Tried casting with 2 molds.......Damm it works!

[oldracer]

I have a 500gr Lee flat nose double mold and a 500gr pointed Lee double mold and so far they have been working fine as I made the mods as per the posts. Well I have to wait more than I like between pours so today between rain showers here in the San Diego area I decided to try using both molds and be filling one and empty the other. I heated them up and got to working and after a few pours they started popping out bullets really well. By the time one cools some and I take the excess off the bullets drop right out and the I fill it and by then the other has cooled some and I repeat. I ended getting about 325 total cast in 1 1/2 hours which is more than double my normal rate.

[Tom W.]

See? we ain't all crazy.....

[runfiverun]

i just use a damp rag.

[Southern Son]

I have to get my shed up first, but then I was thinking of trying the two moulds trick, but I have only one question, will it matter that one is a alluminium RG4 265 grain 44 cal and the other is a brass 3 banger 120grain .310? I am wondering if two molds of different materials casting such different sized boolits will be an issue with one cooling so much faster than the other.

[warf73]

I have to get my shed up first, but then I was thinking of trying the two moulds trick, but I have only one question, will it matter that one is a alluminium RG4 265 grain 44 cal and the other is a brass 3 banger 120grain .310? I am wondering if two molds of different materials casting such different sized boolits will be an issue with one cooling so much faster than the other.

For me I found staying with iron or Allum is much better, for the same reasons you posted the cooling rates is so much different. I can't speak about the brass molds as I don't own any as of yet.

[Artful]

dissimilar size seems to matter more than material - but what I do is change rotations
maybe 3 molds - the one that tends to overheat (think 45 cal rifle) gets filled then do a mold A and then mold b then back to A then back to either B or hot single cavity depending.

You can get a good casting with multiple molds

[Southern Son]

The main reason I have not done it before is that I use 20/1 for my black powder 45/70 boolits and then 50/50 for the .44 mag. I recently got a new mould for my .310 Cadet and if it shoots with 20/1 or 50/50, then I will have two moulds that use the same alloy. It is just that those two moulds will be very different.

[lwknight]

Its not hard to work out the rotation. If mold "A" gets hotter than you like , just let it sit 2 cycles in time out. Sometimes you might have to run mold "B" 2 to 1 just to keep it hot.

[1Shirt]

Agree with LWK. Casting with a single one cav mold is to me just a slow and painful process for the results achieved. Casting 2 single cav molds makes it a lot less painful and increases production. Double cav molds and casting 2, two cav molds is almost a pleasant process, and production really increases. Once you get going, and the molds and melt hot enough, it is a matter of timing and fatigue( at least to me).
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[swheeler]

I have cast with multiple molds, but usually find myself doing the "Bruce B"

[geargnasher]

Swheeler, I use the BB method too on occasion, but have the darnest time trying to get two different boolit designs to work at the same time with it! :kidding:

Gear

[Mk42gunner]

Like any other casting operation, there is a learning curve to using two molds at the same time. Sometimes I cast with multiple molds, other times I just use one. It just depends on what tempo the molds like.

I think it depends on the size of the boolit more than the mold material, myself. I can ladle cast with a Lee 312-185 and most any other larger two cavity mold. If I am bottom pouring the Lee mold seems to turn out better boolits if it is the only one I use.

If I am casting with anything under about 120 grains; it works best for me just to use one mold, keeping the mold temp consistant.

Robert

[Shuz]

I nearly always cast with two moulds using my bottom pour furnace. I find it makes greater utilization of time, since one mould's sprue is cooling whilst using the other mould.

[thx997303]

Thinking about this, I need another 6 cav mold so I can try this with them. :bigsmyl2:

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

I have use 4 to 5 molds in one casting session for years.

Even better is to cast with a partner, a large lead pot and a good bottom pour ladle.

Doing so, with the large pot and my old Colman stove turned up, allows me to continually add my sprues or new metal to the pot while continuing to cast.

Don't want to get the same ol'discussion going again, but I will have to see the bottom pour casters that say they can out cast me using this method.

Seeing will be believing.

Now however, having started to cast for and hunting with a 45/70, that kind of throws a kink in my process because of trying different alloys in the 45/70.

WW are my normal casting mix, so adding linotype or tin to my mix just for normal cast boolit loads wastes the more expensive metals.

So at this point, I have been using a single mold for the 45/70 and even with the 4 cavity LBT mold it is VERY slow when compared to my usual casting method.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[troy_mclure]

heck, i can barely cast with one let alone 2!

[cajun shooter]

I started casting with multiple molds in 1970 as that is how my mentor taught me. I was casting bullets for the gun store and production was the game. He had several molds and different brands but they were all iron. If aluminum molds were around I never saw one. The best ones were the H&G molds. He had several Lyman and Saeco pots with hot plates on the side. You would preheat all molds on the hot plates and when at the correct temperature we started to pour. After dropping the bullets from a mold you would refill it and then put it back on the hot plate. You moved on to the next one and repeated the process. With in a short period you would have several hundred bullets poured. I do the same now for my SASS bullets. I use two brass 3 cavity molds .

[sargenv]

I tried this the other day... I have a Lee drip-o-matic 4-20... and it did live up to it's name.. the problem I seem to run into that with 2 - 4 cavity molds that hold 170 and 185 gr respectively.. um.. that 20 pound pot drains a LOT faster than I can feed it ingots.. and pretty soon I have a mess of boolits and am waiting for more lead to melt... with a single 6 cavity mold I can work into a rhythm that adds an ingot about every 40-50 cast regardless if it is my 9mm 130 rn's or the 175 TC 40's. I also run into sore hands quicker... so for me the jury is still out.. the molds do stay hot enough though.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Yep, that's why a good but old Colman gas stove under a LARGE cast iron pot is so great for casting.

That along with a Rowel bottom pour ladle is the way to go.

And yes, I have tried a bottom pour pot and personaly and just IMHO, found them lacking.

Unless I had something at a commercial level or a number of electric pots, they just won't keep up with the stove and large pot.

Everyone to his own!

I would love to be able to use an electric bottom pour, but the ones I have seen being used or tried just don't meet my needs.

To simply take a pot and turn it on would be great when compaired to setting up the stove, filling it with gas, etc., but as stated they won't come even close to keeping up with my casting rate.

I use an old cast iron cooking pot that holds 30 - 40 lbs. of metal which when teamed with the BTUs available from the gas stove, allow for a continuing and rapid rate of pour.

This size or larger pot and a good heat source also allow the sprues and 1 - 5 lb. ingets of alloy to be fed into the pot while preventing large temp swings.

It is not the purest's way, but it works for me.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot