Half of mold doesn't fill out.

[wbrco]

Title says it all. As I'm getting better at this I see that one side of my 358156 DC doesn't fill out as well.

Any advice from the more experienced?

I'm casting Coww with some tin added at between 700-725 degrees. Half the bullet will have nice sharp edges, and the other half will be rounded. I'm culling about 50%

[Beagle333]

Cast faster. Don't stop and cull, don't admire or critique them, just work on a fast rhythm and when they start dropping filled out, then you can slow to a pace that maintains good drops. There will be plenty of time to poke through them looking for culls later. But until you get a good drop of all cavities every time, cast like a man with a mission. ;-)

[runfiverun]

that's how my 375449 works too.
I'm dumping them out when they still look wet.

[Mk42gunner]

I'd run a toothpick along all the vent lines before trying again. And of course, cast faster.

Robert

[w5pv]

If you have some kroil take a tooth brush and scrub your cavities out,you will be amaze at the results

[44man]

Mold is just not hot enough. Change to a ladle and you will never go back. I like the Lyman best and drill the hole a tad larger.
Turn the mold, engage the ladle and tip up, hold the ladle long enough so the boolit takes molten lead from the ladle, NOT the sprue.
Keep the nose of the ladle clean with a cotton rag so it does not leak.
I heat soak my molds in a little mold oven on a hot plate to 500° and if I get 1 reject from a full 20# pot, it was my fault. My little electric box oven has a BBQ thermometer in the top. First boolit will be perfect.

[Ohio Rusty]

I have several moulds that like a different pour. One likes the pour spout right against the mould block sprue plate hole. Another mould doesn't fill out well unless the pour spout is off the sprue plate hole. My guess is this permits the lead to push out all the air that can get trapped in the mould as it fills the mould from the nose up. Round balls are a whole different monster yet. Those get hand poured from a ladle and I keep pouring and pouring into the sprue hole letting all the lead run off back into the pot. This keeps the sprue molten permitting any air bubble in the round ball to escape. If the sprue hardens too quickly, the round ball has a bubble void in the ball causing flyers because one side of the ball is heavier than the other. Ever seen one of the joke cue pool balls that wobble when you hit it ?? The round ball with a bubble void does the same and flies off target.
Bullet moulds seem to have their own personalities .....
Ohio Rusty ><>

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Half the bullet will have nice sharp edges, and the other half will be rounded.

Could be poor venting, could be shrinkage, but without seeing photos, it's tough to give a good diagnosis.

If it's shrinkage, you need to keep the sprue plate hotter by pouring a larger sprue puddle, this allows the sprue puddle from freezing before the boolit. As the boolit freezes it shrinks and will pull alloy from the sprue puddle if it's still molten...If it's not, you will see poor fillout. Also, If it is always on the same side, I'm bettin' you are tilting the mold.

[wbrco]

I think I found my problem. Mold temperature. I speeded up my process and had much better results.

I wasn't culling as I cast but was giving 15 seconds after the pour to open the mold. Cut that in half. Cull percentage went down to about 15%.

[runfiverun]

I'm closer to one one-thousand 5 or 7 depending on the sprue changing color [flashing over]
I keep a steady watch and count in my head.

[zomby woof]

Add thermometer to mold

[44man]

I have never found any mold different, have hundreds, aluminum and steel. All cast the exact same. I sometimes cast with one steel and my aluminum at the same time and have gone overboard running three molds at the same time. Double cavities. It takes time to get all to heat so I get a lot more boolits from the first molds until the last is ready. I cast one, let the sprue just set and set it on an oak board, go to the next and rotate. All is feel, I never even use a thermometer in the pot.
Many times I set the mold on the board, go out to pee and pick up where I left with no change.
Casting is a slow, even flow without timing or getting frantic. Cutting and dropping molten lead or pouring lead all over is not seen at my bench.

[Hamish]

I'm closer to one one-thousand 5 or 7 depending on the sprue changing color [flashing over]
I keep a steady watch and count in my head.

wbrco, note he said "flash over". As you found out, just picking an arbitrary amount of time won't get it. Doesn't matter the mould material, start from flash over and add a second or two as the castings dictate.

[Echo]

I'd run a toothpick along all the vent lines before trying again. And of course, cast faster.

Robert
Plus One... sounds like a venting problem to me. Maybe not...