Newbie Question

[grumpy429]

Just started casting. Some boolits are shiny and sharp, others are dull. Are my molds too hot? Is my lead too hot? Am using a no. 2 alloy, if that matters.

[docone31]

Grumpy,
Your mold is too new to get razor edge castings.
I try to get a frosted look. At the speeds cast boolitts go, I have not found frosting to be anything but an advantage to holding lube.
Bump up the heat, heat the mold, and give yourself a break.
At the least, you will get to practice remelting castings.
Some will come out pristine, classic, textbook. Some will come out, well, some might work after sizing.
Your mold will have to go through several heating cooling cycles to really be the old standby.
Welcome aboard Grumpy, you gonna be an expert soon. There sure are lots of folks who genuinely want to help.
They helped me from a wannabe, to paper patching with success! That was a real stretch, but we did it.
Now, I am fine tuneing my loads.
You will know what I mean in time. Dey ain jacketed loads for sure. They shoot like them though.

[Calamity Jake]

The first good filled out boolets from a preheated mold will almost always be shinny and as the mold gets hotter they fall out frosted, frosted is good to a point, to much frosting will cause shrunken areas and pour fill out.

[runfiverun]

there is a difference between frosted boolits and grey ones.
the frosted [white areas] are too hot of a mold.
the grey colored ones [dull] are the ones you want.
if they are whitish it is usually in one spot or side, and this can lead to a bent boolit or a shrunken area.
shiney is fine with your mix. 5%tin. grey is good too[best] as long as they are well formed and filled out.