Is my mold worn out?

[mattellis2]

I purchased a used mold recently and have been playing with it the last couple of nights. I’m in love with heavy 45 colt loads, so picked up a used Lee 300 grain WFN mold when it poppped up.

I can’t get it to cast a clean bullet. Some are better than others but all have defects. Pictures are below. I was getting bad results so I broke it down, carefully cleaned each cavity with acetone and a cotton swap, then scrubbed the whole think with hot water and dish soap. It still drops the same defective bullets. I messed with it for an hour or so...the Lee mold was too hot to touch.

For comparison, I cast a few 44 mag SWC from a Lyman mold I have. They’re almost perfect after the third cast. Alloy, temperature and everything else where the same.

Any thoughts?

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81419/8123336B-E28F-42C8-8387-4E95942E02F8_jpeg-1030562.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81419/167D823F-5A97-4D68-A317-34881A53C86F_jpeg-1030567.JPG

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81419/C7CB7006-95CE-42B0-BBD3-1DB13D432A7C_jpeg-1030570.JPG

[popper]

Symptoms of a cold mould. Try non- chlorinated brake cleaner. May take a while to get any oils out.

[mattellis2]

Two things: it cast some okay bullets in my first session, not perfect, but better. The Lyman mold was almost stone cold and dropping better bullets. I’m not sure how hot the Lee mold was, but I burned myself through my (non welding) gloves.

[popper]

Not much metal in that mould, did you preheat it?

[frkelly74]

You do have to get those 6 bangers hot for them to work properly. I heat mine a little bit with a torch and then start by filling one or two cavities and rejecting the boolits until they are nice then fill 3 or 4 cavities like wise. and finally up to all 6. Have plenty of ingots ready and handy to feed your pot as the level drops and do not stop to examine your boolits until you are done once you are up and running. On occasion I have filled the cavities gradually without having closed the sprue just to get things heated up nice. all those boolits go back in the pot immediately. Get it hot and don't stop. Ove Gloves will protect your hands much better than anything else I have tried.

[bmortell]

the aluminum mold id just stick the corner of the mold in the melt and get it a bit too hot then work down from there for a sweet spot

[Markopolo]

run it hotter... heat the mould up real good.. get it to the point it take a 3 or 4 count before the sprue solidifys, and see how it runs then, could take 75 boolits or more before it starts running correctly... dont even look at the boolits till you get 20 casts done. get that rhythm running. once you get good boolits comming out, then you can gradually run it cooler till you find the sweet spot.. i have a feeling it will be a 2-3 count for sprue to correctly change colors and solidify. but just like every gun has its own sweet spot, molds have a personality also.. some moulds I cringe at getting off the shelf, and some are completely joyful each and every time...

dont quit..

marko

[mattellis2]

Thanks. I will try to get it hotter next time. I had my pot at maximum, but didn’t put the mold in the liquid melt.

I like the idea of doing a cavity or two at a time.

[lar45]

You might try smoking it. I use a BBQ butane lighter to give them a light coat of soot.
Also preheat the mold.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have been using Lee six bangers since '95. I have learned to place the far end of the mold into the molten alloy about a quarter inch or so and leave it there for 4-5 minutes. Then I fill the closest two holes in the mold with alloy and wait until the color changes on the sprue. Then I dump the boolits and load up the same two cavities again and again until I get good boolits. Then once I am getting good cast boolits I gradually fill hole 1 2 3 and then dump. Then 1234 etc. The weakest part of the Lee six bangers is the cheap handles that break so to prevent that I dump boolits fast immediately after the sprues change. Waiting make the alloy more difficult to break with the handles.

[kevin c]

I get wrinkles until my six and eight cavity aluminum molds are hot.

I'd read here to keep the melt maybe a hundred degrees over the liquidus, but that was too low. I had to raise the temp another 50 or 60 degrees and also preheat the mold on a hot plate with the element red hot so I didn't have to literally use up a third of the pot in getting the mold to temp (it really would sometimes actually take 20 or so pours in cold weather). The hot plate also helped save me from casting for just a short while with what little alloy was left and then having to recharge the pot with ingots and wait for them to melt and for the pot to get back to temp, which meant the mold now was cold, and the whole cycle of wrinkled boolits would start over.

Glenn Fryxell's articles on LASC, it turns out, covers just about all of this, and includes a further observation that bottom pour pots sometimes need to be run VERY hot (850 degrees!). I kinda wished I'd read all of them more thoroughly when I started out.

My only other observation is that with my molds, alloy, and technique, my best casts are lightly frosted.

[Maven]

"You might try smoking it. I use a BBQ butane lighter to give them a light coat of shoot.
Also preheat the mold." ...lar45

This!

[lightman]

I don't think its a wear problem. Most likely you just need to find the speed that your mold likes to be cycled at. The bullets from your Lyman mold show a little bit of fill out problems from being too cool.

[Conditor22]

scrub mold well with toothbrush and dish soap (I like dawn)

get a hotplate and warm your mold to apr 400°

what alloy are you using and what temperature is your pot set to?

I like to have at least 2% tin in most of my alloys, helps them flow better - better fill out at lower temperature.

I set my PID at 680 for harder alloys, 700 for softer alloys and 720 for pure.

Your Lyman mold looks like it's not closing completely, check it for debris on the mold faces that might be preventing it from closing

[kungfustyle]

+1^^^^^^^^

[brewer12345]

Hot plate.

[RED BEAR]

I would clean out the mold dish washing liquid and tooth brush and increase melt and or mold temp. What do you use to lube the spruce and mold? If i get carried away with the oil mine come out like that until it burns off or i clean it.

[truckjohn]

1. Looks like the alloy is cold. A hot mold won't make up for cold lead.

2. Are you ladle pouring or bottom pouring? Are you pouring fast or slow?

3. Make sure all the vents in the mold are good and clean/open where they intersect the cavity. Take a sharp pointy thing and give them a light scratch to make sure they are all open.

[Moleman-]

I have several Lee 6-cavity molds and several NOE 4- cavity molds. They all have to be run hotter than any of my 2 cavity molds. I set them on top of the Lee pot as it is coming up to temp and then dip the bottom of one end into the lead until it no longer wants to solidify onto the outside of the mold. Don't let any steel parts of the mold sit in the lead or the lead will eventually stick to it. I've always used a set of those fuzzy yellow cotton gloves while casting. As long as they stay dry you won't burn your hand picking up just cast bullets or sprues. My buddy who is a plumber got me started on them after watching him wipe excess lead from a joint while wearing them.

[earlmck]

There is no substitute for age (for a mold). I have several of Lee's nice 6-cavity molds and have learned not to even look at the boolits or try to keep any until about the third casting session. They keep getting easier to use and faster to come to making good boolits every time I use them. And smoking as lar45 and Mavin say helps (once she's half-way broke in).

That mold wasn't wore out -- it was too danged new! Keep at it: you'll get there.

[daloper]

Mine would look like that if my stream was to small. Make sure that you pouring fast enough to fill the mold quickly on the bigger bullets.

[mdi]

I do a couple things with my new to me Lee molds. A good cleaning is a must. A few good methods are mentioned above, and I finish with brake clean. I rebelled against using a hot plate to preheat my molds (I don need no steenkin' hot plate!) but succumbed and now my casting goes much smoother and my "beginning casts" have many more keepers.

For a brand new mold, I give it a good cleaning. Then I run it through several cycles of heating and cooling on my hot plate, usually set on high to get the mold really hot. Then I'll start casting. I put nothing but lead in any mold I own.

I've seen it many times "the only way to learn to cast bullets, is to cast bullets". Keep a log, just like a reloading log. Write down your alloys, temps, what you try, and what works with each of your molds...

[country gent]

Pick up a package of bamboo skewers at the grocery store. Use the pointed end to clean out the vent lines. Just lightly drag the tip thru them. This insures the mould can vent properly. Fill mould as quickly as possible. Use the heaviest stream a little run over dosnt hurt anything

[Hossfly]

Mold too cold hot plate and thermometer will get you there.

[mattellis2]

Thanks for all the input. I am going to try again either this evening or tomorrow morning.

Question about pouring rate: I have a 10 lb Lee pot, and it drips like a sieve. That really isn't a problem.

When I fill the mold, I try to hit the hole in the sprue plate, so that lead is more less dropping directly into the mold. I stop as soon as I see the lead hit the bottom of the sprue plate. I can usually get just a little bit of lead on top of the sprue. I pull the little wire bail lever down all the way when pouring, so I am getting the fastest pour I can, am I not? Am I missing an adjustment?

It takes about two seconds to fill the the 300 grain cavities.

[Moleman-]

I have the same pot. Aim the stream of lead into the sprue hole and when it's full move to the next one without stopping the flow of lead. ideally when you break off the sprue it's a string that stays together.

[mattellis2]

That's essentially what I have. I try to minimize the size of the sprue, but they are connected, and go back in the pot.

[cwlongshot]

Sure size can have substantial effect on your bullet.

But its NOT anything to do with this issue.

As stated it’s likely all temp could be lil contaminants contributing. I don’t like anything but brake parts cleaner. Most everything else leaves some kind of residue. It’s a staple with me as important as my goggles, mold and pot.

If new mold, heat cycling goes a VERY LONG way to stopping this. It will get there without it no doubt. You will just have many culled Bullets. Also, I don’t toss all back into the pot. For plinking it’s doubtful you will tell the difference. All depends on your needs or “ocd”. :)

Good luck

CW

[mdi]

Let the lead overflow the sprue hole/plate. Won't hurt anything and you will be sure to have a good "shrinkage puddle" on top. Later when you start pouring good boolits, you can neaten up if you choose...

[Rich/WIS]

Hotplate and higher alloy temp. My experience with the 6 cavity molds is they have to be a bit hotter as well as the alloy (725-750 F).

[mattellis2]

Well, heating the mold helps a lot. Actually got too much heat, and ended up with some frosted bullets. Backed the temperature down, but still frosty. Going to coat them anyway, so don’t think it really matters much. I’m tickled that I was getting full pours.

Thanks for the help! I have a thermometer on order.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81419/F766F539-BC64-4F99-B5DB-87EDC8D826E1_jpeg-1031559.JPG

[robg]

Hotter is usually better ,some tin helps .smoking molds helps sometimes. Molds are like guns everyone is different .

[Cheeto303]

scrub mold well with toothbrush and dish soap (I like dawn)

get a hotplate and warm your mold to apr 400°

what alloy are you using and what temperature is your pot set to?

I like to have at least 2% tin in most of my alloys, helps them flow better - better fill out at lower temperature.

I set my PID at 680 for harder alloys, 700 for softer alloys and 720 for pure.

Your Lyman mold looks like it's not closing completely, check it for debris on the mold faces that might be preventing it from closing

Ditto.

[cwlongshot]

FROSTY BOOLITS ARE HAPPY BOOLITS!!

ESPECIALLY if your powder coating!!!

CW

[mattellis2]

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81419/CBE392A8-0DD8-4D3C-AFEB-A9050B76AD6B_jpeg-1032419.JPG

Finished product. Now to see how they fly!

[Mica_Hiebert]

I have a lee 6 cavity for my 480 ruger and had a 3lb dipper pot and I would run out of lead before I got it hot enough to cast decent bullets.

[gwpercle]

Post deleted

[David2011]

That's essentially what I have. I try to minimize the size of the sprue, but they are connected, and go back in the pot.

By now it looks like you figured out that a small sprue is not a good idea. Glad you got it figured out. If you don't have a hot plate you should consider getting one. The best kind are those with a soild surface, they're much better than those with an open coil. I have been preheating my molds for quite a few years now. It really reduces the time it takes to get good boolits.

[bedbugbilly]

I'm certainly no expert on 6 cavity Lee molds but looking at your photos of your bolos, it looks to me like the parting line on them is pretty heavy and like you may be getting some flash on the parting line? Like I say, it may just be the photos and my eyes.

The first thing I thought of when I saw your photos is that the mold wasn't up to heat, but plenty of suggestions have been given. Makes me wonder if you purchased it "used" if the original owner had issues as well?

[trapper9260]

I see the OP got it take care of ,I would not worry about frost boolits that is not to worry about just turn it down some after to get the boolits to not frost but do not worry about it. For all that was stated good to see the OP got it work out. Like stated also each mold have it own mind to be used. The hot plate is the best your advantage to cast. If you where usen a ladle I would say do not use the small one use the big one that one use for smelting the faster you get the alloy in the mold the better off you are. I found that out myself . Mainly it shows up with a 6 cav. mold.

[cwlongshot]

245928

One bullet here is just as good as the other... I was having same issues that you where. After cleaning the mold three times and still getting wrinkles i simply dipped the corner of the mold in the lead for 30sec... two cast later 100% perfect bullets and no more frosty.

Yes frosty is caused by too much heat, so waht! Slow your roll and or rotate molds and carry on but dont worry about culling frosty bullets!! They are usually perfectly filled and if you PCing you will never know anyhow!

Bullets look good!

CW