CGT80
05-12-2013, 04:35 PM
I posted another thread last week regarding a PID and a bad TC. My lee dripomatic is now running pretty stable. I bypassed the original thermostat, but the pot still has to work to bring sprues and new ingots up to temp. The great part is that it doesn't usually go more than 1 degree over my set temp as I am casting. I wait until I have about a pound of sprues to throw them back in, and give it a minute to catch up.
I am using two molds-an MP 45 270 SAA brass 4 cavity mold with round pins and an RCBS 45 225 RN steel 2 banger. My alloy is unknown. Most of it should be WW and I also have some that is supposed to be linotype. The lino 1 pound bars ring a fair bit more than the WW when I drop them on concrete.
I use a hot plate to preheat the molds and a wet rag to cool.
I made some boolits the other night and they came out pretty frosty. This was ok in the past. This was with the WW material. I went to size them the next night and they hardly touched the sizing die in the RCBS LAM I with white label C red. Some of them (270 SAA) measured out at 0.450" with digital calipers. I need to get a micrometer. Are the harbor freight micrometers decent like the 6" calipers? The 4" calipers are junk, as I found out with a few minutes of playing with one in the store (it would easily loose it's reference on the scale).
In the past I saw marks on 90-95% of the diameter of the boolit, from the 0.452 sizer die. The gun I am using is a Smith 460 XVR 8 3/8" and I push the 270 boolit to 1000 fps with trail boss.
I was also having problems with getting sharp, filled out, edges on my boolits. I tried again last night, for better boolits. I ran the mold cooler and used lead temps from 600-700 degrees. I got boolits that were only slightly frosty with some that were shiny. Fillout was still a problem. I sized some after they air cooled, and the diameter was better. 80%+ of the boolit had marks from the sizing die. I measured and got 0.4515" where it was sized. Is it common for a die to be half a thousandth under size?
Next I added a pound of what I think is linotype to 3-4 pounds of WW. I didn't notice a big difference.
The RCBS 45 225 mold filled out better, but it is a very basic shape. It was easier to keep the mold at a temp to make mostly shiny boolits, regardless of pot temp. I had the same size issue with the very frosty boolits vs. slightly frosty. The slightly frosty and shiny boolits are marked on 90%+ of the bands, from the sizer.
I haven't had a problem with leading using these boolits in my 460, in the past. If I had any, it was just a tad in the corners of the rifling. The rifling never filled up, and I didn't get any strings of lead from the barrel-more like just bits of dust when running a bronze or brass brush.
I am wondering if I need to add some tin or antimony to the mix. Also, does more heat in the lead or mold usually make smaller boolits, or is it the other way around? I have a few hundred pounds or so of various lead. I looked at the tin wire and super hard from roto metals and wouldn't mind adding some of that if it will solve my issues. The problem is that I don't know what I have to start with. Can I assume I have soft lead and add enough sweetener to make a good alloy, or will too much of the good stuff cause more problems. I also thought about buying some know alloy to test, or at least something from one of our cast boolits sellers that is known to make good boolits.
Right now I load a 159 grain pb boolit for my 30-30 to be pushed at 1116 fps, the 45 270 at 1,000 fps, and the 45 225 at 700-800 fps.
I have read here for many hours, but I am still a bit lost, so please forgive any lame or redundant questions.
I also have some different pieces of metal that might be good stuff.
I think the small chunk in the corner may be antimony. It feels very hard and looks very crystalline. I will go out and try to break a chunk off to see if it is brittle.
The skinny pieces look like they may be solder, but I'm not sure. I also don't know about the big bar on the top.
Thanks for your help, in advance guys.
Happy Casting
70366
I am using two molds-an MP 45 270 SAA brass 4 cavity mold with round pins and an RCBS 45 225 RN steel 2 banger. My alloy is unknown. Most of it should be WW and I also have some that is supposed to be linotype. The lino 1 pound bars ring a fair bit more than the WW when I drop them on concrete.
I use a hot plate to preheat the molds and a wet rag to cool.
I made some boolits the other night and they came out pretty frosty. This was ok in the past. This was with the WW material. I went to size them the next night and they hardly touched the sizing die in the RCBS LAM I with white label C red. Some of them (270 SAA) measured out at 0.450" with digital calipers. I need to get a micrometer. Are the harbor freight micrometers decent like the 6" calipers? The 4" calipers are junk, as I found out with a few minutes of playing with one in the store (it would easily loose it's reference on the scale).
In the past I saw marks on 90-95% of the diameter of the boolit, from the 0.452 sizer die. The gun I am using is a Smith 460 XVR 8 3/8" and I push the 270 boolit to 1000 fps with trail boss.
I was also having problems with getting sharp, filled out, edges on my boolits. I tried again last night, for better boolits. I ran the mold cooler and used lead temps from 600-700 degrees. I got boolits that were only slightly frosty with some that were shiny. Fillout was still a problem. I sized some after they air cooled, and the diameter was better. 80%+ of the boolit had marks from the sizing die. I measured and got 0.4515" where it was sized. Is it common for a die to be half a thousandth under size?
Next I added a pound of what I think is linotype to 3-4 pounds of WW. I didn't notice a big difference.
The RCBS 45 225 mold filled out better, but it is a very basic shape. It was easier to keep the mold at a temp to make mostly shiny boolits, regardless of pot temp. I had the same size issue with the very frosty boolits vs. slightly frosty. The slightly frosty and shiny boolits are marked on 90%+ of the bands, from the sizer.
I haven't had a problem with leading using these boolits in my 460, in the past. If I had any, it was just a tad in the corners of the rifling. The rifling never filled up, and I didn't get any strings of lead from the barrel-more like just bits of dust when running a bronze or brass brush.
I am wondering if I need to add some tin or antimony to the mix. Also, does more heat in the lead or mold usually make smaller boolits, or is it the other way around? I have a few hundred pounds or so of various lead. I looked at the tin wire and super hard from roto metals and wouldn't mind adding some of that if it will solve my issues. The problem is that I don't know what I have to start with. Can I assume I have soft lead and add enough sweetener to make a good alloy, or will too much of the good stuff cause more problems. I also thought about buying some know alloy to test, or at least something from one of our cast boolits sellers that is known to make good boolits.
Right now I load a 159 grain pb boolit for my 30-30 to be pushed at 1116 fps, the 45 270 at 1,000 fps, and the 45 225 at 700-800 fps.
I have read here for many hours, but I am still a bit lost, so please forgive any lame or redundant questions.
I also have some different pieces of metal that might be good stuff.
I think the small chunk in the corner may be antimony. It feels very hard and looks very crystalline. I will go out and try to break a chunk off to see if it is brittle.
The skinny pieces look like they may be solder, but I'm not sure. I also don't know about the big bar on the top.
Thanks for your help, in advance guys.
Happy Casting
70366