Past two hours: wasted

[pretzelxx]

Wanted to get the oil changed today since I've got a free change on the dealer. I figured might as well get a good two hours in on casting! 630 I put the mould up top of the pot and cranked her on medium while I dropped the wife off at work. Got home at 710 or so, and turned it up to 9. Let it get hot for an extra 20 minutes with the mould warning still. That's when things turned annoying.

The first 20 casts went like normal, stuck boolits and loads of wrinkles. The next few were starting to bother me. The lee wood handle fell off.... again. So I ram it back on the metal and continue. No good boolits about 20 minutes in with fiddling around, trying to get the boolits to drop decent. Then the handles fall off again. And again. My penta point at this time is releasing well, but still wrinkled. The rear cavity is holding on to every single boolit that comes its way! Oh, and the handle fell off again. What a royal pain. I quit. Its 920 and I spent almost two hours with this mould and about 15 lbs of lead reheated and cooled, I'll try next weekend when maybe I haven't had the worst week in two years.

Just blowing off some steam. How's everyone else doing? I need a drink, its not even 10 yet.

[knobster]

Heh heh. Oh yeah, I'm sure there are pu-lenty of folks here who can share such war stories. I've only been casting for about a year now and have already had many an afternoon of fighting the urge to hurl everything (molten pot of metal included) across the garage. Thankfully, you can melt all those mistakes down and try again.

[pretzelxx]

Last weekend I spent 20 minutes and got at least a dozen good keepers. I'm just agitated I suppose. Need to hit the gym and wind down or have a real cig. (Wife got me an e-cig) it's a nice day outside and I can't even take advantage of it!

[Beagle333]

Sometimes it just doesn't work too well until I have experimented with temp, cadence, adding tin, etc, for much longer than I wanted to.[smilie=b:
But I do yank the handles off the new Lees as soon as I get em and mix up a batch of JB Weld and squeegee a bunch of it down in each one and shove the handles back on. Them puppies ain't comin' off unless they are in shards!:cool:

[snuffy]

I'm confused. You have a lee hollowpoint mold? With penta pins? OIC, just the handles are lee, a MP mold?

Your mold is not hot enough. Assuming a MP brass mold, they NEED to be real hot, hotter than the top of whatever pot you're using. Get a hotplate, run it up to med/high, let the mold sit on it for at least 20 minutes before starting casting.

[geargnasher]

Another cure for the Lee commercial handles, and I do this to EVERY set when I first take them out of the package, is to pull off the wood and coat the tangs with Permatex Ultra Copper RTV silicone, poke as much down in the holes as I can with a piece of wire, and shove them back on firmly and wipe off the excess that squeezes out. They're good forever that way and the heat tolerance is a bit higher than with JB Weld, though I have done a set with that, too, and have never had an issue.

Believe me, losing a $140 brass mould in a 5-gallon quench bucket because BOTH the handles slid off at the same time is a real bummer. Fortunately, the little bath didn't warp it, but sure had me worried.

You gots to cast FAST with a brass HP mould to keep it HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!!! Four to five pours a minute for good fillout and no bubbles around the bottom of the HP cavity. Time it with a wall clock!

Gear

[pretzelxx]

Its an MP mould, no issues with the mould itself cause I've already had good boolits at a fraction of the time! I did it the same way, left it up top cranked on hi and then cast the first 15 or so super fast and all that jazz. It was even colder then than it is today! And I'm using a black RTV. Thought I used enough last time, apparently not! Haha learned the hard way, almost dropped it at an angle on the concrete. I'll try again later today maybe. I wanted the RTV to cure for a while. I was hoping to knock about a thousand boolits out today since I have off at the wife is at work. So much for that i guess.

Oh amazon, where are the hot plates...

[country gent]

Take a few mins today and as Beagle said mix up some JB weld epoxy and glue those handles in place then after the glue has cured center punch the metal ferrules and drill and pin them as a extra measure. I use 3/32 brass rod and peen the ends over smooth. Never had a handle come off after this. I too do this upon arrival of any new handles not just Lees.
Play around with heat and preheat temps. then cadence is the only thing to find. I would run around 700*-750* and heat the mold to aroung 300*-350* to start out then adjust from there. Alloy will be a big factor also. Some just plain cast better than others. Addition of tin will aid fillout, Experiment and keep detailed notes so you can repeat what works and not repeat what doesnt

[Bad Water Bill]

If you REALLY want those *$% handles to stay, take a file and cut notches in the metal part of the handle and use the product of your choice to glue them in place.

Just remember even you will not be able to get them loose ever again.:bigsmyl2:

[Maximumbob54]

It should be obvious but make sure to get a hot plate with a solid top burner. Most of them are coils.

[pretzelxx]

Sounds like I should get one of those infrared thermometers! And actually, since I saw someone use a coil hot plate. It wasn't so obvious! Thank you for the insight.
The drill and pin is tempting, but since I don't have a drill press, I don't want the bit screwing around my handles.

[Hawkeye45]

I have a coil hot plate, free. Took an old circular saw blade and ground off the teeth so I would not snag something on it. Like my sleeve or fingers.

Mr. Ed

[MT Gianni]

It should be obvious but make sure to get a hot plate with a solid top burner. Most of them are coils.

An old saw blade from a Skil saw works fine on top. Another fix for the lee handles is to drill through the escucheon, wood and handle and pin it with a tight fitting nail. Trim it flush and you are good to go.

[Blammer]

I'd get a set of NOE mould handles. they won't fall off. :)

[snuffy]

Jb weld melt temp;

http://www.jbweld.com/faqs/

Says 500 degrees continuous temp, 600 to melt enough for it to let go.

So JB weld should hold those handles on real tight. I can't see the handles of a mold ever getting to 500 degrees!? Unless exposed to direct contact with the surface of a hotplate. Or a propane flame.

My MP HP molds, (three of them), need to run the alloy to 750 pid controlled degrees IF I'm running very soft to pure lead so they will expand. AND add 2% tin. I'm about ready to add a NOE mold thermometer so I can monitor that aspect of casting.

[bangerjim]

Sounds like I should get one of those infrared thermometers! And actually, since I saw someone use a coil hot plate. It wasn't so obvious! Thank you for the insight.
The drill and pin is tempting, but since I don't have a drill press, I don't want the bit screwing around my handles.

Not to make things worse for you.................but those IR thermometers will not give accurate reads on shiny surfaces! Like aluminum molds and molten lead. Sorry, I do not make up the rules of thermodynamics and black body radiation.

You can shoot the flat top of the burner as it will be normally black. But that is NOT the temp of the mold on top. The flat tops are very successful and do perform and give superior and rapid heat transfer. I had a coil one that I threw away because it just did not work and did not keep the temp where I wanted it. Look for a flat top that is 800 or more watts.

If you want to shoot the mold itself, you need to create a black spot on the end. You can use VERY high temp black paint or some of the "aluminum black" that Birchwood Casey sells. It does a nice job of making Al black and will not scrap off easily because it actually chemically blackens the metal.

I use a hotplate all the time to preheat my molds (and feed ingots too!) and usually (with moon in the right phase and my mouth held just right) can drop perfect boolits on the 1st pour. Without the hotplate, it takes a bunch of pours and/or stuck lead on the end and in the mold by dipping it in your pot. Just put your molds on the hot plate when you plug in your pot and everything will be at casting temp when you are ready! You will have to gestimate the plate temp knob setting by trial and error.

Have fun!

bangerjim

[Thumbcocker]

+1 on high temp silicone.

[pretzelxx]

And this is why I continue to post random seemingly dumb questions and complaints. Yall come up with a solution to a problem before I even have the problem half the time! Thanks to all who continue to support my new hobby!

[DLCTEX]

I have used JB weld, Gorilla glue, and hi temp RTV on mould handle with no failures on any. I have used a piece of cloth over the metal and drive the wood on and that one is still holding after a few years. TodayI drilled and pinned the handle on my Lee ingot mould.

[silverado]

I recently filled up the wood handle with plain old wood glue since it was in front of me and jammed the metal hinge into it and let it dry. Tried getting it off a few days later and couldn't force it off. It has worked for a few cast sessions so far. Cheaper and easier than jb weld.

[TXGunNut]

Some days loading & casting is therapeutic, some days it's torture. On the bad days I just shut things down and find something else to do, if things aren't going well I'm better off not handling 750 degree lead or gunpowder.

[ACrowe25]

Did you learn ANYTHING? If so, nothing was wasted. Did you learn nothing? Then yes time was wasted and you need to figure out WHY

[Just Duke]

Wanted to get the oil changed today since I've got a free change on the dealer. I figured might as well get a good two hours in on casting! 630 I put the mould up top of the pot and cranked her on medium while I dropped the wife off at work. Got home at 710 or so, and turned it up to 9. Let it get hot for an extra 20 minutes with the mould warning still. That's when things turned annoying.

The first 20 casts went like normal, stuck boolits and loads of wrinkles. The next few were starting to bother me. The lee wood handle fell off.... again. So I ram it back on the metal and continue. No good boolits about 20 minutes in with fiddling around, trying to get the boolits to drop decent. Then the handles fall off again. And again. My penta point at this time is releasing well, but still wrinkled. The rear cavity is holding on to every single boolit that comes its way! Oh, and the handle fell off again. What a royal pain. I quit. Its 920 and I spent almost two hours with this mould and about 15 lbs of lead reheated and cooled, I'll try next weekend when maybe I haven't had the worst week in two years.

Just blowing off some steam. How's everyone else doing? I need a drink, its not even 10 yet.

I heard Al makes some nice handles. Mine are Lees with hand made wood handles.

[imashooter2]

If you REALLY want those *$% handles to stay, take a file and cut notches in the metal part of the handle and use the product of your choice to glue them in place.

Just remember even you will not be able to get them loose ever again.:bigsmyl2:

Along the same lines, I like to use a small cold chisel and knock up a few barbs on the corners of the handles before I put them back on with RTV.

[Just Duke]

Along the same lines, I like to use a small cold chisel and knock up a few barbs on the corners of the handles before I put them back on with RTV.

And JB weld.......

[pretzelxx]

I like lee cause its from my homestate, might as well employ people to make good products for the price bracket, and with a little modification make it perfection. Guess it wasn't entirely wasted, I've learned to not start casting when my anger is getting the best of me, and that I MUST have a hotplate. SO, hotplate comes in tomorrow. Also, don't spare the RTV, go heavy or it'll fly off again. Why waste a mould when I can grab a tube of the stuff and go to town!
I'm glad I'm in the hands of highly experienced casters, thank you all!

[silverado]

Today I hit my hand with a 2 pound hammer and spilled 1/2 pound of powder while reloading.... decided to quit and pick up a pack of beer instead....

[pretzelxx]

Oh.... that's really bad. I feel for you, it's almost like losing gold down a wishing well, or bad luck well I guess.

[Bogone]

I always warm my mold up on a hotplate and it drops good boolits after just acouple of pours. I have to set my hotplate on the low to medium setting or it gets to hot.

[pretzelxx]

104714

Batch of today's junk. I just can't seem to get good boolits!

[docone31]

You need heat.
Let the mold float on the melt untill the lead falls off it.
I do not even smoke mine. I just soaked it in mineral spirits for a day, and it has been happy ever since.
For real sticky molds, I cast several for each cavity, put a sheet rock screw in the base of each, then hand spin it with valve lapping compound. Does not take much. I cast a few for each cavity so I do not change size much. If it changes at all, it is even.

[Just Duke]

104714

Batch of today's junk. I just can't seem to get good boolits!

I'll be living just west of again soon. Give me a jingle and I'll help you get some decent ones made.

[pretzelxx]

I'm going to clean them again really well and watch some more videos, I'm frustrated. I got the concept down, just some of the finer details keep ruining what should be a great time

[pretzelxx]

I might even remelt my ingots and clean them up a bit more. I wonder if my lead is slightly dirty. I flux two or three times with pine bedding and it looks clean on the top, after I make ingots and cast, it seems to start showing black spots in the boolits. Kind of a gross dirt like appearance.