A Lee mold guy about to give brass a go?

[Targa]

So I only have Lee Molds and am very happy with them, I want to add a Keith design to my .44 molds and have to look else where. I have decided on either Arsenal (most likely) or Accurate in a brass mold. With my Lee molds a wet sponge is my friend, they are all 2 cavity and heat up quick especially with heavier grain bullets. For those of you using brass, I know they maintain heat better so does that transfer to more consistent casts for you during a session without having to cool the mold? Thank you, Darrin.

[Ozark mike]

Brass is heavy and i believe they warp the easiest I've always liked aluminum wether its lee or accurate but thats jus me

[toallmy]

You may need to cast a little slower with brass and big boolits . Also you might want to talk to Accurate about a 4 cavity steal mold .
Just out of curiosity what Boolit are you looking for ?

[Targa]

Here you go sir, the first one is from accurate. The second one from Arsenal is the 429421 SWC 255 Gr. KEITH.

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[JWFilips]

I hate brass moulds! they tin up ...but that is me !

[Targa]

No no, not just you, I have seen the same issue before in my research. Actual experience like yours is exactly what I am looking for.

[longbow]

I have several brass moulds and have never experience tinning. However, I seldom add tin to my alloy either.

Once the brass gets a patina on it, it shouldn't tin anymore.

There are at least a couple of threads about how to solve tinning of brass moulds. IIRC Mal Paso has a thread on artificial patina to prevent tinning.

I find that my Mihec and Accurate brass moulds like to be hot to cast well. I pre-heat until sprue plate lube just starts to smoke. Works for me.

Longbow

[LAH]

I had 4 brass moulds. They were great & cast perfect bullets. All were 4 cavity & all were heavy. I sold them & will never purchase another.

[Minerat]

I have 12 brass 2 & 4 cavity and no tinning problems. Most are NOE or Mehi 413 to 452 moulds and yup they are heavy but once up to temp (via hot plate) they cast lots of bullets and retain the heat so you can run 2 at a time. I run my pot at 750° pid controlled bottom poor or 700° ladle and the mold hot enough to just frost the boolit.

I use a mould rest on the bottom pour so don't notice the weight much. I like my brass molds and have no plans to trade them. Yes, they can be finicky but if you run them hotter then iron molds the work very well. As to warping, I had one so hot it took 2 minutes for the sprue to set, and it did not warp but the bullets crumbled when I opened the mould. Needless to say I let it sit for a while to cool off. (On hot plate too long).

I like my brass molds and have no plans to trade them. Yes, they can be finicky but if you run them hotter then iron molds they work very well.

[farmbif]

I think Miha's brass molds are the best

[Targa]

Thank you for the responses....and Minerat, I am just down the road from you in Castle Rock.

[oldhenry]

Targa,
I'm 81 and my hands & arms are not as strong as they once were. I have 4 cav. steel, 2 cav. steel, 6 & 8 cav. alum. molds. This year I took the plunge & bought 2ea. 2 cav. brass MP HP molds. I liked them so much that I bought a 6 cav. brass MP 358429 clone (I love that mold). With the mold rest on my Pro Melt filling the cavities is easy & afterwards I rest the mold on the L. side of the wood that supports the Pro Melt until the sprue frosts over. The boolits from those 3 brass molds look great. I do add 2% tin to my alloy & have not experienced any tinning.

I broke-in the brass molds per suggestions on this forum. 1. Bring them up to 450F (hot plate, saw blade & lead thermometer), let cool & repeat 2 more times. This produces a patina. That platina does the trick.

Good luck.
Henry

[Gtrubicon]

I love my brass molds from mihec, they produce every time. Period.

[Targa]

Thanks Henry, I appreciate the info on how the brass molds handle. Now I just need to decide on the manufacturer to go with :mrgreen:

[MT Chambers]

I like brass the best, once they heat up, you can cast forever and mine don't need to be cooled at all, as I pace myself. I have 200 or more molds and like all makers brass molds.

[megasupermagnum]

I've disliked every brass mold I ever had. Steel is not bad, but Ill choose aluminum every time if given the choice.

[Minerat]

I'm so glad we have choices, cause I like them all. I have a bunch of old classic Lyman steel, some new brass and even a couple of new aluminum. Treat them right and they all work great.

[dragon813gt]

Around half my collection is brass. At last count I had around 100 molds so there are quite a lot of brass molds to choose from. The only downside I find them to have is weight. But the only time I am holding them is when I’m dumping bullets. Otherwise they are sitting on a hot plate or underneath the pot on a piece of plywood. I know the weight will be a problem as I age. And they will most likely be the first molds to be sold off. But they cast very well.

W/ any brass mold you need to heat cycle it at least three times before using. I remove all oil from mine and assemble if they are a hollow point mold. They are then placed in a toaster oven at max temp for an hour. Let cool to room temp and repeat. This begins the transition from bright and shiny brass to a dull darker gold color. The patina helps w/ release and helps prevent tinning. They are still subject to it so pay attention. If any buildup starts to form remove it immediately before it becomes a problem.

You can’t go wrong w/ any block material. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. I like brass because once they are up to temp they stay there and easy to to control through cadence. This is a great attribute when casting hollow points. They don’t damage as easily as aluminum does. I don’t throw my molds around w/out care. It’s just they aluminum starts to wear almost immediately and this isn’t the case w/ brass.

[curioushooter]

I have several non-Keith desgin 44 molds: the a Ohaus 429215 in iron, a MP clone of the 429244 in brass, and I have an Arsenal made Keith design 429421 in Al and a MP Molds H&G 503 HP and H&G 503 Solid both in brass.

Without any doubt the H&G 503 solid is the best all around 44 mold I've ever used. In fact, I think it is the best bullet mold I've ever used, period. I think it is better than the 429421 in every way (particularly having a larger meplat, thicker driving band and smaller grease groove, and more weight outside the case) and it casts nicer bullets than the Arsenal mold does and drops them more easily. MP makes the best molds IMO, giving classic SAECOs a run for their money. The heavy hardware, thick and flat spure plate, and outstanding finish, venting, alignment...just superior. And the dollar is strong to the Euro so his molds are a relative bargain. I brought home a 4 cavity 503 solid for less than a 2 cavity brass mold from Arsenal or Accurate would have cost.

Brass as a material is a pain, but it is worth it. Once you learn how to cast with brass and get a well-seasoned mold it makes the best bullets. For me, once I had brass I wont go back (if I can avoid it). The keys to good brass performance are thorough initial cleaning of the mold and very sparing use of lubricant. Run the alloy hot (750-800 degrees, 775 being about ideal with big bore closer to 750 with medium) but the mold a little slow depending on ambient temperature. Brass molds can be overheated and they need time to transfer the heat away. They do not lose heat like Al does. They also don't care for high tin alloys. Tin and lead alloy is literally brass solder. If it gets too hot you can effect soldering in your mold. I found the best alloy to use is one containing some antimony...96-2-2 has become my preference. As a former Lee mold user a lot of these habits are contrary to how one uses a Lee. To keep a lee mold running you need ample lube for example and they are very forgiving of alloy temp and you basically can't cast fast enough (this is just a trait of Aluminum generally, my Arsenal, NOE, and MP aluminum molds behave the same way).

Many Miha's molds can be ordered in specific diameters so pin-gauge the revolver throats. I select a diameter equal to or a thousandth over the throat so I can size to the throat size or a thou smaller.

[bangerjim]

I love brass molds. Have 7 (5 & 6 cav) of them. Also have 50+ Lee Al molds and a dozen steel ones (hate them) from the old days. You have to be VERY careful handling and storing Al because it is so soft and subject to dings and dents.....just where you do NOT want dings and dents!

Brass molds do work differently...you need to learn the eccentricities of them. But "tinning" should never be a problem if you break them on correctly......heat to FULL casting temp 4x and air cool before EVER casting anything. That forms a golden color on the brass that is an oxide layer that prevents Pb from sticking. ( has nothing to do with Sn in the mix. That's the process where Pb sticks to a surface because it was VERY clean and had something that acted like a flux, like in soldering metals or wires).

I will never buy another Al mold. The brass ones from Miha are works of art and perform perfectly, especially the 5 cavity hollow point ones!

Brass will outlast Al many times and give accurate drops.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

bangerjim

[Targa]

Hi all, thank you very much for taking the time to give me your input, it was very helpful. I decided to go with the 4 cavity 429421 brass mold from Arsenal, I am looking forward to using it.

[cp1969]

If it's not too late, make sure that the front driving band diameter is the same diameter as the two behind it. I think Lyman's 429421 design has reduced the diameter of that band and if they just copy Lyman's design, your mould may turn out the same.

[rintinglen]

I am in the same group as Curious shoot and Banger Jim. Brass molds, once up to temp--meaning HOT--rain boolits. As has been mentioned, they have some quirks, pre-heating and temp cycling to establish a patina, need to run hotter, etc. But they are much more forgiving as to cadence, and will produce fewer rejects than aluminum molds due to the heat-retention of brass being better than aluminum. But they are heavy. I view a mold guide of some sort as essential.

[Dragonheart]

I have no aluminium molds that I use. I have about 12 NOE brass 4 cavity molds that produce excellent, but as already stated they are heavy. My preference is old cast iron molds made by H&G and Saeco the new molds have nothing on these guys.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I have 9 brass molds some from NOE most from Mihec , all are 4 cavity except 1 which is 2 cavity , I like them , they are heavy , I also have molds from Mihec and NOE and Arsenal which are aluminum , lighter yes , but they cast as good of bullets as the brass , I do like the alignment pins and the hollow point pin design on Mihec molds , best design I have seen .

I to like the old steel molds for they are tough , brass and aluminum are softer , damaged one brass mold when sprue plate was closed before mold blocks , was just a little scrape but caused fin on that cavity , machine a little off top and that problem was fixed , so be careful and good luck .