skeettx
I have been white noise thinking about how to go about getting a 3rd handle on the plate .
Oh yes, I see what you're talking about, and I agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by jsizemore
Taterhead, if you want to send me the mold I will see if I can cut some screws for it. I have replaced the screws on my H&G molds with stainless. I do keep all the original H&G screws, but I am not a collector. I use my molds so the stainless works better for me, especially changing out the proud screws on the bottom of some of the 4 cavity molds with screws that are flush.
Or if you can give me precise measurements I may be able to make it work.
Oh, man! That's a great offer. Since I have all the screws working, I'll go ahead and run with it for now. VERY much appreciated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragonheart
To remove the lead from the mold face mix 50/50 ratio of standard 3% hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. Apply the solution with a Q-tip and rub with a pencil eraser dipped in the solution. It may take you a few minutes, but the lead will dissolve. Then lube the mold surface as this solution is a super oxidizer and will cause rust. BTW: This is a very old solution for removing lead from a gun barrel. It will also add a patina to brass molds almost instantly.
The instruction that came with Hensley & Gibbs molds states that the use of a lead hammer is the preferred method of opening a sprue plate.Quote:
Originally Posted by jsizemore
On 6 and 8 cavity molds this is a must. There are instructions on this site on how to make them. Classic sticky section.
I didn't say don't use a hammer, mallet, stick, thumb, whatever to open the sprue plate, I'm saying, DON"T HIT THE SPRUE PLATE AFTER IT'S OPEN. Got it?Quote:
Originally Posted by LenH
I had a mold that resembled the one in the picture purchased at a garage sale. I soaked it in WD-40 then got a bore bruch wrapped in fine steel wool and
ran it in each cavity until clean. I then polished the cavities with rubbing compound on a clean mop. The mold casted perfect bullets after that. I heavily smoked
all cavities before casting.
Yep only the handle bolt.
A little more progress. Modified a set of Lee 6 cavity handles by grinding them thinner. Pretty crude workmanship on my part, but seems serviceable. The location of the holes and diameter are good without modification.
The wood handles are already trying to slip off so I'll need to secure them with pins.
Now just need to figure out how to get lead off the mold faces, then should be ready to go. This old thing is growing on me. Such much for the project I didn't want!
Tomorrow looks good to warm up the furnace. I'll report back with some boolits pics.
https://s20.postimg.cc/w3ll3u1kt/20180414_195159.jpg
Read my previous post as to removing lead from the mold. Rubbing with the pencil lead in addition to the pencil eraser kept wet with the solution will help exposing new surface area for the solution to dissolve. As I said it is not super fast but it will remove all the lead, especially in the vent grooves and at the edge of the cavities where the lead tends to form. Do not be tempted to put the mold faces to a wire wheel, a wire wheel works fine for the exterior sides and bottom of a mold, but not on the cavities as it will round the surface edges.
I have a four cavity H&G #50 mold that I dearly love! That is an EXCELLENT w/c bullet for .38’s. Right now, that is one of my most used bullets.
FWIW
Dale53
The great thing for those that still load & shoot 38 is the #50 H&G had to be the mold they sold the most of because now you can find a really nice #50 dirt cheap, considering the quality of these molds.
I realized that I never got back to this thread. I did cast up about a 100 keepers from this mold. It casts nicely, but the sprue plate has a bit of a sloppy feel. It might be ever so slightly warped (or the top of the blocks are). As the sprue plate swings, it definitely has some tight and loose spots. Works as needed, though.
I need to spend more time removing lead the lead from the faces, especially the part near the leading driving band. Worked on it for about 20 minutes then lost patience. The lead is "beagling" it a bit. The leading driving band measures .361ish and the boolits taper to .359 to .360. 149 gr from 96-3-1 alloy.
Here is a pic after coated and sized. The #50 are the eggplant colored ones (Smoke's Traffic Purples laced with a touch of Jet Black. Color turned out kinda cool, by the way). The blue ones are the NOE 360-160-WC 360432 coated in Smoke's Signal Blue.
I have loaded the #50s over 2.8 gr 700-X. Hopefully will test them tomorrow.
https://s20.postimg.cc/6e4w5kutp/20180616_164045.jpg
They look good enough to me.