Already ruined a mold

[Mauser48]

Well I already destroyed a Lee mold in about 20 minutes. When the mold was open it dipped a little too far into the pot and get some lead into the cavities. After several pours the lead never melted out and got stuck there. I went and looked at the mold and one of the tumble lube grooves looks like it's mashed into the next one. Not sure exactly how that happens.

[Hickory]

Use a propane torch or a hot plate to melt the lead.
When the lead starts to drip tap the hinge pin with a mallet, but not too hard. If there is still lead on the mold, do it again. Just don't strike the mould. Eventually you will "get the lead out."

[tazman]

You can also use a wooden tool such as a Popsicle stick to help scrape the lead out when it gets hot.

[Eddie17]

Hickory has the fix!
Go slow with the heat!
Eddie17

[Mauser48]

Tried all that. Problem is the almunim is messed up.

[Eddie17]

Pictures would help!

[reddog81]

How long was the mold in the pot?

Aluminum melts at about 1200 degrees.

[Mauser48]

How long was the mold in the pot?

Aluminum melts at about 1200 degrees.

Not long...I think it was me using a pick. I'll get up pics soon.

[Hickory]

Tried all that. Problem is the aluminum is messed up.

A learning experience for sure.
Just be glad it was an inexpensive Lee mold.

[Mauser48]

207999

[Mauser48]

It's that bottom cavity. I'm thinking what it was, was me trying to peel the lead out with a metal pick. I didn't believe it at first because it kind of looked like that before. Then I got to thinking, it really can't be anything else.

[runfiverun]

run it anyway.
it's a TL mold a roll or scrunch ain't gonna shoot no worse and no better.

[Mauser48]

208001

I guess I probably could run it. This is about the worst looking bullet. This is when there was a good amount of lead in it to, I cleaned pretty much all of it out. This was my first casting session. I'll give it another go tomorrow since I'm a little more comfortable.

[country gent]

If its a "crush" or ding the metal is still there and might be able to be pushed back into place with a hard wood form. Make it from hard maple rose wood is good to to match the grooves angle and close to the radious of the bullet. Make it long enough to get ahold of it good. with solid hand pressure pull it thru the damaged groove grooves. the idea is to flow or push the metal back into place. Go slow with fairly heavy hand pressure and see what happens. You might be surprised here. We fixed moulds at work with a radioused punch working the raised metal back into the damaged spot these were hardened steel casting dies. The aluminum should move with the hardwood and hand pressure.

[GhostHawk]

I don't stick mine in the pot anymore.

I sent the end of the mold (closed) on the rim and slope it at maybe 75 degree angle. Then pour maybe 3 ladle's full down the bottom to warm the mold. Then start pouring. It will take a pour or 2 to warm the sprue and finish warming the mold. But no problems with lead cooling around the whole mold, etc.

They are a learning curve.

At least it was not a 150$ custom job. Easy enough to replace. Chalk it up to the cost of higher education. School of hard knocks.

[Nick Quick]

I would coat or lube, size and reload 30-40 rounds. Then I'd shoot and check the barrel. The bullets don't look that bad. If they don't lead the barrel I don't care how beautiful or ugly is a thing I'll never see again after pullin the trigger.

[Grmps]

Get the mold hot, open the mold and flood the inside with lead building up a good pile of lead then pop it off. this should remove any lead in the groves.

[blikseme300]

IMO a hot plate is a must have for all casters. The solid hot plate I have is used for heating molds, making and melting lube, boiling water when rust bluing and even as a heat source for the sweat box when rust bluing.

[RogerDat]

+1 on having a hot plate, get the temp knob right and you can even take a break without having to re-prep you mold. The ones that are a solid surface work best. Around $20 at the big box stores. Block of 2x4 under the handles to keep the mold flat on the surface helps too.

If you use the older coil heating element hot plates an old circular saw blade can give you a safe surface to set an aluminum mold on.

[krallstar]

I use an electric rectangular griddle to heat my molds. I also put the ingots to be melted on there. Takes much less time for pot to come back up to temp.

[Walter Laich]

the bullet looks similar to mine when I get a new mold. Oil left over from the manufacturing process. reason I say this is the mold doesn't look like the flaw on the actual bullet
I usually have 3-4 casting sessions like this till the oil is all gone. <this if I didn't do a good job of degreasing the mold the first time
they shoot just fine even with this slight defect

[longbow]

Use wood or plastic if trying to get cold lead out of any mould. Aluminum of any kind is easy to damage with metal tools and Lee moulds are soft aluminum so even easier to damage.

The advice to heat the mould until the lead starts to melt is good. Then use a popsicle stick or splinter of wood to scrape. Sometimes all you need to do is heat to the melting point of lead then wipe with a rag or paper towel.

Don't overheat! A decent indicator is to heat until sprue plate lube is smoking. That is close to the melting temperature of lead. Don't heat too much past the melting temperature of lead and don't put a propane torch flame on one spot of the mould and leave it there as you could warp the mould either way. It is also possible that you could cause localized melting if too much heat is applied to one spot on the mould.

Yes, get a hot plate and pre-heat the mould on the hot plate. Again, my temperature indicator is when the sprue plate lube just starts to smoke. The mould is actually a bit too hot then but it settles in after the first few casts which take some time for the sprue puddle to harden.

Longbow

[Randy C]

I have been lucky, I had several years of reading and learning the tricks everybody here talks about before I did my first casting and Bernie at OLD WEST Bullet Moulds showed me the basics my first time. But I am always learning new tricks and keeping up on the fundamentals when I'm on this sight. Good Folks here. Do what they say and get back on the saddle you will enjoy this hobby. :}

[toallmy]

I am a bit hard headed even though I was constantly told by members to pre heat before casting I put off the hot plate , and would constantly battle with getting the molds and sprue plate up to casting temp until I finely gave up and did the saw blade on the burner thing to try preheating before starting to cast, O my goodness what a difference it made , as others have pointed out try it . The poor fill out , wrinkles , hard to cut sprue all are a thing of the past .

[bedbugbilly]

If the cavity is toast or you don't like the boolit it drops - or can't figure out a fix - you at least still have a single cavity mold to use. I know it drops your production in half on a double cavity but at least you can still cast with the single good cavity. It doesn't make you feel any better I know, but at least it was with an inexpensive Lee mold and not a Accurate or NOE, etc.

[Mauser48]

I tried again and I can't get any bullets to come out good. Now they look slightly out of round at the base. Also slag is constantly in the pot and attached to the ladle and if I'm not scooping it out the whole time it just keeps constantly forming. Not sure how I'm supposed to pour a decent bullet with a ladle.

[swheeler]

What I see is concave on the bullet? to me that means there is something inside the mold>lead, so heat it up on the stove and wipe it hard with a piece of burlap using your thumb to go around the TL bands. If you get most out keep casting with it and let the mold get HOT hoping it will take all the adhered lead with it. Ditch the pick around your molds, especially aluminum molds.:-(

[Dusty Bannister]

I tried again and I can't get any bullets to come out good. Now they look slightly out of round at the base. Also slag is constantly in the pot and attached to the ladle and if I'm not scooping it out the whole time it just keeps constantly forming. Not sure how I'm supposed to pour a decent bullet with a ladle.

Would you mind telling us what alloy you are using that is producing slag constantly? If you are not putting clean alloy into the mold, you will never get it cleaned out and casting properly. Slag is usually something hard left from weld splatter, perhaps you mean dross? That can be soft or fluffy, and often gray and dusty with bits of lead mixed in. Correctly fluxing and reducing will help control that problem, unless you have other contamination in the casting pot.

[john.k]

ive only been on here a month,and I love it.I get some great laughs from some of the stuff here.This one is a classic.

[John Boy]

Mauser - for starters: from the looks of the bullet you posted the grease groove bands are not filled out. Means your mold and melt are not up to the proper temperature (say 700 -750). So heat the melt & mold up and stuck lead should melt out with a few cast bullets

[Mauser48]

ive only been on here a month,and I love it.I get some great laughs from some of the stuff here.This one is a classic.

You can own guns in your country?

[Traffer]

It seems that almost every time a nooby has problems with casting it is because they are not running hot enough. Just remember this: Until your bullets come out frosty, you are not too hot. Even the frosty ones are ok to shoot. It just tells you to let it cool a little. Very not rocket science. I would say it is easier than making pancakes. People have an unreasonable fear of screwing up nowadays. That causes more screw ups than anything else. Be bold there noobs. Get into your head what to do and just do it.

[toallmy]

I can't really help out with ladle pouring because I have only dabbled with ladle casting , but when I get my pot up to temp ,I add a little bee's wax or lube in the pot and it usually keeps the top of the melting lead smooth like a mirror - witch I think is important in casting with a ladle as well as keeping the ladle hot .

[gray wolf]

ive only been on here a month,and I love it.I get some great laughs from some of the stuff here.This one is a classic.

Funny thing, I never get a giggle out of other peoples problems.

[Wayne Smith]

If you are running a high tin alloy that 'slag' that appears to hang from your ladle is oxidizing tin - and you may be running your melt too hot. Toss in some wax and light the smoke to reduce the oxide back into the melt.

[David2011]

Just wondering if Leementing might help smooth out the cavities. Basically that means spinning the boolits in the cavities with abrasive on them, lots of posts here on the subject. It might be worth a try but only after you’ve gotten the mold hot enough to be certain that there’s no lead stuck in the cavities.

[Lloyd Smale]

have to agree with runfive run. Way to much store is taken in perfect looking bullets. Ive seen some pretty ugly ones shoot just as good of groups at handgun ranges as perfect ones.
run it anyway.
it's a TL mold a roll or scrunch ain't gonna shoot no worse and no better.

[Mauser48]

Thanks for the help guys. I went at it again the other day and got some good pours. I made sure everything was real hot and just stayed at it for awhile. I have 100 rounds of 38 loaded up now! Still not digging the ladle though. My bench is a little low.

[james nicholson]

Invest in a lead thermometer and read about casting temps on this forum. This will cure many boolit problems. And later on, you might consider a PID temp controller for your pot.

[plainsman456]

I guess i am just simple.

I hang the mold on top of the pot while the lead is melting.

[toallmy]

Plainsman456 if it works - it works . I am glad you got it going it would be a bad feeling to start out destroying your first mold .