I Have To Share My Experience, W/ Question - Lyman #358156

[cbrick]

The single most common cause of rounded bases is a sprue plate that is too cool. ( my next option would be to have the sprue melting...)

Stop inspecting your bullets as you cast, ( I'm not. The round bases are rather obvious when they drop.) the sprue is cooling off fast because it has far less mass to hold heat than the mold blocks.

The next would be incomplete pour (hardly the case here) to allow the base to fill out properly. Kill two birds at one time and pour an extra large sprue puddle, ( yeah, did that too. ) it will add heat to the sprue plate and give the bullet base alloy to draw from. Keep the mold closed (including the sprue plate) and full of alloy as much as possible. Cast faster. ( been there.)

Reading your posts in this thread it seems that you have made up your mind, this mold is junk and nothing is going to change your mind. Perhaps you are simply trying talk yourself into buying a new mold.

Your so far off that assumption it's sad. The reason I borrowed the mold was so I didn't have to fork out for a new one. I've tried everything and no I have not only cast with this mold. The bullets from the .44 blocks came out great. I changed to the 38 blocks and nothing made a good bullet. It's the blocks, not me or my processes. It's almost like the sprue is creating an air bubble so the base does not fill in.

Rick

I have but one regret . . . I wasted my time & efforts in an honest attempt to help someone, for my effort you get snotty with me.

Shame when an effort to help someone is a complete waste of time. That's ok, many that read these threads truly appreciate the suggestions & offers of help offered here. Some it seems do not.

Rick

[MT Gianni]

This I understand as well, but, these are steel blocks. Not sure where the iron came from you're referring to.

Lyman molds are iron not steel.

[DODGEM250]

Lyman molds are iron not steel.

On these two blocks that I have here, the .38 and .44, the mold blocks are steel. The handles are in fact made of cast iron.

On the .38 mold the number is 358156 - 468
On the .44 mold the number is 429244 - 95C

I have no idea what the last three digits refer to. Date ? Production number?

The description from Midway even states "steel" in the Lyman description as well. HERE

Lyman

Lyman 2-Cavity Bullet Molds are made from solid leaded-steel and machined to an exact and smooth super fine finish. The molds are then heat treated (that is why they are blue in color) and feature hardened steel alignment pins to provide many years of bullet casting service. Sprue plates are made from solid steel, ground flat and held tightly in place with tempered steel spring washers and screws. In addition, break-in is often half the time required for iron molds. Mold handles are not included.

Technical Information:

Material: Machined Leaded Steel Mold Blocks
Cavities: 2-Cavity
Features: Steel Sprue Plate
Common Sizer Die Diameter: .429"
Notes:
# Hardwood Handles are not included and must be purchased separately. For 1 or 2-Cavity molds please order MidwayUSA product # 698-819, for 4-Cavity molds please order MidwayUSA product # 290-391.
# Weight given are Lyman's weights with suggested allow; actual weight may vary due to alloy mixture used.


Technical Information:

Material: Machined Leaded Steel Mold Blocks
Cavities: 2-Cavity
Features: Steel Sprue Plate
Common Sizer Die Diameter: .358"
Notes:
# Hardwood Handles are not included and must be purchased separately. For 1 or 2-Cavity molds please order MidwayUSA product # 698-819, for 4-Cavity molds please order MidwayUSA product # 290-391.
# Weight given are Lyman's weights with suggested allow; actual weight may vary due to alloy mixture used.

[462]

At one time, Lyman moulds were made of iron, using the Meehanite process. Don't know if that's true of today's moulds. Because of that, it's almost a given that the moulds are iron, not steel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meehanite

[Bret4207]

M250, the older Lyman blocks were made of what they referred to as Meehanite Iron. Maybe the brand new ones are steel and that's part of the current Lyman quality process.

Has the owner of that mould had similar problems as you have? If so there may well be a venting issue or other issue with the mould. It may well be worth your time and a couple bucks to take CBRick up on his very generous offer and have him "finish" the mould. There are very few moulds out there that can't be made to cast a usable boolit. I'd hate to see anyone miss out on using one of the finest 38/357 designs ever made because of a cranky mould.

[DODGEM250]

M250, the older Lyman blocks were made of what they referred to as Meehanite Iron. Maybe the brand new ones are steel and that's part of the current Lyman quality process. Yep, that's what was disclosed in the post above. But, this mold is old and it is steel.

Has the owner of that mould had similar problems as you have? If so there may well be a venting issue or other issue with the mould. It may well be worth your time and a couple bucks to take CBRick up on his very generous offer and have him "finish" the mould. There are very few moulds out there that can't be made to cast a usable boolit. I'd hate to see anyone miss out on using one of the finest 38/357 designs ever made because of a cranky mould.

I have not had a chance to speak with my neighbor on the issue. He is in Florida this week, this is why I came here looking for some leads to the issue. I do like the bullet design very much, but, it's sort of useless when every attempt presents a mostly useless bullet.

One thing I did think of this morning was, this is GC base mould. Is it possible the GC design is causing the issue with the rounded bases on this little bullet ?

[462]

"Is it possible the GC design is causing the issue with the rounded bases on this little bullet ?"

No, the bases should be square.

[Bret4207]

I have not had a chance to speak with my neighbor on the issue. He is in Florida this week, this is why I came here looking for some leads to the issue. I do like the bullet design very much, but, it's sort of useless when every attempt presents a mostly useless bullet.

One thing I did think of this morning was, this is GC base mould. Is it possible the GC design is causing the issue with the rounded bases on this little bullet ?

Look, I know it looks like steel and I understand that you think it's steel and I also know the difference between steel and iron is just a little change in carbon, manganese, etc. But for your own sake on this forum, ya gotta trust me when I tell you that the older Lymans are iron. Not cast iron, not iron like their handles (which are cast steel BTW), but a special type of iron that Lyman called "Meehanite iron". Yes, finishes up just like "steel". It was chosen for it's easy machining and heat handling qualities. You can read all about it in the older Lyman books. That's why we call then "iron moulds", because they ARE iron. If you want to argue a point there are tons of them, but this one you'll lose on.

[BossHoss]

I have not seen a problem that could not be solved here.

That mold is proving to be a problem for you.

Time to let someone else have at it, and see what they experience.

Every mold is different, that seems to be a common find. And that certainly is true of all my molds. THey each have a personality. Some like a straight pour, somelike a bounce (of the sprue hole) pour, etc.

Good Luck. I cast a whole bunch of these with a 4 cav last night, took a while to find a goove....but most were good. That's the way it goes.

[DODGEM250]

Look, I know it looks like steel and I understand that you think it's steel and I also know the difference between steel and iron is just a little change in carbon, manganese, etc. But for your own sake on this forum, ya gotta trust me when I tell you that the older Lymans are iron. Not cast iron, not iron like their handles (which are cast steel BTW), but a special type of iron that Lyman called "Meehanite iron". Yes, finishes up just like "steel". It was chosen for it's easy machining and heat handling qualities. You can read all about it in the older Lyman books. That's why we call then "iron moulds", because they ARE iron. If you want to argue a point there are tons of them, but this one you'll lose on.

Ok, I will take your word for it from your experience with Lyman mold, but, my neighbor also made the comment that his molds were steel. We were having a discussion about my new Lee aluminum molds I just got, and I asked him if he by chance had a 38 / 357 mold and he fired back with something like "Yes, but, my molds are steel not aluminum" so, I have assume to the man of 73 years knows his sh.tuff, but, then again age is not a requirement for misunderstanding items you purchase... hell maybe he doesn't realize I have not a clue about that. However, this is not my mold, and I'm not going to ship another mans tool to another man.

[DODGEM250]

"Is it possible the GC design is causing the issue with the rounded bases on this little bullet ?"

No, the bases should be square.

Well, I figured I'd throw that out there too. I feel maybe the design or the mold might be fighting back some how. I am planning to go back out to the wood shop this evening and cast up some more with the .44 mold and then I'm going to play with this .38 mold some more. It's not mine, I can't own it, but, I just don't understand what the issue is. I'd like to find a nice design like this lyman in a 2 cavity mold though but without the GC base. Maybe a tumble lube mold.

[bosterr]

I gave up on Lyman molds a long time ago. I owned a 2 cavity 358156 and tried just about everything to get it to work right. Made a lot of junk, but had to shoot them anyway. I switched to Saeco molds. I run 3 4 cavity molds at a time, keeps me moving and no overheating issues.

[DODGEM250]

I think I have solved the issue on this Lyman mould going on a lead from another forum. My neighbor stopped by yesterday when he got in from Florida and asked how I was doing.

My first question to him was about this mold and I asked him if he ever had any issue with it, and he laughed and said, "Yes, it's a real stubborn SOB" Point is, I'm glad it was not just me having problems with this mold.

I asked him how long he's had it and he replied, "I bought it new back in the late 70's" This answers a few questions as well.

I then asked him if I could try something with his mold to make this thing drop a decent bullet and he said, "Sure" I told him if I screw it up then I will replace the part. So, I reached for my drill press and a counter sink bit and made a quick pass on the sprue plate hole to open it a bit, filed the sprue lightly, poured some lead in this thing a few times to test the mold and wouldn't you know it... I make the hole a hair bigger and this Bamalam of a mold starts producing the best bullets either of us have seen from it. We both were simply amazed.

Instead of rounded bases I now have about 400 Nice Boolits !

[Bret4207]

Glad you got it working. Your language is in violation of the TOS and rules. This is a family site, not a locker room. No offense intended, but we need to uphold the high standards here.

[DODGEM250]

Glad you got it working. Your language is in violation of the TOS and rules. This is a family site, not a locker room. No offense intended, but we need to uphold the high standards here.

What'd I do ? Nevermind Bret, I think I found the issue and I fixed it. Maybe add that one to the banned word list in the admin control panel.

[Bret4207]

Thank you very much for changing it. I'm as filthy mouthed as anyone one, but not here. That's one of the best things about this site- character and dignity.

[Mr.skrimps]

I know this is a dead thread but for anyone reading this- don’t just judge by your first cast session. Each mold does have a personality and preference. It takes at least till the second session to figure them out, sometimes it takes a few or more. Most molds will drop you some
Solid stuff.

[gnappi]

I happen to like zombie threads, and you're right a single session with a mold is not enough.

[thompsonm1a1]

I have used lyman molds for many years with no problems. get the mold up to temp and cast, the first 10 or so are bad but once the mold heats up good the bullets come out very uniform. they do get very hot but I let them cool down for a few minutes and cast again with no issues. I find that lee molds expand too much making the bullets hard to size but they do make nice ml molds. some of the lyman molds have trouble dropping the bullets out because of the style of the bullet and they stick in sometimes but a gentle tap with the wood stick they fall out.

[Conditor22]

You can get most molds to work with a little/a lot of TLC

Often just a good cleaning will get the job done,
Make sure the sprue pivot screw stays lubed, top of mold and bottom of the sprue plate, AND don't forget the alignment pins.
Do this at least once or twice a pot full.
some like a little smoke /carbon
some you just have to rub a piece of hardwood over the cavities to remove some burs
many the sprue plate is TOO TIGHT loosen it up
a few you need to polish the cavities to get them running nice
or lightly break (remove a little material on the upper inner edge of each mold half so they can vent better (JUST A LITTLE, BARELY INCREASING THE "LINE SIZE' --- YOU CAN'T PUT THE MATERIAL BACK IF you do mess up you can take a couple of thou off the top of the mold.