First time casting with iron mold and first time with straight WW. Appearance?

[Tallbald]

Yesterday was my first day casting with my new RCBS 38-140-CM mold, as well as first time using pure WW. Also, first time using electric pot. Lots of new variables, and I have a couple questions I've tried looking for answers to on the forum.
First, I tried different heat settings on the Lyman Big Dipper I bought. I love using an electric pot as opposed to the Coleman stove I started on.
Anyway, my bullets look different from those made of alloys of pure lead and WW. These new cast bullets have a satin appearance that I wonder if is the "frosted" look I've read about here often. Lowering the heat didn't change the finish appearance. Are the bullets shown here "frosted"? Pure lead bullets cast from my Lee aluminum molds are shinier.
Does the appearance have anything to do with using an iron mold instead of my aluminum Lee mold?
I tumble lube exclusively. Does a "frosted" finish hold more lube due to the microscopically rougher finish? Will the lube essentially fill in the microscopic texture and make the bullet smoother like using a filler in fine wood finishing which fills the wood pores?
Thanks everyone. Don
140948

[fecmech]

Those look great! Straight WW's always give me frosted bullets, not a thing wrong, they will shoot great. You did good. I like the iron molds better myself.

[bhn22]

You're fine, your bullets are lightly frosted. As long as your dimensions are good, you're ready to size and lube. Since you ask about the surface, some feel frosted bullets hold tumble lube better, but I have never really believed that it makes a difference at all.

[RobS]

As others have said the satin finish is pretty common when working with straight WW alloy. The antimony is what is doing this as the boolit cools. As long as you have good fill out with sharp corners drive bands and base then no problems.

[Tallbald]

Excellent! Thank you all for the responses. I'll go ahead and TL them this morning in prep for sizing to .358. As taught, I'll TL them again after sizing too. I really enjoy the electric pot. So much less costly than the Coleman fuel, and less fidling with the heat issue. Fill out was very good. The slugs dropped right out also. Even though it's only a 2 cavity mold, the process went pretty quickly once I got into a rhythm. The sprue plate kept loosening though which was irritating a bit. I tried a drop of liquid alox in the threaded hole but that didn't help. I ended up adding a lock washer above the flat factory washer and it helped some, but every 4 or 5 throws I had to snug the bolt again. I still like the mold very much though.Don.

[RobS]

Isn't there a set screw on the side to help keep the sprue plate bolt in place?

[Tallbald]

You know what? I never looked. I'll do that right now. if there is one, I feel...not real bright. DOn

[Tallbald]

Sure enough there is a set screw is to secure the sprue plate bolt in position..... Here in the South, I'd deserve a "bless your heart" indicating my less than stellar intelligence. I've only used Lee molds and had read up on ways to lock the sprue plate bolt on them. Hadn't occurred to me that RCBS already addressed the issue. A big thank you again. Wow I feel un-bright. Don.

[Echo]

Pull that set screw all the way out and drop something in to protect the threads. If lead shot is available, use it, if not, don't (duh...). If no lead, cut a snippet of copper wire, about same length as the diameter, and drop it in - works just as well. Replace set screw, adjust hinge bolt to your liking, and tighten nicely.
And those boolits look great!

[Tallbald]

Excellent idea to protect the threads. I'll snip a short section of 12 gauge electrical wire and put it in the hole first. And thank you for the kind words. I just finished TLing the entire batch of about a thousand and they're drying on a plywood board on the dining room table with a table fan. My wonderful wife Penny has no problem with me doing so. She and I agree the liquid alox sort of smells like crayons from elementary school. Not really a bad smell at all to us.
If they dry by this evening, I'll size them all and re-lube as taught. Then comes the fun of working up a Trail Boss load both my Ruger 77/357 and GP100 like. Up to now, I've been using a softer alloy mix and groups have opened up after a dozen shots from the carbine. I'm of the opinion that the softer slugs up to now are going a lot faster from the carbine barrel than the FPS the load data says they are (from a manufacturers test barrel for pistol loads) and leading a little at the muzzle end, causing the widening groups. From a clean barrel, I can get cloverleafs at 50 yards using home cast slugs initially, then it would go downhill. Some have suggested the lube was running out too by the end of the barrel. I'll coat these really heavily with alox to see if that helps. Don.

[Wayne Smith]

To protect the threads get the brass chain your dogtags were on and pull off one piece. If no dog tags go the the bedroom closet with a pull chain light and do the same thing. Failing those resources they can be found at your local hardware store.

Nice boolits! If you don't want em, I volunteer to shoot em!

[Tallbald]

Wayne great ideas about the chain. And thanks for the offer. Volunteering to shoot them up for me is the greatest compliment!
I'm guessing that a two foot by three foot "tray" of drying bullets in the dining room looks sort of like treasure to others besides me. At about a penny a piece, it doesn't amount to much cash value but boy I sure value them and love looking at them. Only another caster could understand. My dad died when I was 20, 36 years ago. He and I were always planning to take up the hobby of casting. Each time I look at a pile of my home cast beauties I think of Daddy and say a another small prayer for him. Sorry. I didn't mean to digress so far, but it is what it is to me. Don.

[DLCTEX]

More than a light coat of alox will only gum up your seating die. If you are getting leading, first check book it fit, assuming you are not pushing velocity beyond limits.

[Mk42gunner]

Your penny apiece statement got me to thinking, (uh oh), but it isn't so much what they cost you, instead think of how much you saved by making them versus buying the equivalent amount. That will open your eyes as to how much the home cast boolits are worth.

I don't really look at the satiny finish (good description, btw) of straight ACWW as being frosted, but I guess it is compared to pure lead or lead/tin alloys.

Robert

[Tallbald]

I really appreciate the comments and tips offered to me in this post. This is a wonderful forum to participate in. I've made some notes to self based on things shared here and hope to be able to reciprocate some time when I can add to a topic. I sized and second lubed my bullets this evening and they are currently drying under a fan in the dining room. I shall sort them by weight tomorrow, and hopefully can load some up this week. Don.

[44man]

Frost is different looking. Once a mold is taken to "FROST" the boolit can be smaller then you want and not fill out.
WW will make a dull boolit if right and shiny if too cold. Dull gray is where it is.

[rancher1913]

tallbald, bless your hart.:kidding:

do all boolits need sized? just started casting and used a lee 358158 thats does .358 diameter. have cast about 100 and ended up with 10 that I liked, lubed, loaded and shot them just fine. can't justify the expense of a sizer just yet.
shooting these in a 357 magnum.