Old ball mold

[confederatemule]

I now own an old bullet mold.
I am trying to figure out what the number 85 stands for. When the tool s laying flat on a table, with the mold end to the right and the handle to the left, the number is facing up and is located just left of the cutter.

I have examined it very closely and it is an 85. The mold pocket measures, across the center, with a ruller, to be 3/8", that is .375".

I ain't made a ball with it, but maybe I should, and then mic the ball.

Is it designed to make a .36 ball?

Help, please.

Mule

BTW...This tool "is" an old hand forged tool.

[Wayne Smith]

Cast with it and measure the results. That will tell us a lot. Pics help, too.

[confederatemule]

Cast with it and measure the results. That will tell us a lot. Pics help, too.

WOW!

That was quick.

I'll try a pictures first. I ain't used my casting stuff in years, the last time was to make some lead head jigs.

Mule

[confederatemule]

Please overlook the quality. Hope this helps. Shoot, I hpe it works.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120001.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120002.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120003.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120004.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120005.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120006.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/ConfederateMule/85%20Mold/P5120010.jpg

[JIMinPHX]

Wow, that's an old timer. The part in front of the pivot pin is the mold cavity. The part just behind the pivot pin is the sprue cutter.

That thing is worth more as an antique than it is as a casting tool. Those metal handles get HOT when you use it. If you do try to use it, wrap the handles in some 3M #69 glass cloth tape & wear heavy gloves.

[casterofboolits]

Looks like a candidate for EvapoRust!

[theperfessor]

Isn't 85 grs close to being the weight of a .375 ball? Using a diameter of .375" and a density of 711 lbs/cu in for lead I come up with about 80 grs. Maybe the marking is for the ball weight (or maybe not!), just trying to connect the dots.

My opinion is that you have a neat mold with some possible collector value that would make a good display of old tools, but as others have pointed out it would be a hot and heavy rascal to use. Retire it with honor and get a Lee ball mold if you really need balls that size.

[confederatemule]

I don't plan on using it. I may cast, one or two, balls, just to go along with the mold. I've thought about soda blasting it, cause I have the equipment to do it.

I just would like to know about the numbers.

theperfessor's theory sounds good to me. But..I don't know.


Mule

[gnoahhh]

It's the number of lead balls per pound, which I think is about right for a ball in the neighborhood of 3/8". (85 gauge in other words.)

If wrong, I'll stand corrected.

[mold maker]

Soda Blasting it will reduce its value as a collector piece. You should never do a heavy duty cleaning of any antique without consulting a knowledgeable collector. It's funny how avid collectors like rust. They call it patina, and pay extra for it.

[theperfessor]

Given the way that things used to be done, it makes more sense that the 85 is a gauge and not a weight. If it is that gives about 82-83 grains per ball. Well, it would have to be a size that is marked in a way that is ambiguous as to which it represents.

Got to agree with the others, too much cleaning may well decrease it's economic/collectors value.

[montana_charlie]

Given the way that things used to be done, it makes more sense that the 85 is a gauge and not a weight.
Twelve gauge means 12 balls (of a particular diameter) to the pound of lead.
Perhaps the '85' means 85 balls to the pound. They would weigh somewhere close to 80 grains.

CM

[Ohio Rusty]

Many of those moulds are marked with a number approximating the number of balls to the pound. According to the list (URL attached), 85 ball to the pound is .380. .375 is pretty close .... again ...the number on the mould is probably close but not exact. That mould was hand cut with a hand made cherry, maybe by a blacksmith or a gunsmith.
Ohio Rusty ><>

Balls to the pound URL: http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_GaugeWeight.htm

[MtGun44]

Could have been for a rifle (Kentucky rifle or Pennsylvania rifle - depending on where you
are from) for a patched ball, but it also would be about right for a .36 Navy revolver.

I would tend to think that the 85 gauge making would make it prior to the Colt revolver
days, when (I think) they were more using diameter rather than number per pound to
describe a ball.

Bill

[NoZombies]

These are commonly referred to as bag molds, and don't have a very high collector value unless they are significant in some way (odd caliber, good provenance etc.) I would say that a light oiling of the exterior surfaces, and a test cast would be a good place to start.

The posts saying that the 85 is the gauge is most likely correct, most of these were marked in this fashion.

There were a number of these molds made in the 70's (the 1970's) for the then booming black powder and buckskinner scene. I'm not saying this is one of them, but with 40 years of "patina" it's hard to tell the repro's from the originals.

Hope that helps!

[confederatemule]

Y'all keep talkin, I'm listenin, and I sure do appreciate all the info.

My intentions are to cast a couple of balls and then set it aside [on display]. But, I'd like to be able to know and understand the meaning of the markings, so I can pass on the knowledge.

By measuring the finished cast ball, with a micrometer or vernier caliper, I'll know the caliber.
But, I want to know the rest of the story, the real story.

Mule