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What do we have here?
i Bought a toolbox full of muzzle loader stuff and in it is a 4 cavity roundball mold..... like I have never seen. as you can see in the picture, there is 2 sprue plates. 1 on top and 1 on the bottom. 4 cavities total.on the sprue plate, shiloh products is stamped. it appears this has seen very little use.
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Shiloh made molds years ago - I remember they were around when I was shooting N-SSA and they made minie ball molds, etc. I can't tell you the years they were in production but I know that they show up on flabbay every so often.
I have seen a couple of the molds like you have in a variety of RB sizes the ones I've seen all had the same size cavities. Do you know wha size the balls are that your's cast?
Basically, it was their version of a 4 cavity mold and I would guess that they would work well but I have never had the opportunity to cast with one. With the mold up to temperature, pour the first two and let them freeze off, flip the blocks and pour the second two. The cut the sprues and drop.
While I suppose that the cost of a second sprue plate comes in to play, I'm really surprised that thee aren't more mold makers using this design - at least for such things as round balls and shorter conicals.
An interesting mold and you should give it a try just to see how it works! I have a few Lyman 4 cavity round ball molds and when I think of how much steel is in the blocks of those in relation to the size of the round balls, this design seems like a really much better design if the ball size in relation to the block size allows for the blocks to hold sufficient heat in between pours and drops.
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Shiloh Products started out in Farmingdale, NY, making accessories for Civil War reenactors and shooters of the old guns. I have one of those four-cavity ball moulds in the box. I think the diameters are 0.454", but I'd have to dig it out and check.
I've also encountered Shiloh Products' aluminum moulds, with aluminum handles, for Minie conical Civil War boolits. Once the owner of the firm decided to start making reproduction Sharps rifles in the mid-70's, all that other stuff went by the board.
That design is a very good use of materials and space. It fits in the normal 2-cavity mould handle, is as easy to use, and the output is almost up to a standard four-cavity mould without all the weight.
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I seen one before and have one that is an 54 RB on top and Maxie on the bottom. The maxie is shaped like a full WC.
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Bent Ramrod - glad you could remember all of that! LOL I couldn't pull out the days they were in business out of my memory but I remember them being at the N-SSA Nationals at Winchester many years ago when I was active in N-SSA. Their products were good - I never had one of their minie ball molds as I already had a Lyman but a few of my friends did and liked 'em. IIRC, they also made a push through sizer for the mini balls - sort of a lever operated handle with a hinged push rod that you pushed down on and the minie went through the sizer.
That was a number of years ago but there ought to be quite a few of their molds and products kicking around.
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QUOTE: Shiloh Products started out in Farmingdale, NY, making accessories for Civil War reenactors and shooters of the old guns. I have one of those four-cavity ball moulds in the box. I think the diameters are 0.454", but I'd have to dig it out and check.
i GREW UP NEAR FARMINGDALE. LOL My dad worked at several of the aircraft shops there. If I only knew.....................
But on another note, I will have to try casting with this mold.
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"I GREW UP NEAR FARMINGDALE. LOL My dad worked at several of the aircraft shops there. If I only knew...."
th243, So did I and I'd never heard of them either.
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Dixie Gun Works used to have the Shiloh molds in their catalog. I think I remember having an aluminum Shiloh mold, I will see if I can find it!
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I have that mold. Good, compact, design.
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dondiego, do you cast all 4 cavities at once?
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Yes, you fill the 2 cavities on one side and I break the sprue about 1/8 inch after it hardens and flip it over and fill the other 2 cavities, break the sprue and dump the balls. It is almost like casting with 2 double cavs but you don't have to put the mold down and pick up a second mold! It works and you will develop a technique and a rhythm.
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UPDATE HERE: i FINALLY GOT AROUND TO CASTING LAST NIGHT. THIS 4 CAV. MOLD IS AWESOME. YOU NEED TO RUN IT HOT TO GET GOOD FILL, BUT ONCE YOU DO, THIS PUTS OUT. AND GET THIS, I WEIGHED ALL THE BALLS THAT HAD NO FLAWS....... AND THEY WEIGH EXACTLY THE SAME.[smilie=w:[smilie=w:[smilie=w: