New Mould

[wild thing]

Just got my new mould to day. Hoch 459-510. I cleaned it up then went out to cast. I heated the pot to about 700 degrees and started casting. I threw bullets and sprues back in to the pot till the lead hit about 750,then started to keep the bullets. Well I did something wrong cause bullet weight is all over and not all bases are square. Back to the pot with the bullets and try again. john

[captaint]

Sounds like your sprue plate is not venting enough - or - it is not hot enough. I like my sprue plates a little on the loose side. Loose enough to swing on their own when the mold is empty. The most important thing is to get the mold up to temp. That's probably when you started to see better boolits. Next time, just keep pouring them up till the mold gets hot. All else being OK, then you'll see good boolits. keep em in the black. Mike

[wild thing]

I found that the longer I held the dipper on the mould the better they filled out. Up to a slow 5 count. john

[John Boy]

John, for a 510gr bullet, heat the mold up so the sprue puddle frosts in 8 - 10 seconds with a 5 second pour. Your melt is not hot enough to allow the liquified lead to reach the bullet nose because the melt near the base is solidifying faster. Once you reach the 8-10 second frost - keep your rhythm constant and the weight variances will be small

Paul Jones recommends a 800 degree pot temperature and 10 seconds for the puddle to frost for his molds

[wild thing]

Thanks John. I figured that I must have to wait a little longer. Maybe it just needs a little more breakin. john

[Ben]

How did you clean the mold prior to any casting ?

[wild thing]

Cleaned with break cleaner and tooth brush. I heated the lead to almost 800 degrees and added a littlle more tin. The bases are filling out now but I'm getting a little finning. May be back off on the heat just a little. Weights are ranging from 514 to about 517. Will try again tomorrow. john