Need some advice guys!

[dmclark523]

So here is where I am at: Lee 2-Cavity Mold (451 diameter) for my 1911. 230gn Round Nose.

The thing sucks. I've cleaned it out, warmed it up, lubed it up, even smoked it pretty well, and have cast maybe 5-6 dozen rounds at all different temps ranging from 600-900 and it simply WILL NOT fill out. I've tried everything I can think of. I get a beautiful base on most occasions, but the top part of the boolit is all wavy and curvy every time and at all temps.

So what should I do? Send it back to Midway, get my money back, and try something else? Or should I try something with my lead? I've smelted wheel weights, which I painstakingly hand-sorted, so everything is lead, NO zinc.

I know Lee molds have a reputation for being junky on occasion, but I thought I'd stop here before I ship this thing back.

[largom]

Hold a corner of the mold in the melt until alloy will not stick to it when it's removed. See if that helps. Sounds like a too cold mold to me.

Larry

[David2011]

This doesn't sound like a mold quality issue to me. My first guess would be that the mold isn't hot enough. Aluminum molds are hard to get hot enough. If you've cast maybe 72 pieces at several different temperatures it sounds like there might not have been many attempts at any one temp. That's only a max of 3 dozen cycles total if the numbers are accurate.

Second guess is that it's contaminated with manufacturing oils. Be sure it's as clean as you think it is. Scrub it with both hot soapy water and a solvent like charcoal lighter fluid and a soft toothbrush. Be sure it's dry before using it.

Suggestion: Try getting the melt to a steady 750 degrees before you cast the first boolit. 900 degrees is too hot IMO. Get the mold hot on a hot plate if you have one. If not, you can immerse one corner in the melt but that will draw heat from the melt. Then try casting several dozen rounds at a steady, fairly quick pace. Quick would mean as soon as the sprue freezes, cut it and dump the boolits. Refill as quickly as you can and continue to repeat at the same quick pace so the mold gets good and hot. If you get to the point that the boolits are frosty and still not filling out completely there's something else wrong.

I have a few aluminum molds including some Lees so I understand the aggravation. Give it a try and let us know what happens.

David

[Boyscout]

I get wrinkled noses when I allow some overflow to start into the next cavity before actually begining to fill it. I do best on my Lee molds when I fill them fairly quickly. It normally takes me about 10 pours to start getting good bullets. Since I test my smelted wheel weights by casting a few bullits to check for hardness later, I noticed that it is hard to get a clean bullet without some tin.

Start by eliminating one variable and clean your molds again and re-smoke them. Do not use a candle as it leaves oils which will gas off. I do well with a butane lighter or Franklin Arms mold release.

[500MAG]

Most of my molds are Lee molds and like the other guys have said, mold temp can be an issue. I use to dip the edge in the alloy to heat it up but have switched to a hot plate, even then it can take 10 to 12 casts before the mold is heated to the ideal temp. Another issue I had that caused the same problems is not holding the mold close enough to the spout during pouring. You would be amazed at how quickly the lead will cool with too much distance.

[MtGun44]

Std answer #1: The mold is dirty and/or too cold.

Also possible that you need a bit of tin, but this is less likely.

Clean by scrubbing the cavity with comet and a toothbrush.

Heat up your metal, add about 2% tin in the form of solder. Estimate
wt in pot, work out how many ounces and divide by 50. For every
50 ounces add an ounce of modern solder for pipes which is nearly pure
tin, for practical purposes. 3 lbs = 48 oz, add ~ one ounce. 6 lbs = ~ 2 ounces,
etc. This will guarentee that you have enough tin in the alloy, probably more
than is really needed.

Cast as fast as you can pour, sprue solidify, cut and dump. DO NOT examine them,
just fill and dump as fast as possible. Faster, faster, faster. After about 15-30 fills,
they will start to fill out properly.

[1Shirt]

Mold is probably not hot enough. Advice given is good. You need to practice until you get what you want and then stay with what you have learned.
1Shirt!

[462]

Yep, the mould never reached its optimum casting temperature, and needs to be pre-heated.

I've experienced some manufacturing defects with Lee moulds, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them junk. Most of the time, what seems to be a mould problem is not a mould problem, rather it's a matter of the caster not understanding the mould's nuances and foibles -- each one is different.

[375RUGER]

try pressure pouring. I have a lee 6 banger .434, the end cavities will pour fine but the inside cavities won't fill out unless I pressure pour. This even after leementing. opening the vent lines helped the most, but for the inside cavities it just wasn't quite enough.
Get the mould good and hot, mine pours best when it takes a 5 or 6 count for the sprue to solidify.

[runfiverun]

stop putting oily smoke in there.

before i even use an aluminum mold after cleaning i like to get it good and hot.
hot enough that i have to wait a bit [30 seconds] before the lead will solidify,i then dump those boolits right back into the pot and look the mold over for a few seconds wiping it down with a dry rag and then go to casting with it.
i will do a short run of about 30-40 pours and set the mold off to the side to cool.
i'll do 3-4 cycles like this and then do a big run of boolits with it.
the short cycles will oxidize the surface and give me some boolits to look at so i can see if there are any problem spots or cavitys that need attention.

quite often on new ones you will see a thin wisp of smoke come from a hot aluminum mold,that is more oil leaching out and burning off.

[dmclark523]

Thanks for a the advice! I got the mold working perfectly and cast a couple hundred last night with no problems!

[Taylor]

I have discovered that I do not need a mold release spray.I smoke it with wooden matches,and then scrub it with a soft worn out tooth brush.Now for your actual question,all my Lee molds like to be hot.Hottter than I think they should be.But if not,they won't cast.I try and keep they alloy temp between 700 and 750. 800 until the mold gets were it wants to be and then drop the temp.When they start to frost,I let the mold cool a minute or two.This works for me,results may vary.

[DrCaveman]

dmclark523

help us out by identifying which advice was particularly helpful...if you can tell which factors were most effective

I am in the camp of thinking the mould was too cold and faster pours were needed, but can you tell us when the mould started pouring well? The full-circle feedback loop is beneficial even to those who have cast for years and years (though I am not one of them!).

Always good to hear of a success story from new users of this forum! it has helped me tremendously and I still read it every day.