controlling molds, annealing gas checks

[44man]

I normally cast with two molds at the same time. Sometimes I use a two cavity along with a single. The two cavity holds heat longer and will frost bullets and will not give me a clean cut on the sprue. I solved the problem today by casting two boolits from the single before cutting the sprue and refilling the double. It also helps to pour a larger puddle on top of the singe to help hold heat.
I get nice boolits from each mold now and even out the numbers of boolits.
I annealed some checks today also and the black ash formed again. I think this is an anti oxidant coating instead of an oil because it will not wash off. It is not a result of an oxide from heating the metal. I cleaned most of it off by rubbing them in a rag, then between my palms as I blew the dust off. I dumped them in my tumbler along with some dirty cases. I will see if they clean up.
I want to make a head to head comparison between my hard alloy, WW's, annealed and straight checks. I will post after shooting some groups.

[BruceB]

Sorry to keep referring folks to my speed-casting article (go to the red 'articles' line at the top of the page) but the some of the subjects covered in the article keep recurring about every week.

If you do as it suggests, you WILL get clean sprue cutting without smearing, and a lot more bullets in the same amount of time, and using only one mould at a time will hasten things more than you may think.

I have annealed gaschecks successfully with nothing more than a big spoon holding some checks on top of the melt in my furnace. Just hold the spoonful of gaschecks on top of the alloy and wait for them to turn blue. At that point, they are annealed and they do NOT have the black ash on them. Don't try to do too many at one time, to keep the temps evened out....one layer works great, and two is OK. Use a big steel salad spoon or something similar.

[Willbird]

I agree with Bruce, it works great, and can be done so many differant ways there is sure to be one that will suit you. We reloaders are all control freaks, Bruce's method adds another level of control to the process.

Bill

[Nrut]

This sounds like a dumb question ...but an honest one....Does the ash or whatever it is on the checks cause problems with using the checks???..... I need to anneal some of my .375 checks to see if they will stay on my Lee .381 bullets... they won't stay on now....I concur with what BruceB says about cooling your sprues...I tried it three castings sessions ago and it works great!!....read no smears at all if you leave the spure on the wet rag long enough (3-4 count works for me)....cheers mic

[David R]

Thanks To BruceB I will never cast with out a wet rag next to me again. I have gone back to using one mold too. Yesterday I got my new C30-150 2R 6 cylinder and poured a bunch. A whole bunch, like a coffee can full in 1/2 hour. This morning I was pouring some 255 45 cal in a double cavity lyman. Keeping the wet rag worked perfect. I set the bottom of the mold on the rag for the 2 seconds it took for the sprue to harden enough to turn the mold over, then put the sprue on it for another 2 or 3 seconds. Perfect boolits every time. If they start to frost, a little more time with the bottom of the mold on the wet rag. I have more control of mold temp than I ever did before. NO smeared sprue plate, perfectly even and flat boolit bases every time, never a hole in the base from cutting too soon. I'm a Believer!

Hmmm......More boolits per hour.........better quality boolits...........

[buck1]

I didnt try the wat rag, Instead ...I used a high speed fan to blow on the sprues. I can now cast as fast as i want. But I intend to try it when my 434250 gets here!....Buck

[44man]

Fellas, the reason I use two molds is that I make two different boolits of the same or different calibers for testing. When I find what I want, then I go to one mold. No sense cooling sprues when I have two molds going, sometimes three.
I found the ash comes right off the checks in the tumbler very fast, maybe 15 minutes.
I shot some loads at 50 yd's today with the .475 BFR. The first target on the left was with WW metal and annealed checks. The first high shot was from a clean gun using Ed's Red. I didn't have any fouling shots so I expected this. The next 4 went into 5/8".
The next 5 were hard alloy and annealed checks, didn't like them at all.
Then my standard hard alloy group with hard checks, right at 1".
The lower group was the WFN PB in 1-7/8" which is what the boolit always does with any load or alloy.
What I see is I have to anneal for WW and use them Hard for hard lead. More testing needed.

[Nrut]

I have a lot to learn...can't get that good of groups with my rifles shooting cast bullets...

[David R]

I have a lot to learn...can't get that good of groups with my rifles shooting cast bullets...


Hang around here and you will!

got 1" with my 22-250 using cast pure linotype boolits @ 100 yards. It takes time. 4" @ 100 with my 1917 Enfield. Still working on the 308.

[David R]

I just started with a Full bottom pour pot. I poured 311466 for exactly 1/2 hour. I did nothing else. Using BruceB's method, I poured 396 boolits in 30 minutes. This is double what I used to do using 2 or 3 molds. I didn't throw back the sprues, I did not sort or cull boolits, or anything else. all I did was occasionally tighten the screws in the mold. My sprue plate goes back by gravity, so a flick of my wrist and it is ready for the next filling. The bases of the boolits are perfectly flat. One second with the mold bottom on the wet towel and less than 2 seconds on the sprue. That = 13 boolits per minute. With a TWO cavity mold. I am not saying evrybody should use this method, only that it works for me. I have been doing this for 18 years and have never had such good quality boolits at such a rate. They never got frosted. I can tell by the sizzle on the wet towel how hot the mold is. I do suggest you try it.

David R AKA Speedcaster :razz:

[mroliver77]

To all of you. Do yourself a favor and read Bruce B s' article on speed castingand try to have an open mind. Set up as he suggests and give it a whirl. I have been doing the Bruce B. for a year or two and I am sold. It is so much faster than 2 or 3 molds. No retrieving and regripping a mold. I pour most of my boolits HOT and like them frosty and I can do this nicely with the rag in the pan. Another thing, as Bruce stated to put the rag in a shallow pan. This works way better than a wet rag only. Even with a 1 or 2 cavity I can make boocoo boolits! Jay

[44man]

I also use the towel when I need a lot of one boolit type. When I am trying alloys, checks, or a new mold, I just cast around 50 of each. Sometimes I only need 20 to try something. I will get 2 to 3 molds going and in a short time have much more then I need for the tests because if something isn't right, I don't have to re-melt a bunch. I preheat all the molds at once and have to dump only one or two of the first ones. Sometimes I get it right and even the first boolits are perfect. I spend more time playing with stuff then anything else. The only time I stock up on boolits is when hunting season gets close so I can sight in, check all distances for drop and have a few left for deer.
For BPCR where I need hundreds of boolits, I use one mold and the towel.
I have some molds that it just isn't worth casting hundreds because the accuracy is not there, like the WFN, but at close range it will be a deer killer.
I guess I have far different needs then most of you. Most of my shooting in the summer is comparing boolits trying to find the right ones. Then making another mold to try again. Sometimes I will go down in the woods and only shoot 20 or 30 a day, all week, to check some things. When it gets cool and I want to shoot 100 or more a day at long ranges is the time I make a bunch.
Darn .475 is going to give me carpel tunnel! 420 gr boolits close to 1400 fps.
But today was a good day comparing annealed checks versus hard ones with different alloys. Learned a lot and am glad I didn't make too many of one kind.