This is my third Devastator mold and I have leaks around the hollow point area (finning) on every pour. My first one leaked a third of the way around the lip, the 2nd one leaked all the way around the lip and finned all the way up and down the boo lit seams), and this being the third has a lip half way around the lip on every pour but the finning is barely noticeable. I have made sure there is no lead build up or burry on the mold or pin. I have made sure the screw in the bottom that holds the pin is tight and has not loosened. I have tried four different lead mixes with the same results. Lastly, I have varied the heat on the lead, mold,and pin to see if that was a factor and got the same results. I got to the point of turning down the head on my lee pot and not heating the pin...thinking everything was too hot causing the lead to flow too freely and out the seams and I still had leaks on one side of the hollow point and it not forming on the other half of it. What am I doing wrong or I would assume after three molds they all are going to leak and nothings perfect?
This what every bullet casted looked like...
Here’s what they looked like after I turned down the heat on purpose to see if I had everything too hot causing “overfill out of my mold” and still had leaks along with partial fill outs....
What am I doing wrong? I can’t believe I would have three molds in a row leak at the pin? Lyman told me they were going to test the mold before it was sent to me being I had the last two fin around the hp pin. I’ve tried it with coww and 2% pewter, pure lead and 6% pewter, 50/50 with 2% pewter, and 80% coww 20% pure and added 6% pewter all with the same finning around the hp area.
I have been scraping off the fins with a knife and it’s getting monotonous. If I leave them and pc over them when I seat the. Boolits it seams to flatten the lip on softer PB mixes but ends up either braking off off or exposing the bare lead after folding over.
I have probably casted a good 20-30 lbs of Devastators now and have been practicing and would have thought I would have had some perfect/no finning by now but they all some finning on them. 99% vary by about 2 grains so I’ve been getting consistent weight variation I just need to fix the finning issue.