Dale53
01-03-2009, 08:03 PM
I was casting some GB .430" 200 gr Dbl Ended WC's this morning with my Lee Six Cavity mould. For some reason, the bullets weren't dropping out easily. I had pre-heated the mould but not completely up to temperature. Frankly, I want the last bit of heat to come from the bullet metal (aluminum moulds on top of a hot plate tend to worry me as they melt somewhere around 1200 degrees:twisted:), so I prefer to get final heating of the mould from the metal.
At any rate, after nearly reaching my aggravation point, I suddenly had a brain storm: I was casting at about 650 degrees. I raised the temperature of the bullet metal to 700 degrees. As soon as the mould reached the new temperature, it started working VERY well and bullets started dropping perfectly. It's amazing how quickly the aggravation went away:mrgreen:!
Moral of the story - if the bullets aren't dropping well, try raising the bullet metal temperature (which, of course, will raise the temperature of the mould) a bit and see if that doesn't help. It sure helped me today.
I believe in casting at as low a temperature as possible. It reduces "slag" production and doesn't burn off the tin prematurely, etc. It also speeds up the process. However, as I learned today, in this particular instance, raising the temperature just fifty degrees truly solved the problem.
Each and every mould is different (pretty much like each and every woman:mrgreen: - Hey! I'm a guy, what did you expect). Sometimes what works well with one mould will not work with another. I guess that is where the "art" comes in to bullet casting.
One last comment. I use Bullplate Sprueplate lube on my moulds. I also find it useful to lightly lube the bottom of the mould. That allows the "sticky aluminum" to slide slickly over the mould support on my bottom pour pot (RCBS). It helps to allow you to align the spout with the cavities.
I have 65-70 moulds. I should keep notes on each mould and certainly recommend that YOU do so. However, being a lazy type, I tend to try to remember the idiosyncrasies of each mould. As I get older, my memory is not quite as good, so sometimes I pay for that failure to take notes. Keep a little mould notebook, I think I'll start myself...:mrgreen:
Dale53
At any rate, after nearly reaching my aggravation point, I suddenly had a brain storm: I was casting at about 650 degrees. I raised the temperature of the bullet metal to 700 degrees. As soon as the mould reached the new temperature, it started working VERY well and bullets started dropping perfectly. It's amazing how quickly the aggravation went away:mrgreen:!
Moral of the story - if the bullets aren't dropping well, try raising the bullet metal temperature (which, of course, will raise the temperature of the mould) a bit and see if that doesn't help. It sure helped me today.
I believe in casting at as low a temperature as possible. It reduces "slag" production and doesn't burn off the tin prematurely, etc. It also speeds up the process. However, as I learned today, in this particular instance, raising the temperature just fifty degrees truly solved the problem.
Each and every mould is different (pretty much like each and every woman:mrgreen: - Hey! I'm a guy, what did you expect). Sometimes what works well with one mould will not work with another. I guess that is where the "art" comes in to bullet casting.
One last comment. I use Bullplate Sprueplate lube on my moulds. I also find it useful to lightly lube the bottom of the mould. That allows the "sticky aluminum" to slide slickly over the mould support on my bottom pour pot (RCBS). It helps to allow you to align the spout with the cavities.
I have 65-70 moulds. I should keep notes on each mould and certainly recommend that YOU do so. However, being a lazy type, I tend to try to remember the idiosyncrasies of each mould. As I get older, my memory is not quite as good, so sometimes I pay for that failure to take notes. Keep a little mould notebook, I think I'll start myself...:mrgreen:
Dale53