Lead melter
05-13-2008, 10:02 AM
I tried my first attempt at beagling a mold yesterday. Local Lowes store had some aluminum adhesive tape for use around A/C ducts. Picked up a roll and cut the strips to attach to the mating surfaces of the mold.
Mold is Lee C312-185-1R. Cast about sixty boolits today and at first was getting 'fins' on the nose. Cured that problem by running the mold hot and squeezing the handles a bit harder. Good looking boolits, the 312 ended up as .313" to .3155" depending on where they are measured. Put the mold aside to cool.
Smelted down a length of old lead toilet drain pipe [unused] which took about 45 minutes, decided to cast a few boolits just to see how soft the drain pipe stuff is. Cast the first 2 boolits, and mold felt tight as it came apart. Next two cast I looked at the mold and the adhesive from the tape was sticking all over the mating surfaces, pulling apart like chewing gum.
The boolits didn't seem to be affected by the adhesive, but this can't be right.
Do I need to clean this stuff out, let it burn itself off, leave it alone 'till it goes away, or what? The aluminum is still on the mold faces...I can feel it with a fingernail, but the gooey stuff is confusing me.
What gives? :confused:
Mold is Lee C312-185-1R. Cast about sixty boolits today and at first was getting 'fins' on the nose. Cured that problem by running the mold hot and squeezing the handles a bit harder. Good looking boolits, the 312 ended up as .313" to .3155" depending on where they are measured. Put the mold aside to cool.
Smelted down a length of old lead toilet drain pipe [unused] which took about 45 minutes, decided to cast a few boolits just to see how soft the drain pipe stuff is. Cast the first 2 boolits, and mold felt tight as it came apart. Next two cast I looked at the mold and the adhesive from the tape was sticking all over the mating surfaces, pulling apart like chewing gum.
The boolits didn't seem to be affected by the adhesive, but this can't be right.
Do I need to clean this stuff out, let it burn itself off, leave it alone 'till it goes away, or what? The aluminum is still on the mold faces...I can feel it with a fingernail, but the gooey stuff is confusing me.
What gives? :confused: