Stunning service from UK mold maker

[MBTcustom]

This guy makes ball molds. Any size you want. My latest squeeze is a 10 gauge SXS and I needed a .778 RB mold for it. A friend turned me onto this place and I contacted them not sure what to expect. I was first surprosed to receive a prompt reply to my email. Yes, he could make my mold, and he was ready to work for me.

There was the little issue of his needing payment in British pounds, and I told him I would check into Paypal and see if I could figure out how to do that.
Quick as a flash he told me this was no problem as he would send me an invoice via Paypal. "Cool" I thought.
At that point, I got busy with life and didn't check my email for a couple days. I just checked my email and I had a message from this guy telling me that he had cut my mold and it was in the mail!!!! he sent the tracking number as well, and requested that I settle the invoice when I get a chance!
Needless to say, I've never mashed the "pay this dude" button with so much vigor and gusto in my life.

I will report on the quality of the product directly, but gosh dam if his product is half as good as his service and turnaround, I'll be doing a lot more business with this fellow. Thought I would share for those of you that need a round ball mold!

http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/moulds.html

[waksupi]

I've bought several from him. They actually drop round spheres, unlike many other makers. Cast hot, and the sprue will usually break off when the ball is dropped. Probably wouldn't be hard to fabricate a sprue cutter for them, I just haven't seen a pressing need to.

Check your mail box, you will be surprised at how fast you get your mold!

[M-Tecs]

I have had that type of service a couple of times but it's very rare today. Nice post GoodSteel

[Maven]

Jeff Tanner is always a pleasure to deal with and his product and service are excellent!

[MBTcustom]

I've bought several from him. They actually drop round spheres, unlike many other makers. Cast hot, and the sprue will usually break off when the ball is dropped. Probably wouldn't be hard to fabricate a sprue cutter for them, I just haven't seen a pressing need to.

Check your mail box, you will be surprised at how fast you get your mold!

Very exciting. Cant wait to try it.

[TXGunNut]

Hmmm...I do admit to passing the time now and then shooting a C&B revolver (or two) and I even have a pretty outstanding Hawken rifle around here somewhere. Lee moulds are pretty decent but something tells me this Tanner guy is a class or two above what I have. Looking forward to a product (and range) report, Tim.

[MBTcustom]

This is my Christmas project. I hope to have a report soon.

[Cerberus62]

Very exciting. Cant wait to try it.Tim, what are you using for handles on this mold?

[Maven]

Not Tim, but I use RCBS handles on mine, but I think Lyman handles also fit them.

[primersp]

jef makes a vert good job,i have thé mold in less than à week ,i use Lee handles on

[MBTcustom]

I've got almost every handle made, but I'm going to try to use my Lyman single cavity handles if they fit the mold and allow it to open far enough. If not, I'm probably going with RCBS like Maven

[square butte]

As per the Good Lord's wishes - Deleted

[Lonegun1894]

I can't wait to hear of your results. Should be good from everything I have read of him.

[square butte]

Goodsteel - Appreciate the review

[Hogtamer]

Let's see, a perfectly round lead ball is gonna be swaged through bore, so it's gonna be out of round the instant it leaves the barrel by the difference between bore diameter and the diameter of the ball.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

He and his moulds do indeed have a good reputation. The only improvement I can suggest is that if you have some kind of reamer or burr to ream the cylindrical part of the hole slightly conical, the sprue will be more likely to break off where it joins the ball, rather than some unpredictable point.

[Freischütz]

Nice gauge to diameter in inches conversion chart in the FAQ section of the website.

[MBTcustom]

I got the mold today and it was pretty. The machining was satisfactory, and the designation was inscribed carefully with an electric pencil on one side, and Jeff put my name (correctly spelled) on the other. This is the second mold that the maker has taken the care to personalize for me, and it's such a treat.
I cast a few lead balls and it took a few cycles to break the mold in and get it running young, but soon I was dropping lead spheres.
I did measure a few of them and they were indeed .008 out of round, but it was in the direction of the mold halves like there was something stuck between the faces causing the mold to be beagled. Sure enough, somehow, I got some spatter on the alignment ring. Also, I got it too hot and there is lead frost stuck to the inside of the cavities (sue me. It's my first time, and this mold heats up suddenly).
I'll work it over tomorrow when it's cool and try it again.
The good news is I specified a diameter of .778-.780 and Jeff made sure that the smallest diameter was not less than .778 as I requested. The balls are larger than the bore of my gun, (.775) and that's all that counts.
I'm happy.
Just think, if it were not for this small business, there wouldn't be any option to buy anything even close to what is needed for custom RB shotgun/cannon loads. I think Jeff Tanner and his lathe is a valuable asset to the shooting community, and we are very lucky to have his services as an option.

155611
155612
155614
155615
This last picture is of a 45-70 laying amongst the balls for size comparison.

[Lonegun1894]

Looks great, Goodsteel. Mind if I ask about the gun?

[MBTcustom]

Looks great, Goodsteel. Mind if I ask about the gun?

This thread was only praise for the mold maker. I have a seperate thread going in which I am recording details about the shotgun, and load workup. See Post #4 here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?294165-10-gauge-round-ball-loads

[Lonegun1894]

Thank you for the info, and sorry for the thread drift.

[waksupi]

I use some Bullplate lube, and put a coat on the areas where the mold joins.

[Ola]

I just made an order. Thanks for the tip!

[MBTcustom]

I have solved the issue with the mold, and found where it likes to run. I slowed down my cycle time, and it is now casting balls that are round within .001 measured from any direction, and they are dropping within 1 grain of weight. Oddly enough, a strange quirk of this mold is that when it gets hot it drops the balls under weight. I have to cast patiently, and give the mold time to cool between cycles, and keep pouring for a one-one-thousand count after the mold is full, and the balls drop at 682 grains right on the money like clockwork.
What a mold!
I informed Jeff Tanner about this thread and sent him a link, so he may be reading it soon. Thanks Jeff!!!!

[longbow]

Tim:

You must be aware of the issue some have with tinning of the brass moulds. It has never been a problem for me but I seldom add tin so have never had a tinning problem.

What alloy are you using? If you are using #2 or other alloy with added tin you might try straight wheelweights. I doubt you will get problems with fillout of the lube grooves on those babies!

If the tinning persists, there are a couple of threads regarding producing a patina on the brass so the tinning will stop. Mal Paso started one if memory serves.

Looking forward to field tests of these SKOOKUM balls of yours!

Longbow

[MBTcustom]

Tim:

You must be aware of the issue some have with tinning of the brass moulds. It has never been a problem for me but I seldom add tin so have never had a tinning problem.

What alloy are you using? If you are using #2 or other alloy with added tin you might try straight wheelweights. I doubt you will get problems with fillout of the lube grooves on those babies!

If the tinning persists, there are a couple of threads regarding producing a patina on the brass so the tinning will stop. Mal Paso started one if memory serves.

Looking forward to field tests of these SKOOKUM balls of yours!

Longbow

I am casting with House alloy. It is 95/2.5/2.5
The frosting on the inside of the mold was caused by running it too hot, and striking the hinge bolt too aggressively. I was giving the mold handles a sharp pop with my rubber hammer in order to make the sprue jump off the mold. This looks really cool, but it's a bad idea because there is no oxygen in the mold with the ball, and when I would strike the hinge bolt, it would make the lead inside the mold press upward, and that's where all the frosting was.
I polished out the cavities today and got rid of the lead stuck to the top of the cavity. Now that I understood the timing this mold needs, and also the fact that the sprue breaks right off when the ball hits the t-shirt, I cast slow and used gentle taps to help the mold open, and all the problems went away.
Once again I find that casting is a gentleman's occupation, and a little restraint goes a long way. Slow, deliberate and steady; that's the name of the game.

[longbow]

I'm betting those big balls heat up that mould pretty quick, so as you say, a slow steady pace is probably the way to go and possibly a little cooling every "X" number of balls cast. Might be a good application for two moulds and alternate. I bet Jeff would agree!:-P

[Cap'n Morgan]

I know it's akin to heresy to many, but I dunk my brass molds in water while casting. I mostly cast big 500+ grain .45s and shotgun slugs and the molds heat up real fast.

It cannot be stressed too much that the dunkin' should be done before opening the mold, to prevent water entering the cavities (and a subsequent visit from the tinsel fairy) Also, the mold should still be hot enough for the remaining water to evaporate in a few seconds. Forget any old wives tales of the mold warping - ain't gonna happen.

[MBTcustom]

I know it's akin to heresy to many, but I dunk my brass molds in water while casting. I mostly cast big 500+ grain .45s and shotgun slugs and the molds heat up real fast.

It cannot be stressed too much that the dunkin' should be done before opening the mold, to prevent water entering the cavities (and a subsequent visit from the tinsel fairy) Also, the mold should still be hot enough for the remaining water to evaporate in a few seconds. Forget any old wives tales of the mold warping - ain't gonna happen.

I certainly will not argue with what someone else does with their molds, but for me, the art of casting is not about piling up the bullets, but using the mold in a way that caters to its needs. I take great pride in the fact that my molds are clean and bright, I put nothing in the cavities, and I do not manage the heat with external sources except the ambient air temperature. I like to be able to quickly find the speed and heat a mold needs and simply run it that way "pinky in the air" so to speak.
Understand, I used to keep a wet rag next to the pot and I would use it to cool the mold between cycles, but I consider that barbaric behavior now. LOL!

[too many things]

when I saw the post it was out of round I knew it was you. I have 4 and for $45 or so they are by far the best. First you are used to steel or AL brass is not the same to cast with. DO NOT try to use a mold release . Kroil works but if you heat mold to let it turn to the light brownish color you don't need anything. The size you are casting a light mill file will remove any sprut look.
as for other question about handles. Lee 6 works great , but need to file the inside tips so the mold closes right .
Jeff Tanner molds
he is on the net and used to be here at one time. he may still be in member list
but you old guys will have to use PAY PAL

[longbow]

I'm with you Cap'n Morgan. I also cool moulds when I am heavy into a casting session especially with large slugs. I have never damaged a mould and I even cool them in snow in the winter. Iron, brass and aluminum, no problem.

Longbow

Rereading Tim's post I have to say that I am a "barbarian". I have been called worse...

[Cap'n Morgan]

My last Brenneke mold was made from stainless steel. Looking back it was probably a bad idea as SS takes forever to cool down due to low thermal conductivity. Any 'Zen Session' approach to casting with this bugger would probably end up in a ZZZzzzZZZzzz...https://smileyshack.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/sbed_sleep_100-106.gif?w=118&h=150 Session.

[longbow]

Hahahah! I had one of the machinists at a mine I worked at many years ago make me a pushout mould for my .44 Marlin. He thought he was doing me a favour by using duplex stainless because it is expensive. Well, the mould produced very nice boolits for paper patching but once heated up I had to dunk it to cool it for that very same reason. It does cast nice boolits though.

Give me plain old iron, steel or brass and I am a happy camper. I still lean towards iron moulds. I like 'em.

Longbow

[Springfield]

Nothing barbaric about using a fan to cool the mould to speed up production. Time is one of the few things we cannot control nor get any extra of.

[cbashooter]

I've got a couple jt molds.no matter what I do I can't get constantly good balls without teardrop voids.I've got way over 100 molds of all types and materials and over 3 decades casting and these baffle me?

[MBTcustom]

Pour so that the lead is thrown straight down the hole. Once the mold is full and the lead pops out the top, just keep pouring for another second or two. While it may seem like you're just running lead over the mold, you're actually keeping steady pressure while the molten lead inside the mold solidifies and shrinks.

I've had to use this technique with several molds of large capacity.

[cbashooter]

Tried that.maybe mine are cursed!
His molds are well made, priced and service great.I just can't seem to accept the peculiarities of them.

[MBTcustom]

That's weird. What alloy do you cast with?

[Cap'n Morgan]

From the look of the molds it could be a venting problem. Since there's no sprue plate, the only way for the air to escape is through the sprue hole. Try filling the mold slowly, perhaps canting it a little to keep the lead stream from clogging the sprue hole until the cavity is completely filled.

[MBTcustom]

I just need to get in here and post one more time, because I figured WTH(eck) and decided to try Cap'n Morgan's mold dunking method and I'm here to report it works like a charm.
I would fill the mold, then poke it under the water as fast as I could. Seems if I did this every other cycle, I could keep rolling steady. The only problem with this method is that the sprue then freezes in place, adn does not fall off when the ball falls from the mold. I found that I do not really have a good way to cut the sprues off, so I have to work on that. I used a chisel to pop them off after everything cooled down. Leaves a nasty tit, but I don't really care.

[Cap'n Morgan]

Taper the sprue like BiS suggested or perhaps enlarging most of the sprue hole with a drill, leaving just a small, sharp gate of the original hole size. A twist of the sprue should then snap it close to the ball. It could even be that the sprue will now snap when you dunk it in water.