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View Full Version : Most of My .44cal Round Balls are coming out a little rinckle looking i



trapper44shooter
03-23-2020, 05:09 AM
Hey folks I am have a question it has been very cool here & it seems that most every .44 cal round ball is coming out with some rinkles in them is the mold not hot enough or it this cooler weather causing this the first 350 turn out perfectly & it was 74 degrees that day & ii have tried three times to cast more buy that are coming out rinkled :o

bosterr
03-23-2020, 07:08 AM
I use Lee round ball molds and have to run the pot at 800 degrees plus to get round balls that look like chrome and wrinkle free.

Beagle333
03-23-2020, 07:45 AM
You have to run pure lead hotter than alloy to get it wrinkle free.
Happy casting!!

Bent Ramrod
03-23-2020, 11:50 AM
With pure lead, run your pot hot. Hot enough so the balls turn gray as they cool.

I also found that round balls don’t “pressure cast,” for reasons I can’t fathom. Whatever ladle you use, hold it horizontal to the horizontal mould just off the sprue hole, tilt the ladle gently, and trickle the stream in sidewise. Generally, I get a lot of rejects using this technique on regular boolits, but it has eliminated all wrinkles on all my round ball castings, from .25 to .620.

bedbugbilly
03-26-2020, 10:11 PM
Keep your mold hot - your moving cadence up and turn up the heat on your lead - walla - the wrinkles will go away. If you mold a bunch and you feel like your sprue isn't cooling off fast enough (solidifying) - slow your cadence down or take a break and let the mold cool a bit and then continue. Doesn't make any difference if your blocks are steel or aluminum - the same goes. With a little fiddling, you'll get it. Good luck and enjoy!

lightman
03-27-2020, 12:52 PM
Its either one of two things. Either your mold or your lead is not hot enough. It may even be both of those. Or your mold may be contaminated with something. Get after it with either some brake cleaner and an old tooth brush or some hot water and Dawn. A lot of guys like to heat cycle a new mold 2 or 3 times before using it.

dogrunner
03-27-2020, 02:44 PM
SMOKE those moulds.............use the old fashioned strike anywhere matches and leave those cavities looking like a coal mine entrance!!

Heat might be part of your problem, but I betcha the smokin' will solve your problem.

megasupermagnum
03-27-2020, 09:27 PM
I don't understand how smoking a mold could possibly help fillout. Your mold is too cold, that is all there is to it. You can cast faster, or raise the pot temp, your choice. Pure lead will not frost, so if you are getting that, you are likely using an alloy not well suited to a revolver.