Could use some advice

[Goatwhiskers]

I'm playing with a RD311165 mold set up 3x3. When I make some PB boolits, which happens to be the 3 closest to my hand, a little time with the mold sitting on the pot and pour a few then I'm making nice clean boolits. Been working with the GC part all day today and can't make a decent boolit to save my life. This a kinda long nosed design and they all come out wrinkled no matter how hot I set the pot or how much I try to preheat the mold. I know this a symptom of too cold a mold but I'm beginning to wonder how hot it needs to be. This is using straight WW by the way. I do occaisionally get a good one, but not often enough to catch on to what I need to be doing. Got any good advice? Goat

[wv109323]

i read a book by George Nonte. He said that the mold needs to be hot enough to fry water (or spit) when flipped on the mold.

[40Super]

Did you clean the mold out good with a brake cleaner or Dawn/hot water and scrubbing to make sure no oil of any kind is in the pockets? Otherwise if you have a hot plate, turn it up more, most of my aluminum molds like heat, to a point anyway. How long is the sprue taking to solidify?

[williamwaco]

When I have that problem, I cast faster and do not look at the bullets. Just keep dropping them as fast as safely possible until the mold is so hot it takes 5 seconds for the sprue to solidify. This means that 4 seconds after I cut off the pour, I can tilt the mold to the side and pour the sprue off like water.

At this point I will be getting severely frosted bullets. Now I start slowing down and checking the bullets carefully as they fall, slowing down will cause the mold to begin to cool and after a few fillings you should reach the optimal point where the bullets form nicely.

[trixter]

If you have a thermometer that will read up to at least 700deg, set it under your mold and turn your hot plate up till it gets to at least 500-550 deg. I find that if I put my mold onto the hot plate when my pot just liquifies that by the time it gets to 650 deg my mold is ready to go. I have been using this to produce good boolits very successfully and no 'waiting for the mold to come up to temp'. The sprues cut like butter and never smear. I usually use a 5 count, cut the sprue, then a 7 count and open the mold and they all drop out. This is such great fun. I also scrub my molds with Comet HOT water and a stiff brush after each use.

[45-70 Chevroner]

When I have that problem, I cast faster and do not look at the bullets. Just keep dropping them as fast as safely possible until the mold is so hot it takes 5 seconds for the sprue to solidify. This means that 4 seconds after I cut off the pour, I can tilt the mold to the side and pour the sprue off like water.

At this point I will be getting severely frosted bullets. Now I start slowing down and checking the bullets carefully as they fall, slowing down will cause the mold to begin to cool and after a few fillings you should reach the optimal point where the bullets form nicely.

Williamwaco has the right idea. If I am haveing problems with wrinkels even after cleaning the mold several times I heat the mold up to the point that the lead will stay liquid for a good amount of time. This will burn out any oil that is left in the mold. This has worked every time I have had problems with wrinkles.

[popper]

I have the same mould. Try preheating on a hot plate. The balance on the top of the pot doesn't heat the end hole enough. I pour 1 hole, big sprue, wait 10 sec to open the mould, until I get rid of wrinkles then 2 holes, etc.

[williamwaco]

I have the same mould. Try preheating on a hot plate. The balance on the top of the pot doesn't heat the end hole enough. I pour 1 hole, big sprue, wait 10 sec to open the mould, until I get rid of wrinkles then 2 holes, etc.

This is so automatic for me that i never remember to mention it.
It is very important.
When you are bring the mold up to temperature, you want to pile as much lead as you can on top.
More lead = more heat = hotter mold quicker.
I try for a sprue the size of a quarter and 1/8 inch thick.