I have a number of hollow base molds for casting 58 caliber rifled-musket minie balls - Lyman, Ideal, Ohaus, etc. Of course these molds are steel blocks and come with steel base pins for forming the hollow base.
In the past, I have purchased some molds missing the base pins - and of course, at least in the Lyman molds, the diameter size of them vary depending upon the year they were made.
My question is this .. . . the base pins are made of steel. What, if any, problems might there be if a base pin was made out of aluminum and used in a steel block mold?
Might be a stupid question, I don't know? I'm thinking of any issues with the heat and possible expansion/contraction of an aluminum base pin when used with steel blocks?
My thoughts are that with aluminum rod of the correct diameter, a person could fairly easily turn a base pin, polish, etc. if you had a chuck large enough to chuck it in on a drill press. (at the present time, I don't have a metal lathe but am considering a small bench top lathe for doing small projects, etc.)
Anybody made or used an aluminum base pin in a set of steel blocks? Or, possibly brass?
At this point, just something that I thought of and am wondering about.
I have a number of NOE molds but none with base or nose pins - but I believe that Al's are all made from steel? So I'm thinking if the reverse were done (steel blocks with aluminum base pin - (I haven't measured mine as they vary but they would be in the .500 diameter range), it would work?
Your thoughts please. Thanks.
Jim