Lack of fill out

[cabezaverde]

Tonight I tried casting a few for my soon to be here 45-70.

It is a Lee 340 Flat Point, and I had consistent wrinkling around the bands. I checked a few from last time I ran that mold, nice straight edges.

Frustrating stuff sometimes.

[SharpsShooter]

Many times fillout problems are heat related or more correctly lack of heat. Crank up the heat and preheat the mould a bit longer and likely the wrinkles will go away.

SS

[cabezaverde]

I had my RCBS maxed, but it was a single cavity aluminum mold. Not a lot of heat retention there.

[cbrick]

SharpsShooter is probably right but, I always start a casting session with a bronze brush and denatured alcohol (nylon brush for aluminum moulds) just to assure myself the mould is clean cause every now and then it just ain't.

Rick

[Uncle Grinch]

Like Sharpshooter said. Crank up the heat AND preheat the mould longer. It should start dropping frosted boolits. You can then start touching your mould to a damp cloth to cool it down or simply cast slower.
Your boolits should start looking good at this point.

[Vly]

Given your location and time of the year, maybe the room you are working in is colder than normal so you are losing heat in your alloy and mould?

[cabezaverde]

Given your location and time of the year, maybe the room you are working in is colder than normal so you are losing heat in your alloy and mould?

I cast in my basement = pretty much same temp year round. I am starting to agree that I probably didn't preheat the mold enough.

[44man]

I had way too many temperature problems with my old Lyman so I bypassed the thermostat and I plug the pot into a voltage control. It takes about 85 volts to maintain a steady temp whether the garage is cold or not.
The thing gave me fits. One day it would work fine and the next time the lead in the pot would start to freeze right in the middle of a batch.
The only pot that is holding a close range is my Lee.
My friend has three Lyman pots, two are new and with the control all the way up and the setting behind the knob adjusted, every boolit he makes is wrinkled no matter how fast he casts. He has to keep heating the mold with a torch.
I don't trust the thermostats any more.

[R.M.]

Cabezeverde

Is there a way for you to fill the mold faster? I find that the larger cavities like to be filled quicker. When I start getting poor bullets during a casting session, one of the things I check is my nozzle getting plugged. A quick in and out with a finishing nail and we're good to go again.

Something to concider
R.M.

[Dale53]

All of the above suggests VERY strongly to use a thermometer. A GOOD thermometer. I got mine from the 'ANTIMONY MAN" (Bill Ferguson") in Arizona. It replaced an unreliable Lyman thermometer.

I shall, the Man above willing, soon have my digital thermometer up and running.

Just in case someone hasn't figured it out, I consider a good thermometer a real necessity for good bullets. I did without one for many years but finally saw the light.

Dale53

[cbrick]

I consider a good thermometer a real necessity for good bullets. I did without one for many years but finally saw the light. Dale53

Yep.

Rick