Frosted Bullets Tempreatures Mold Heating And Alloys

[lightman]

I set the temp on my PID at 735º and cast with straight wheel weights. Mostly with 4 cavity iron molds but occasionally with a 2 cavity. If I cast too fast I get slightly frosted bullets. They don't bother me much but much cooler than 735º I get wrinkles and poor fill out. The larger the bullet the slower I have to cast.

[mdi]

Just a thought. Once you find out what your mold likes, make a note somewhere, or put it in with your molds.

Yep. Keep a casting log, just like you keep a reloading log...

[RED BEAR]

One more question as most casters don't have ways of measuring mould temps. How many bullets do you cast to get moulds hot and what kind of moulds IE: Lee Lyman Saeco RCBS others 1 2 3 4 6 or other cavity moulds and bullet weights as I think that bullet weight will allow a mould to become hot sooner or later I usually cast about 30 bullets from my 4 cavity iron Lymans 162 200 245 and 250 grain and about 60 from my aluminum Lee 6 cavity 120 125 175 grain moulds to get them hot. Maybe I am backwards with this and should heat the Lymans longer and Lee shorter as iron heats slower then aluminum but the 6 cavity Lees cast more bullets faster then the 4 cavity Lymans and that s why I have been doing it

My lee molds seem not to need as high heat as lyman or rcbs or mp. To cool my molds i use a aluminum plate that is curved so it stands off the table . To heat all my molds a $10 hot plate
Set at med works great for me. I may catch some flack on this one but i wouldn't waste my money on a pid. The temp just don't have to be that close. They are a neat toy but not necessary. I normally keep my pot between 700 and 750 and get very few rejects. I bought an rcds thermometer and use it to get an idea of pot temp but really don't use it to much anymore. You can get a feel from how bullets come out. Now if you have the extra money then they are a neat toy.

[kevin c]

I use aluminum eight cav MP molds, mostly 147 grains. The alloy is 95-3-2, kept around 720 degrees (higher when the casting in cold weather).

The mold starts on a hot plate with a glowing red element. The first couple pours are heavily frosted and undersized, after which the right cadence (one pour every twenty odd seconds), produces a light, even, matte silver color. This is what I shoot for, partly because I HiTek and I've read that frosted surfaces take the coating better, but mainly because I get the best fill out, the fewest rejects and the best productivity in a casting session when I'm in this zone.

The main issue I have is keeping the aluminum molds hot enough - they cool so fast. It's when I START to see shiny boolits that I know the molds are too cold, and that I need to speed up, or, if I'm tired and want a break, or if the pot needs more alloy (it goes fast with eight cavities), then the mold goes back on the hot plate. I haven't had much of the problem of the molds being too hot, but as I want to increase pours per minute while maintaining quality, I may start experimenting a bit more with mold cooling techniques.

[Rcmaveric]

I will also add that temperature of alloy is more of reference. Most people on here run around 700 +/- degrees. I use the Lyman dial thermometer and find i have to run around 850 +/- 50 degrees for mold fill out. If i am running straight range scraps i will have to run closer to 950 degrees for excellent bullets.

I dont think my thermometer is accurate either. But it is consistent and really cuts down the time it takes me to fiddle with temps to get great results.

High melt temps on heat molds faster.

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[RED BEAR]

I will also add that temperature of alloy is more of reference. Most people on here run around 700 +/- degrees. I use the Lyman dial thermometer and find i have to run around 850 +/- 50 degrees for mold fill out. If i am running straight range scraps i will have to run closer to 950 degrees for excellent bullets.

I dont think my thermometer is accurate either. But it is consistent and really cuts down the time it takes me to fiddle with temps to get great results.

High melt temps on heat molds faster.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Yes i use the rcbs because it got better reviews but i seriously doubt its all that accurate i had the pot go well over 1000 degrees by it and i just don't think my lee pot is capable of that. So i mainly
Just use it for a reference.