Speed Cassting

[JohnH]

Guess I should have looked at BruceB's article a bit closer, but more on that in a minute....

Last night I cast up 13 pounds of metal into Lee 357-158-RF's, (a double cavity mold) 575 bullets if you do the math, 9.somethingoranother a minute if you do some more math, a LOT of bullets for an hours work. Cast up 199 Lee 375-250 RF (a single cavity mold) with another hours work.

I use the Lee 10 pound Production pot, and my ingots weigh right at 1 pound, I find that when I keep the pot full I can add one after a pour and it will be melted by the time I return to the pot after emptying the mold.

Needless to say I didn't stop for anything, but I wasn't hurrying either. I use a Craftsman screwdriver for a mold mallet, I hammer with the plastic end and if needed can turn the spigot shaft readily as the screwdriver never leaves my right hand.

Only problem is that I wasn't cooling the sprues (I told you I should have read Bruces edifice) So I now have a mold that has lead build up on the sprue plate and mold top. It ain't bad, but I need to remove it before another run. What is the best way to remove lead smears? Does cooling the sprues like this have a negitive effect on water quenching the bullets?

Thanks,

JohnH

[Bass Ackward]

What is the best way to remove lead smears? Does cooling the sprues like this have a negitive effect on water quenching the bullets?

John,

Use a natural fiber like cotton when the mold is hot. Wipes right off. Negative effect on water quenching? I doubt it if you are quick. And you have to be quick to use the process. Sounds like an experiment to me.

[Willbird]

I do not think it has a negative effect on quenching bullets hot from the mold, I am a neophyte to the process but I alter the sprueplate quench time (one one thousand two one thousand) depending on whether or not the bullets are too hot when thesprue is cut, if the sprue tears a hole in a bullet base I increase the sprue plate quench time,one has to wait until the bullet cools to that temp anyway before cutting the sprue so it seems to me that quenching the sprue plate just shortens that wait time, and may in fact leave the bulk of the bullet hotter when it hits the water.

Bill

[buck1]

Wax! !!
Put a small touch of wax on the lead smear, cast a few bullets . They may be bad if a little gets in to the cavity. But in a few casts the wax and the smear will be gone. (I dont know why, but it really works) ...buck