Hardline Industries Wrinkled Bullets

[kokomokid]

Some of the AC oil has some bad stuff in it. I would not want to breathe the vapors.

[sigep1764]

Also some brands of carb or brake clean have an oily substance in them that gets left behind when the alcohol evaporates. Might stay away from that stuff and stick to dawn and a toothbrush for cleaning the molds.

[toallmy]

Some molds seam to fit together to nicely with the sprue plate , so I have found gently breaking the inside edge of the molds helpful .

[robg]

Some molds like the lead to swirl around as they fill,some like it straight in.

[Burnt Fingers]

Starter out last night by cleaning mold with Alcohol , then made sure air vent lines were clear, heated lead to 750, heated mold on top plate and within six casts bullets were coming out perfect. Thanks For all your help.

Glad it worked out for ya. I always run my Pro-Melt II at 750-780 depending on the mold.

[6bg6ga]

The molds probably have oil or some type of solvent on them. Wrinkled bullets = cold mold, dirty mold(oil or solvents) frosted mold too hot.

Running that machine isn't much different that running my Ballisti-cast Mark IV. You just need to use common sense and keep your head in the game.

Clean up the mold really good with brake cleaner. Set the temp where it should be and cast about 10-12 cycles to heat up the mold. Examine bullets frosted then turn down the temp about 10 degrees and cast a few more. Wrinkled? turn up temp. Have you added lead to the pot? If so the lead needs to heat up and adding lead is the cause of the wrinkled bullets.

Everything has a cause and reason thus a solution. Just calm down and look at thing rationally and you will solve your own problem. No real need to go running to the forum when a little common sense will solve your problem simply and easily.

[osteodoc08]

Wrinkles are caused by a cold mold.
Some molds just need to be run hotter than others.
Cast faster, and maybe ...I say maybe, turn up the alloy pot temperature

This right here. Put some sprue lube on the sprue plate and when it starts smoking, you're almost there. Some of the Aluminum molds need to be heated really well and cool off so fast, they can seem temperamental. Some steel molds take a while to get heated up.

Are any of the frosted bullets wrinkled? If not, its a mold/alloy heat mismatch, not a contaminate issue

[6bg6ga]

If the mold came from Hardline I'm 99% sure its a steel mold. Generally when you get a mold from the manufacturer its got solvent or oil on it. I spent a 1/2 hr once trying to get a new Magma mold clean (wrinked bullets) once clean it produced good bullets. Never had to use any sprew plate lube on any steel mold yet.

[osteodoc08]

Never had to use any sprew plate lube on any steel mold yet.

While this is true, I have gravitated towards aluminum molds the last few years due to weight and I like to use sprue plate lube to prevent galling.

I'm not as familiar with Hardline molds, but know the sprue plate lube will start to smoke a little when the mold temp is almost where it needs to be and I've never had a wrinkled bullet from sprue lube. YMMV

[6bg6ga]

I doubt that Hardline makes any aluminum molds. They are a product suited for the hand casting group not machines dedicated to production like the HArdline, Ballisti-cast or MAgma. Never had a steel sprew plate smoke at all. Granted lube has a place with aluminum molds but I haven't seen an instance with my Ballisti-cast and steel molds where I would or have needed it. My steel molds have never seen sprew plate lube and are as fresh looking as the day I unpacked them.