Casting question; what am I doing wrong?

[John Boy]

The Lyman 225438 mold - I'm guessing - looks like a reside in the cavity from a lube that was used on the mold - excess lube when lubing the pins? Did you put any lube in the mold and if so. what was it? If it was beeswax - that's the reside inside the cavity

[gwpercle]

For grungy crud cleaning nothing beats acetone soaking and a tooth brush scrubbing . Gently use a 0000 steel wool pad for the stubborn spots .
Gary

[MT Gianni]

Ditto on the hot plate for iron molds and it improves aluminum as well. I would pour as hot as I could this time of year in MT to keep the Lyman mold warm with a small cavity and large block. Run your lead up to almost 800F but not over and try to cure any impurity. After you fill the cavities dump another ladle of lead across it as it "cools". If there is a contaminant in it, burn it out.

[Ia.redneck]

Did you try holding the mold against the nozzle? (pressure casting)
I've used that to fill out a stubborn mold

[rintinglen]

There is a sticky on polishing out cavity irregularities by an AnZac fellow named Weet or something like that. Read it and give it a try, it may not make your rifle shoot better, but it will make your mold cast better.
: "Expanding a boolit mould the "WEET" method". (In parts) In the Molds maintenance and design section.

[BigBore45]

Looks like the mold wasn't hot enough. Warm it up a bit on the pot before you cast.

[HangFireW8]

The melting temp. of lead is around 600 degrees. Your temps must be off. Actual poring temps should be at least 700 degrees. At the temperatures you posted the lead would not even be melted.

He said he tried 290 to 380:

290C = 554F
380C = 716F

I think he's in the right ball park, but it wouldn't hurt to try a little higher. Better venting and pre-heating (as mentioned), and/or polishing (as mentioned), the answer is in there somewhere.

[bigcountry022885]

He said he tried 290 to 380:

290C = 554F
380C = 716F

I think he's in the right ball park, but it wouldn't hurt to try a little higher. Better venting and pre-heating (as mentioned), and/or polishing (as mentioned), the answer is in there somewhere.

Most of my molds wont fill good unless I'm at least 720 so I try and keep my pot between 720 to 740 but I also have a temp controller and I have a hot plate to put my molds on so they are close to running temp befor I even pore I usually will through a few bad to start and then it's gold from there on out


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