New to Mihec

[Uncle Jimbo]

I got the invoice for the 380 mold from Mihec today for this group buy
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=117608
and sent the money.
So I need to ask a few questions while I wait for the mold to show up.

1. I did not see handles included with the mold, so what handles do I need to find and buy. I have a set of handles for a Lee 6 cavity, but I don't think they would work. I also have a Lee 2 cavity mold that came with handles. If I take them off, will they work?
2. Having only used Lee Aluminum molds, is there any different procedures I need to learn or do different with this Mihec mold?
3. What is the best way to care and store this mold when I am done using it. Never used a brass mold.

Any insight to these question would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Uncle Jimbo

[BCall]

Lee handles will work fine.


Just clean, heat and cast. That's all I've done with my Mihec molds. I haven't had to do anthing special for storage, the Bullplate seems to keep the steel parts in good shape.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

[QUOTE=BCall;1607556]Lee handles will work fine.


you get what you pay for yes i use lee handles but you will need
to use gorilla glue to keep the handles on the steel part

[midnight]

I got the idea from a member here. I drill a 3/32 hole through the ferrule, wood, & the metal of the handle & drive a 3/32 roll pin through and grind off the excess. The wood will never come off.

Bob

[longbow]

Well, I'll add my $0.02 worth too. I also use Lee 6 cavity handles but I used silicone blue to hold the wood handles to the steel scissors. Cheap, easy and works just fine.

A few tips on a Cramer mould... or at least what works for me:

- I find brass moulds like to be run hot to get good fillout but once up to temperature they cast beautifully. So hot lead (I cast "by eye" so judge temperature by lead colour, however, I found with a friend's RCBS pot the dial said about 720 F when it cast well with a brass mould) and cast fast to keep the mould hot. Keeping the mould hot is the trick, you really don't want to overheat the alloy. This applies to both my Mihec brass moulds and Accurate brass mould.

- to the end of having a hot enough mould ~ pre-heat the mould before casting.

- use a bit of supplied lube on the HP pins or you may get sticking. Boolits stuck on Cramer pins can be hard to get off (ask me how I know!). By running hot and fast keeps pins hot and boolits release easily when pins are hot. Not so much when they aren't.

- brass is tougher than aluminum but can still be easily damaged by rough use or by scraping lead off with anything other than wood or plastic. Be gentle.

- Lee 2 cavity handles will not likely work unless you remove and drill out the pin holes to suit the mould screws. Also depends on block size. Lee 6 cavity handles fit well.

- Brass does not rust but the sprue plate can. I oil mine to make sure I don't find rust.

- I find the easiest way for me to cast is to pour, cut the sprue, open the mould, invert, use my sprue dowel to push the Cramer pins, boolits usually drop off the pins, if not a gentle tap on the handle bolt usually does it.

Mihec moulds are terrific! I am sure you will enjoy using it.

Longbow

[geargnasher]

Longbow, you've explained why you used "blue" RTV silicone before because you had it handy, I used Permatex Ultra Copper for the same reason and with excellent results. If it will seal exhaust manifolds without charring it will certainly stand up to mould heat! Works like a charm, just pop the handles off (doesn't take much), degrease the tangs, poke a dollop of silicone down the hole, coat the tangs, and shove it together. Wipe the excess and let it set up for a couple of days before using. If you don't do it when you first take them out of the package, you'll be doing it later. I lost a mold in my quench bucket one time because both handles departed the tangs in unison.

Gear

[DukeInFlorida]

Lee 6 cavity handles are what I use with the Mihec molds. Never had any issues with them. So, the handles that you already have would work fine. Several of the on-line vendors, especially Midway, have the Lee 6 cav handles on sale often. When they do, I always pick up extras.

Clean the molds prior to use to remove the cutting oil residue. Automotive brake cleaner works well, but use it outside.

The brass molds require pre-heating to run properly. Some people place the edge of the mold into the pot of molten lead. So,e run a hot plate next to the casting area. Just sitting the mold on the top of the pot is NOT enough to pre-heat these molds.

As has been said, be sure to use some of the included "bull plate like" stuff on the sprue pivot pin, and on the underside of the sprue plate. Have the cavities full of lead before doing that to keep it out of the cavities. Open the sprue plate to cut the sprue, and then lube. If you start to see lead streaks on the sprue plate bottom or on top of the brass mold, re-apply. I use a cotton swab for application.

Take care of the mold, and it will last you a lifetime.

Oh, and never ever hit the mold with anything. If you have to tap to release any castings, tap the Lee 6 cav handle at the bolt/nut pivot point. Miha's molds typically release very easily.

[cbrick]

I lost a mold in my quench bucket one time because both handles departed the tangs in unison. Gear

Oops . . . :holysheep

I've used the RTV Blue on LEE handles & it worked, I'll try the Permatex Ultra Copper on some RCBS handles that have become troublesome.

Uncle Jimbo, when it arrives do not open the package, just send it back. You won't even need to cast with it, simply looking at it and you are doomed to buying many, many more M-P molds. Save yourself while you can. [smilie=1:

Rick

[longbow]

Gear:

I had read several comments about loose wood on Lee handles but mine seemed fine when I got them so I set about attaching a mould and casting.

Shortly into casting both handles came loose and I almost dropped a Mihec mould onto a concrete floor. Saved it from dropping by a small margin. That would have been a disaster! I filled 'em up with silicone blue I had for automotive use and it worked fine.

A friend bought an Accurate Mold for his .45 along with Lee handles and asked me to teach him how to cast. We just got started and one handle slid right off so again, out came the silicone blue!

I only gave it about 10 minutes to cure before using though. In both cases mould had been pre-heated so handle steel was warm so that may help speed up the cure but even when using as a gasket seal it cures fairly quickly.

My advice ~ check the handles to make sure they are firmly attached before risking dropping a nice mould.

Longbow

[Uncle Jimbo]

Some good information, thanks everyone. And I will deal with the handles before I get started. From reading the other thread, I have about 2 week to get them secure.
As for cleaning, Can I use dish soap and put the mold in a pan and boil with the soap for a few minutes, will this clean it good?
Sounds like I am going to need to get a thermometer. Or can I use the leaser thermometer I have?
And as for your comment cbrick,

Uncle Jimbo, when it arrives do not open the package, just send it back. You won't even need to cast with it, simply looking at it and you are doomed to buying many, many more M-P molds. Save yourself while you can.
I spent way too much time convincing my wife I need this mold. So I can not let that victory go. I have to keep them and use them. Or risk getting a gut beating and a "I told you so".

thanks,
Uncle Jimbo

[41 mag fan]

I think there needs to be MAA club going. Mold Addiction Anonymous

[cbrick]

I think there needs to be MAA club going. Mold Addiction Anonymous

Mold Addiction?

Are you trying to say this isn't normal just because I tuck them in bed at night and read them a bed time story? Don't you do this with your children? I happen to like a large family so the more children the better, seems perfectly natural & normal to me. :mrgreen: Large familys are expensive though, I was just trying to save Uncle Jimbo from the expense of an ever increasing family size. [smilie=1:

Rick

[white eagle]

MP Molds are top notch
preheat mold ,melt lead,pour lead,shoot boolits
thats the way I have been doing it ,works for me
don't sweat the small stuff cast,shoot ,repete

[Grandpas50AE]

I think there needs to be MAA club going. Mold Addiction Anonymous

I have two of his molds en route to me currently, and two more on a group buy. That, with the one I bought from Tom at AM last month puts me at five in two months. That is more molds than I've bought in the last 15 years combined. At least I can say I will have plenty to keep me busy casting this year.

[longbow]

Uncle Jimbo:

You just tell the wife that your new mould is man jewelry! Once you and she see it, you will know what I mean.

She gets her jewelry so you get yours.

Longbow

[MikeS]

Rick: How can you compare moulds to children? I think that's the silliest thing I've ever heard! I mean really, when was the last time you had an argument with one of your moulds, and they told you they hate you? Or when was the last time one of your moulds borrowed your car, and brought it back with an unexplained dent in it? Not to mention all the savings due to not having to send your moulds to college!

So I'll ask you again, how can you compare moulds to children? I want more moulds, I don't want more children! The ones I got already are enough! (children that is, I always want more moulds!) :)

[MikeS]

You just tell the wife that your new mould is man jewelry!

I wonder, if you have a brass mould gold plated, will that make it cast any better? :)

[longbow]

Mike:

I don't think it is possible to have a mould cast better than my brass moulds. I love 'em just the way they are... and I want more.

Besides, my wife is the one that gets gold jewelry!

Longbow

[Dale53]

UncleJimbo;
Cramer style moulds require a bit different casting style than solid point bullets. Mihec has a nice video on his web site that explains how to cast with these VERY nice hollow point moulds.

I find that treating the hollow point pins with mould release allows the bullets to drop right off after pushing the pins out.

Casting sequence with Cramer style moulds:

1 - Pre-heat mould (I use a hot plate set just a bit over medium - YMMV)
2 - Pour bullet metal (I use bottom pour and set my pot to produce a temperature of 725-750
degrees.
3 - I use a small manicurists fan to cool the sprue. When sprue changes color (wait a few seconds)
then open the sprue (I wear welders gloves and twist the sprue plate open instead of smacking
it).
4 - Before opening the mould, turn it upside down. Then open the mould and PUSH the pins. Tap
the handle hinge and the bullets should drop right off the hollow point pins

5 - GENTLY close the mould, close the sprue plate, and turn to receive the molten bullet metal

6 - Repeat the above until the pot is empty

Dale53

[MikeS]

1. I did not see handles included with the mold, so what handles do I need to find and buy. I have a set of handles for a Lee 6 cavity, but I don't think they would work. I also have a Lee 2 cavity mold that came with handles. If I take them off, will they work?

Anytime somebody mentions using Lee handles with a mould, they're talking about the Lee 6 cavity mould handles, unless they specifically say Lee 2 cavity mould handles. Most of the custom mould makers (Mihec, NOE, AM) make their moulds to fit on the Lee 6 cavity mould handles regardless of how many cavities their mould(s) actually have.


2. Having only used Lee Aluminum molds, is there any different procedures I need to learn or do different with this Mihec mold?

Brass moulds like being heated on a hot plate so they can soak up the heat evenly. Many people find that they have to run their pot quite a bit hotter than normal when casting with a brass HP mould. I found when casting with one of Miha's HP moulds that I had to go from running the pot at 650F to running it at 700F, which is actually cooler than most people feel it should be, but it worked for me. When casting solid boolits from a brass mould (when you get your next Mihec brass mould!) you can cast back at the lower temp you normally cast at. Also, when casting HP boolits you will need to turn the mould over when opening so the boolits can fall off the pins easier. Should you need to use a mallet to get the boolits to drop from the mould, tap the hinge bolt, never the actual mould!


3. What is the best way to care and store this mold when I am done using it. Never used a brass mold.

Just like aluminum moulds, brass won't rust like iron can, so you can store the mould the same way you're storing your aluminum moulds.


Any insight to these question would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Uncle Jimbo

Get ready to have a great experience casting with a great mould!

[Uncle Jimbo]

Thanks again to everyone for the advice. I am getting excited about using this mold. Like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.

uncle jimbo


P.S. Admin, just a suggestion. There is a add-on for vbulletin that puts a thanks button on each post. That way if a reader likes the post, they can just hit the thanks button. The names of those doing the thanks appears under the post. A neat and easy way to say thanks.
Just a suggestion.

[Shoot66]

Very useful information on the difference when using a brass mold. Thank you everybody.

[cbrick]

Rick: How can you compare moulds to children? I think that's the silliest thing I've ever heard!

Lighten up Mike, it was a joke.

rick

[MikeS]

Lighten up Mike, it was a joke.

rick

Rick: I forgot to add a :) to that post, I was replying as a joke as well. Generally speaking I try not to get upset by any posts, if I did that I would need even more BP meds than I already take. I do think at this point in my life, given the choice of more kids, or more moulds, the moulds would win out without a thought!