Hollow point boolits won't let go

[30calpal]

Finally got around to my first session with my 350-460 NOE. I had prepped by degreasing and going thru a heat /cool cycle twice. Used a stiff tooth brush to brush with the vent lines. A little Bull Plate on the sprue cutter and top of mould block. The problem, the boolits will not let go to the hollow point pins. I figured I needed to get the mould hotter. After twenty casts, the boolits are still not letting go. I had to take pliers and pull the boolits off! Oh, and the base /gas check was not filling out sharply. Might need a little tin?? I'm using mostly WW with some range lead and fishing weight added. I wanted these a little on the soft side for the HP to work and I cast some .578 Mine' for my BP rifle. So, what am I not doing or what am I doing wrong ? thanks for your replies and experience.

[Ben]

Possible problems ;

(1) Pins not hot enough
(2) Alloy not hot enough
(3) Sequence of opening and closing the mold isn't fast enough.
(4) The HP pins may need some polishing with 600 grit paper.

[Bzcraig]

I have the same exact problem my first time with my NOE mold, had to heat up my melt and cast faster. Those pins need to be hot and boolits sticking to pins is a sure sign they are not.

[huntnfish72]

I always lube the HP pins with bull plate when jot wit a q-tip and the boolits jump off

[SwedeNelson]

30calpal

This is the procedure that I use
Set your pot at about 700F to 720F and forget it (use a thermometer)

Your mould temperature (and pins) needs to be 380F to 420F (again use a thermometer)
And if needs be use a hot plate to get it up to temperature
I like to run it just at or a little below the "frost point" a nice mat-gray color.

Fill cavities (I use a ladle) and leave a good size sprue
As soon as the sprue sets use a mallet it tap the sprue plate open
Tapping the pivet bolt on the handles (tap, tap, tap ) open the mould block, keep tapping
as you open it. The key is alot of small light taps as you open it.
This will generally release the bullets from the cavities and the pins both.
You may have to turn the mould on its side and give it a few more light taps if you get
a bullet that "likes" the pins.

I then turn the mould back up right and give it a few more light taps as I close it
This is to settle the pins back down on there brackets.
This will keep the Flat Point pins from leaving a divot in the nose of your bullets
You can also adjust the pins down a small amount by bending the bracket down (.003 to .005)

The biggest problems people have casting HP's is trying to do it with a cold mould / pins
It may take a time or two to find the sweet spot (right temperature)
Get your mould up to operating temperature, then set a pace that will keep it at that temperature.

Its all in getting the heat right

Swede Nelson

[cbrick]

Pins not hot enough!

If the pins are too cool they will hold a boolit like they are welded on. Pre-heat the mold completely and enough to get the pins HOT. While casting keep the blocks full and closed as much as practical and cast faster to KEEP the pins hot. DO NOT inspect you new boolits while casting, the pins do not have nearly the mass of the blocks and they cool very fast, much faster the blocks. Inspect your boolits when finished casting.

Rick

[GLL]

Are you using a hot plate to preheat the mold? Pins need to be hotter from the very start on NOE RG series molds !
Once the mold and pins are up to temp the bullets drop off the pins nicely !

Jerry

[30calpal]

Thanks for everyone's input. I do have a hot plate nearby, it is the coil element type. I may use some firebrick and build an 'oven' around it to heat soak the mould before I start next time. Well, its a little hard to get a fast pace when you have to stop and pull the bullets off the pins with pliers. But, I get it, I need more heat. Bull Plate on the pins ?!
Won't it burn off after the first pour? Hello to Ben in Cleveland. We're in the same state but I don't know where Cleveland is. I'm near Auburn.

[Ben]

Hello to Ben in Cleveland. We're in the same state but I don't know where Cleveland is. I'm near Auburn.

I'm an Auburn grad., I can assure you that I know the distance between the 2 points. About 2 1/2 hour drive. I'm 35 miles N of Birmingham.

Welcome to the forum !

Ben

[cbrick]

Shouldn't need Bullplate or anything else on the pins, that is simply an attempt to cover up the real problem . . . Cool pins. Once the pins are up to proper temp the boolits will fall off.

I use a 1/2 inch thick square aluminum plate on top of my coil type hot plate as a heat sink and then use a large metal electrical box as an oven to keep air flow off the mold while it heats up.

Remember, the key here is mold temp and not pot temp. I cast using a PID controlled pot at 715 degrees for HP boolits. A pot temp at 750 or higher is detrimental to the tin in your alloy and is not needed, a properly pre-heated mold and pins is.

Rick

[TCFAN]

Like the others have said keep the mold and pins hot. I also have found on my NOE RG molds that I have to open them upside down as I tap the hinge pin..........Terry

[375RUGER]

Preheat the mould. I've tried with NOE, Mihec, and other HP moulds to start cold and from my experience 20 casts is not enough to get the heat where it needs to be. The reason is the mold is cooling too much while trying to get those boolits out of a cold mould/off of cold pins. It needs to be preheated so that the first cast drops the boolits properly.

[Bent Ramrod]

What I do is twist and pull the HP pin before I cut the sprue off.

I also polish the pin and blue it before use by heating with a torch and dipping it in oil. Clean off the oil before casting of course. It is too small and light to blue quickly with normal use, and lead will go on sticking to it long after the mould cavity is broken in.

[cbrick]

What I do is twist and pull the HP pin before I cut the sprue off.

:mrgreen: That would be a mighty tough thing to do with either the NOE or MP Cramer HP's. Mighty tough indeed.


I also polish the pin and blue it before use by heating with a torch and dipping it in oil. Clean off the oil before casting of course. It is too small and light to blue quickly with normal use, and lead will go on sticking to it long after the mould cavity is broken in.

Just get your pins hot enough and you won't need to jump through hoops to get the boolits off of them. There is a shocking difference between HP pins that are hot enough and ones too cool.

Rick

[dragon813gt]

Try casting w/ the Mihec 30 Silhouette mold. You will laugh about how you had to pry the bullets off the pins of your NOE mold. Because w/ the Mihec mold you have to pry the bullets out of the mold block.

[cbrick]

Try casting w/ the Mihec 30 Silhouette mold. You will laugh about how you had to pry the bullets off the pins of your NOE mold. Because w/ the Mihec mold you have to pry the bullets out of the mold block.

Can't say I understand that. I have several molds from Mihec and every single one of them are a pure joy to cast with. If there should be a problem with an MP mold there is zero doubt he would correct it. As with a poor mechanic . . . he blames his tools.

Rick

[bwgdog]

Dragon-That one is the ONLY mold -custom-that I have had real challenges with-But-the 3 cav hp-same bullet works fine???

[dragon813gt]

Can't say I understand that. I have several molds from Mihec and every single one of them are a pure joy to cast with. If there should be a problem with an MP mold there is zero doubt he would correct it. As with a poor mechanic . . . he blames his tools.

I guess you don't have the mold. It's a known issue w/ a few of the cavities. And it's the same ones on everyone's molds. I know it's not just me and in this case really is the tool. The other Mihec molds I have, close to twenty at this point, all cast beautifully.


Dragon-That one is the ONLY mold -custom-that I have had real challenges with-But-the 3 cav hp-same bullet works fine???

Same here. I still haven't tried the hollowpoint mold yet. But with the pins I can't imagine the bullets will stick to the block. And if they do you have built in pry bars. I bought the three cavity mold in hopes it wouldn't have the same issues because the bullet shoots great. But this is all off topic so sorry to the OP.

[cbrick]

I guess you don't have the mold. It's a known issue w/ a few of the cavities. And it's the same ones on everyone's molds. I know it's not just me and in this case really is the tool. The other Mihec molds I have, close to twenty at this point, all cast beautifully.

True, I don't have that particular mold. First I've even heard of such a problem with an MP mold, what does Miha say about it? With my experience with him I'd think he is taking corrective measures if there is an across the board problem.

Rick

[dragon813gt]

The problem is most likely in the deep square lube grooves. It seems to be design issue more than the tool. All of the cavities stick at times, but the third one is the worst offender. I honestly didn't bother to contact him because I have the hollowpoint version and I sold off the solid one. The mold had a very narrow operating window. But it did rain bullets like his molds tend to do when everything was just right.

[Ohio Rusty]

I polished the pin tips with 1000 grit wet sandpaper and I make sure the pins are hot or mine won't come off the pins either.
Ohio Rusty ><>