Help with new mold

[mleeber]

I just got my Lyman 457121PH mold to go with my 457122 Gould HP. My alloy is 9lbs of WW with 1lb of 50/50 bar solder so I am close to Lyman #2. The challenge is getting the bullet out of the mold. When I took the mold out of the wrapper I hit it with some Gunk, then brake cleaner and then alcohol followed by the air compressor and the mold is nice and clean. I poured about 50 bullets tonight and every one of them was a PITA to get out of the mold. I first noticed that the mold does not open easily once lead is inside. some gentle back and forth on the handles and you can see the nose open first. Then it is easiest to crab the tops of the mold and open that way once I have worked the halves loose. However, the bullet stays in one side or the other and does not want to come out. I also picked up a casting thermo and the alloy is about 700 degrees, I tried to cooler (in the Lyman #2 band on the thermo) and the spout on the pot clogged. So I have tried opening the mold right after the pour as well as waiting a few minutes and the bullet is no easier to extract either way. I have never had this problem with the Gould bullet but it is much shorter. Any suggestions????

Thanks!

[jdgabbard]

Your cavities may be out of round. Or each side of the mold is over half round. That could be causing them to stick. Give your boolits a good mic'ing. Aldo check the blocks for burs around the edges of the cavities. I had a 358495 that just wouldn't drop the boolits out, when it had worked fine before. I check the blcks and noted a small bur on the nose where it looked as though something metal had struck it. A small punch, a whack with a hammer and a small light filing and it was like new again. Dropping boolits with a open of the handles. Long story short, check them for flaws...

[462]

Might try some Kroil. There's a sticky in the Cast Boolit section.

[geargnasher]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the New Lyman. Undersized, out of round, off-center cavities have become the norm in the last couple of years. I have had many of the same problems with them, and I have almost destroyed one set of Lyman handles beating the hinge pin trying to get the boolits to drop. One thing I've found that usually works is to lap the mould with a boolit and some fine (400-600-grit) valve grinding compound. It doesn't take much work to get the burrs off and polish it a bit, get it super-clean with brake cleaner and cast HOT with it until the cavities turn blue/violet again (100-200 boolits) and all should be well. Only problem is this voids the warranty if you want to send them back to Lyman for replacement. I don't think you'll get much satisfaction from them, that's why I recommend doing a good polish first.

Gear

[stubshaft]

+1 - On the Kroil treatment first. Then if that fails you can "lee-ment" the Lyman.

[pdawg_shooter]

You have described 5 out of my last 6 Lyman moulds! One the other hand my last 4 Lee's have been great. The only problem is the 45 cal 230gr drops a full 240gr. Oh well, nobody is perfect.

[Larry Gibson]

There's a big difference in casting with an iron mould vs an aluminum mould, especially when first using the mould. I'd suggest using a propane torch (no you won't get it hot enough to "warp" it) and heat the mould blocks. Watch the inside of the blocks as you play the flame over them. If you see any mositure come out and then vaporize the blocks were not cleaned right. I use your technique right up to the alcohol part. I do not use alcoho as it is a water absobant. After rinsing with the carburater cleaner I use the torch to finish and to preheat the mould. One other thing is to cast hotter. Thry 750 degrees.

Also I have found over the years that #2 alloy is not a good alloy for proper expansion of HP cast bullets. It is too brittle, even when AC'd, and the expansion petals, if there are any, will quickly break off. A much beller alloy that is very ductlile and maleable and will give very good expansion with muzzle velocities of 1400-1600 fps is 1-16 tin - lead alloy (no antimony what so ever).

Larry Gibson

[Maven]

mleeber, I concur with the above advice, but wish to add the following tips. If you have a good caliper, check the protrusion of the locating pins on one of mold blocks. If they're uneven, the mold may be difficult to open. They can be tapped in or out by applying penetrating oil, a little heat, a properly fitted punch, and a carefully wielded hammer. Second, before you lap the mold, you can spin a new.457" - .459" bronze/copper bore brush in each cavity for ~30secs. via an electric drill at medium speed. Degrease the cavities and try casting again. Lastly, after you reheat the mold and make a few casts, smoke each cavity with a few wooden matches or a BIC lighter. If this doesn't work, lapping would be the next step.

[mleeber]

Thanks for all the feedback! I will try the Kroil thing first. Where can I get it? I see on their website that they sell direct and I did not see a link to retailers. Is this something that a hardware store or auto parts place would stock?

Thanks!

[shotman]

Most NAPA stores have it There is a guy on feebay that I will get his site id . He has it and fluid film by the can or case . The FF was 1/2 what I pay for it at the John Deer place

[Bret4207]

Read the "Leementing" stickies. The same idea applies to iron moulds. Good chance you have a burr or 3 and you can fix them. Same for the pins. BTW- you can use a plain #2 pencil to lube the pins, sometimes that helps.

[chuebner]

What has happened to Lyman's QC the past few years? My older Ideal molds and older Lyman's cast beautifully with nary a problem The last few new Lyman molds I've gotten suck. My 20 buck Lee's cast rings around the 60 buck Lyman's. Lyman turn into a union shop or what.

charlie

[Matt_G]

What has happened to Lyman's QC the past few years? My older Ideal molds and older Lyman's cast beautifully with nary a problem The last few new Lyman molds I've gotten suck. My 20 buck Lee's cast rings around the 60 buck Lyman's. Lyman turn into a union shop or what.

charlie

IMHO, they just don't care about their customer's anymore, or their own reputation either it would seem.
I will buy old Lyman and Ideal moulds, but I won't buy anything new from Lyman.
Crying shame is what it is.

[bearcove]

Naw they aren't a union shop. I heard they opened a new shop in florida a few years ago.

[grages]

Thanks for all the feedback! I will try the Kroil thing first. Where can I get it? I see on their website that they sell direct and I did not see a link to retailers. Is this something that a hardware store or auto parts place would stock?

Thanks!

In the kroil thread there is a link to a google special. It ships pretty fast.

[mleeber]

Thanks for the info on the Google Deal! Just ordered a couple cans of it.