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Thread: Frosty bullets but good fillout

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
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    Frosty bullets but good fillout

    i struggled to get a good fillout on some of the bullets i cast. they have a wrinkle in the head. i wouldn't call it a "crack" just a wrinkle. They are nice and mirror finish though. I turned up the heat a bit and got an amazing fill out of the mold but... they are "frosted".

    Does a frosted bullet make a diffrence in saftey while shooting them? Because.. if i can get good fill out but have frosted bullets instead of mirror tip finish ones... fine. i'll take it.

    Also; i'll take tips on how to get a good fillout WITHOUT having frosted tips. I've tried smoking the molds again, lower heat, higher heat, fluxing the lead (seems to have cloged my bottom pour pot though).

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Frosty bullets are good bullets. Shiny bullets might or might not be good. I reject all shiny bullets and don't start keeping bullets until they start dropping frosted. If I want a bullet to look at, I might keep a shiny bullet, but for shooting, frosty bullets are superior.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Toymaker's Avatar
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    How big a bullet are you casting? With my bottom pour pot I had to drill out the spout a bit to get a faster flow. Ultimately I discovered the joys of ladle casting and haven't looked back.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Toymaker View Post
    How big a bullet are you casting? With my bottom pour pot I had to drill out the spout a bit to get a faster flow. Ultimately I discovered the joys of ladle casting and haven't looked back.
    the bullets i'm casting are 45acp, 40 s&w, 357 and 9mm. I noticed this with the 45acp from heat even down to a 3 (1-10?). all the other calibers are shiny and filling out.

    The drilling part is kinda what i was thinking too, but i wanted a "known good" pot so i can get an idea what it should look like. i suspect this thing hasn't been cleaned or opened up for years...

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy engineer401's Avatar
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    This a question that comes up periodically. I cast frosted bullets. The overall consensus is frosted bullets are ok with o shoot.

  6. #6
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    Mal Paso's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moorvogi View Post
    the bullets i'm casting are 45acp, 40 s&w, 357 and 9mm. I noticed this with the 45acp from heat even down to a 3 (1-10?). all the other calibers are shiny and filling out.

    The drilling part is kinda what i was thinking too, but i wanted a "known good" pot so i can get an idea what it should look like. i suspect this thing hasn't been cleaned or opened up for years...
    Run a paper clip up the spout held with pliers to keep fingers clear before drilling. The factory hole is big enough.

    The Lee temperature adjustment is just like a hotplate. It is Not a thermostat and is different pot to pot and whether the pot is full or low. It will get hotter as the pot empties.

    Frosty is good.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  7. #7
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    Interesting question... I tend to go for the temp that just gets me to the edge of frosty. If the bottom driving band frosts up then I give the mould a short cool down. I do have some Lee's that have to be frosty to make a good boolit.

    I cast anything center fire with 94/3/3, more or less. I know it is alloy overkill, but I have tons of base metal and alloys to work with. This seems to provide very good bullets that air harden well and can be water quenched if more hardness is wanted. Mind you, I do not shoot any 45-70's or older rounds that would benefit from softer alloys. I make a few pure lead balls and bullets for ML rifles and bore slugs as well. Every once in a while I will cast some out of other 1 pot alloy for very high speed rifle work or maybe stuff for 32acp or 38 special that is either harder or softer. But again, this is a 1 or 2 pot alloy run. The tin provides great fill out and the extra antimony allows me to play with hardness to quite an extent.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    I keep a paper clip or a l shaped Allen wrench close by when casting.if it cloges or slowed down I can clean the spout out fast. If it is been sitting for a long time rusting I take a empty pot and take a slightly smaller drill bit and clean out the hole in the spout. Frosted bullets usally fill out better for me than shiney ones. The shiney ones look better but the frosted ones shoot the same. I have seen less wrinkles ,voids and defects in frosted bullets. It seems if I get a perfect shiney bullet I always have a lot more wrinkles or voids in them and the bases are usally rounded not sharp.

  9. #9
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    Wrinkles are due to a cold mold freezing the lead as it runs in. Frost occurs when the lead is hotter than needed, but hotter lead will "crutch" a cool mold by not freezing as fast. Get your mold hotter to start with, lower your lead temp and cast with a faster tempo to keep that mold hot. However, frost doesn't hurt a bit and powder coat sticks better to frosty bullets.
    "In God we trust, in all others, check the manual!"

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub
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    that makes sense w/ it heating up more as the pot got lower. rgr on frosty. whats the deal w/ the paperclip though? i mean, if i'm drilling a hole thru to clear/expand it or whatever.. whats the intent of the paperclip?

  11. #11
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    the 94/3/3 is an alloy mix from the looks of it.. guessing lead... lanotype annnd... pixie dust? no seriously, whats the 3rd (or 2nd if i'm wrong there too). The ingots i have are old and god only knows whats in them. They came from my uncle in law and father in law. They have both since past and these were cast a good 5-20 years ago. I think this is where the problem came from as well.. dirty lead.. clogged hole.. etc etc.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    My best and most consistent boolits are cast so they come out a light grey. They are not "frosty" but neither are they mirror finish shiny.
    I always start casting with the mold warm and the lead as hot as the control allows. As the mold reaches full casting temp, I turn the temp on the pot down and continue to cast. I keep a damp rag/towel on the table to cool the mold occasionally since it will get too hot to cast quickly(I don't like to wait on it).
    I can usually go through nearly a full pot(20lb) this way before needing to stop and all the boolits will be good quality.
    I cast for the same calibers that the OP does and use range scrap for my alloy. This has been working well for me for a long time.
    Flux the pot when you add lead ingots and use the paper clip trick. This will help keep the flow problems to a minimum.

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moorvogi View Post
    the 94/3/3 is an alloy mix from the looks of it.. guessing lead... lanotype annnd... pixie dust? no seriously, whats the 3rd (or 2nd if i'm wrong there too). The ingots i have are old and god only knows whats in them. They came from my uncle in law and father in law. They have both since past and these were cast a good 5-20 years ago. I think this is where the problem came from as well.. dirty lead.. clogged hole.. etc etc.
    I'm sorry your relatives in law passed. The alloy numbers are lead/tin/antimony.

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by tazman View Post
    My best and most consistent boolits are cast so they come out a light grey. They are not "frosty" but neither are they mirror finish shiny.
    I always start casting with the mold warm and the lead as hot as the control allows. As the mold reaches full casting temp, I turn the temp on the pot down and continue to cast. I keep a damp rag/towel on the table to cool the mold occasionally since it will get too hot to cast quickly(I don't like to wait on it).
    I can usually go through nearly a full pot(20lb) this way before needing to stop and all the boolits will be good quality.
    I cast for the same calibers that the OP does and use range scrap for my alloy. This has been working well for me for a long time.
    Flux the pot when you add lead ingots and use the paper clip trick. This will help keep the flow problems to a minimum.
    awesome. whats the paperclip trick? i must be confusing threads or something. Does this help keep the hole clear while fluxing or something?? if so.. how do you know how far in it needs to go etc etc. I'm missing something here....

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Just stick the wire in and wiggle it around to clear any partial blockages. Partial blockages happen even with good clean alloy. A little bit cools here or there, then insulates itself with a little bit more cool lead. The wire will remove it.

    This happens with ladles too, but one only needs to tap the ladle on the side of the pot to clear it.

  16. #16
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    I like Frosty too.

    A lil tin or pewter can help with fill out too! (if ya have some).

    CW
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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatume View Post
    Just stick the wire in and wiggle it around to clear any partial blockages. Partial blockages happen even with good clean alloy. A little bit cools here or there, then insulates itself with a little bit more cool lead. The wire will remove it.

    This happens with ladles too, but one only needs to tap the ladle on the side of the pot to clear it.
    GOTCHA! I was lucky enough to cast several hundred (thousand?) bullets and had no issues, till now. THANKS SOO MUCH for the "why this works".

  18. #18
    Boolit Master on Heaven’s Range
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    +1 on the frosted boolets.
    I find nothing wrong with frosted
    And they work for me!!!
    Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!
    Ben Franklin

  19. #19
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    It helps if you get a big paperclip.I keep one on a magnet so I don't lose it, and always put on gloves and still hold it with pliers.....

    I'll generally turn my Lee pot wide open until the lead gets hot, and dip the corner of the mold into the molten metal as per the recommendations that come w/ the mold. If the lead sticks it ain't warm enough.
    Frosty boolits are good. Have you ever noticed that after they are run though a sizer that the bands are shiny?
    Tom
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    Did I ever mention that I hate to trim brass?

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    I only use the paper clip if my flow on the bottom spout slows down or gets clogged. You can tell sometimes the lead coming out starts to swirl coming out or gets to be a thin stream or none coming out at all. In stead of draining the hole pot you can take your paper clip with pliers and poke the nozzle hole. Push the l shaped clip up into the hole up and down while lifting the pot Handel

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