Second Casting Session - Much Better

[Ugly Dwarf]

A couple days ago I posted pictures and questions from my first casting session. Based on some great feedback and comments here, I took another run at it this afternoon. Here are some pictures of two of the boolits I cast...







All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about these. However, I've heard of (and read some about) "frosting". Would these count as frosted?

I was reading in another post tonight about how many people LIKE their boolits frosted, but I'm guessing there is too much of a good thing? Am I there?

Thanks for the continued help and feedback.

Dwarf

[docone31]

They definately look much better.
I am not sure if they are frosted as I have experienced. When mine frost up, it is all over. They look grey, no shiney at all.
They look more like more fluxing is needed. When I get frosting, I do not get gaps anywhere.
That is with a Lee Six Banger. I only use two hole molds so far. Based on my two hole molds, which are Lee Molds, I would say, more heat.
Getting much better. Those will shoot.

[HeavyMetal]

+ 1 on the additional heat.

Also noted that you had a fair sized dent in the boolit on the left side of the photo in the upper driving band.

Was it dropped, or could your alloy be to soft?

I would also add a bit of tin to this alloy to help fill out and try some wood shavings as a flux and stir with a wood dowel. This will really help get the junk out of your metal.

[454PB]

In my opinion, you got them hot enough. That is frosting to the extreme. Rather than turning down the alloy heat, cool the mould. Touch the filled mould to a wet sponge or cloth every third or fourth fill and you can reduce the frost some. It does look like you could use a smidge of tin.

[Ugly Dwarf]

Also noted that you had a fair sized dent in the boolit on the left side of the photo in the upper driving band.

Was it dropped, or could your alloy be to soft?

I see what you're talking about, but it's a reflection from my flash. I noticed a lot more imperfections when zoomed in like this than I could see with the nekid eye - the 'single' pix are about 20 X actual size, when I look at them on my monitor.

I would also add a bit of tin to this alloy to help fill out and try some wood shavings as a flux and stir with a wood dowel. This will really help get the junk out of your metal.

I'll have to track down some tin locally. I think I've seen 95/5 solder at the local Harbor Freight... will that work fine?

I'll also flux it better. I was trying to 'whip out a batch' this evening after work but before I picked up my kids and the melt looked pretty clean, so I skipped fluxing.

I've not heard of stirring with a wooden dowel. I always use a big metal spoon or ladle. Does the wood help by virtue of burning in the melt?

[Echo]

95/5 will do fine - add about 1 oz per 2 lbs of ww's.

[Three44s]

Plus one on adding tin.

Three 44s

[copdills]

Much better, add some tin and lower your heat just a little

[Bret4207]

Yes, the dowel or stick gets carbon and air into the mix which acts as flux. Is that a square based mould or a bevel base? If it's a square base then you still have fill out issues. Is this a bottom pour you're using? As to the frosting it's hard to judge from those pics.

[mrbill2]

Ugly Dwarf, take you pictures of the bullets outdoors where you don't have to use the flash. When you stirr your melt with wood, be sure to use gloves. Some moisture in the wood will make the lead bubble and you don't want to get burned.

[Ugly Dwarf]

Is that a square based mould or a bevel base? If it's a square base then you still have fill out issues.

Good question. I'm not positive on the answer.

The mold is a Lee TL358-158-SWC. I was unable to find any detailed / close up pictures, so I can't tell how square the base is supposed to be. From looking at the pictures at Lee and Midway, it looks as if the base has just a tiny bit of bevel.

Given the uniformity of the bevel on the base of these boolits, I suspect that they were cast "as designed".

Cany anyone else who uses that specific mold confirm?

Is this a bottom pour you're using?

Yes, I'm using a Lee Pro 4 20 bottom pour furnace.

[Ugly Dwarf]

95/5 will do fine - add about 1 oz per 2 lbs of ww's.

Sounds good, I'll swing by Harbor Freight tonight on the way home.

If I can get out of the office early enough, perhaps I can even take a third run at this... let's hope the third time's a charm.

[Ugly Dwarf]

Ugly Dwarf, take you pictures of the bullets outdoors where you don't have to use the flash.

Hopefully I can get home while it's still light out one day this week (perhaps tonight). I'll post 'non flash' pix when I can.

When you stirr your melt with wood, be sure to use gloves. Some moisture in the wood will make the lead bubble and you don't want to get burned.

Good advice. I usually wear some leather work gloves when casting, but I'll use my welding (gauntlet style) gloves the first time I do this to make sure the dowel is dry enough.

[ranger1962]

I find that my local recycle yard is a great place to find all kinds of good stuff WWetc. I recently picked up several pounds of babbet lead. This is tin & lead already mixed about 50/50 so you need to add it to soft lead to get the mixture right.

[Bret4207]

UD- Look at the mould halves- is there a bevel or is it square ended?

[GP100man]

lee mould #90321 has no bevel base .
i went & looked at mine & the pik on the site , no bevel.
looks as if you did`nt let a good sprue build up & it did`nt fill the base all the way
but there consistently round & uniform though , i agree they`ll shoot!!!!



GP100man

[Ugly Dwarf]

lee mould #90321 has no bevel base .
i went & looked at mine & the pik on the site , no bevel.

I suspect the 90321 (2 Cav) and 90295 (6 Cav) are the same exact design.

That said, I'm pretty sure there is a bevel, albeit a VERY small one. .035" Small to be exact (according to my mic).

It's tough to see in the actual mold, but I was able to make it out.

To confirm, I was able to see the (very distinct) line of that bevel when inspecting the boolits (deciding which to lube and which to remelt) - it helps to have a light above you looking down at the bullet while rotating it (base against my left thumb, twisting the nose with my right thumb and forefinger).

On the upside, having that line helped me decide which ones are good and which ones to recast... the ones where that bevel was tough to see were the few that did not fill out well and the most extreme of the frosty ones.

I suspect my next casting session will need to wait a few days due to scheduling conflicts, but I'm sure looking forward to putting all this information to good use.

More Tin
Flux better and stir with a wooden dowel
Wet towel to moderate mold temp
Keep the heat up