Every Mold is Like a Woman!

[John Boy]

... each one has it's unique likes and dislikes, some are 'easy', some have to coaxed to the extreme and others won't give you the time of day.

For example: I have 2 molds: Ideal 37583 and the same, a Lyman 37583. It is a single cavity that drops a 145gr bullet. I started casting a batch using the Lyman and it wouldn't fill out the driving band. So, I switched over to the Ideal and still no filled out driving band.

So, I kept running the temperature up ... finally at 810F ... the driving band was perfect. Then tried the Ideal - same temperature needed.

I have never had to cast this hot before and am totally amazed that such a little grain single cavity mold had to be coaxed ... to the 800F range.:roll:

[dragonrider]

Is your alloy a little short on tin maybe?

[Dale53]

John Boy;
One thing we are in total agreement on, bullet moulds CAN be finicky. Each one is a law unto itself (hm-m-m, not unlike a woman (where have I heard that before[smilie=1:). I bottom pour everything. Some moulds like to be "pressure cast" and some of them prefer that the mould is an inch or so below the pot spout. But, nearly all can be brought around with "Tender Loving Care" (not unlike a woman[smilie=1: ).

I guess you and I will have to go off and "Oink! Oink!"

Dale53

[John Boy]

Is your alloy a little short on tin maybe?
Paul, not in this case. 1:30 alloy ... measured to the ounce

[STP]

On more than one occasion I`ve had to go to the old fashioned way...using the dipper.

[Bret4207]

Personally, I tend towards frosted booilts. I run the pot hot and almost always get good fill out. I have a couple moulds that require ladle to sprue hole contact, some that require a 2" drop and many that don't care one way or the other as long as the mix is hot. If my hot mix and various pouring methods don't work, then I go to the mould with cleaners and that usually fixes the problem. The trick is to remember to WRITE DOWN what mould like what technique at what temp with what alloy. Looking it up sure beats going experimental over and over again.

[threett1]

Actually, I get along with my molds much better than I did with my ex.:mrgreen:

[Nardoo]

Anthropologically speaking, why I do I always get a little light headed when I see a new mold on the shelf of a gun store? And, blush, I am a little embarressed to say but I have covetted quite a few spoken-for molds that the good members of this forum have posted pictures of. Am I being prudish, but sharing molds?
Help needed.

[Bass Ackward]

After reading the title for this, I just had to come in to see the analogy because I have always seen it the exact opposite.

Most of my adult life I have been searching for or working with a mold, spending my time and money, to make it throw fatter bullets. With the ol'lady, I have spent my money trying to slim her down.

Too bad that it isn't as simple as running them through a die. :grin:

[ARKANSAS PACKRAT]

Bass; You got it right, besides that, you can TELL a mold it's too fat and it won't care...............try that with the ol'lady:mrgreen:

[JudgeBAC]

Be glad your respective wives are like mine and dont read this stuff. If they did, I would be seeing more of you in divorce court.

[UweJ]

Just got a 158grain SWC mold from an oldtimer at our club , he said he wouldn´t cast anymore and since I started I would make good use of it.

[UweJ]

It´s a triple Saeco and I tried to run it with the bottom pour pot . I could try whatever I wanted it just wouldn´t fill right. I then started to laddle an that baby just started dropping perfect boolits.
Gotta be treated like a women.

[JeffinNZ]

I ain't never had a mould say no..................[smilie=1:

[floodgate]

I ain't never had a mould say no..................[smilie=1:

Jeff:

So.... You haven't been casting long???

Doug

[9.3X62AL]

Marie saw the thread title as she sashayed past, getting ready for work. She had to look through the posts, and chuckled. She said that Judge BAC shouldn't worry about another case on her account, she had me civilized almost to tolerability now, and wasn't going to let the investment get squandered through divorce. Besides, I load all her ammunition and clean all the fish.

That's reassuring. I think.

[44man]

C'mon fellas, all of you know that the closer to pure lead you go, the hotter the lead has to be!
I adjust my temp for the alloy, not the mold and I never see a difference from one mold to another. Every mold I have casts the same for me. I mostly cast hot and very rarely get down to 750, mostly I stay at 800 or more for everything.
Some alloys will give me stickers on the sides when it goes into the vent lines and I will have to turn things down but it is rare.
But I use a dipper and don't have all those problems where one mould has to be held below and another jammed up to the spout. No way I am going to label each mold so I know what it likes. Once the temp is up where I want it, all of my molds cast exactly the way I want them to.

[marksuttonjr]

C'mon fellas, all of you know that the closer to pure lead you go, the hotter the lead has to be!
I adjust my temp for the alloy, not the mold and I never see a difference from one mold to another. Every mold I have casts the same for me. I mostly cast hot and very rarely get down to 750, mostly I stay at 800 or more for everything.
Some alloys will give me stickers on the sides when it goes into the vent lines and I will have to turn things down but it is rare.
But I use a dipper and don't have all those problems where one mould has to be held below and another jammed up to the spout. No way I am going to label each mold so I know what it likes. Once the temp is up where I want it, all of my molds cast exactly the way I want them to.


I was thinking the same thing, but I only currently own 5 molds, and 1 of them is for sinkers not bullets.

[Sundogg1911]

I dunno about that mould being like a woman. If I whacked my Wife with a two inch diameter dowl rod, she'd....i'd be....we'll lets just say She's a really good shot with Her Hi-Power! ;-)