Frosted cast bullets & PC.

[Dom]

Some times I get some frosted bullets when I cast. After looking closer at these frosted bullets with all the nooks & crannies of the textured surface, I thought. Maybe these would be preferable to PC, because the rougher surface would hold/grab the powder better, as opposed to, nice smooth & shiny . Just a thought.

[slohunter]

I have poly coated many frosted boolits, they all shot just fine.

[Walks]

Doesn't make a difference.

[reedap1]

Frosting doesn't affect PC negatively...in fact the few times I've had frosted bullets I think the rough surface actually helped the PC to stick better

[Dom]

Also my thought.. A textured surface for the power to attach to...

[GregLaROCHE]

I often PC frosted boolits. I don’t see anything wrong with doing it. I PC most calibers these days, but wouldn’t think twice loading a frosted Boolit as a plain greaser, at least for plinking, which is what I do most of these days. Does anyone see problems shooting plain frosted boolits?

[lign]

I prefer to cast boolits with a slight frost which is caused by higher temperature. The higher temp gives better fillout in the mold and turning up the temp a bit until they frost a little usually solves problems I'm having. I PC almost all of them, although I've shot them as-is and can't tell any difference either way.

[Smoke4320]

Frosted bullets will PC coat just fine.

[kevin c]

Like lign, I get the best boolits with the fewest culls when alloy and mold temp combined with the right cadence produce an even light matte frosting. And they all coat just fine.

[358429]

The coolest looking bullets is when they frost so there is a geometric crystallized pattern on the surface of the lead.

Ultra gloss clear let you see after you coat them.

I'm going to see if I can make a picture soon.

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[243winxb]

The as cast diameter may be smaller as bullets drop from the mold. More so with the Lee aluminum mold, than an iron mold. Check that the diameter is large enought, as soon as a few bullets get cold.

[358429]

What kind of powder coat powder are you using to coat bullets Dom?

If you're having issues with coverage I'm sure that we can help you troubleshoot a solution that works.

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[Dragonheart]

I also prefer running my alloy temp hot as I get a better fill out and far less culls. They PC just fine, maybe better and I have found no difference in accuracy.

[Taterhead]

As stated, no noticeable difference in coating frosted bullets. I aim for mold temp that gives a bit of frosty. In fact some molds won't fill properly until the mold delivers frosty bullets. All coat fine.

[Winger Ed.]

If anything, the frosting should let the PC hang on better, and stick to them like poop on a baby blanket.

[Beagle333]

They do PC great when frosted. I like to get a little frost on mine anyway, it seems to help me keep better fillout if I run it a little hot. (I usually cast HPs)

[358429]

Frosty!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210923/5d7edccf8d37e9cecb06f38d74371431.jpg

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[Wilderness]

I often PC frosted boolits. I don’t see anything wrong with doing it. I PC most calibers these days, but wouldn’t think twice loading a frosted Boolit as a plain greaser, at least for plinking, which is what I do most of these days. Does anyone see problems shooting plain frosted boolits?

I cast relatively small numbers of rifle bullets, so I can afford to be more pedantic when culling. After the visual cull, I do a quick average weight check by weighing a few groups of five, then set a lower weight cutoff and run the whole cast through to find seconds and a few more culls. It is quicker than it sounds.

What I have found is that the frosted, or part frosted, bullets are among the light ones. In extreme cases the frosting will extend to rounding of bases etc, and in all cases represents a retreat of the bullet surface from the mould surface. Frosting on one side only of the bullet is therefore more likely to be an issue.

Does it matter? Probably not, but I do try to cast so as to avoid frosting.

[243winxb]

I find frosted bullets from Lee aluminum molds have more problems then Iron molds. Smaller in diameter & "a retreat of the bullet surface from the mould surface." +1

Lee molds work ok for the most part. Just dont run them to hot.

[kevin c]

I cast in volume for action pistol, which is not demanding of accuracy. Still, I want my boolits consistent, and as my cadence permits it, I inspect and cull as I go.

I look for a light but even matte frost over the entire boolit. I think uneven frosting shows I messed up the pour or that the blocks aren't at the right temperature so those I discard. With the even frost I get very few rejects.

I was under the impression that all bullet casting alloys shrink as they cool so they all "retreat...from the mold surface", otherwise dropping out of the mold would be problematic. I've also read here that the frosting pattern is from the alloy crystallizing differently from the excess heat. Lighter, yes, but I figure that's OK if the casts are all consistently lighter by the same amount (IIRC, the one time I checked samples on a scale the 148 grainers I cast from a MP mold had a total weight range of less than half a grain, fine for my application).

[reedap1]

Not a definitive test but I had two sets of the same cast bullet (160 grain Lee RN .308) from two casting sessions. One batch was visibly frosted and "rougher" on the surface than the other. I PC coated them ( Eastwood Ford Light Blue) in one coat and they were baked together in the same oven session but separated. On inspection, I saw that the frosted bullets had a better coating, more evenly uniform and glossy finish than the smooth bullets. I shot all of them otherwise I would show a picture. While I don't necessarily advocate casting frosted bullets, I do agree with the other posters that a hot pot and mold give better fill out and edges and may have a side benefit of better PC. In reality, most of what I have seen with PC procedures is that it is very forgiving. PC and shoot them!

[bangerjim]

If frosted and no minor or major voids............COAT 'em and shoot 'em!

[RufusBuck]

I'm new to casting but I've found that the bullets that I cast with Lee 309 230 that are frosted are lighter and some are smaller in diameter. The mold drops at .308 and my bore slugged at .308 so I cant use those smaller diameter boolits. I'm hoping that PC will get the boolits to .309

[243winxb]

After casting with 3 new, different Lee molds this year, i find frosted bullets causing problems. Mold fill out & diameter issues are a problem.
Perfect bullets can be made controlling how hot the alloy & mold become. Frosted is not a good thing.

My iron molds do not respond the same as aluminum. Diameter loss is about .0005" & no fill out problems.

This weeks new Lee https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/44-magnum.4126/full

[243winxb]

Learned something today. https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/alignment-pins-fall-out-overheating-double-cavity-mold


We made a change to the alignment pin system in 2012, and have produced and delivered tens of thousands of the new style molds, have received glowing reviews and almost complete satisfaction.

The maximum operating temperature should be limited to 400 degrees with the absolute maximum of 450 degrees, for a maximum of 30 minutes. At 450 degrees the pins will turn a pale straw-yellow. Any temperature above this will excessively reduce the tensile strength of the aluminum block by annealing. Once this overheating occurs, the only option is to send it in for replacement.

The aluminum molds will not overheat by simply casting but can be overheated by preheating with a hot plate, torch, setting on top of the pot to heat up or immersing in molten alloy for an excessive amount of time.

Heat the mold by castings. Pot at maximum heat to start. Then lower it.

More- https://flic.kr/p/2myVqhb

[243winxb]

How i see it from using 3 different LEE 2 cavity molds this year. Hope it helps. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/casting-with-lee-molds.4127/full

[Petander]

Learned something today. https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/alignment-pins-fall-out-overheating-double-cavity-mold



Heat the mold by castings. Pot at maximum heat to start. Then lower it.

More- https://flic.kr/p/2myVqhb

This is a good reminder,thank you.

Lee molds are cheap to replace but it's good to watch your hot plate / mold temps.

I'm still mad at myself for overheating and warping a nice custom brass 458 mold 20 years ago. Dipped it in alloy, using gas burner @ ladle casting hot and frosty, no thermometers... that mold is very sensitive for whiskers now.