3rd Casting Session

[novalty]

Well another learning experience last night. Learned I really have to stick with either 1 or 2 molds. Tried water dropping for the first and probably the last time (at least until I get better at casting.) Seemed like my water dropped bullets frosted more than my air cooled. Casting temp setting on my my RCBS Pro-melt was around 700, but didn't put a thermometer in the melt.

My steel molds (Lyman 452374 & Lachmiller 38-162WC) dropped shiney boolits--however they weren't really heated up the best. Just tried them for S&G's as I noticed the frosting from my Mihec molds. I could tell my Lachmiller mold was too cold, as the sprue frosted over really quickly, and I had to use a rubber mallet to cut the sprue, however this mold just seems intent on dropping shiney boolits only real issue was some rounding on the driving bands. Not sure if the rounding on the driving bands will be corrected when I put them through my LAM II.

Before this session I had read that I needed to try heating my brass Mihec molds to a hotter temp. So I bumped them up high on the hot-plate from medium. It took a long time for the lead to harden when initially taken off the hot plate, and I am thinking this is why I ended up with so many more frosted bullets. This was the first session with the Mihec HG#68 clone mold, and it drops some very nice looking boolits. Also the first session with the penta pins in my 359-125 mold. Did notice some initial sticking on these pins versus the round hp pins.

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[gmsharps]

In my opionion frosting is not bad. I notice though that when I get frosting it is not to long that I need to let the mold cool a bit or I can get some smearing on top of the mold. I assume you are tying a piece of cloth over your water bucket with a slit cut in it to prevent the water from splashing on your mold when water quenching. Looks like you are on your way.

gmsharps

[novalty]

Yes, I took the cloth and covered most of a folgers coffee can and held it on with clothes pins, the cloth was drapped down so the bullets could land on the cloth and roll down unto the water. Didn't see any splashes, but boy do they sizzle when they land and stay on the damp cloth. Really going to hold off on the water dropping until I get a better handle on the casting, will try to devise a better bed to drop them into so they can air cool.

Will have to clean up both my Mihec mold though, as I managed to get some lead in between the molds towards the end and they weren't closing all the way--which resulted in a bunch of "finning."

[nhrifle]

Those don't look bad at all. I'd shoot em! Doesn't really matter how they look as long as they shoot where you point.

When I water drop, I use a plastic coffee can filled almost to the top with water, figuring the plastic has enough give to allow some cushion when they hit bottom. So far have not noticed any deformations. When I air cool I have a box that I line with several layers of an old cotton bath towel. As the box fills up and I run out of room I just dump them into another box and keep going.

[runfiverun]

sounds like you are learning that controlling mold temperature is the most important part to making consistently good boolits.

[novalty]

sounds like you are learning that controlling mold temperature is the most important part to making consistently good boolits.

Yeah, plus I think I have to get past my initial impatience with bringing the pot up to temp. Set it to 750 on the dial, once melted I dropped it back to around 700 on the dial, but I didn't give the pot a lot of time to drop in temp. Think I will stick with having the Mihec molds preheating on the hot plate at a medium setting. Next week I will get back my smelting equipment from my brother-in-law, and will have my Lyman Thermometer back so I can get a more accurate idea of what temp my Pro-Melt is heating the lead to.

Fortunately, I have a bunch of bullets before I started casting. So I don't really need to cast much. So can focus on getting my Mihec 359-125 mold figured out, and making some more 38-162SWC's--as that is the only caliber I am low on for bullets.

This year I have taken on a lot more for this hobby, and getting a little overwhelmed. Right now I have test batches that I need to get out and fire; which include 38 Special loaded with the 162 SWC's (sized at .358), 9mm solid & HP's that I (sized to .358 as well) which need to be loaded, and
some commercially cast 200gr. SWC's to load for my S&W 1911. None of these rounds I have loaded before so I hope everything goes well.

Couple of issues that I have run into with loading these new bullets are:

1. Getting used to the roll crimping on the 38 special lead rounds. Have only loaded Hornady 158gr. JSP's in the past. (Have mainly done taper crimped rounds for 9mm and 45acp)

2. Loading up the dummy rounds for the 9mm, I found an overall length of 1.10 seemed to pass the plunk test in my S&W 5906, but both the seater plugs in my RCBS set seem to be leaving a ring around the boolit. Thinking of trying one of the swc seater plugs from my 38/357 dies to see if it will eliminate the issue.

[454PB]

I don't know why everyone is worried about splashing, as long as the water is far enough away from the lead pot, it does no harm. A mould that is up to casting temperature will steam off a drop of water in about 1 second.

I place a towel under the water container to keep the bench dry, and it is barely damp after a casting session.

[MtGun44]

Never found any advantage to WD, the water mess and wet boolits makes
me wonder why anyone does it, but to each his own. I regularly hear it is "easier" :bigsmyl2:
Sure, whatever you say. I hardly ever spill any of the air on my bench, and it never
seems to splash on anything much. Frosty is not a problem.

The H&G 68 clone will be superb, size .452, seat to .1250 - 1.260 LOA and TC as a separate
operation to .470 or less case diam at the front extreme edge.

Bill

[popper]

Quit WD and just HT now. Drop on a damp cotton towel. Concentrate on pace and quality. I can HT 20# in the oven at a time.

[novalty]

Well after last night I am not convinced with water dropping. So will stick with air cooling until I get a little more proficient with casting, then maybe I'll come back to it again to see if I notice a hardness advantage.

[Walstr]

Greetings;
I had hot water quenched my first batch of 45-70-405's with about 5% Tin. Now I read that water quenching actually hastens the age softening process? I read this on LASC's forum. Any comments or experience pro or con? I prepping for another batch, but awaiting more input from y'all seasoned vets. Thanks.

Pls. PM me so I can see any responses in time.

[Newtire]

Boy! I hear now that you can't do water dropped without making a big mess. I cast in my garage and I have no trouble dropping them into a 5 gallon bucket. As far as them losing surface hardness over a length of time, I'm not sure. That's somethi9ng I'll have to do an experiment on. I had some .357 180 grain from a group buy mould and they were at least a year old and so hard a cat couldn't scratch them. Water-dropped wheelweights-worth the effort.

[454PB]

You won't see any hardening from water dropping for at least a few days, and total hardness comes weeks or months later.

As to age re-softening, yes it happens, but it takes a long time......and if the water dropped boolits are used within 5 years or so, forgetaboutit.

[trixter]

Will have to clean up both my Mihec mold though, as I managed to get some lead in between the molds towards the end and they weren't closing all the way--which resulted in a bunch of "finning."

I found an easy way to get the lead off the mold face. Heat the mold as you were going to use it. Then with a Popsicle stick or some other small soft piece of wood just scrape the lead off. It came off my M-P molds real easy and with the stick there is no damage.

[novalty]

I found an easy way to get the lead off the mold face. Heat the mold as you were going to use it. Then with a Popsicle stick or some other small soft piece of wood just scrape the lead off. It came off my M-P molds real easy and with the stick there is no damage.

Thanks for the tip! I was planning on pre-heating it on the hotplate as normal, but wasn't sure what to use to actually remove the lead deposits.

[trixter]

Will have to clean up both my Mihec mold though, as I managed to get some lead in between the molds towards the end and they weren't closing all the way--which resulted in a bunch of "finning."

I found an easy way to get the lead off the mold face. Heat the mold as you were going to use it. Then with a Popsicle stick or some other small soft piece of wood just scrape the lead off. It came off my M-P molds real easy and with the stick there is no damage.

[rsrocket1]

I water drop more out of convenience than for hardness. I've found that with my 6 cavity molds, I start piling up the bullets so fast, there is not enough room to drop them onto a towel without dropping them onto the previous batch. If I simply open the mold above a 5 gallon bucket of water with a towel draped to catch the bullets on the bottom, I can fill up the mold with the next pour without breaking my rhythm to scoot piles of bullets around.

True statement about not worrying about splashes. The mold is so hot that any water is gone in a fraction of a second.