Is my mould ruint?

[Barnacle Brad]

If I can see light thru my closed mould does that mean it is ruined? I hate myself right now.....[smilie=b:

[462]

To answer your question: Not necessarily.

If we knew the brand, and how it came about to be "ruint", we could offer some how-to-fix-it advise.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Welcome to the forum Brad.
we need more details because there is lots of things can cause your problem... BUT if you over-heated a Lee 6 cavity mold, sometimes that can cause them to become warped and if that's the case, it's probably ruint.
Jon

[Barnacle Brad]

It's a Lee AL block 459-500-3r.

I had some lead leak onto the mating surfaces - don't know if I didn't have proper alignment or just not held tight enuf. But I tried to get the lead off those surfaces using a plastic pick - the kind used for gun cleaning and such. I also had some bullets sticking in the mold and it seems that the edges around the base area on the part line have a burr on there.

Some of the lead had filled a void at the end of the alignment pin on one of the halves. Had to get kind of aggressive with that (razor blade) but was careful not to mess up the mating surfaces.

I made some rookie mistakes I know... (I have to make them now so I will know better when I buy some high end molds)

Thanks for your replies,

Brad

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's a Lee AL block 459-500-3r.

I had some lead leak onto the mating surfaces - don't know if I didn't have proper alignment or just not held tight enuf. But I tried to get the lead off those surfaces using a plastic pick - the kind used for gun cleaning and such.

The best way to get solidified Lead smears/spills off the top of the mold blocks or off the mold faces is using an ingot of lead alloy and use it like an eraser.

NOW, regarding the sticking boolits in the cavities, read the sticky on Leementing a mold.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?654-Sure-Fire-Lee-Menting-Technique-(Aimoo-Post-Revisited).

Lastly, seeing light between the mold halves, check to see if a allignment pin needs to be reset...or better clean out the allignment hole. butane pencil torch ?
Good Luck,
Jon

[badge176]

I have had some of the LEE molds (1 and 2 cav with old style (vast majority of LEE molds in circulation!) lateral alignment pins) be touchy about coming together correctly even with light pressure. If you try to cast with them agap, you may then get lead on faces that were supossed to be touching. Then the misalignment will persist until remedied (by means you have already discovered).

I've learned to be observant of the mold block tops being flush with each other before rotating the sprue plate over the top (then You can't see it!). My Lee molds that wobble on their handles are the ones I struggle with...

[stubshaft]

YUP, you better send it to me for disposal...;)

[brotherdarrell]

I have a Lee 452-200-rnfp of the new design and it too shows a gap when closed and at room temp. I did get it a little warm during a casting session and I may have warped it a little. I can say that when it is at casting temp that the gap goes away and casts good boolits of the appropriate diameter.

Another thing I have noticed is that it seems to have a tendency to flash easier when the mold gets a little warm, but when at the proper temp I have few problems. I have cast close to 4k boolits with it in the last couple months.

Over all I would say that there are pluses and minuses to the new design but also they are no better or worse than the old.

Darrell

[44man]

It is very hard to warp a mold, usually it is alignment parts or pins. Lead where it does not belong too.
I bought an iron mold once that was warped bad, Expensive one at that but it was missing the sprue plate so I got it for $8.
I found someone had tightened the handle screws very tight and when hot it bent the blocks. I made up a tool to reverse the warp and fixed the blocks. It makes a perfect boolit now. I made a sprue plate.
Lee has floating pins so they are not a problem. I had some fall out and dump a mold half in my water bucket without harm.
Easiest way to remove lead spatter is to evenly heat the mold until it melts off. Use a cotton cloth to wipe if you need to. I play a propane torch all over the mold, don't hold it in one spot. The heat will not hurt the mold.

[Barnacle Brad]

I also had some bullets sticking in the mold and it seems that the edges around the base area on the part line have a burr on there.


Thanks for your replies. I cast some bullets yesterday with it. They weren't terrible - a little flash along the part line in the nose area and the base.

That burr or wire edge along the grease groove and lowest driving band seem to be the hang up. I will just live with it until I spring for the Saeco M1881 mold.

[Bad Water Bill]

Go back and start reading the STICKIES and you will find the answers to your problem there.