Juat had the worst casting session ever :(

[Hardcast]

My new MP 40 cal mold arrived a few days ago so I set up my casting table and melted a pot of lead this afternoon
anticipating a pile of 165 gr boolits. Never in my life have I worked for so long and unable to get one good pour or even any usable boolits. Extremely frustrating. Received new Saeco 9mm mold a few weeks ago and had a very productive session yielding about 550 good boolits. Today was the first time I have used a 6 cavity mold. Thought I was about to get the hang of it when my Pro Melt pour spout started acting up. Had to use a paper clip to unclog it about every pour. So I gave up and emptied the pot so I could clean it out. After it was emptied, could not find a reason for the clogging. Going to try again another day. Here is a pic of the only boolits that did not go back into the pot and none of these are good.

Afterthought: I had my pot set on 750, which worked great for the iron mold. Maybe I need to run the temp higher with this aluminum mold. Just started casting again after an estimated 20 year hiatus.

268030

[mattw]

Brass mould not hot enough?

[Bloodman14]

Brass or aluminum mold? Aluminum molds generally need to be run a bit hotter; you are showing poor fillout due to a mold that is a bit too cool.

[TjB101]

Any time I’ve had problems with the spout it seems to be related to low temp. What temp are you casting? I’m typically at 710 to 720.

[Tazza]

Kinda looks like oil/grease contamination to me.... Some times, smoking the mould halves helps, use a candle and give them a good smoke and see how it runs.

I warm my lee moulds by sitting them on the melting pot, a few drops and it's more than hot enough.

[Hardcast]

Aluminum mold. I will turn the temp up next session, but I was unable go get a rhythm going to keep the mold up to temp. Being this is the first time I have used a mold with the 3rd handle to break the sprue, that in itself is a learning experience. I also have some MP-molds 4 and 6 cavity brass molds, but have never used them. Hope I have better results with the brass.

[Hardcast]

Kinda looks like oil/grease contamination to me.... Some times, smoking the mould halves helps, use a candle and give them a good smoke and see how it runs.

I warm my lee moulds by sitting them on the melting pot, a few drops and it's more than hot enough.

I cleaned the mold good with brake cleaner, then lubed the alignment pins and the underside of the sprue plate with Amsoil sythetic 2 stroke oil. Just a drop on a Q tip. Pre-heated the mold on the pot. It was just not a good day. The boolits are very hard as I cannot scratch them with my thumbail. Air cooled. But poor fillout and wrinkles.

[Mal Paso]

That 6 cavity really benefits from preheating on a hotplate if just to make the first sprue cut easier.

If it's the old Pro Melt your thermostat could be off.

[Tazza]

I cleaned the mold good with brake cleaner, then lubed the alignment pins and the underside of the sprue plate with Amsoil sythetic 2 stroke oil. Just a drop on a Q tip. Pre-heated the mold on the pot. It was just not a good day. The boolits are very hard as I cannot scratch them with my thumbail. Air cooled. But poor fillout and wrinkles.

You have done everything i'd do for cleaning it up.

Hopefully next session will be better, i have had days that things just kept going wrong, best to walk away and try again another time. I found my cheap lee moulds were fast to get up to temperature, the biggest issue i had was them getting too hot.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd raise the pot temp a bit.
And not be worried you'll stir or flux it too much.

Something I have to do once in awhile with my old pro-melt is touch the spout with a propane torch
for a couple of seconds if its a little breezy in the shop.

I also had to really increase the out flow rate when I used a 4 hole compared to a double cavity mold.
I ended up moving the adjuster screw on top out of the way and let it run full volume.

[rancher1913]

if the spot is plugging off after cleaning it, you t-stat is starting to malfunction and not keeping the temp hot enough, the spout is the first place to cool off.

[No_1]

Temperature - could be a failing heating band if it' not a failing thermostat. Do you have a casting thermometer?

[Hardcast]

Temperature - could be a failing heating band if it' not a failing thermostat. Do you have a casting thermometer?

No, I do not have any way of checking the temp. It's an original Pro Melt I bought new back in the 1980s.

Looks like I need to be seeking a casting thermometer. Will be net searching tonight.

[Hardcast]

Rotometals thermometer OK? Same as RCBS without the logo..

[guy_with_boolits]

do not underestimate how much pre-heat the mold needs to cast properly...ALOT of pre-heat especially if your casting room is cold..that thing practically needs its own toaster oven (at least on a 6 cav LEE aluminum 45acp mold)

[Targa]

Rotometals thermometer OK? Same as RCBS without the logo..

Yep, excellent thermometer, I don’t cast without it. Like others stated, your alloy is probably a bit cooler than you think.

[Hardcast]

OK thanks. I'll order it right away.

[Dave W.]

The wrinkles in the bullets and the spout plugging up are because the mould and lead are too cold. I found the best room temperature to cast with Lee 6 gang moulds was 80 degrees. The post should run about 700 degrees. once the lead is up to temperature put the end of the mound into the lead, when it can be removed and most of the lead runs off - does not stick to it, then it is ready for casting. It will still take a few runs to get to the best casting temperature. When all the stars align the mound will make boolits just about as fast as you can operate it.

[Huskerguy]

I purchased a new aluminum 5 cavity a while back and tried a quick session and walked away completely discouraged with the exact problems you are having it sounds.

Then I remembered something I heard or read, just keep pouring and emptying, don't look at the bullets! Next session I made sure the mold was warmed up on a hotplate and I just started pouring and not looking at bullets. It took about 2-3 dumps but after that it was go as fast as possible and don't look back. It is amazing how quickly the aluminum can cool. You can get too hot waiting for the sprue to cool but it takes a while to get there and you will know it.

I have the same problem with my pots spout freezing up. Try a little heat from a propane torch if you have one and as others have said, get a thermometer and maybe run just a tad warmer. I have one and it really helps me keep my pot temperature consistent. Depending on what I am doing, I run around 750 and adjust from there.

Best of luck, we all get discouraged and then it all comes together.

[Mitch]

Your bullets look realy close to being ok.think you already mention the problem above.To many things not going right kept you from getting the beat and the mold was cooling to much between casts.I think you just had a bad day.But the thermometer will help knowing where you are on the temp.Your iron mold worked good set at 750 on the pot so you may need a bit more temp for the aluminum mold but not much or cast a bit faster.The good thing is you got the mold up to temp so the next session should go better with that little bit of break in. I think we all have bad days when nothing seems to go right.try again tomarrow and thing will go better.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I cast in all temps winter or summer with brass molds aluminum molds , get your mold up to temp , I first wash with soap and hot water then heat cycle it a few times , then start casting with mold up to temp and throw first casts out where I can glance at them when they show fill out and no wrinkles it is down the cushioned ramp to catch basin , spout freezing on my pro melt needed temp up a little more , a little at a time till you find what works , thermometer I have is showing a lot lower then I believe it to be , PID seems right on so it is what I am running by ( yes for years I used no thermometer or PID ) and lead and freeze time seems right torch close by to unfreeze spout when tossing in sprues if needed , level of pot plays a big rule I have noticed in pressure of pour and in staying running when tossing in sprues , I like to keep adding them back and freshening level with ingots as needed , caution on ingots pre warmed is best no need for nasty pops and splatters from ingots , be surprised how one day everything goes in fine and next day there is a splatter from cold or moisture , I have just ran 2 separate MP brass molds last few days they are both brass no lee style lever .

[John Boy]

Don’t have to use paper clips if you ladle pour, especially with a 6x cavity

[Land Owner]

You didn't mention the alloy being used, just that the boolits would not scratch with your fingernail. If not already, add ~2% tin for better mold line fill out. Also, start out filling only two cavities for a while, then three for a while, then four, then six. Let the mold and in particular the spru plate heat up.

You can still shoot wrinkled boolits, they're fun too, while you get the "hang" of this particular mold. Not everything down the barrel has to be "perfect". I know. I know. "Perfection" breeds confidence. This will get better.

[GregLaROCHE]

Besides what others have mentioned, make sure you have an adequate flow rate.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I preheat my molds on our glass top range. The should be very hot to the touch, not just warm.

[higgins]

TODAY I had one of my worst sessions ever. I was casting pistol bullets with a Lyman DC mold and a Lee DC mold alternately, something I've done many times previously. I just kept getting bullets with poor fillout and wrinkles like the OP posted. I degreased and smoked the Lee mold again but no improvement. I went back to the Lyman mold and cast as fast as I could without smearing sprue cuts. When I started getting good clean bullets with sharp edges I was down to about half a pot in my ancient Lee 10 lb. pot. I had already turned the heat up to near max.

After I cast enough good bullets with the steel mold I went back to the Lee mold and started getting good bullets with it! I started adding wheel weight metal one ingot at a time to keep the level below half a pot and everything worked. I had no problem with a full pot and a steel and Lee mold Sunday and yesterday.

My conclusion is that the 30-something year old Lee pot is dying. I poured the last of the metal out of it when I was finished today. I'm getting a new one before my next session because we all know that when this one dies it will be half full of metal.

[oldhenry]

My Pro Melt is also of the '80s era. I began to doubt the accuracy of the thermostat a while back, so I just increased it until I started getting good boolits (using 4 cav. iron molds then). After finding this sweet spot I made an arrow from a file label & stuck it 1/2 way the 750 zone ( a newly established 725). As it turns out the newly established 725 is almost exactly 180 degrees from the RCBS marker (go figure). Now that I'm using 6 & 8 cav. alum. molds I seem to do better around the space between the 750 area & 800 area (with my stick-on arrow).

I agree with Mal Paso: a hot plate is your friend. I got a lead thermometer about a year ago ( from Rotometals-great deal) but to be honest I use it only to set the thermostat on the hot plate. A hot plate is the best thing going: no more stress on the 3rd. handle if the temp is right.

Good luck!

[Hardcast]

Thanks for the additional posts. Having retina surgery tomorrow so I will not be able to cast for a least a couple weeks. By them I will have my lead thermometer and maybe I will have a better casting session. Will also look into getting a hot plate. I will need one for making Ben's Red anyway.

[rintinglen]

That 6 cavity really benefits from preheating on a hotplate if just to make the first sprue cut easier.

If it's the old Pro Melt your thermostat could be off.
This^^^
Aluminum needs more heat and a fast cadence, or you run into the kinds of problems you seem to be having. I find that preheating is essential to good production

[fredj338]

Aluminum mold. I will turn the temp up next session, but I was unable go get a rhythm going to keep the mold up to temp. Being this is the first time I have used a mold with the 3rd handle to break the sprue, that in itself is a learning experience. I also have some MP-molds 4 and 6 cavity brass molds, but have never used them. Hope I have better results with the brass.

IME, alum molds are easy to keep hot. I often heat on top of the pot while the alloy melts then start casting. after a couple fills the mold is producing. Brass requires a longer preheat but once going stays hot vs an alum mold.
As to pot spouts clogging, only time this happens is if my alloy is suspect. Usually turning the pot temp up solves that. I never melt scrap in my casting pots, never empty them 100%. This keeps crud out of the spout, even on my LEE pots.