First try at casting - help.

[repawn]

Finally has all the little things together to attempt casting. I wish I could say everything went great but it didn't. I am using a 1100 watt hot plate and a cast iron pot for melting - I believe most of my issues stem from that setup. The boolits I made were for the most part very frosty / a sign of too much heat.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/05/ju4yragy.jpg
A few we're borderline ok.
My real issue was getting the lead melted and then keeping it melted. It took a very long time to melt 3 lyman ingots - maybe 4-5 lbs of lead. I ended up tenting the pot with aluminum foil. When it was melted and everything looked good for casting I began - after about 2 mold fills - the lead was already started to get very slag like in the pot. So I would tent it and wait 5 minutes. I assume I e issue is the the hot plate was cycling on and off - I plan on "fixing" that.
Would having more melted lead in the pot have helped maintain the heat? - the pot is cast iron and it was hot - the handle was uncomfortable to touch with welding gloves on.
Did I overheat my mold - I bad
Socially tossed it on the hot plate.
It is a lee tl-358-158 swc.

Any thoughts - I am saving my pennies for an actual melter. I did enjoy myself - but it took far to long to make a handful of subpar boolits.
Thanks.

[9w1911]

look good to go from my perspective but I am new to casting too, I think if they weigh correct and the diameter is not way off they are good

[detox]

TOO HOT! You need a casting thermometer. Keep melt temp below 700 degrees...no higher. When using ladle I usually have to flux melt about every 30 boollits to put slag/dross back into melt.

[ku4hx]

As Troy Landry says, "Choot 'em!". You may find they shoot just fine. I've always wanted to make "purrty" boolits, but the fact is they don't have to look good or be perfect to do what you want. For a long range rifle boolit, the closer to perfection the better. But at pistol ranges you may be pleasantly surprised.

[detox]

Purchase a 20 lb pot. Anything smaller is too small IMO.

[repawn]

Thanks guys - I fluxed with some sawdust once - should I have used a bit more? Should I have maybe used wax as well? I plan on getting the lee 4-20 - not in stock now but I imagine I will be able to get it in a month or so.
I know I need a thermometer - have one in order from Amazon. Just not sure why the lead just got so slag like so quickly.

[Rooster931]

They look shootable to me I think the key is the temp. If you are using a single/double cavity it is in my opinion easy to get the mold too hot as well.

[Marlin Junky]

That boolit near the center of the photo and to the right somewhat (the one directly in the focal plane) looks like it would shatter if struck by a hammer. The two behind it look OK but you've got a base fill-out issue that probably can be rectified by pouring a taller column of alloy or filling the sprue plate longer until it overflows back into the furnace (or into a drip pan if you're using a bottom pour furnace).

The alloy for a typical .35 caliber pistol boolit should be around 650-700F and the mold temp about 150-200F less.

MJ

P.S. Be careful with that 1100W hot plate... you could easily ruin a Lee mold with that thing on its highest temperature setting. I usually pre-heat RCBS and SAECO molds on a 750-800W hot plate somewhere between its medium and high setting.

[repawn]

Thanks for the advice - pretty sure I overheat the mold. I usually read about molds being too cold - I will warm it differently next time. I did a few test RBs just because I had the mold - didn't really pre-heat and had the signs of a cold mold. I suppose the combo if hot lead and hot mold would cause frosting.

I am happy to have had the practice - now need to work on the fundamentals.
It is pretty magical when you open the mold and boolits pop out.
Thanks for the advice all!

[Cane_man]

Thanks guys - I fluxed with some sawdust once - should I have used a bit more? Should I have maybe used wax as well? I plan on getting the lee 4-20 - not in stock now but I imagine I will be able to get it in a month or so.
I know I need a thermometer - have one in order from Amazon. Just not sure why the lead just got so slag like so quickly.

if you can do it either buy ($150) or make your own ($80) PID temp controller to go with your Lee Drop-O-Matic... the PID is a great investment as you can do several other casting related processes with it, and it will make your casting sessions hassle free...

[Marlin Junky]

I suppose the combo if hot lead and hot mold would cause frosting.

There's light surface frosting which can be wiped off with a rag, finger or a sizing die and then there's extreme examples of "frosting" as in your photo where the alloy's structure is well, ruined.

MJ

[TES]

TEMP TEMP TEMP...If you want smooth shiny boolits then you have to do better than aluminum tents and a cast iron pot.

[repawn]

There's light surface frosting which can be wiped off with a rag, finger or a sizing die and then there's extreme examples of "frosting" as in your photo where the alloy's structure is well, ruined.

MJ

Thanks - I don't plan on shooting any of them - just needed them for evaluation.
I figure 1 or 2 are alright and they are the ones that were cast after the mold had been of the heat for a bit. Needless to say - they will all go back into the pot and I will try again.

[454PB]

I'm in agreement with the others......mould and melt are too hot, but when something like that happens, you can use a wet cloth or sponge to quickly lower the mould temperature. Reduce the heat on the melting pot, and while it is cooling you can continue casting and touching the filled mould to a wet cloth for 2 to 4 seconds, then empty the mould. It will sizzle a little when you do this, but it hurts nothing and saves you the extra work/time to remelt and recast.

[repawn]

An update:

So, made some changes - primarily I rewired my hot plate to bypass the thermostat. I fluxed more and pre-heat my mold less. I think those changes worked - first off I was able to have my lead melt in about 20 minutes which is a full hour less than my first attempt.
I did not tent my pot with aluminum foil - but since I had it I wrapped it around half the burner and pot.
My setup:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/06/u3ehynyg.jpg

I took awhile but I feel I made acceptable boolits - roughly 125 in a bit more than 1.5 hours - not too bad for me as I am still getting used to it. My lee ladle is really not much better than a soup spoon for pouring lead - but it does work.
Boolits:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/06/a7yse3u6.jpg
Some light frosting - but not like yesterday.
When I get him home I will mic these and tumble lube, size to .358 and tumble lube again. Then load and shoot.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

[DLCTEX]

Those boolits look much better, but most of the bases are rounded. I see a few that are filled out on the base and one that finned a little. Maybe try to leave a bigger sprue puddle to give pressure to fill the base. If that doesn't work you may have to vent the mould a little at the top. You are very close though.

[repawn]

Thanks for the feedback - a few have decent bases - but yeah - they need work. Acceptable - I hope to get better - as I keep on doing this and after I get some new equipment - maybe just a different ladle would help fill the mold.

[338RemUltraMag]

You didnt say what alloy you were using, but if you need some tin I could send you some to "test" if you cover shipping. It would help your fill out issues and you only need a little bit (2% for all your alloy)

[MT Chambers]

Small alum. molds like that heat and then cool quickly, and it may be diff. to keep the heat and cadence right to make nice shiny bullets with the edges filled out square.

[repawn]

You didnt say what alloy you were using, but if you need some tin I could send you some to "test" if you cover shipping. It would help your fill out issues and you only need a little bit (2% for all your alloy)

Thanks for the offer - I think my lead should be ok - it is half ww and half range scrap - I have pieces of Linotype I add to the mix as well. I hadn't thought about the composition if the alloy much - it is funny how many little things there are that are necessary to get right in order to make great billets.

[338RemUltraMag]

Thanks for the offer - I think my lead should be ok - it is half ww and half range scrap - I have pieces of Linotype I add to the mix as well. I hadn't thought about the composition if the alloy much - it is funny how many little things there are that are necessary to get right in order to make great billets.

Check around at your goodwill stores, that is where I find my Tin in the form of pewter, from candle sticks to mugs to serving trays it is the cheapest way to find tin.

[Love Life]

Heck I would have loaded and shot all of them.

[Tar Heel]

I noticed 338Rem....got around to the question of alloy. When I scrolled through the post I was wondering if you used WW alloy which has ZINC in it. That may explain why the casting temp was so high causing frosting. WW's now are made of ZINC. WW used to be lead alloy but now it's Zinc.

[repawn]

Heck I would have loaded and shot all of them.

Ha - that first batch was really frosty - I will shoot the ones I kept for the second batch - I can work on sizing and lubing - 2 other things I have never done.

[Love Life]

If they are already .358 then just tumble lube and shoot.

I shoot nice boolits, frosty boolits, poorly filled out boolits, heck if it looks close to what the mould is cut for then I'll usually shoot it. I'm not setting any world records here, and none of the jack rabbits ever complained that a driving band was rounded...just saying.

Once you get the groove of it you'll be casting a 90% or greater keeper rate without much effort at all. Your second batch came out looking nice and it will only get better from here. You have to be careful with the Lee moulds. They get super hot way to fast.

[runfiverun]

your second batch is much better.
just keep on doing what you are doing [i'd get a different ladle]
pour a little bigger sprue.
and work on your cadence.
things will continue to improve.

[mikeym1a]

My lee ladle is really not much better than a soup spoon for pouring lead - but it does work.

I found the same thing. I have been using a stainless steel coffee measure spoon from the local grocery, and had bent a pour lip into it. When I saw lees ladle, I decided I needed a 'real' lead ladle. It might pour a tiny bit better than my homemade one, but it doesn't hold as much. Much better looking boolits on second try.

[OnHoPr]

Those will shoot. But as runfiverun said get a bigger ladle. The Lee ladle is really only good for stirring the pot and possibly small boolit single cavity molds in a pinch. The larger ladle will give more weight to the stream while pouring to fill the mold and both cavities. It will also cut down on time and irregular mold temps producing better boolits.

[repawn]

Thanks for the feedback - going to either get a new ladle or the lee 4-20 bottom pour pot. May get both :)

I measured the boolits - a small amount of variance with some coming in at .358 and other around that - none smaller while the largest is .360.
I just received the lee sizer in the mail today - going to whip up some recluse lube tonight.

[repawn]

Well - I mixed up a batch of Recluse lube last night. Word of advice - your wife will not be pleased with the smell - make it outside next time.
Did a tumble-lube last night - they dried nicely - not sticky - they feel like they are waxed. Ran them through my new .358 sizer before work this morning - most just touched the sides while a few we're a little larger Plan is to do the second tumble lube tonight - then load them up this week. Hope to test them out this weekend.
This whole process has been very fun - now need to think about other molds. :)

[repawn]

Final update on this thread:
Did the second tumble lube - let that dry - then loaded 50 of them over 4.4gr Universal - had the opportunity to shoot them today. First off - no leading - or none worth mentioning - secondly, pretty accurate little bullet - I shot them through my S&W model 10 - da only and they seemed to be dead on at 15 yards - I am by no means a good shooter (getting better) but I was able to keep a few 6 shot strings within 1 1/4 inch.
Thanks all here for all the info - it really made casting pretty easy.