Enlighten me

[oneokie]

Does mould temp have any influence on boolit drop?

Was casting today with a sc LEE mould and was having problems with fillout.(ww's)

Bumped the pot temp some and the boolits would almost jump out when the mould was opened. Had to wait for a 5 count for the sprue to harden.

Previous sessions would require several good whacks to get the boolit to drop. Yes, I have tweaked the mould. Several times.

[leftiye]

Yup, it doo. Many molds will go from "whack em out" to drops like a dream, and back again as temps go form cold to too hot. More important however is where it casts the best boolits. Easy dropping can be a sign of a temp where boolit shrinkage is greatest, so a hot mold (frosting lightly) may not drop as easily, but will be filling out better.

[mooman76]

Yes, I agree with leftiy! I was trying out a new Lee mould yesterday. 314 90g. One of the best moulds I've gotten. Didn't clean it or boil it for hours, no mould prep what so ever except lube. The bullets were litterally falling out of the mould. Then I had to stop to do something for a quick minute and the mould cooled enough that the bullets were sticking a little. When the mould gets too hot they tend to stick too. You just got to find the sweet spot! Some moulds are less tempomental than others and some don't work as well no matter what you do.

[SharpsShooter]

The bullets were litterally falling out of the mould. Then I had to stop to do something for a quick minute and the mould cooled enough that the bullets were sticking a little. When the mould gets too hot they tend to stick too. You just got to find the sweet spot! Some moulds are less tempomental than others and some don't work as well no matter what you do.

Exact same experience with a Lyman DC. I have. Run the pot 750* and cast about 15 seconds apart seems to keep it in the sweet spot. Moulds with this characteristic behavior will "talk to you". If you are just starting a session, it will tell you to speed up until it warms to the point of clean release. Go to fast and it will tell you to slow up a bit or wave the open mould in the air to bring the temp back down. Most of my Lee 6 cavity moulds do this and I have a Rapine that will wear you out whacking the bullets out if you get off temp.

SS

[montana_charlie]

This 'sweet spot' is well-camoflaged (therefore never discovered) by smoking, prepping, or otherwise 'contaminating' cavities.

CM

[Freightman]

This 'sweet spot' is well-camoflaged (therefore never discovered) by smoking, prepping, or otherwise 'contaminating' cavities.

CM
I thought smoking was bad for your health, so never smoked. Just kidding! I am with you that is a contamanant!

[runfiverun]

see leftiyes post, some of my metal molds don't drop for a darn but these are the best boolits it makes.
i have some aluminum molds that when the boolit jumps out it is a happy mold and it is up to temp.

[montana_charlie]

When my new paper patch mould gets here, I'm going to do a real 'drop out test'.

I want to see if the bullet will fall out...without opening the blocks.
You know...just swing the sprue plate open and invert the mould.

CM

[Bullshop]

MC what kinda mold are ya gettin? I got two last summer from Redriverick, a 45 and a 50 adjustable. Bout all I can say is I wish all my molds were made by him. I never seen better work done by anyone. I went for bore diameter as patched as I believe you and some others told me to. Glad I did!
BIC/BS