Lee 2 cavity AAC mold pointers

[kdiver58]

I've been casting boolits out of this mold for a few weeks now.

Here are a few of my pointers please add anything of value you might have.

#1 It is by far the hardest mold, to get good boolits out of, I have ever had.
#2 Mold Temp has to be over 200 degrees using a non contact thermometer on the Aluminum mold.
( I know it is not accurate on reflective surfaces but it gives me a number to work with)
#3 I have had much better luck with reduced flow out of my Lee 4-20 pot
#4 Higher flow rate trapped more air and gave me wrinkled boolits
#5 I have my PID set at 710 degrees which gives me 680 degrees on my thermometer

What do you do to get good boolits out of this mold ??

[captaint]

Other than wrinkled boolits, you didn't say what was wrong with them ?? Are you getting good fillout AND wrinkles ?? I'd bet not. You might try giving the mold a real good cleaning with dish soap and HOT water - twice, with a toothbrush. Also, the mold needs to be fully up to temp to make good boolits. Don't spend any time inspecting the newly cast boolits. Just keep on pouring and dumping to get the mold hot enough - and the sprue plate. Once the mold is hot enough and clean, good boolits should appear. There's many other factors involved with alloy, etc, but if you're not out of whack there, you should be OK. Let us know how it works out. Mike

[kdiver58]

boolits are totally filled out with wrinkles . Alloy is close to Lyman #2. I have smelted a fairly large quantity of this alloy and it casts well in 357 and 41 caliber pistol boolits. I bumped the pot temp up to 700 and that has helped some. I get fully formed boolits that look 99% fantastic with a stupid line in them. I've also slowed my tempo down and let the spue harden a little longer.

[prsman23]

I haven't cast with it yet, but I've read that it likes to be pressure filled (put it up against where the lead comes out). Give that a try.

[Larry Gibson]

Reclean the moulds. Cast with that alloy at 725 +/-. Open the flow from the pot, get the hot alloy in the cavity quickly and leave a generous sprue.

Larry Gibson

[nhrifle]

That's how mine cast for me when I first got it and I almost gave up. What worked for me was to give it an overnight soak in acetone and a thorough scrubbing with Dawn and a toothbrush the next morning. After that it casts nicely and they shoot quite well. Yours may just need a serious cleaning like mine did. If that doesn't work, go thru the Sticky covering Leementing.

[leadman]

I have found that running the mold very hot helps. By referring to a "line" I guess you mean on the nose at the mold seam? If so make sure the alloy flow enters the sprue hole undisturbed. I found if the alloy flow hit the angle on the sprue plate this line would appear.
A little extra tin helps this mold fillout also.

If you are getting wrinkles on all parts of the boolit this is what I do. I have the mold hot (toaster oven at 425 degrees) and swing the sprue plate to the side and let the alloy overfill one cavity, have the mold tipped slightly with a pan under it. Before the alloy hardens open the mold and drop the boolit and any additional alloy. Don't let the alloy harden on the mold. Usually a couple of times of doing this to each cavity will carry any oils out of the mold and it will cast wrinkle free. If you still have problems use a match and smoke the cavities. This carbon will also absorb oil.

[shaune1022]

I have to swirl the flow of lead into the tapered part of the spur plate. Dropping straight down into the cavity gave me wrinkled boolits.

[kdiver58]

Thanks for all of the replies. When I turned the flow up the boolits were MUCH worse. I'm going to try smoking the mold. I've already cleaned it and cast about 100 boolits. The project has been sitting a bit since the hunting weather has been better.
BTW.. to clarify , The lines are in the boolits not at the mold parting line.

[Boolseye]

heat, heat, heat. I have never had a Lee mold fail me if it's hot enough.
I put them on a hot plate and then dip the corner in the melt for at least 50 seconds before I cast a single bullet. I have the AAC mold and had no problems. I like my melt between 750-800º as well.

It goes without saying that any oil in the cavities will cause wrinkles. I smoke my molds, then wipe all the carbon out with a Q-tip. I also use the hot plate–dip method with my NOE and lyman molds.

[nhrifle]

A picture of your boolits would help. The lines could also be machining marks left by the tooling that was used in the manufacture of your mould.

[kdiver58]

I do need to provid pictures.!!! They are not tool marks .. I am a plastic injection mold maker.