First time caster. Seeking advice on proper boolit appearance

[Strtspdlx]

I'm a new guy. So first and foremost hello.
So I went out and bought a Lee 4-20 pot and two Lee 6 cavity molds. I'm using mainly ww alloy with maybe 1% tin if I see the boolits don't look filled out. I have no one locally to show me how to diagnose problems concerning heat, contamination, alloy issues or anything really. I got the lead to melting temp and backed off the temp dial to about 4.5 I have a few here and there that don't fill out the base but that's alot
my fault because I'm not Filling correctly or I forgot to add tin after recycling sprue and bad boolits. I'm going to try to attach some photos and see if anyone can tell me if they look correct or where I may be able improve on them. I'm not expecting high quality boolits. Or atleast I don't expect precision rounds. Right now I'd like to focus on proper technique and correctly casting. I'm not so much worried about pairing these with a case. That will be a whole other discussion. Thanks for your time. I hope the photos work. Also they're 452-230tc and 401-175swc

[Pipefitter]

Just off the top of my head I would suggest turning up the heat just a bit, and preheating the mold a bit more. Flux the melt with wood chips or sawdust and stir well with an old wooden spoon or a paint stick. Leave the charred sawdust on top of the melt, this will help prevent oxidizing the tin out of the alloy. Cast until the pot is about half empty before you add any sprues or rejected bullets back to the pot, then flux again with sawdust.
WW with 1-2%tin should make good boolits for 45ACP or lower pressure loads for 45LC.

[Strtspdlx]

I'd really love to get myself a thermometer just to use for reference. I did dip the mold in the melt at one point to see if the lead stuck which it did. And that was after casting 50-100 boolits for my wife's 40. I was suprised at how cold it was. Mainly because the corner of the mold cooled the pot enough to put a nice chunk of lead on the corner. They're aluminum and I'm scared to death that I'll warp them. I suppose I'll turn it up. I did notice on 6-7 I forget which, that it turned the lead blue like it was too hot. Also I usually cast until I can see the bottom with the pot tilted but just the furthest edge. Then I'll refill and mix candle wax in and tin. I do need to get some sawdust. I haven't had time to run to my grandfathers. He said he has a 55 gallon drum
of it for me.

[Yodogsandman]

Those look like you're off to a great start! Welcome to the site!

Some new molds just need to be used (or heat cycled) about 3 to 4 times before they settle down and produce great boolits each cast. Small worm lines will show this and whether any production oils are still left in the mold.

Your mold or alloy look too hot to me. Notice that the noses are shinier than the body. The melted alloy, entering the mold when the mold is at it's coolest, after dumping the mold, first fills the nose. I'd guess that the alloy is a little too hot. The tin forming at the outer surface of the boolit body and small black specs (inclusions) show this. Cut the heat back on the pot a little more and increase the speed of your cadence. Don't stop or slow down to look at your pretty new boolits. Keep the mold at a more constant temperature.

The bases look rounded to me. This can be caused by the sprue plate being too tight to the top of the mold and not venting right or too cold of a sprue plate. I'd guess a cold sprue plate. Pour a generous puddle over the sprue plate when finished pouring each cavity to keep it heated up.

Unless it's raised, your sprue cut off nub looks great. Good sprue cut off timing!

These are all common problems that we all have from time to time. You'll recognize them pretty soon and correct them quickly with just a little adjustment almost automatically.

Just melt the ones you don't like and make some more. When I cull for pistol boolits, almost nothing gets thrown back in the pot. Almost all will shoot just fine at short range.

[Yodogsandman]

I'd really love to get myself a thermometer just to use for reference. I did dip the mold in the melt at one point to see if the lead stuck which it did. And that was after casting 50-100 boolits for my wife's 40. I was suprised at how cold it was. Mainly because the corner of the mold cooled the pot enough to put a nice chunk of lead on the corner. They're aluminum and I'm scared to death that I'll warp them. I suppose I'll turn it up. I did notice on 6-7 I forget which, that it turned the lead blue like it was too hot. Also I usually cast until I can see the bottom with the pot tilted but just the furthest edge. Then I'll refill and mix candle wax in and tin. I do need to get some sawdust. I haven't had time to run to my grandfathers. He said he has a 55 gallon drum
of it for me.

Sawdust should be used in your smelting pot, not in your casting pot. Use sawdust to clean and flux your melted alloy in your smelt pot. When smelting down your lead clean with sawdust 3 times and flux with wax once after. No need to cover the melt with the sawdust charcoals in your casting pot. Candle wax, paraffin wax, beeswax or boolit lube can be used to flux in your casting pot. Fluxing will remix the tin from the top of the melted alloy back in and will clean some what. I only flux with wax or lube at the beginning of each casting session.

I still don't own a thermometer. I did build a PID to control the heat on my pot, that also shows the temp. Same price for either.

Pre heat your molds on a hot plate, you'll figure out what to set the dial for. You want it at 400*F or just a little more. Your first casts will come out perfect that way.

[reddog81]

I set my LEE pot at 4 or 5 until the mold gets hot and then drop to about 2. I preheat my mold on a single burner and still drop and pour the first 3 to 5 as fast as possible to get the mold hot enough. Don't even look the bullets just pour and dump.

A larger sprue on top will also heat up the sprue plate and allow the mold to get a nice clean flat base. If the sprue plate isn't hot enough good base fill out is difficult.

I bought a thermometer but rarely use it. After you get the hang of casting a thermometer isn't critical.

[fryboy]

well .... ermm wait - Hola !

you didnt exactly pick the easiest molds to learn on but ... they'll do
with the 6 bangers quite often heat is your friend ( the more lead in the alloy the more so ) i only enlarged the last foto , what i note is that more fluxing is needed and perhaps some more heat on the mold , even when properly prewarmed i still start the 6 bangers slow ( two or so cavities ) working up to a full 6 as temp indicates it's right , the hotplate really helped me with all of my aluminum molds and can be found fairly cheap , practical application is the only way to get experience so at least you're moving in the right direction

[454PB]

The "frosty" appearance is caused by the mould temperature being too high, but it really does no damage. I deliberately cast frosty.

Controlling mould temperature is more important than melt temperature, and if you see it getting too high, just touch the bottom of the mould to a damp cloth for a second or two.

The numbers on the Lee thermostats are for reference only and rarely correspond to actual temperature.

Keep your mould grease and oil free, and warm enough to see light frosting.

You are doing fine, just keep working at it

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

one little tidbit about the Lee 4-20 pot.
As the level of the alloy continually gets lower, the Temp of the alloy will get higher, if you don't adjust the temp knob. It has to do with where the temp sensor is located. That is why a thermometer is a great tool to add...and a PID controller is even better.

[TXGunNut]

Those look pretty good for a first time out, I'd shoot them. Lee moulds are a bit rounded on the edges anyway. Good job, welcome to the affliction!

[nagantguy]

Don't look bad, I'd shoot them in idpa, welcome. Yes heat is your friend, hot pot hot mold. 6 bangers take longer to get hot, a hot plate is a good tool. It takes a mi utensils to "break in" a new mold, once everything clicks you'll be raining piles of boolits from those multi holers. Casting ZEN is what I call it. When temp is right, alloy is right and clean and hot and flowing freely, your cadence is consistent and not wearing you out and every time you open your mold you take a minute to look at those perfect shiny boolits.......for the 6 cavs I have a piece of square stock steel I put under the pour spout for the mold to.rest on, doing a thousand or so it'll save your wrists, help set your cadence and ensure consistent placement of the mold. For mass quantity pistol boolits like for idpa, I'm not so picky and keep and load what many would cull, at close range in a game it's never made any diffrence, as long as the base is good and the grooves are good I've shot lots of wrinkled nosed ones, funny thing though when all the above mentioned falls into place I rarely get many rejects after the first few casts, if I do my alarm bells go off cause something isn't right or I'm getting worn out.

[Electric88]

Sawdust should be used in your smelting pot, not in your casting pot. Use sawdust to clean and flux your melted alloy in your smelt pot. When smelting down your lead clean with sawdust 3 times and flux with wax once after. No need to cover the melt with the sawdust charcoals in your casting pot. Candle wax, paraffin wax, beeswax or boolit lube can be used to flux in your casting pot. Fluxing will remix the tin from the top of the melted alloy back in and will clean some what. I only flux with wax or lube at the beginning of each casting session.

I still don't own a thermometer. I did build a PID to control the heat on my pot, that also shows the temp. Same price for either.

Pre heat your molds on a hot plate, you'll figure out what to set the dial for. You want it at 400*F or just a little more. Your first casts will come out perfect that way.

+1

I also recommend a PID for precise temperature controlling. One is being built for me as we speak If you don't think you want to build one yourself, there are several on this forum that build and sell them.

[Strtspdlx]

I don't have a hot plate as of right now. Usually I'll sit the molds on my Woodstove to warm up and before I get ready to cast I'll dip them to see if the lead sticks. If it does I'll leave it sit for a bit. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to cast more. I have to melt down a lot of the 45 stuff as I had forgotten that it was pure lead. And I have 80-100 of them so is like to mix them with something and harden them slightly. I'll definitely try everything that everyone has mentioned. So far I'm only casting for 45acp and 40 s&w. I'd like to get a mold for .223 but I have to measure everything on the rifle first. So hopefully I get this down soon I'd like to be able to
load some up within the next month or so.

[fryboy]

You'd be surprised just how soft of an alloy can be used in the acp,the 40 and 223 however are a bit more demanding

[Electric88]

I've heard casting for 223 can be quite the challenge. At least, casting for 223 for an AR15 anyways.

[44man]

Lee TL boolits are hard to cast. Too hot is not good. It seems to me you are way too hot.

[dondiego]

The blue color that formed on the surface of your pot is an indication to me of fairly soft lead.

[Strtspdlx]

Lee TL boolits are hard to cast. Too hot is not good. It seems to me you are way too hot.

What is it in the pictures that indicates too hot? Everyone keeps saying this or that and I do appreciate but if someone could tell me exactly why they mention what they do id be a bit ahead of the curve. I don't know what looks relate to particular improper circumstances.

[runfiverun]

I've heard casting for 223 can be quite the challenge. At least, casting for 223 for an AR15 anyways.

the casting part is the easy part.


I think your too hot and starting to frost.
the pot/alloy temp isn't the critical temperature, it's MOLD temperature you need to control.

[runfiverun]

look at your drive bands.
the white rounded crystalline look is where the frosting is apparent.
that crystalline part on the front drive band is an indicator too.