Tips for hollow point mold

[boho]

Been casting for several years. Have been working with a new NOE 2 cavity hollow point mold, and I am having trouble with the hollow point filling out completely. I am running my melt at the same temp (700), pre heating mold the same, using my usual cadence, and even tried heating the pins between dumps. Bands and base fill out nicely like all my other NOE molds. Point does not fill out. Suggestions?

[OS OK]

Heat those pins up a little with a torch. Once you get them to fill out you might want to up the pot to 715 ~ 725ºF. they'll hold enough heat then.

[Beagle333]

I agree.... 700 is too cool. I'll start mine out at 735 and back them down to 700-705 after they are dumping perfect boolits. You have to pour fast too. Flood those cavities quickly and don't let the lead swirl around on the sprue plate before it goes in. Once the pins get hot..... you'll make friends with it. A hot plate will really speed up the process to get to the good drops.

[megasupermagnum]

Definitely get them good and hot. I like to start casting at 750, sometimes hotter, and turn down once warmed up. The pins hold heat fine once you get there. I tried a torch, I never thought I was doing any good without also torching the mold. If you warm the mold on a hot plate, do the first number of casts hotter than normal, they will fill out. Air bubbles or oil is another possible issue.

[mdi]

I am learning to cast with a hollow base shot gun slug. I have found the stems/pins need to be hot. I heat the mold w/pin installed on my hot plate. I cast, cut sprue, remove pin and place it on the hot plat to keep it hot, drop slug and replace the pin. I doesn't have time to cool and I keep the hot plate set on "hot". Works for me and I think the hollow point mold/pins would be similar...

[megasupermagnum]

I am learning to cast with a hollow base shot gun slug. I have found the stems/pins need to be hot. I heat the mold w/pin installed on my hot plate. I cast, cut sprue, remove pin and place it on the hot plat to keep it hot, drop slug and replace the pin. I doesn't have time to cool and I keep the hot plate set on "hot". Works for me and I think the hollow point mold/pins would be similar...

Unfortunately the NOE RG molds do not have easily removable pins.

[ranger391xt]

I was having issues with a fill out of hollow points with a new MP mold. I finally figured out the spout on my pot wasnt completely clear which limited the flow. I emptied the pot, cleaned the spout and got good fill with the higher flow.



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[tazman]

When I cast with my hollow point molds(NOE) I make it a point to run hotter than I would on a standard mold. I found I need to run at a temp that makes me wait longer for things to cool before I cut the sprue. Slower cast but the results are better.
Sorry that I can't give you a temp. I don't use a thermometer.

[Greg S]

Bump the temp to 725-30 and try that. If still having problems and laddle casting, try pressure pouring till the mold is hot. Might be a problem of a new mold breaking in or cold pins.

[44Blam]

With my NOE hollow point molds, I run the same as every other mold. Around 700 or so. But I smoke the pins with a bic lighter and I put the mold pins down on the hot plate (eg bottom of mold down).
I run through a few more casts before I start keeping and make sure my cadence keeps the mold hot. I also throw out any boolits that have a funky nose. So, it might be as high as 10 or 20%.
Personally, with the NOE molds, I like the "cup" points. They fill out nicer and keep some weight in the boolit...

[trapper9260]

When I cast with my hollow point molds(NOE) I make it a point to run hotter than I would on a standard mold. I found I need to run at a temp that makes me wait longer for things to cool before I cut the sprue. Slower cast but the results are better.
Sorry that I can't give you a temp. I don't use a thermometer.

I do the same with all my hollow point molds that run them hotter .I just turn up the heat and I do not use a thermometer also. My dad taught me how to cast years ago and did not use a thermometer. The mold will tell you how hot it needs to be.Not all molds will run the same temp. I just run it hotter at first and when I see the boolits get frosted or close to it then I turn the heat down some. It works for me.

[georgerkahn]

I have a couple (or three?) HP moulds which had exhibited similar challenges. I cleaned, degreased, polished, and even #2 pencil graphited the pins, which didn't alleviate the problem. I cranked the temp up to just about frosted-bullet temp, which also helped a bit. Then -- I believe from reading a post on this site -- I tried filling mould with a ladle, rather than the pour spout on my (I was then-using) Lyman Mould Master bottom pour furnace. Hence, I use a Lyman mould-pour funnel to fill the mould, and pretty much all the different configurations (as with MP moulds) fill beautifully. I toyed with idea of making pour hole bigger, but did not/do not want to end up with a "leaker" -- so, again, for me -- my solution was simply the quicker filling of mould cavities afforded by ladle rather than bottom pour. Interestingly, though, a few pinned moulds fill quite nicely using the RCBS Pro-Melt bottom pour...
geo

[mattw]

First off, polish those pins with 1500 grit paper or a buffing wheel with very fine compound. Clean the mould and pins very well. Get your lead hot, 710-720F, get you mould hot, hot plate on full medium. When you are ready to cast, heat the pins with a butane turbo torch. Those pins need to be hot, they sink a lot of heat from the lead. Once you get everything good and hot, they make great bullets. I was teaching my daughter on one, the 360-160, this weekend with cup points. It drove her nuts!

[largom]

I have an old 4lb. Lee pot that I fill full. I took a piece of sheet metal to fit over the pot with a small hole drilled in center for hollow point pin. I run this pot very HOT
and when I remove the hollow point pin from the mould I place it in the hole on this pot. After I drop the boolit from the mould I replace the now HOT pin and cast again.
Larry

[Burnt Fingers]

I own multiple hollow point molds. I cast at 770° with them. I preheat on a hot plate. Also make sure you've cleaned the pins.

I've got a new Lyman Devastator 9mm mold I have yet to play with. Those molds are the hardest hollow point molds to work with.

[OS OK]

I own multiple hollow point molds. I cast at 770° with them. I preheat on a hot plate. Also make sure you've cleaned the pins.

I've got a new Lyman Devastator 9mm mold I have yet to play with. Those molds are the hardest hollow point molds to work with.

I have to agree...you wouldn't believe what I went through trying to revive an abused devastator mould... Reviving an Abused Mould . . . Lyman ‘Devastator’ 356637 – 9mm 125g. HP

https://thereloadersnetwork.com/2018/07/02/reviving-an-abused-mould-lyman-devastator-356637-9mm-125g-hp/?channel=charliebrassstuffer

[Gatch]

I've never run a hp mold, but from reading on here adding a bit of tin might help ?

[mattw]

Tin can help, but you do not need to use much. I run 94/3/3 and COWW+2% tin. I do not see a need for anymore than either of the alloys use.

[Burnt Fingers]

I have to agree...you wouldn't believe what I went through trying to revive an abused devastator mould... Reviving an Abused Mould . . . Lyman ‘Devastator’ 356637 – 9mm 125g. HP

https://thereloadersnetwork.com/2018/07/02/reviving-an-abused-mould-lyman-devastator-356637-9mm-125g-hp/?channel=charliebrassstuffer

I picked up not one, but two, 9mm Devastator molds on the auction site last week.

One was NIB, the other very lightly used. I got both, delivered, for less than the cost of a new one. Not sure what I'm going to do with two of them, it's not a mold where you can really use two at the same time.

[boho]

Thanks for all the info guys! Hoping to cast more this weekend.

[Minaprob]

i smoked the mold and keep the hot plate at about 750 seem to drop good.