First attempt

[Planeguy]

After lurking around this forum and collecting the tools for a year, I finally cast my first boolits last night. None were usable, but at least I started. I have an rcbs pro melt. Used a Lee 502-440 mould. Got a bunch of wrinkly slugs. I can see how this could develop into an addiction after I figure things out. Thankfully the Mrs is a welder so fumes aren't so much of a problem!

[lead4me]

Set the tip of your mold into the pot until the lead doesn't stick to it. Then start to cast some boolits. Sounds like your mold was too cold to cast good. Welcome to the addiction and welcome to the site

[Planeguy]

Thanks for the info. I have a brass mold for .44 mag boolits. Would that be a better one to start with? Hold more heat?

[jdgabbard]

Planeguy, that can be caused by a few things. If the mold wasn't cleaned out it could have trace amounts of oil in it, which can cause wrinkled boolits. It could also be a heat related problem, if so cast faster. Keep up the work, you'll get it down.

[Planeguy]

I cleaned the mold with "zero-tri" a super highly volatile cleaner degreaser commonly used in aviation shops that doesnt leave any residue. It's most likely heat issues. It takes practice just hitting the holes in the sprue plate at this point. Result= long time between pours. Trying again after work.

[jdgabbard]

Yeah, you don't need anything that exotic. Just grab some mineral spirits. I'm sure you have some of that around the shop. And yes, speed up your casting speed. Typically the bottom pour pots have a little rest with an adjustment screw to raise/lower it. I typically sit mine on that, lift the handle and slide from sprue hole to sprue hole. As soon as you see the lead solidify (and potentially see the crystaline struction form on the sprue) count to 5, and then cut the sprue, hold the mold open, and if needed, tap on the hinge pin to release any stuck pills. Then immediately close the mold and repeat. As your mold starts warming up you can slow this speed down until you get a good cadence.

[Planeguy]

How much of a gap between the nozzle and the mold?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

How much of a gap between the nozzle and the mold?
about 1/2"


I preheat the mold with a Hotplate, starting with a hot mold makes all the difference.
If you have a way to measure the heat, you want the mold around 375ºF, no hotter than 400.

[jdgabbard]

If you don't have a hotplate just rest the mold on top of the pot while it is heating up. It'll help close the gap between room temp and casting temp of the mold. After that it shouldn't take too long to get up to temp.

[OS OK]

Pre-heat your mould....around 300ºƒ +/- 50º...and then get into a cadence...how fast the cadence? Watch the sprue cut on the heel of the cast, if it tears out a little lead when you open the plate then slow down a few seconds & let it cool more before opening the plate...when it is cutting smooth, that's your cadence for that mould & pot temperature.

https://i.imgur.com/bg5Nk9v.jpg

Don't fiddle around with the casts...take a quick look as you dump them and get right back to filling again....

[Winger Ed.]

Get your heat up and you should see a great improvement.

I get it going until the boolits frost a little, then back the heat off until it stops.
If my cadence is a little too fast, they'll show the first little signs of frosting, but that's OK too.

[Planeguy]

Thanks to all, I will report back when I try it again with the knowledge you guys shared. Keep it coming. I need boolits I can hunt hogs with in March!

[lar45]

Hi Planeguy, welcome to the forum and the insanity :)
The Lee 501-440 is a great design. I shoot it in my 500 JRH and 500 S&Ws.
For Lee molds:
I start with a good scrub of hot soap and water to remove all the oils.

I definitly preheat them on a hot plate for 10 minutes or so.

I usually smoke the cavities with a BBQ lighter before I start casting. Just open the mold and hold the flame on the open cavities for a few seconds to get a light coating of soot on them. It makes a heat barrier that keeps the lead from cooling too quickly on contact with the mold.

Be sure to pour extra lead on the sprue plate so that there is a liquid puddle for the bullet to draw from as it cools. Otherwise you can end up with rounded corners on the driving bands and the base of the bullet. As the bullet cools, you can see the puddle go down in the middle as it contracts.

Wait for the sprue to frost over, then cut the sprue with your sprue plate whacking stick...

If the bullets stick, just tap on the hinge bolt a little bit to jiggle them out. Never tap on the mold blocks, it will ruin them. I ruined my first Lee 308-170F mold the first night I used it because the bullets wouldn't drop free.

Have fun and keep the questions coming if you have any.

[super6]

First of all I do not use any of kind of pour pot. It is a stainless steal pot and a ladle. Watch your lead and look for frost, when your lead is at frost temps Turn down the heat..I use a propane turkey cooker to do the melt and set the mold on the burner next to the pot to get it up to temp. Just how I learned. Get some good things going and than experiment with that bottom pour pot..I will also mention I do not own a lead thermometer. Cadence Is every thing!

[450]

Where did you find a Metal can like that these days. LOL!!!!



Pre-heat your mould....around 300ºƒ +/- 50º...and then get into a cadence...how fast the cadence? Watch the sprue cut on the heel of the cast, if it tears out a little lead when you open the plate then slow down a few seconds & let it cool more before opening the plate...when it is cutting smooth, that's your cadence for that mould & pot temperature.

https://i.imgur.com/bg5Nk9v.jpg

Don't fiddle around with the casts...take a quick look as you dump them and get right back to filling again....

[Winger Ed.]

Where did you find a Metal can like that these days. LOL!!!!

Our grocery store still has 'store brand' coffee in them.
But they have a new generation lid/seal. You don't have to roll up the little strip with that 'key' thing.

[450]

I don’t think our grocery have anything in metal cans like that.

[OS OK]

I don’t think our grocery have anything in metal cans like that.

Go behind a restaurant do a 'dumpster dive'...they use sauces and such in this size.

[Winger Ed.]

I don’t think our grocery have anything in metal cans like that.

Another source is most grocery stores have a little section where they have metal one gallon cans of green beans, corn, etc.,
and around here--- nacho cheese sauce.

In desperation, any hardware store should have old style metal buckets.

[Sam Sackett]

Costco sells peanuts in a metal can this size. That’s what I’m using!

Sam Sackett

[Planeguy]

Ok, round 2 was more successful. After attempting some of the suggestions you fellas shared I made progress. Started out with wrinkles made a few that I think could be loaded and ended with some frosty looking boolits. Still don't have super sharp lube grooves that I would like to see. Thanks for your input.

Planeguy

[Winger Ed.]

A little is frosting is OK. Some people do it as the norm for them. I consider a little hint of it as OK, and do my .30 rifle boolits that way.
Being that hot, the alloy is as thin, and flowing as well as it can.

Add a little Tin in there, and it should straighten right up.
What ever the Tin content is in old school wheel weights is what makes them so easy to cast & work with.
I don't really measure it that close for handgun boolits,
but I keep adding in a few wheel weights until the alloy flows well and I get a good fill out.

Another thing that hinders good fill out is dirty/clogged vent lines.
Usually scrubbing them with a cleaner/solvent and a stiff tooth brush will clean 'em out if they're dirty.

[jdgabbard]

Like Winger said, frosted is OK in my book. I actually shoot for lightly frosted boolits. But if you're still not getting fill-out adding a little tin to the melt (about 1-2%) should help with that. There are also other techniques that can help. But for now I would focus on getting acceptable results. Besides, many others will agree with this, ugly boolits often shoot just as nicely as pretty ones.

[Minerat]

Bulk Hunts Tomato sauce from Costco comes in them too.

[Wag]

I always count on my first few casts to be "warm-ups" and I toss them back into the melt when the pot is getting low. Those first few casts warm up my mold and you can easily see when the mold is getting hot enough to cast. Of course, if it doesn't get quite hot enough in ten casts, I turn up the pot a bit and start over.

It's worked well for me over the years. YMMV

--Wag--

[Planeguy]

The alloy I have is commercial "hardball" with 2% tin. Will need to order some to up the content. Will continue to work on heat control issues for now and try to get better fill out

[jdgabbard]

The alloy I have is commercial "hardball" with 2% tin. Will need to order some to up the content. Will continue to work on heat control issues for now and try to get better fill out

Yeah, Hardball lead should have plenty of tin. Definitly a heat/technique issue if you're having problems with fillout.

[charlie b]

For a heat shield you can go to the local hardware store and get some larger dia ducting. Put a pie tin on top or find an end cap.

[450]

Thanks for the tips gentlemen, now the search begins. LOL!!!

[Planeguy]

Had an opportunity to try some more casting. I'm using 50 of the boolits I made, I want to load up a box for the S&W. They don't look like the beauties in "Handloader" magazine yet but they are waaay better than when I first started. Appears as though my mold getting too hot may be the next issue to solve based on what I'm hearing on the forum. Have to go move a foot of snow, then I'll try again.

[Planeguy]

Have to find a spot to mount the lubrisizer, probably a whole 'nother round of questions coming up!

[JoeJames]

Set the tip of your mold into the pot until the lead doesn't stick to it. Then start to cast some boolits. Sounds like your mold was too cold to cast good. Welcome to the addiction and welcome to the siteI agree. Turn your mold upside down and stick the end of the sprue plate into the melt until the alloy does not stick to it. Then cast boolits. But it may be a location thing; in other more complicated areas do what they suggested with a coffee can on a hotplate and so on. I got the idea from reading "From Ingot to Target - free on the internet. I reckon I am simple but it works for me.