ssn vet
05-07-2008, 03:02 PM
Well, after smelting my little heart out on Saturday, I've now gone and done it.....
I did the deed.......
and it's ...... TWINS (actually it's 50tuplets) ...
7355
I made a number of blunders.....but still managed to get 50 nice looking bullets...
details....
material = good 'ol wheel weights
mold = Lee 312-155
weight = ??? (my scale doesn't go up that high)
diameter = .312 at the lube ring, .306 at the body (and very consistant)
I dropped the first 20 into a wet towel, the next 50 were water dropped into a coffee can filled with water.
I culled about 15 bullets....mostly from the water dropped group.
In 20/20 hindsight, I did several things wrong ....
1. I sprayed to much carbon on the mold
2. I didn't keep the mold hot enough
3. I might not have had the pot hot enough
4. I was letting them cool to long before hitting the sprue plate (counted to 10)
5. I should have knocked a couple of burrs off the mold before I started.
6. I didn't lube the mold in all the right spots
But hey! I got 50 decent lookin' bullets done and didn't get kicked out of the basement by my wife.
Post casting events...
I cleaned the mold up with Coleman fuel...
I broke down and mailed in an order to the Bull Shop for sprue plate lube...
Posted pics hear...and now I can say....:castmine: :)
The instructions for the Lee mold say to whack the sprues before the "buttons" solidify. Can anyone give me some tips on when to strike them? time? observed indications?
Likewise, I'm not sure how long to wait before I drop them.
And finally, is there any way to prevent a bottom poor Lee PRO 4 pot from dripping as it cools down? I poored out all that I could into an ingot mold when I was done, but then got several dribbles as the pot cooled off. Which makes me suspect that it will be drbbling agian the next time I heat it up.
:lovebooli:cbpour::lovebooli:castmine:
I did the deed.......
and it's ...... TWINS (actually it's 50tuplets) ...
7355
I made a number of blunders.....but still managed to get 50 nice looking bullets...
details....
material = good 'ol wheel weights
mold = Lee 312-155
weight = ??? (my scale doesn't go up that high)
diameter = .312 at the lube ring, .306 at the body (and very consistant)
I dropped the first 20 into a wet towel, the next 50 were water dropped into a coffee can filled with water.
I culled about 15 bullets....mostly from the water dropped group.
In 20/20 hindsight, I did several things wrong ....
1. I sprayed to much carbon on the mold
2. I didn't keep the mold hot enough
3. I might not have had the pot hot enough
4. I was letting them cool to long before hitting the sprue plate (counted to 10)
5. I should have knocked a couple of burrs off the mold before I started.
6. I didn't lube the mold in all the right spots
But hey! I got 50 decent lookin' bullets done and didn't get kicked out of the basement by my wife.
Post casting events...
I cleaned the mold up with Coleman fuel...
I broke down and mailed in an order to the Bull Shop for sprue plate lube...
Posted pics hear...and now I can say....:castmine: :)
The instructions for the Lee mold say to whack the sprues before the "buttons" solidify. Can anyone give me some tips on when to strike them? time? observed indications?
Likewise, I'm not sure how long to wait before I drop them.
And finally, is there any way to prevent a bottom poor Lee PRO 4 pot from dripping as it cools down? I poored out all that I could into an ingot mold when I was done, but then got several dribbles as the pot cooled off. Which makes me suspect that it will be drbbling agian the next time I heat it up.
:lovebooli:cbpour::lovebooli:castmine: