my new lee 6 cav

[twc1964]

Well guys, about 3 weeks ago i ordered a lee 6 cav .452-230tc mold from midway. I usually recoeve my items from them in 4 days. After 6 days i called em asking if the mold had shipped. They said that the shipping label had been damaged and was sent back to them. They paid for next day delivery and i waited. We tracked it and a couple days later it said delivered on the tracking site but it sure didnt get delivered to me! I called them and ups and midway said that ups must conduct an investigation that can take 5 days. After the days had passed midway overnited a mold to me and it showed up by noon yesterday. Well, midway must have picked a good one because this thing literally rains those fat slugs! If i have to tap it, its just a super lite tap and they roll out on cue. This is the first of 4 lees that i havent had stick and be required a bit more pesuasion. I scrubbed it with dawn and lubed it up after i heat cycled it a few times on the stove top. I as quite a few with voids in the driving bands so ive got to use some brake cleaner on it, but overall im impressed with this one. Anyone have a good load using wsf, unique, or green dot that cycles well and gets up to about 850fps?? Just thought id share my experince with yall thx

[bangerjim]

Glad you finally got your mold! I have never had any bad experiences with Midway. On-time shipment and delivery everytime.

I shoot all of those listed powders you have.....just follow standard published load data in the books (Lee & Lyman are the "bibles")

Your voids are probably caused by: not enough Sn/cold mold/under temp lead/ slowing of your casting rhythm. Cleaning it with brake cleaner will probably gain you nothing except expose your lungs to bad stuff. Mold temp is the key factor to eliminate voids/wrinkles, not grease or oil. I have NEVER cleaned any of my many MANY molds and cast perfect boolits from the 1st drop everytime by preheating and having the correct amount of Sn. And using good proven casting techniques.

Pre-heat your mold to CASTING TEMP, not just "spit-sizzlin" temp. with an electric hot plate. A 6 banger will not heat well by "dipping the corner in the lead". I have tried it and it is not that effetive. A hot plate is the answer. They are cheap. Buy one. Do you have a casting thermometer to know your pot temp?

What is you mix ratio? You should have 2% Sn to get good fill. I use that on all my boolits.

Do you have the FREE Excel spreadsheet on here for alloy mix calculations? Very valuable!

banger

[Airman Basic]

A 6 banger will not heat well by "dipping the corner in the lead".
Well, guess so, but I do fairly well using that method then starting out filling two cavities 'til they start looking good, then move up to three and so on, doesn't take long. If you start out filling all six with a mold not up to temp, the sprues get hard too quick and you'll have the dreaded sprue lever bust. Moderation in all things.

[twc1964]

I o use a hotplate so im guessing not quite enuff tin. Im getting low on pewter and was trying to conserve. Guess i will bite the boolit and put in the full amount this time. Lol

[bangerjim]

With lower Sn % you can crank up the pot temp to compensate a bit. I have found from "messing around" by jacking up the temp and lowering the Sn, I get good drops. Just playing around with the metallurgy because I have over 300# of Sn ingots and use it liberally.

You can try that. Remember the hotter you go the faster any Sn you DO have will oxidize. And you can get to the point where it will oxidize faster than you can reduce it back in with beeswax (or whatever you prefer to use) in your casting pot. So there is a trade-off point on Sn vs heat.

Good luck rounding up some more of our wonderful stannum (Sn)! It works miracles for cast boolits.

banger

[twc1964]

Well i brought the mold inside for a thourogh inspection. I added the proper amount of tin and still had a oblong depression that starts on the lower band and goes up just into the top band. Its really shallow but im anal about my boolits. I darn sure will figure this out even f i pull out the rest of my thinning doo. Im gonna look at her really good and see what i can see. Oh, i cast about 200 on the last short session and kept about 80.......that sux.

[bangerjim]

You are getting some kind of swirl in the mold when you pour. Make sure you mold is at CASTING TEMP and pour directly down the center of the sprue hole.

Are you using a bottom pour pot? If so you can try pressure casting. I do it for "tricky" molds (have 2 of them).

Just put the spigot right down inside the sprue (close contact!) and fill away. Mold and sprue plate MUST be at casting temp or spigot will freeze and you will have to heat it with a butane grill lighter B4 every pour. Be careful you do not get lead squirting out as is sometimes can do! The head pressure of the pot will very quiclky injection mold the lead into every nook and cranny of the mold. You will feel a little "tick" in the mold handles as the lead fills the cavity. Some say you can do it with a side/bpttom pour ladle but I have never got it to work nearly as well as on my Lee 4-20's. Makes great perfect boolits out of molds that just will not behave.

Nice thing about this hobby......all your duds can easily be remelted!!!!!!!!

banger

[jonp]

5.5gr Green Dot, 6.4gr Unique will get you there but start 10% lower than that

[twc1964]

Heck banger, i was letting the lead hit the side of the hole and not straight down the center. Dont know why i was doing that but i did. It let me get a better sprue but cruddy boolits. I will go straight down tomorrow or try pressure casting.

[twc1964]

Well apparently this mold really likes it hot! I heated the mold for 25minutes on high on the hotplate and had to pour the lead at 750 but the boolits fell out of the mold perfect from the first cast. Just did a few, 75-80 boolits and only culled 4. I can live with that. Boolits on other molds get pretty frosty at that temp but these are nice and shiny satin.

[burrkiss]

There is a guy on here who sells upgraded sprue levers. I've broken all of my Lee levers, and never broke one of his.....I've even tried, took a cold 6 cav and waited 10 seconds after pour.....and cranked on it to open it.........all good. Someone with a better memory might want to plug his website.

[Airman Basic]

Red River Rick had them.

[hunter74]

The sprue plate is to tight. Loosen it a bit and you get rid of the wrinkles you describe. It worked for me with my Lee molds, when I got this problem with new molds. When the Lee molds are factory new the plates are screwed on waaaay too tight. My guess is thet it's kind of a venting problem.