Hullo larrye44, and Welcome.
Well those are some ugly
, not bad for starters, looks like you have some problems, I'm sure there are answers, more information from you will help others with the direction you need to go.
1. What alloy are you using, your pic's look like you have a lot of garbage in your melt , inclusions , slag , etc. ????????? Go to the Goatlips thread in Classics & Stickies for more info on starting melting alloy , FLUXING , stirring , casting.
I'm sure my alloy is clean. It is WW's and 2% Tin. First I melt the WW's and clean that up real good and flux as instructed. This is then put in ingots. Later when I got the tin, I re-melted and added the tin and fluxed several times and put that in ingots.
2. I think you are pouring Cold , your alloy needs to be about 720-800*degrees turn up the heat.Don't worry about frosting, it isn't going to be an issue, unless you get really HOT. Do you have a thermometer ??
I use a thermometer and I will make sure I take the temp up as you said.
3. You may have issues with your mold, are the vent lines clear? How does it line up? Any garbage on the faces will keep it from closing properly.
Excess pressure on the handles will only cause more problems, and you will be tired of casting in a hurry.
I will clean again and inspect
4. Preheat your mold before starting to cast, or you will get garbage boolits for the first 6-10 drops or until it warms up sufficiently.
I heat the mold by discarding the first bunch of cast until it gets up to temp.
5. Bullplate is the lube you refer to : use it on top of the mold under the sprute plate, on the hinge pin and you can use it on the faces of the mold, not in the cavities. It is great stuff, bottom of the page from BullShop.
Is it just a lube so the plate will move easily?
6. I bet your sprute plate is loose, causing the rim on the base of the boolit, the melt is slopping out of the top of the mold.
I was not aware of the set screw for the hinge screw. That will help.
7. Take it slow, don't get uptight because you have questions. Make sure you give as much info as you can with your questions so the fellows here can help.
I know you are looking for answers, not more questions, but fill in the blanks and you will get help faster, without a lot of searching and rehashing problems.
Good Luck.