Mold too hot, sticking boolits.

[.5mv^2]

I did some more casting today. My 105 grain Lee SWC is my only choice.

Session 1, I had one hole of my mold that kept getting worse. Boolits wouldn't release. The other hole would release but kept getting worse. I turned the pot down and it got wrinkled bullets that were not filling out very well but released better.

I gave up. Later I decided that I should get it going again. Since my bullet release was more difficult when hot. I decided that I should try and keep my lead hotter, the mold cooler and try and cycle the mold faster. I kept touching the bottom of the molds to the water that I was using to throw the boolits into.

It worked, Boolits fell out or just took a light tap on the handles. My mold must have been screaming from the heating and cooling. I made 300 bullets in an hour or so. Most all were perfect.

I blamed the mold at first but probably the technique was the bigger issue. My second batch made nice shiney boolits.

[hiram]

Try a little lapping with toothpaste. You may have found a solution, but there can still be room for improvement.

[MBTcustom]

Open the mold with a gloved hand, If one of the boolits sticks, nudge it out with your thumb. You should get a thermometer and keep it handy. I find that having the perfect alloy heat, coupled with keeping the mold temperature in the right range is critical. When you find the correct spot, it seems that the alloy is hot enough to flow freely into the mold, but cool enough that the mold looses enough heat when opening and dropping the boolits, that its ready to go again. Although, I have to confess, I touch the mold to a wet rag for 1-2 seconds after I cut the sprue, but before drop the boolit. I play with the timing and I can keep it moving along pretty steady.

[stubshaft]

It's just a matter of learning what your mold likes. Like Hiram said too you may have a burr or had a burr that got removed while casting.

[letsmeltlead2693]

If they stick, why not soot the mold?

[462]

If they stick, why not soot the mold?

Determine what is causing the boolits to not drop freely and fix it, rather than mask the problem by smoking the mould or applying some sort of mould release agent.

Once a properly prepared mould reaches its optimum casting temperature, boolits almost always fall out without any outside force.

[lbaize3]

Using a Bic lighter to soot the Lee molds is a good idea. My Lee six bangers no longer need the Bic soot. The need seems to go away after the mold seasons. I also use a fan to cool the mold between casts. Just open the mold and let the fan blow on it for about five seconds and then cast again. Works well for me.

[mooman76]

I had problems with the exact same mould years ago and kind of took out my anger on the mould. It was the worse mouls I can remember I ever had. Keep in mind it was long ago before I knew about this site and the fixes for not so good moulds. I think it's is easier to have problems with light bullet mould as they don't have the weight to help them drop out.
Anyway I had a change of heart when I shot the boolits I had already made and fixed the mould to where it was usable again and eventually bought a replacement and it worked allot better. Do a little lementing and it should help allot.

[.5mv^2]

Thanks molders. I had previously taken a cast bullet and applied rouge to it. It helped some for a while. But things got sticky again. I keep reading that molds have trouble when cold so I worked on pre heating and dipping the mold in the pot.

It was only when thought that my mold may be getting too hot that I went the other way and worked on keeping it cooler.

I'm sure temperature control is the key. Perhaps the bottom pour pot just needs a bit of fine tuning. I tend to turn it full on to get it going and then tick it down. I think that I should just leave it at a steady temp.

I have read all your ideas and take them to heart.

[Bret4207]

Mould temp. Pot temp. Two entirely different things. A sticking hot mould is almost always related to a mechanical issue- a burr or a rough spot holding the boolit. Polishing is good for this. Quick fixes like smoking and mould release can help but bring in other problems.

Get a glass and look over the mould after reading the "Leementing" stickies.

[letsmeltlead2693]

A candle will work best to soot a mold and it is cheaper than a bic lighter and burns dirtier to make more soot.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

clean your mold and pre heat next time see if that helps ya out

[atr]

One thing for sure...molds all seem to have different behavior patterns. Some are a pain and some are a joy.....

[EDK]

You've probably seen a jillion discussions on LEE moulds here and on other forums. The six cavity moulds are considered to be better than the two cavity.

You CAN cast good boolits with LEE moulds. It is just some easier with an NOE or MIHEC product. Read the threads on LEEMENTING and LAPPING moulds and you will get your LEE behaving properly. By asking questions and applying yourself, you will solve your problems...and gain an education in the process.

IF you haven't yet, go to lasc.us and read Glenn Fryxell's articles AND his book. You will get the benefits of years of experimentation and experience of THE MAN on cast boolits. Even after 45 years of casting and reloading, I've learned a lot on the various sites and forums AND continue to do so.

:redneck::cbpour::2gunsfiring_v1:

[Bret4207]

Soot/smoke or mould release are just bandaids, and moulds don't heal by themselves. They all insulate the mould from needed heat, can reduce the diameter of the cast boolit and block venting. A clean mould is the answer.

[scarter]

i looked up this thread because i had a terrible time with my Lee 6 cav 45 200swc mold yesterday. it was interesting that each time my lead pot neared empty the bullets started dropping out easier. that has happened to me several times. is it because the lead temp is hotter when the pot is low? or cooler? or is the mold finally getting up to the right temp? Please comment. thanks.

[2muchstuf]

scarter,
Unless you're really slow or are casting in an artic breeze your mold should be up to temp many times over till your pot is getting empty.
Your fix could be as simple as slowing your rate of flow a bit.

When I get down to about half a potful , I must open mine up a bit.
So my fix is just keep it pretty full at all times.

Hope this helps you.

2

[scarter]

thanks 2much - very interesting. please tell me more about slowing down the flow. how does rate of flow affect the finished product?

[HpGuy420]

Temp of the mold will not affect bullet release, it will greatly affect bullet-weight consistency, much, much more than consistent melt temp, within reason. Quality molds like the Paul Jones Molds release bullets very well. But, you can get your bullets to release by following these simple procedures:

1. Wear leather gloves so you can do the following.

2. After pouring the alloy allow the sprue to harden.

3. Grip the bottom of the mold with your gloved index finger and thumb at the middle of the mold.

4. Pop open the mold handles with your right hand, the bullets should fall into your gloved left hand.

[John Boy]

2. After pouring the alloy allow the sprue to harden.
The mold and pot temperature are in agreement for unfrosted bullets that will drop out as Dan said under these rules of thumb:
300gr & below - the Sprue puddle frosts in 5 seconds
Larger bullets, as Paul Jones recommends, when the sprue puddle frosts in 8 - 10 seconds