Pluses and minuses of a Brass mould?

[fatelvis]

Can you guys clue me in on the up and downs of moulds made from brass? Are they as durable as Aluminum, will lead stick to them, etc.? Thanks PB Brothers!

[JeffinNZ]

Plus = brass makes the most beautiful moulds that drop fantastic bullets. I have many CBE moulds from AU and love them. No, the bullets should not 'stick' and if they do lap the mould.

Minus = they are a lot heavier than alum.

Waaaaay more durable than alum. too.

[Alchemist]

I've only got one brass mould so far (waiting on another) but it is a good'n! Drops great boolits and is the easiest casting mould I've used so far. It is a bit heavy, but casting up a few hundred boolits in a session isn't too hard.

ETA: Guess I shold answer the questions...

Upside...easy casting, stable heat with a steady casting cadence, and boolits seem to fall out easier than iron or aluminum.

Downside...somewhat heavier and more expensive-but worth it.

[zuke]

Couple of my question's were answered right there.

[EDK]

The only problem not mentioned is that they spoil you for either aluminum or iron moulds!

I've got an OLD WEST BULLET MOLDS clone of LYMAN 429352 (44 full wadcutter) and three MIHECS...with a fourth group buy to be delivered soon...I hope.

NOE has a couple of my favorites in brass and I'm seriously considering those even if they duplicate the super aluminum moulds I have in those boolit designs.

If I have a choice, I'll spend a few yankee dollars and get the brass mould.

[geargnasher]

Some of the ones I have weigh over two pounds and require an adjustment to the casting setup to avoid fatigue (find/make places to rest it while filling and waiting for the sprue to set), but I like them the best. Due to having a higher heat coefficient than either aluminum or the various steel/iron alloys, they run cooler so you might have to get used to casting at a bit faster pace to keep them at the same temperature you would for the other metals.

I wish all my moulds were brass, and am gradually replacing all my favorite mould designs with custom brass moulds.

Gear

[MikeS]

Gear: I'm doing the same thing! I just recently bought an H&G 130 clone mould from Tom in brass, and sold my SAECO #130 mould. I already had a Mihec #68, so I sold my SAECO of that mould too. Slowly I'm getting rid of all my iron/steel moulds, and replacing them with brass, or on some occasions aluminium.

[Bret4207]

I can't think of a downside to brass.

[btroj]

Only downside is the weight. A 2 cav is no problem but a 4 cav is tiring to use.

I will keep buying them however. The upside ay outweighs the downside.

[cajun shooter]

I'm 64 years old and have been casting since 1970. I purchased three moulds from Accurate moulds last year and I'm sorry that I never tried them before.
I have a few tips for gear and any others on how to make brass easy. My casting has become fun and easy with good production by using the following method. The only thing is that it does require two brass moulds. It is best if they are both the same but may be different. OK the first thing you will need is a large single burner hot plate that is at least 800 watts. I purchased mine from wally World. You will also benefit from purchasing a small galvanized bucket from a hardware or feed store. Maybe a 6 quart or so. It will become your sprue catcher
The process starts by putting both moulds(3 cavities) on the hot plate on high and at the same time start you lead pot.
When your lead is ready to pour we start by doing the next moves.
Remove mould one and fill it and then return it to the hot plate.
Remove mould two and repeat the process and return it to the hot plate
Go back and remove mould one and swing over to the bucket and rest the handle on the edge, letting the mould hang into the inner area and when you strike the sprue plate which requires only a light tap the sprue fall into the bucket.
Dump the bullets into the container of your choice and refill mould and put it back on the hot plate.
Repeat the process with mould two.
This process will help you develop a cadence with the moulds that keeps them at the perfect casting temperature and not overheat or warp the blocks.
I no longer have any bullets that are not up to par.
After about 4 pours I turn my hot plate down to about half way.
This process has worked great and my moulds are turning out thounsands of bullets that are perfect in every way. Best to You David

[fatelvis]

Thanks guys- Do brass moulds have a higher tolerance for heat, without them warping like in aluminum moulds? I like to run my alloy hot, almost to the point of frosting, and a little frosting doesnt bother me.

[cbrick]

I like to run my alloy hot

Interesting, did you have tin in your alloy?

Rick

[fatelvis]

Interesting, did you have tin in your alloy?
Yes, I add about one foot of 95/5 roll solder to about 17#s of WWs. I know I have some tin in there, but couldn't tell you how much.

[Bret4207]

You managed to warp and aluminum mould? A Lee I presume? What exactly happened? We all cast pretty hot with the alum. moulds and I've never seen one warp. I've never actually seen an iron mould warp either. Are you positive it warped and that it's not a drop or lead or a ding in a mating surface?

[fatelvis]

You managed to warp and aluminum mould?
I havent warped one, but only because I have read (I think by NOE) that aluminum molds will react negatively to higher alloy temps. I have purposely been steering clear of aluminum molds because of this.

[MBTcustom]

Nothing wrong with aluminum molds but they are more finicky IMHO.
I just bought my first brass mold and cast with it all day yesterday.
The things I noticed right off the bat:
The mold is heavy I found places to rest it through the process.
The mold took a long time to heat up but maintained the perfect temperature in the blocks through the entire casting session. Even when the sprue plate became too hot and I was having to cool it on a wet rag, the boolits where not frosty....at all.
The boolits that I produced where mirror smooth and shiny, easily the prettiest boolits I have ever cast.
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2004.jpg
Hope it helps.

[cbrick]

Yes, I add about one foot of 95/5 roll solder to about 17#s of WWs. I know I have some tin in there, but couldn't tell you how much.

The reason I asked about tin is because you had said that you like to run your pot hot. The metalurgy of it is this, the reason tin helps the mold fill out better is that it reduces the surface tension (oxidation) of the alloy going onto the mold. Not only does tin loose it's ability to do this past 750 degrees but tin itself will oxidize much faster past 750.

Rick

[Bret4207]

I havent warped one, but only because I have read (I think by NOE) that aluminum molds will react negatively to higher alloy temps. I have purposely been steering clear of aluminum molds because of this.

Ah, okay. Well, all I can tell you is that I've been using aluminum for better than 30 years and I cast HOT. I've never had a problem with the Lee's or NEIs I own. Anything is possible, but HOT is a relative term. Some of the guys here have stuck sensors int heir moulds and kept track of the mould temps. I think an aluminum might run a bit hotter to get good results than a brass or good iron mould, but I don't know how much hotter. Maybe NOE (forget his name) could chime in and let us know what he's seen?

[Bullet Caster]

Well, I've only seen boolits from brass moulds and every one that I've seen looks really good. I've only used the cheap-o aluminum moulds from Lee, so no experience using brass. One of these days I hope to get a good brass mould for my M1 Garand as soon as funds become available and that will be if and when the VA increases my disability. Hopefully that will be soon. BC

[zuke]

Well, I've only seen boolits from brass moulds and every one that I've seen looks really good. I've only used the cheap-o aluminum moulds from Lee, so no experience using brass. One of these days I hope to get a good brass mould for my M1 Garand as soon as funds become available and that will be if and when the VA increases my disability. Hopefully that will be soon. BC

Do what I did.Go to Walmart and buy yourself one of those electric coin sorter's and when you have change toss it in.When one type is full you can slide a paper coin tube part way in and pour the coin's in to fill it up.
Up here we have the $1 and $2 coin's so they can add up pretty quick.
A $2 roll is $50

[tonyjones]

Bret4207,

Al/NOE has posted here before that his aluminum molds cast best at a mould temperature of 300 to 330 degrees F and that his brass moulds work best at 380 to 410 degrees F. I would not find it unreasonable if your or someone else's results varied somewhat. It would also seem reasonable if results varied between moulds. IIRC Al posted that when he kept the mould's temperature within 10 degrees of what the mould preferred his 30 caliber 180 grain bullets were within something like .4 grains with very uniform dimensions. He used cadence and a small fan to control temps. There is an interesting thread on this under Vendor Sponsors or Vendor Sponsor Sales (I think).

Regards,

Tony