What causes dimples all over boolits

[Tripplebeards]

I was using my NOE 452-277-RF mold for the first time today. I’m guessing it was either the dry mold Frankford arsenal release spray I used on the HP pins and must have caught a little over spray in the mold and or grease from not wiping out the brand new mold? I’ve had similar results from the Frankford release spray on similar boolits I’ve casted. I thought my boolits were frosted at first and turned down the temp on my lee 4-20 until I don’t get fill out...but they still looked the same.

Any other ideas what might have caused this. I used COWW and pure 50/50 along with 2% pewter. I plan on PCing and GC my boolits . The little divots always get filled in by PC coating and not noticeable after baking it on.

https://i.imgur.com/osaM2Mh.jpg


It seems in the past if I wipe out my mold I get smooth boolits again if I remember.

[762sultan]

I have the same mould and it drops perfect bullets. The only thing is I don't spray anything in or on any of my moulds. I polish my HP pins by placing them in a drill and spinning them on a rag with metal polish.

[Tripplebeards]

After my 10 lbs of lead casting session I completely disassembled the mold and all the parts wiped them all down with shooters choice to remove all the Frankford Arsenal spray. I’ll have to try again tomorrow and see how it dose. I did have a lot of my boolits sticking to the hp pins till it got good and hot. I’ll have to clean the mold off with alcohol to remove the shooters choice residue. I’m sure there’s some type of oil left on my mold from it.

[Winger Ed.]

If you're not going to use them to shoot for the Bianchi Cup--
I'd go ahead and load 'em.

The only thing I've had happen to make them look like that in my RCBS molds
was when I sprayed too much of that powdered graphite release stuff in them.

[Tripplebeards]

If you're not going to use them to shoot for the Bianchi Cup--
I'd go ahead and load 'em.

The only thing I've had happen to make them look like that in my RCBS molds
was when I sprayed too much of that powdered graphite release stuff in them.

That was the same junk I used Ed.

[Tom W.]

When all else fails for me I get the alloy really hot as well as the mold, then spray the cavities with RemOil. I know it sounds like heresy, but after three or four times the boolits come out nice and pretty. If the alloy temp needs to be lowered after that I will do so, but I ain't afraid of frosted boolits.

[Winger Ed.]

When all else fails for me I get the alloy really hot as well as the mold, then spray the cavities with RemOil. I know it sounds like heresy, but after three or four times the boolits come out nice and pretty. If the alloy temp needs to be lowered after that I will do so, but I ain't afraid of frosted boolits.

That's pretty much what I moved over to. I grabbed WD-40 because it was the closest spray can to the bench.
I'd also clean the tight spots with a Q-tip when it clogged them.
I figure it works along the same lines as seasoning a cast Iron frying pan.

[Bazoo]

When fluxing with wax, and not removing all the wax from the top of the lead before beginning to cast again I've gotten that very thing. Only for a few casts though until the wax burnt down.

[tomme boy]

It is from the mold release spray. I get the same thing on several molds I have sprayed it on. Now I only use it on my sinker molds. The stuff I use is Felpro brand. I used to use it for lube to press different dies together at a place I worked at. If you did not use it they would not come apart if you needed to make a different die set.

[leadhead]

You better make sure to remove the shooters choice from the mold before you
try to cast again.... use dawn dish soap and a tooth brush.
Denny

[Tripplebeards]

After I tumble PC a few I’ll post a pic I’ll post pics. I believe it fills in all the little divots if I remember from past experience.

[Tripplebeards]

I polished my HP pins and cleaned the mold. I didn’t wipe out the shooters choice off the mold after cleaning (forgot again). I mixed up another 10 lbs of 50/50 with 2% pewter added and tried again. They came out a lot smoother...not perfectly smooth but much,much better. I had the mold lock up again the last five minutes or so of casting or I would have casted another 10 lbs. I’m going to have to clean the mold again to remove the burr that seizing it closed. The cavity closest to the handle must also have a burr in it being it would never release the boolit without a few light taps with a wood maillot. Same with the front with hanging on the HP pin without a light tap even with polishing. All in all it casted some good boolits. I would assume burrs in the mold mating pin must be a common occurrence I would assume?

https://i.imgur.com/x0eMT1u.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/t3i47jO.jpg

[GregLaROCHE]

Molds should always be completely cleaned of any oils, especially preservatives used during shipping. I clean mine with brake cleaner and then hot water and dish soap. Yesterday I tried a new mould cleaning as mentioned. The third cast of a round ball was perfect, as all the 200+ that followed.

Before I had problems with oil contamination after a mould had been stored. It always made wrinkles, not spots.

If you’re PCing them, what you have is nothing to worry about, but would be interesting to figure out why.

[Burnt Fingers]

1. Clean the mold with hot water and Dawn.
2. Repeat.
3. Heat cycle the mold in the oven 3 times. Set oven to 400°, bake mold for 30 minutes, turn off oven, and allow mold to cool in oven.
4. Keep everything HOT when using hollow point pins. I normally cast HP molds at 780-800°
5. You can LIGHTLY smoke the mold and or pins with a butane lighter if needed.

[Tripplebeards]

I did get “tinning” in my mold today. I heated it up in the oven and scraped off the tin spots with a wood ruler and a brass brush. I’ll have to heat cycle it a few more times to get some patina in it or do a salt and vinegar dip.

I don’t have a temp gauge in my lee 4/20 pot but had it on 8.5 for the heat setting. I did notice that I had ALOT of oxidation build up in my pot and it was a dull glowing red at the bottom. I unplugged my pot immediately after I noticed it. It got really hot for some reason. I normally scrape the oxidation off the top every so often when casting but today I didn’t and had probably a Dixie cup or more of sediment when the pot was empty. I had to scrape it off the sides. Never had that before...what a mess, I would assume I had my alloy too hot? I’ve ran it at 8-8.5 before and never had this happen in the past.

[fiberoptik]

Very small people wielding even smaller ball pien hammers ……

Sorry; couldn’t help myself!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GregLaROCHE]

With the Lee pots, I find you can’t just set them. You have to keep adjusting depending on the amount of lead left in the pot and the outside temperature and wind speed.

[gwpercle]

Salt and vinegar dip ? Haven't heard of that treatment .... not going to try it either.

[Shuz]

My bet is that if you shoot those first boolits that have the dimples,and then shoot the Farrah Fawcett looking boolits, you won't notice any difference in the size of the groups or the other indicators of a boolits performance!

[cwlongshot]

1. Clean the mold with hot water and Dawn.
2. Repeat.
3. Heat cycle the mold in the oven 3 times. Set oven to 400°, bake mold for 30 minutes, turn off oven, and allow mold to cool in oven.
4. Keep everything HOT when using hollow point pins. I normally cast HP molds at 780-800°
5. You can LIGHTLY smoke the mold and or pins with a butane lighter if needed.

1) Do this..
2) Dont ever be worried about frosted bullets
3) Molds should be spotless
4) HP molds generally work properly at toptenps

Polish tips is good graphite from pencil helps on stuburn molds. CW

[Conditor22]

Did you heat cycle the mold several times before you started casting?

Rub the edges of the sticky cavities with the base of a carpenters pencil (to remove any burs) then use the lead to coat the pins to prevent them from sticking.

I'm not familiar with the mold release agent you used, I'd be tempted to use chemical warfare (brake cleaner or ?) then dish soap to make sure you got it all out and the cavities are clean.

if a mold is really problematic I'll smoke the cavities lightly with either a butane lighter of wood match

[Tripplebeards]

I think my lead got really, really, hot and I should have bumped my temp down. I believe the extremely hot lead caused the tinning issues as well.

I plan on heat cycling this mold a few times along with my .358 HP mood I haven't used yet as well. Didn't do my research before casting with the new brass mold to realize I needed to heat cycle it first a few times to get some oxidation/patina on it.

I used salt mixed with vinegar to patina my 1907 sling. It turned out beautiful. You have to keep the brass suspended above the liquid for a few hours. Quite a few YouTube videos on it.

I believe once I PC these I won't see any difference in accuracy as commented above.

[cwlongshot]

I agree with your last comment.

I also agree with heat cycling yes it helps allot. Many have differe t opinions on what happems. But most everyone agrees new molds dont cast as well as seasoned molds. Seasoning comes with use. Cycling is pseudo use. :)

CW

[Tripplebeards]

Dimples all filled in and feels as smooth as glass after I tumble coated with smoke’s clear PC.

https://i.imgur.com/9yxcSIH.jpg

[Winger Ed.]

I I had ALOT of oxidation build up in my pot and it was a dull glowing red at the bottom. .

My old RCBS does that when it's empty. I try to keep at least a couple of inches of lead in it.
20-odd years later, it's still on the job.

I do all my stirring and fluxing all the way down to the bottom & against the sides with a old, real big flat screw driver.
I get all sorts of dirt and mess floating up off the sides & bottom until it's been fluxed a few times.

[Tripplebeards]

I heat cycled both my .358 unused mold and my .452 I used to cast these boolits. Two 10 pound casting sessions plus three half hour oven bakes at 400 degrees. You can tell the unused mold as it still looks new after three heat sessions VS the mold I used twice. I might try and heat the new mold up a few more times with the mold halves open this time to get some oxidation on it.

https://i.imgur.com/WNtImg8.jpg

[Tenbender]

Rusty mold.

[Tripplebeards]

Rusty mold.

It’s a brand new brass mold...brass doesn't rust. But an rusty old iron mold I’m sure would made some nasty looking boolits.

[W.R.Buchanan]

3B: Nothing wrong with that mould. I have no Mihec Moulds that don't produce perfect boolit almost from the first pour.

The dimples might be because of using Pewter instead of Tin.

In any event the dimps will only enhance the adhesion of the your Powder Coat. That's a good thing.

Randy