Cutting Sprue

[tek4260]

How do you cut your sprues? Seems like everything I read talks about knocking the sprue plate over with a mallet to cut the sprues. I just couldn't imagine doing that to my mold. I have never had a problem gripping the mold and pushing the sprue plate with my thumb to cut.

Dumb question I know, but I have always wondered what is the "proper" way.

[2wheelDuke]

If it works for you, it's not wrong. Until yesterday, I'd always used a piece 1x1 pine board. I tried using a gloved hand to open the sprue plate yesterday once my mold was up to temp, and I liked it.

[94Doug]

Not really, there is a gloved hand crowd, and a wood mallet one. Either works. "tastes great/less filling" kind of thing.

Doug

[mooman76]

It isn't like were beating the mould. Just a light tap is all it takes.

[JIMinPHX]

Most books say to use a wooden mallet or stick. I use a gloved hand to push it open on 1 & 2 cavity molds. On the Lee 6-cav, I use their cam handle.

When I make sprue plates, I sometimes make them with extra long handles to make it easier to open them by hand.

Keeping the bottom edge of the sprue hole sharp can really help to make things easy to operate.

[geargnasher]

This seems to come up a lot. I use the "gloved thumb" technique, or if casting with a mould that needs a light tap on the handle hinge bolt to drop the boolits, I push the sprue plate open with the hammer handle I use to do the tapping.

Gear

[bpratl]

I use to use a stick but I now use a gloved hand because I get a better feel on the mold temp based on the amount of effort to slice the spruce.

[MikeS]

It all depends on the mould. Once up to temp most 2 cavity moulds I open with a gloved hand. With my Lyman 4 cavity moulds more often than not I have to tap it open with a small rawhide mallet, but if I get the timing just right I can open it by hand. The same holds true for my SAECO 4 cavity moulds, although I have better luck opening them by hand than I do the Lyman 4 cavity moulds. My Mihec moulds are another story, I almost all the time can open them by hand unless I let them sit too long, than I need to use a mallet to give the mould a light tap. The Mihec moulds are truly amazing in how long I can wait before cutting the sprue and still be able to do it by hand. I had started a message thread a while ago about putting sprue plate cam levers (like the Lee six cavity moulds have) on 4 cavity moulds, and that was before I had used a Mihec mould. While I still think Lyman moulds could benefit from a lever I don't think one would be needed on a Mihec mould. They're also the only brass mould I've used, so I don't know if it's the fact that they're made from brass, or if it's the mould's quality, or a combo of the two.

[bobthenailer]

When moulds are up to temp i usually wait about 10 seconds and cut the sprue with a small 4 oz rawhide mallet avalible from Brownells. I either push or very lightly or tap the sprue plate to open , tap the mould with the mallet to remove bullets , set the mould blocks on a flat surface and close the mould that way the blocks are aligned and saves wear on the alignemt pins and holes , remove the mould from the flat plate & lightly tap the mould while holding the handles togeather to seat the mould and pore again & repeat.
Although the rawhide mallet is in the $24 to 28 price range it will last a life time and no pieces of debrie flying and its easy on your mould , ive been useing the same mallet for over 30 years with over 400,000 bullets being made with it

[montana_charlie]

I turn the sprue plate by hand with a palm grip like opening a jar.
At the time of the cut the mould is inverted, my palm is up to catch the sprue, and it happens right over the pot so I can just turn my hand ... to dump everything back in while it's still hot.

At that moment, it is clear to see if the base is fully formed. If not, that bullet also goes back in while it's still hot.

CM

[cbrick]

My Mihec moulds are another story, I almost all the time can open them by hand unless I let them sit too long, than I need to use a mallet to give the mould a light tap.

That sounds like finger nails on the blackboard, I hope you meant tap the sprue plate. [smilie=1:


The Mihec moulds are truly amazing in how long I can wait before cutting the sprue and still be able to do it by hand. While I still think Lyman moulds could benefit from a lever I don't think one would be needed on a Mihec mould. They're also the only brass mould I've used, so I don't know if it's the fact that they're made from brass, or if it's the mould's quality, or a combo of the two.

Actually it's the thick steel sprue plate. These take a bit more to get up to proper temp but once they do they will hold heat a bit longer allowing you to still open it by a gloved hand. If this plate isn't yet up to proper casting temp rounded bases will result. Pouring an extra generous sprue puddle will quickly get it up to a good temp.

Rick

[Le Loup Solitaire]

There are many casters that prefer the gloved hand technique and those that prefer to tap the sprue cutter with a "mold mallet" of some sort. Either method does the job and whatever works for you is the way you should go. Over the years I have used a large wooden dowel, a rawhide mallet, a small wooden mallet, a plastic mallet, and a small lead hammer. None of them injured any of the sprue cutters in any way. I never was really comfortable with the gloved hand method as I am an incurable southpaw. A small/light tap is sufficient. For me if another tap was necessary on the hinge to get the bullet(s) to drop it seemed to me more convenient to do it with a non marring object. I used wood, plastic and rawhide on aluminum sprue cutters that I made for several molds and they were not harmed in any way. LLS

[MtGun44]

I used a stick for 30+ yrs, mostly use a gloved hand these days. Not a lot of difference,
really, if you are careful, but whacking the sprue plate too hard and not in-plane could
possibly bend it over time.

Bill

[williamwaco]

Gloved hand?

I am not sure what this means.

I have tried this method a few times with a heavh glove using the butt of the palm of my hand to push the sprue plate. I was never able to cut the sprue with my hand. This is not a heat problem I just couldn't push hard enough to do it.

How long do you wait for the sprue to "harden" before cutting the sprue by hand?

[mold maker]

When the sprue button shrinks and the surface dulls it's time to cut. If you get smears, wait a couple seconds longer.
If the Sprue plate and mold are up to temp, the cutting action shouldn't take a whole lot of force.
As montana_charlie said, a heavy leather welders glove makes quick work of it.

[geargnasher]

Gloved hand?

I am not sure what this means.

I have tried this method a few times with a heavh glove using the butt of the palm of my hand to push the sprue plate. I was never able to cut the sprue with my hand. This is not a heat problem I just couldn't push hard enough to do it.

How long do you wait for the sprue to "harden" before cutting the sprue by hand?

You're waiting way too long. Mold Maker explained it pretty well. Time your cut so that the sprue is right at the end of the mush phase and almost solid, but not quite. If you cut them at this point and drop a sprue on the floor, it will crack. You might have a small pockmark in the middle of the boolit base after it cools, but I've yet to see this cause a problem on target paper as long as they are consistent. Cutting the sprues as they "just" set only takes one finger, and doesn't smear lead on the blocks.

Gear

[pmer]

They're also the only brass mould I've used, so I don't know if it's the fact that they're made from brass, or if it's the mould's quality, or a combo of the two.

I have two brass moulds one from Accurate and one of Miha's and the sprews can be cut easily by hand. The last few times I casted I've used welding gloves and cut by hand. It seems like the way to go for me.

I had to turn my 358156 mold in the handles to make it easier to turn the plate, now the tab of the plate is towards the left handle.

Trouble with welding gloves is once they get hot they stay hot for a few moments.

[JIMinPHX]

I was never able to cut the sprue with my hand. This is not a heat problem I just couldn't push hard enough to do it.

How long do you wait for the sprue to "harden" before cutting the sprue by hand?

When I'm cutting the sprue by hand, I cut right after the dead head goes solid, while everything is still soft. If I wait another 15 or 20 seconds, then the lead gets too hard & I need to hit the sprue plate with something to get it to cut.

[MikeS]

That sounds like finger nails on the blackboard, I hope you meant tap the sprue plate. [smilie=1:

Yup, I did indeed mean the sprue plate. But I have found that on a mould that has cavities that like to stick, if I give the closed mould a tap on the bottom of the mould prior to opening it that most of the time the boolits will just drop right out. In fact I first read about doing this on an instruction sheet from an H&G mould. It says to hold the mould at a 45 degree angle, with the hinge resting on a table, tapping the sprue plate to open it, then turn the mould over, and tap the base of the closed mould with the same mallet, then opening the mould, and have all the boolits fall right out. With my new casting setup, I don't bother with a mallet, I just tap the mould against the tabletop (I'm using a 2" thick 20" by 50" rubber cutting pad on top of 1" plywood as my tabletop), and if any boolits don't drop right out I give the open mould a light tap against the table, and they fall right out.



Actually it's the thick steel sprue plate. These take a bit more to get up to proper temp but once they do they will hold heat a bit longer allowing you to still open it by a gloved hand. If this plate isn't yet up to proper casting temp rounded bases will result. Pouring an extra generous sprue puddle will quickly get it up to a good temp.

Rick

So if I was to get a replacement sprue plate for the lyman moulds that's thicker, and maybe even smoother as well that I'll have sprues that take longer to harden, just like on Mihec moulds? I've noticed that Lee six cavity moulds also seem to take longer for the sprue to harden than either Lyman or SAECO moulds, and they also have thicker sprue plates, although they're made of aluminum, but I guess the larger mass could hold more heat even so.

Before I cast with any Mihec moulds, I thought the SAECO moulds were a world of difference when compared to Lyman moulds (with the SAECO ones being better), and while I still feel that way, I think the Mihec moulds are another world apart from the SAECO moulds! And while it might be heresy to say this, but from my limited experience with Lee six cavity moulds (I only have a couple of them) I would say they're on the same level as SAECO moulds, casting better than the Lyman moulds! About the only moulds I think are not as good as Lyman moulds, and they're worse by a long shot is Lee 2 cavity moulds. While they may be the same designs as the six cavity moulds, their fit and finish is so far below them that it's hard to believe the same factory makes them. I have yet to cast with an NOE mould, so I have no idea how they work, but I'm in on a few GB's for NOE moulds, so I'll find out fairly soon.

I've also never cast with a good H&G mould either, I finally bought one, but who ever was the former owner of the one I got deserves to be shot by one of the boolits cast with it! The sprue plate on it was so crude I can't believe it's the original, the top of the sprue plate has the mill finish on it, looking like no machine work was done to it at all other than drilling the holes. I just bought a replacement sprue plate for it (that's an H&G one), and it's a whole different animal, this one is quality! Now I need to save up some money and send the mould to Erik to see if he can fix it up to where it's usable. It's a 10 cavity #73, and the blocks are warped! When it's closed I can see that the two ends are touching, but can see daylight between the blocks on most of the middle cavities, I can't imagine what was done to it to warp such a large and heavy mould! It really was a let down, I bought it thinking I would finally get a chance to use a quality H&G mould, only to find that this one was so abused as to be unusable!

[MikeS]

Something else I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread, when cutting the sprue by hand it really helps to have both the bottom of the sprue plate, and the tops of the mould blocks properly lubed with Bullplate (or other similar mould lube) to prevent lead smears on the blocks. Using a Mihec mould so lubed, I've even opened the sprue plate BEFORE the sprue had hardened without smearing lead on the blocks!

[Bret4207]

I'm a rawhide mallet guy, I can not wear gloves and cast, it simply doesn't work for me. I've tried and tried and any glove thick enough to prevent a burn is too thick to feel with. Kind of the same with the blacksmiths I've know, not one of them wore gloves, can't feel or do fine work with gloves on.

What does appeal to me is the sprue plate handles I've seen. That mice big wooden knob and the extended length makes it look like the answer. Never got around to trying one though.

[sundog]

Same here, Bret, bare hands when casting. I wear gloves for a lot of tasks, but when casting I have the need to 'feel'. I have a piece of hickory maul handle that I've been using for years for a whacker. Done properly, there is no adverse affect to the mould. When it wears out in another few years, I've got another piece of that same handle waiting to replace it. Good piece of wood, too bad I beat it up so bad when it was on the maul. btw, the maul has another nice handle on it now. As an aside, hanging handles properly is a real art. Takes a bit of patience, too. I did a couple of very old double bit axes a couple winters ago, and they came out superbly.

Several years ago I picked up a bunch of fairly nice 4-cavity Lyman moulds from an estate sale table at the big Wannemacher Show in Tulsa. Got a really good price for taking all of them. Anyway, the sprue plates needed a little cleaning up with a file. Moulds were in very good condition. Ole boy what had been casting them must have used a steel hammer for a whacker. Anyway, they cleaned up well and are all happily in my stable.

[cbrick]

So if I was to get a replacement sprue plate for the lyman moulds that's thicker, and maybe even smoother as well that I'll have sprues that take longer to harden, just like on Mihec moulds?

No, you would have a sprue plate that takes a bit longer to get up to proper temp and pouring a large sprue puddle helps with this. After it is properly heated the sprue puddle should harden normally.

Rick

[montana_charlie]

How long do you wait for the sprue to "harden" before cutting the sprue by hand?
How long I wait before cutting the sprue is part of my 'rhythm' for keeping the mould at the right temperature.
I prefer to 'waste time' with hot lead in the cavity, rather than delaying before refilling the empty mould.

So, I count to thirty after the sprue freezes and frosts over.


As montana_charlie said, a heavy leather welders glove makes quick work of it.
My gloves are regular old, every day, single thickness, buckskin work gloves that I always have on my hands ... or in my back pocket.

CM

[cbrick]

My gloves are regular old, every day, single thickness, buckskin work gloves that I always have on my hands ... or in my back pocket. CM

Dunno about buckskin but I tried pigskin gloves. Very nice, comfy too. A disaster for casting though, they offer very little to no insulation and hold the heat longer than regular leather gloves, opened the sprue once with them and couldn't get them off fast enough. They are now my garden gloves.

Rick

[pmer]

I would think any leather work type glove with some insulation would work. My welding gloves are worn and flexible. I have a new pair of welding gloves that are pretty stiff and would be cumbersome to use.

With my old gloves I can pretty much grab a screw by the shaft and tap on the mold with its handle to get the boolits to drop if needed.

[Lizard333]

I go barehanded and use a piece of wood to gently tap the mold. Goes quick and if you need to persuade a mold to drop the boolit you can tap the hinge lightly. Works well enough for me. I would like to to try the rawhide mallet but can't seem to get over the 25+ dollar price tag. I am keeping a look out at garage sales.

[geargnasher]

Lizard, get a rawhide dog bone and whack the ends off with a hacksaw, drill a hole through it that will fit a tack hammer handle, and fill the voids between the rolls with clear silicone caulk, squeeze it down in the gaps tight. Use the silicone to glue the handle in. Costs about $6 if you already have the silicone.

Gear

[FISH4BUGS]

I use a lead hammer or neoprene rod about 12"x1" round. Either one works like a charm.
I can't imagine using my hand to open any of these moulds. I would break my wrist or hand if I tried that with a 10 cavity H&G mould.

[Bret4207]

I use a lead hammer or neoprene rod about 12"x1" round. Either one works like a charm.
I can't imagine using my hand to open any of these moulds. I would break my wrist or hand if I tried that with a 10 cavity H&G mould.

HAR! :mrgreen::drinks: Yeah, I have a 10 cav H+G too. I can just see some of the glove crowd trying to cut the sprues on that monster!

[Bret4207]

I go barehanded and use a piece of wood to gently tap the mold. Goes quick and if you need to persuade a mold to drop the boolit you can tap the hinge lightly. Works well enough for me. I would like to to try the rawhide mallet but can't seem to get over the 25+ dollar price tag. I am keeping a look out at garage sales.

Lizard- I got my rawhide mallet from my Dad who got it from Brownells back when he and Bob Brownell (the grandfather of the current owner IIRC) were still trading jokes back and forth by snail mail! Both Dad and Bob are long gone, but the mallet is still going strong 35+ years later. In fact I just used it the other day as a cushion between a 2.5 drilling hammer and a Cat D4 liner that didn't want to move. It's still in great shape. So, I guess I'm saying don't be too scared of the price 'cuz chances are it'll last longer than you or me!

[pmer]

I wouldn't know a H&G if it nipped me on ankle... What does H&G stand for? Hemp and Gopher LOL :kidding: I wonder if a 10 banger could fit under my Lee 20 LB. melter.

Seriously, if I had a gopher mold I'm sure I would luv it.

I'll quit the trash talking now.

[whopist]

I cut the spruce with my hand using this Glove. It was purchased as Army Surplus for $6.00 a pair.
Army calls it, ”Mitten Shells, Cold Weather (Trigger Finger)”.
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/whopist/Mitten1.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii165/whopist/Mitten2.jpg

It sure works for me. Haven’t burned my fingers or arms using it; and, only wear it on my right hand. I actually purchased two right hand mittens.