lee mold question for you experts...

[bdecker9]

i have a six by 124 2r lee mold. had it 8 months maybe. when i got it i skipped the smoking of the mold as someone on here rec'd. it cast 1000 or so perfect for me boolits. in a few different sessions. took a break for 3-4 months. well the last three days i've been trying to get it to cast over 50% good pills. was leaving a "air pocket" one side on more than not. like it was cooling just a flash early. can post pics. any ways tried everything. different lead. pure, well pretty pure, soft lead was the last thing i tried. but i was sure wasn't the alloy, as i was seeing the lines in the boolits where they cut the die. tried it hot as the blazes, tried every temp between that and low. messed w/ the the way i was pouring them. poured them fast and slow. close to the spout and increased gradually to about an inch. anyway i smoked the mold and now its spitting out good boolits as long as i keep it smoked. so what changed? not a big deal as my problem is fixed, well workable anyway. just curious if anyone has some insight to why it would cast before w/ out it and now it practically demands being smoked.

thanks y'all,
decker

[Ben]

Possibles to your problem ? ?

1. Alloy too cool.

2. Mold too cool.

3. Mold isn't 101% oil free yet.

4. Alloy needs Tin added.

5. Need to cast with a faster cadence.

[Ben]

The more I read your orig post, the more I think the mold isn't clean.

Clean your mold good with several applications of aerosol brake cleaner and an old tooth brush ......then wash the mold cavities with VERY hot soapy water ( Dawn Dishwashing liquid is good ) .

Rinse well with clean tap water.

Dry the mold with a hair dryer and pre-heat it on top of your pot for about 5 minutes prior to casting with it.

Does the sprue plate swing freely ? ? ?
Could your alloy be contaminated with Zinc ?

Ben

[DLCTEX]

I'm of the same opinion. I think some oil migrated into the cavities while stored.

[bdecker9]

i was thinking mold wasn't clean as well. i scrubbed it really well with white gas. lighter fluid.. i was thinking the vents might not be clear. there are some stains from the bee wax on the areas around cavities. but i scrubbed it really good and didn't change much. i added tin and the the tip of the ogive became really defined like i could see the circular machine marks in the finished pills. just kept having the lines through the driving band on the side where the mold halves come together. not talking about the "flashing" or the single line you get sometimes when the mold isn't together.
and yes sprue plate swings fine and has clearance 'cause i get little fins or flashing around the base. but will double check this, as i had tightened the sprue 'cause of the lil 'fins', but it didn't cause problems.

thank you for replying and so quick too. will re-scrub my mold. hadn't tried brake cleaner. just was driving me nuts.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. INFO AND EXPERIENCE BE PRICELESS. smarts is hard to come by these days. glad i have a great source of it bookmarked.

[badbob454]

also i think lighter fluid may leave a residue brakleen will leave it oil free

[country gent]

Lighter fluid will leave a residue behind after it evaporates. Dawn dishsoap Hot water and a soft toothbrush. really work up a good foam when scrupping, its the foam that carries the contaminates away best. Rinse with hot water for several minutes. Repeat above steps. I used to use typewritter cleaner to clean molds ( carbon tetrachloride) since it was a very good solvent cleaner. Its no longer available in its original form. You may have wax that has gotten into the cavities or some oil conaminates causing this issue. If so smoking is covering it up not curing it. You might even soak the mold in dish soap water for 10-15 mins before starting the cleaning. Be gentle as aluminum is a soft material. Keep notes on temps, alloys, procedures, speeds, write everything down including a section of flaws quality ect ect. these notes will allow you to look back at what wasnt working what worked and what each thing did. When acceptable bullets are the norm the note card stays with the mold and by following your "instructions" good bullets are replecated every time.

[bdecker9]

lighter fluid was used originally... and on other similar molds, besides richard lee says its good so it has to be :)
don't worry i'm making sure to follow all advice as i am at a loss here. this was the first mold i didn't smoke and follow the directions to the letter.

so i have the cavities spotless but there is some residual bee wax(more like brown stains) in the vent lines. how clean are your mold faces and vent lines? i'm curious. maybe should have been cleaning it after each use?

[bdecker9]

thanks country i pretty much use the same alloy, i have bout 30-40 pounds ww and had just mixed in a big batch and poured some muffins from that just to keep it the same. and i have just always followed a routine, and except for in the beginning when i was learning i have had really good results. just got this mold out cuz i was running low on ruger food.

[StrawHat]

You can open the vent lines with a scribe. I do this when the vent lines are straight. The spiral ones, well, I am not that patient.

[bdecker9]

well its as clean as i'm gonna get it. there is only 1 li'l patch under 1 cavity that i could see blocking a vent but i don't think that is what the problem is just seems like a bit of air was being trapped inside. but i can't see every boolit turning out the same way with a similar spot out of six different holes. well its scrubbed gonna clean it in dawn and hot h2o. it wouldn't bother me so much to smoke it but i remember how much of a pain it was on my 2x holer's to keep em smoked. thanks a ton everyone. will let ya know if this works out

[Leadmelter]

Acetone
Leadmelter
MI

[John Boy]

Your mold is dirty. Clean it using a tooth brush with hot water and a liquid dish washer soap - twice. Then dry

[TXGunNut]

I've had moulds that took a second and third scrubbing. Like others I've gotten best results with hot, soapy water.

[Echo]

IM Never-to-be HO, I believe, according to your OP, that venting is the problem, that alloy is setting up, but contracting as the center solidifies, pulling the set portion away from the mold side. Lack of venting keeps outside air from getting in to keep the set part from pulling away. Get those vent lines clear of beeswax - warm the mold up, and scrub the faces of the mold with ScotchBrite, or something less aggressive, and maybe carefully go over the vent lines with a scribe, or needle, or fine screwdriver, whatever to dig the warmed beeswax out.

[bdecker9]

Well thank u all. Casting perfect 9mm pills again. Now any tips on the weather would be greatly appreiciated. I just want it warm enough to test loads again!
BUT REALLY THANKS FOR UR TIME AND INPUT