First boolits!

[Johrichal]

Thanks for the advice everyone I got my Lee 4-20 furnace today and had to give it a try right away like a kid with a new toy. Took me a few minutes to get the pour spout adjusted but once I got it im really suprised with how quick and easy it easy to crank em out.
Im doing something wrong though because the boolits are coming out undersized at .354".
Any ideas?

[Oklahoma Rebel]

well good job for your first time! although I will tell you your mold and maybe your alloy needed to be hotter, a cool/not hot enough mold is why you have some rounded bases and probably wrinkles. but for your first time great job! as far as the size, that has to do with alloy. let us know what alloy you used and someone will have an idea as to what to do. if it is the actual mold that's too small, there are ways to correct that too. good luck!-Travis

[David2011]

Now you've done it! You're addicted. Keep at it and you'll develop a feel for when everything is right. Make sure the mold is really clean and it wouldn't hurt to flux with pine sawdust. Congrats!

David

[Yodogsandman]

Melt all the bad ones back down and pour them again. Boolit diameter is dictated by mold size, alloy and temperature. If the mold is supposed to be the right size and you're sure the temperature of the alloy and mold were enough, increase the antimony content of your alloy.

http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[Johrichal]

Thanks for the info. I tried again this morning raising the temp a little from heat setting 4 to heat setting 6 and they came out looking better the frosty look on the lube grooves went away and they measured between .355 and .356 this time so maybe ill try even a little bit hotter next time and if that doesnt work ill add some more antimony im using soft lead from submarine ballasts I dont know whats in it but its fairly soft so I added enough linotype until it got hard enough to not be able to scratch with my fingernail.
I did notice when I increased the heat though that I started getting a purple film on top of my alloy I pjt some candle wax in and stirred a little and the film went away but left a bit a clumpy lead looking stuff on top.

[OS OK]

How long do you wait before cutting the sprue? That cut there on the right is borderline tearing of the not quite frozen Pb.
Believe it or not...but I was experimenting with low casting temperatures on a 6 gang mould and discovered I had to wait at least 7 seconds after filling the last cavity to get clean and smooth sprue cuts.
The cuts won't make much difference in shooting it just something that gives a wee-bit more consistency to your casts.

[Larry Gibson]

Cast hotter, wait for sprue to harden or add 2% tin to your alloy.

Larry Gibson

[jcren]

Remember that a hotter mold will have an impact as well. Preheat the mold longer and cast at a faster tempo to beat the mold up and you may not need the melt as hot. If the bases of the bullet start "finning" against the sprue plate, cool the plate a bit either by holding the open sprue plate in front of a fan or touching it to a damp towel. All kinds of tricks, just try variations and make note of what changes!

[ascast]

Cast hotter, wait for sprue to harden or add 2% tin to your alloy.

Larry Gibson

yuper

[psweigle]

Cast hotter, wait for sprue to harden or add 2% tin to your alloy.

Larry Gibson

[Johrichal]

Ok so hotter and wait a little bit longer to cut the sprue. What about the purple film on top of the lead is that anything to worry about?

[308Jeff]

You've got me amped up now! My 4-20 is out for delivery right now...

[mold maker]

That blue film is nothing to worry about. It's an indication of almost pure lead. At higher temps there will be a full rainbow of colors. Some added flux will return the colored oxides back to the melt.
Welcome to the addition, but don't be surprised if it demands more and more of you time.

[Larry Gibson]

What alloy are you using?

Larry Gibson

[jsizemore]

The purple color was because your near pure Pb was a little hot. After you added the linotype the antimony was the clumpy lead stuff you saw on the surface. Adding the candle wax was right but you also need to smash the antimony against the side of the pot and stir it back into the melt. Adding 1-2% tin will also help your fillout and size.

[Yodogsandman]

That submarine ballast is almost pure lead but has a lot of junk in it. Nuc shielding lead is almost as bad. I had an amount that I resorted to use just for saltwater fishing weights cast with a ladle. Guessed that it had a lot of copper in it that would plug up the spigot of my #10 bottom pour Lee pot. At the time, I didn't know to clean with sawdust and only used wax to flux.

[Johrichal]

That submarine ballast is almost pure lead but has a lot of junk in it. Nuc shielding lead is almost as bad. I had an amount that I resorted to use just for saltwater fishing weights cast with a ladle. Guessed that it had a lot of copper in it that would plug up the spigot of my #10 bottom pour Lee pot. At the time, I didn't know to clean with sawdust and only used wax to flux.

Dang that sucks cause I have access to a very large amount of it! Evidentally it takes a whole lotta weight to sink a submarine!

[MaryB]

Get it tested by a scrapyard, pour a small ingot and take it in and have them XRF test it. Otherwise there is a board member who does testing in exchange for a small amount of lead.

[flyingrhino]

Castem' and shootem'. See how your alloy does then go from there. Get a thermometer to take the guess work out of your pot setting. A very reasonably priced one is the Tel-Tru LT225R on Amazon. It's a 200 - 1000 degree. About $32 shipped. I've had one for years. Using a PID now but the thermo still works great.