i want shiny boolits but the sprue plate gets too cold and mold too hot?

[bzajdek]

I have been using a pid on my lee 20lb bottom pour and have settled on 690 as a temp setting the bottom spout acts up when I go below 675. The first couple of pours yield shiny boolits although the sprue plate is not really warmed up yet. I do use a hotplate to warm the mold. Then as the sprue plate warms and get easy to cut sprues the boolits start to frost. This happen on an aluminum lee 6 cavity 230 gr 45 pistol mold and also on a lyman 4 cavity steel 44 mag 250 gr boolit. If i slow down the pace to cool the mold the sprue will harden before i have filled all the cavities and i don't think i can lower the melt temperature. Any other ideas?

[runfiverun]

cool the mold with a damp rag.
this sucks heat out the bottom allowing you to keep the sprue plate hot with alloy.

[bangerjim]

If you just MUST have shiny boolits, polish them with a rag after casting.

Personally I care less if they are shiny or not. Frosty's shoot just as good.

And I now PC them all and it will stick a bit better with frosty surface.

But get out your elbo grease and polish those bad boys. Most pix posted on here are hand culled and polished.

A shiny boolit shoots just as straight as a frosty. I personally strive for perfect fills, flat bases and repeatable weights, not glossy shiny boolits.

banger

[dragon813gt]

Wipe w/ a rag to shine them up.

[runfiverun]

sometimes you just have to control mold temperature and thus the diameter of the boolits it produces.
I have to absolutely control the mold and alloy temperature of a couple of my molds or they will make boolits heavier and larger in diameter than necessary.

this just causes me to waste my time and efforts as they get wiped out in the sizing die and won't shoot.
yes a .3gr weight gain is the difference between a sub 1/2" group at 2400+ fps, and shotgun type patterns.

[GhostHawk]

I have a couple of Lee Molds that will cast like gangbusters to a certain point, then I start having troubles.

Like mentioned above, cool the mold with a damp rag, leave the sprue warm. And then I've found slowing cadence slightly helps a bit.

[bzajdek]

sometimes you just have to control mold temperature and thus the diameter of the boolits it produces.
I have to absolutely control the mold and alloy temperature of a couple of my molds or they will make boolits heavier and larger in diameter than necessary.

this just causes me to waste my time and efforts as they get wiped out in the sizing die and won't shoot.
yes a .3gr weight gain is the difference between a sub 1/2" group at 2400+ fps, and shotgun type patterns.

Could you elaborate on your controlling mold and alloy temp or they will make larger boolits than necessary?
i think I understand a cool alloy and mold will drop a larger boolit as well as using a harder alloy. And a hot alloy and mold will cast a smaller diameter and lighter boolit as well as using a softer alloy ex. Less antimony and tin do it have this correct?

[runfiverun]

they will make larger and smaller depending on the mold temp.
the alloy temp is what adds heat, and it wandering up and down 50-75 degrees isn't gonna help narrow your window.

if I am just making something like a 429667 and it's coming out between 430 and 4305 and the weight varies from 245 to 250 grs I'm not too concerned.

but a 165gr boolit that has a sloping throat alignment band and a tapered nose cannot do the job properly if I get an increase/decrease in diameter on that front angle area.

your alloy of course will make an increase or decrease in diameter, and a hotter mold will shrink the cavity size [which is why I lap my molds when they are hot]
so holding the mold temp, alloy temp and composition consistent will help.

how you hold the mold, and your cut count is also going to help consistency.
another thing many over look is how full you keep the pot, it influences the pressure behind the stream.
focusing on casting to keep things consistent is a tiring effort mentally, and they do make some tools [pid controllers and temp probes as well as mold locks] to help if you want to go that route.

[Dale53]

I use a small manicurists fan at my casting bench. It cools the sprue quickly and also keeps the mold temperature stable. I costs less than $10.00.
You can find them at Target (where I got mine) and Walmart:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/Castingfan-3723.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Castingfan-3723.jpg.html)

They are quiet and move just enough air to keep moulds at maintenance temperatures. I can cast all day with two, four, and six cavity moulds of iron, aluminum, and brass. One of the absolute best additions to my casting bench.

Dale53

[Beagle333]

Any other ideas?

You could always powdercoat em. 8-)

Thumb through here...... a lot of 'em are p-r-e-t-t-y shiny!:-D

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?251956-Powder-coated-bullets-pics-only

[bzajdek]

I need to work on consistency but thankfully don't cast for rifle yet! I have noticed how much lead is in the pot effects mold fill out.

Also I cut the sprue when the last cavity poured changes from shiny to matte, not sure if this is too short or long to wait. I believe my alloy temp does not vary too much but i bet my mold temp is all over the place, i really don't know an effective way to measure this while I am casting at a fair pace to keep the sprue plate hot enough.

I am still learning so much but I have boolits that will probably out shoot my level of handgun shooting right now anyway. I do powder coat for 9mm and 45acp. but still like the look of lead boolits in 44 and 357 revolvers, although that is probably where the powder coat may help at high velocity.

[runfiverun]

I don't know how we ever shot maximum loads before P/C come along and saved us all.

just count after the fill or get a ticking clock to help your cadence.
I usually fill my cavity's and count to 5 or 7 and break the sprue, I adjust on the fly and don't try to really hurry just maintain a consistent pace.
you can feel a too cold break or a too hot break of the sprue in your hand.
if you wait too long you'll have to get the stick out and whack it.

[JSnover]

If you just MUST have shiny boolits, polish them with a rag after casting.

Personally I care less if they are shiny or not. Frosty's shoot just as good.

A shiny boolit shoots just as straight as a frosty. I personally strive for perfect fills, flat bases and repeatable weights, not glossy shiny boolits.

banger

What he said^
A buddy of mine gets nice shiny boolits by casting about 15% tin. Too me that's more than three times as much Sn as you need. Why waste it?

[therealhitman]

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj80/Dale53/Castingfan-3723.jpg (http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Castingfan-3723.jpg.html)



Oh my Dale. The EPA is on their way to your casting room...something about dangers to California Condors?
:kidding:

[blikseme300]

I don't know how we ever shot maximum loads before P/C come along and saved us all.

just count after the fill or get a ticking clock to help your cadence.
I usually fill my cavity's and count to 5 or 7 and break the sprue, I adjust on the fly and don't try to really hurry just maintain a consistent pace.
you can feel a too cold break or a too hot break of the sprue in your hand.
if you wait too long you'll have to get the stick out and whack it.


^^^:drinks:

Each mold has it's own optimum cadence and once you get to the point where you can feel the difference if things are getting out of whack you have reached the happy place. I use my gloved hand to sometimes nudge/whack a CB from the mold and know that if the stick is needed that something needs tuning/changing. Good lighting helps as you can better see the change in reflectivity of the sprue as this is a good indication of what the CB state is.

[gray wolf]

cast a little slower

cool the mold on a wet rag or sponge

leave a smaller sprue


first couple of pours yield shiny boolits although the sprue plate is not really warmed up yet
It's not so much the sprue plate, the mold is cold and giving the shiny bullets.


Then as the sprue plate warms and get easy to cut sprues the boolits start to frost. This happen on an aluminum lee 6 cavity 230 gr 45 pistol mold
Again it's the mold getting to hot, don't get all hung up on the sprue plate.


If i slow down the pace to cool the mold the sprue will harden before i have filled all the cavities and i don't think i can lower the melt temperature. Any other ideas?
This is clearly a cadance, temperature thing, granted Aluminum molds are a tad more sensitive to holding and loosing heat.
A correctly heated mold, along with the proper alloy Temp, should not give this problem.