H&G mold

[mark h]

I got a 4 cavity H&G mold, and it's a beauty. The bullets practically jump out. My question is how should I be cutting the sprues? On most of my other molds, I tap the sprue plate with a hammer handle, but this mold seems to need more authority, and I don't want to beat on the sprue plate.

Thanks,

Mark

[RogerWatsonfromIdaho]

I have been using a lead hammer. Actually I cast it from wheelweights. It weighs about 2 pounds. I want the lead hammer to suffer damage rather than the sprue plate. See attached image. I quit using a hammer with a plastic striking surface because it caused damage to the sprue plate.

[georgewxxx]

I've used the same plastic mallet for 35 years all my casting jobs. H&G multi cavity included...Geo

[garandsrus]

Mark,

My guess is that the mold isn't up to the proper temp yet and that you need to pre-heat it longer/hotter. I cast with a H&G 10 cavity mold and it HAS to be preheated. When it's up to temp, I open the sprue plate with just my gloved hand. It doesn't feel any different than a two cavity mold.

Someone before me whacked the crap out of the sprue plate and actually broke the tang off it, which was welded back on. I had to flatten the sprue plate when I got it!

John

[mark h]

Thanks guys. I'll try heating it more, and using a mallet, rather than the hammer handle.

[Ken O]

I don't like using anything to bang the sprue plate. I wear welding gloves and cut the sprue by hand. Untill the mold is up to temp good, I dont even close the plate. I just pour and hold for a little, then open and dump. When it starts taking a couple seconds to freeze, then I will start pouring though the sprue plate. The first couple after that might need a bang with an ingot, but then its all by hand. Each mold is different so this is kind of general.

[mark h]

Thanks, Ken, I'll try not closing the sprue plate till I heat it up. That's a great idea.

Mark

[Texasflyboy]

I don't like using anything to bang the sprue plate. I wear welding gloves and cut the sprue by hand.

Ken,

I have to ask, my experience tells me that if you can bang open a 10 cavity H&G mould with hand pressure only, your bullets must be frosted completely. In other words, your working temp is 100 to 200 (maybe even 300) degrees higher than I've ever worked with in casting good bullets.

In my shop, I pre heat the 10 cavity moulds on a hot plate until I am sure I will get frosted bullets. This burns out any residual oil or other contaminants and seems to "condition" certain moulds for better casting. Once they are hot, I do a test cast to see if the bullets are frosted. If they are, I let the mould cool until I get nice shiny bullets as opposed to frosted bullets. I have never used my hand to open a sprue plate, I think I would need a new hand after 5 or 6 tries if I did that. When I am at what I consider my operating temp to get nice shiny bullets, I most definitely need a wood mallet to whack the sprue plate to get it to cleanly cut the bases of the bullets. This conincides with every piece of advice I've seen in print from Hensley & Gibbs on how to properly operate their moulds.

I am not saying that you have to use a mallet, or that you can't use your hand, I am saying that your experience is the first I've ever heard of someone being able to whack that plate open time after time and not break their hand.

Also, if you're cutting the bases with hand pressure, how are you not getting lead smears all under the sprue plate?

Tom in Texas

[Dale53]

Texasflyboy;
I am a fat old man who has been opening his sprue plates by hand for years. I wear leather welders gloves and just "twist" the sprue plates open. I have no problem with four cavity moulds this way. You WILL have to have a little help with the whacker on the first couple of melts until the mould comes up to heat if you don't pre-heat the mould. However, I pre-heat the mould on a hot plate and start running good bullets right from the start. When the mould is properly hot, it is relatively easy to twist the sprue plate to open. The bases are much nicer when the sprue plate is twisted open as opposed to whacking them open.

If I can do it, you can! I cringe when I hear of people whacking their moulds with a hammer...

Dale53

[Lloyd Smale]

Im with you. I dont cast alot of frosted bullets. About the only exception is when casting lee or lbt molds. When using steel molds and an alloy that has tin in it I have poor luck with fillout with frosted bullets. If you look closely at them either the driving band will not be filled out right or the side of the bullet between the two cavitys where the mold has the least ammount of metal and gets the hottest will not fill out properly. Seems to react just the opposite to nomal bullet casting and the more tin in the alloy the worse the problem. The bigger the bullet the more the problem as theres less metal left in the block to draw the heat away. Aluminum molds dont seem to have as much as a problem as steel but even the aluminum molds can show this problem. I like to run my molds right on the jagged edge of frosting. Just cool enough to keep the bullets semi shinny. thats where i get the best fillout and the best weight variations and the fewest rejects. Id rather tap my spruce plate with a piece of wood then deal with bad bullets from running a mold to hot. If you can run a big ballistic cast mold casting 475s or bigger and run both cavitys and keep it hot enough to open a spruce plate with your hand and make good bullets i wish youd come give me a lesson.
Ken,

I have to ask, my experience tells me that if you can bang open a 10 cavity H&G mould with hand pressure only, your bullets must be frosted completely. In other words, your working temp is 100 to 200 (maybe even 300) degrees higher than I've ever worked with in casting good bullets.

In my shop, I pre heat the 10 cavity moulds on a hot plate until I am sure I will get frosted bullets. This burns out any residual oil or other contaminants and seems to "condition" certain moulds for better casting. Once they are hot, I do a test cast to see if the bullets are frosted. If they are, I let the mould cool until I get nice shiny bullets as opposed to frosted bullets. I have never used my hand to open a sprue plate, I think I would need a new hand after 5 or 6 tries if I did that. When I am at what I consider my operating temp to get nice shiny bullets, I most definitely need a wood mallet to whack the sprue plate to get it to cleanly cut the bases of the bullets. This conincides with every piece of advice I've seen in print from Hensley & Gibbs on how to properly operate their moulds.

I am not saying that you have to use a mallet, or that you can't use your hand, I am saying that your experience is the first I've ever heard of someone being able to whack that plate open time after time and not break their hand.

Also, if you're cutting the bases with hand pressure, how are you not getting lead smears all under the sprue plate?

Tom in Texas

[Dale53]

Lloyd;
I don't cast for the .475. However, I have a couple of four cavity .40 caliber BPCR moulds that produce 422 gr bullets that I open by hand (NEI and LBT - both aluminum moulds) without a problem.

If you prefer whacking, then whack:mrgreen:. When I started doing this I was casting four cavity moulds with the short, fat handgun bullets for .45's. I discovered that not only was it much easier on moulds (a feller COULD bend the sprue plate on a Lyman two cavity with their older thin plates if you happened to hit it wrong) but most importantly, I had much nicer bullet bases. No tearing, etc.

I do not open while the bullet is still liquid - that can lead to wiping lead over and under the sprue plate. I wait until the bullet sprue changes color, then wait a count of six, THEN open the sprue plate. The bullets are still quite hot and soft but not soft enough to wipe over the mould. This was years before I discovered Bull Shop Lube. Now, it is even easier with this great lube.

At any rate, use what works for you. I do[smilie=1: As the man says, "There is more than one way to skin a cat.":-D

Dale53

[Wayne Smith]

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned Bullplate lube. It's close to magic with sprue plates and mold tops. I see no reason why it won't help on larger cavity and multiple cavity molds. You do have to get the mold hot enough, though.

[Ken O]

Ken,

I have to ask, my experience tells me that if you can bang open a 10 cavity H&G mould with hand pressure only, your bullets must be frosted completely. In other words, your working temp is 100 to 200 (maybe even 300) degrees higher than I've ever worked with in casting good bullets.

Tom in Texas

Sorry, didn't know we were talking about 10 cavity moulds, I don't use them. Although there is nothing wrong with frosted bullets, I run just under that, when they start to frost I turn the heat down and try to keep just under that.
I was talking pretty general for all molds, I might have to bang them before they come up to temp, but after that its by hand. The two hole H&G has a smaller handle on the sprue plate, so its a little harder to cut.

[mark h]

My 4 hole H&G has big holes in the sprue plate, and the handle area is small. If preheating the mold more doesn't work, I may put the lever from a Lee 6 hole on the sprue plate for more leverage cutting(sacrilege, I know)

[hammerhead357]

OK I'll jump in and add my 2 cents worth here. I always use a mallet when casting. I have used the same one for about 20 years and granted I don't cast nearly as much as I used to. I used to cast commercially. But anyway my mallet is made of a yellow synthectic material. I think Tandy Leather sells something like mine. I use the thing when casting with 8 or 10 cavity moulds or when using 1 or 2 cavity moulds. One just has to regulate the power of the swing.

I have never bent a sprue plate. I think a person has to use common sense on light or thin plates.

I also preheat my moulds on an electric hot plate but not directly on it. I have a 5/8 in. steel plate sitting on the heating element and set the moulds on that. Now that being said I have cut completely cold sprues of linotype and the mould suffered no damage. But it does take a little bit more power on the swing to do this. Wes

[Sundogg1911]

I find that the H&G moulds can handle a lifetime of whacks from a wooden dowel
i've never had a problem with any of mine.

I tend to cast just under the frost temperature as well. My boolits usually look like a dull aluminum color. If they look like chrome I tend to have fill out problems.