I don't like brass molds. I don't like 4+ cavity molds

[Stopsign32v]

Just frustration...

Got the new MP 4 cavity 360-640. It's heavy as bajesus and factor in 4 cavities full of lead over and over and it gets real heavy quick. Used a hot plate and got the pot up to setting 9 and STILL couldn't get the dang mold hot enough!!! After roughly 200 wrinkled castings I gave up. It was starting to fill and smooth out but I just had had enough for today. Everything went back into the pot and I closed up shop. Going to go back to working on planting the squash and zucchini in the garden.

Just venting but days like today really make me love my 2 cavity NOE aluminum molds.

[Recycled bullet]

Use the propane torch to add more heat and get it right in the first five casts. Use the two cycle rag to clean lead smears and to provide lubrication for the hot bullet mold.

[Stopsign32v]

Use the propane torch to add more heat and get it right in the first five casts. Use the two cycle rag to clean lead smears and to provide lubrication for the hot bullet mold.

I'll try that next time. Didn't think of a torch.

[Recycled bullet]

Rotometals sells a lead thermometer it helps allot with consistency of pouring. Are you ladle casting too?

[hc18flyer]

I have the MP 358640 6 cavity brass mold. I use a hot plate to bring my mold up to 400 degrees and my pot at about 725 degrees. I have a nice patina built up, so my mold drops nice boolets pretty quick. Yes it is heavy, but I am willing to accept that, because of the quality of the output. I am looking at another 6 cavity brass MP mold now. Hope your next casting session improves. hc18flyer

[Stopsign32v]

Rotometals sells a lead thermometer it helps allot with consistency of pouring. Are you ladle casting too?

Yes I ladle cast

[Recycled bullet]

Yes I ladle castI ladle cast also I use the rcbs ladle it holds several ounces of bullet metal. Remember the greatest difficulty is heat management.

Remember you are pouring heat that has metal attached.

[Minerat]

They can be a challenge.

[Stopsign32v]

I ladle cast also I use the rcbs ladle it holds several ounces of bullet metal. Remember the greatest difficulty is heat management.

Remember you are pouring heat that has metal attached.

I've cast a MP 4 cavity before with success so I know it's just a matter of I couldn't get it all hot enough. Just venting my frustrations...

I also use the RCBS ladle

[nannyhammer]

You need to swap to one of those "semi-auto assault lead pots" with the bottom pour to keep those heavy molds hot.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have a steel coffee can (3 lb size)I put over the mold/hotplate. It holds in the heat and acts more like an oven...allowing mold to get hotter.

313070

[Recycled bullet]

So how did the bullets look were they usable if powder coated then sized?

[HWooldridge]

You may already know this but any amount of oil on the cavities and/or vents will cause wrinkles. I cleaned a steel mold a couple weeks ago and was getting wrinkles then I noticed some oil was oozing from an alignment pin. Cleaned it again with brake degreaser and the boolits started filling out.

[Stopsign32v]

So how did the bullets look were they usable if powder coated then sized?

Yea absolutely but I don't know if you guys ever do it but sometimes I just want to cast a few when I got other stuff I should/am doing so I go down to the building and just cast for an hour or so to relax. This is what I was doing to check out the new mold.

I was about 10 more cycles away from good heat and NICE castings.

However maybe it is for a new thread but my overflow kept breaking off into 2 pieces. Kinda makes me think the bullets would be brittle and break not squish. Kinda hard to explain but I can get pictures next time. Not sure what was causing that...

[Recycled bullet]

This past Friday recently I began pouring my ladle from a higher height.


The dribbles slap into and fill the hot mold giving me excellent plain base thirty caliber slugs.

I powder coated and sized them 309 yesterday morning.

They are cast of Lyman 2 equivalent home made alloy.

[15meter]

I have a steel coffee can (3 lb size)I put over the mold/hotplate. It holds in the heat and acts more like an oven...allowing mold to get hotter.

313070

This, plus the old saw blade to distribute the heat better. Get the mold sitting as flat as you can on the saw blade for maximum heat transfer.

Try flipping the mold upside down on the hot plate for the last half of your preheat cycle to get the sprue plate up to temp, just used a 4 cavity 120 grain carbine mold and had trouble get the sprue plate up to temp. Wrinkled boolits. The 5 cavity 152 grain 30 caliber mold I used at the first of the week got and held the sprue up to temp much easier. Not much wrinkled boolits.

Another thing I've seen is holding the mold level or slightly down on the end you start filling cavities seems to help with fillout. I bottom pour, starting at the cavity closest to me and if I tilt towards empty cavities, it seems that it almost wants to pull out of the first cavity, usually leaving a poorly filled out base/wrinkled boolit.

Just seems to cast better with a slight bias in angle towards the filled cavity(s).

Or it's my imagination.

[35 Rem]

I dislike the bulky heavy molds too. I only have one 6 cavity mold and it's a Lee 9mm TL design. I don't even use it - mainly because I don't really reload the 9 anymore - but even if I did, I wouldn't use that mold. I have a couple of 3 cavity molds and one NOE that is 4 (I think) where you have two plain base and two gas check cavities. Only have one brass mold and that is a 3 holer. It casts great but I dislike using it because of the weight. Thankfully it's for a rifle bullet so don't need a lot of them.

I started casting years ago when I was broke (in college) so as a result used only Lee two cavity molds. I suppose that set my expectation for how a mold should feel and operate.

[winelover]

Get a bigger ladle, if you're using those tiny Lyman or RCBS. At least, a Rowell #1..............#2 is what I use, most of the time. Keep pouring, over the pot, until ladle runs dry. When you can open the mold with just a gloved hand, mold is up to temperature.

Winelover.

[dverna]

I will go out a limb and suggest it was your alloy.

If you did 200 casts, that is 800 bullets...about 15 lbs of alloy used. You were adding ingots (or should have) during your session. IIRC you do not maintain records of your alloy. Sometimes you can get away with using a mystery alloy but not every time.

If you fail again, get some 92-2-6 alloy from Missouri Bullets. They sell in small quantities at a reasonable price. Or add more tin to what you have now.

[Thumbcocker]

Brass molds like to be run with pressure and hot.

[justindad]

How long was the brass mold sitting on the hot plate?
*
I heat mine for about an hour, with a coffee can to create the mold oven.

[OS OK]

My old Grampa James used to tell me..."You have to be smarter than the tool Son!"
Later in life the Marine Corps said..."Improvise & Overcome!"

So...when I had troubles like yours, everyone said..."You got heat problems boy!"
I fixed that 'pre-heat' dilemma real quick like...

https://i.imgur.com/bg5Nk9vl.jpg

The only thing that won't fit in this oven is a 10 gang armory mold.

[waksupi]

Ladle pouring and six cavity molds are not friends.

[Recycled bullet]

Ladle pouring and six cavity molds are not friends.Why do you say that

[lightman]

Sorry to hear that you're having these troubles. I've never owned or even cast with a brass mold. But they sure look nice! But I love my 4 cavity molds. 4 cavities seem like a good compromise between weight and production.

[Soundguy]

I prefer aluminum 2 cavity molds and iron 1-2 cavity molds. I don't prefer brass molds but will run up to 3 cavity ones..but I find them more finicky..even the high quality MP. I don't even like 6 cavity aluminum molds if it's a large bullet. They get heavy. If I run 00 buckshot a while my shoulders get tired. 6 strings of 3 at a time.

[crackers]

I got a good deal on a 4x 452460. Paired with a 5pound pot, it was miserable. It didn’t stay long, either.

[dverna]

Ladle pouring and six cavity molds are not friends.

The only large mold I have ever run is an H&G 10 cavity and it ran great. Ladle poured with a large ladle.

One thing about the H&G's...they have good sized a trough machined into the sprue plate. That may help add heat. If I had mold that was running too cold, I would have a trough added...maybe have a thicker sprue plate?

That 10 cavity ran hot and I had to use a damp towel to cool off the sprue plate. But it made excellent bullets.

[waksupi]

Why do you say that

It's hard to pour at a rate to keep a mold to proper temperature.

[lar45]

If I have problems with a mold not filling out, I smoke the cavities with a butane BBQ lighter.
I have several MP brass molds, but do wish that he offered them in aluminum.

[jdgabbard]

Man, I love brass molds (its kind of a toss up whether I like them or iron more...). And I've never had problems with getting them up to temp. They always seem to maintain a more consistent temperature for me than aluminum does. Though I will confess that the weight can wear thin on you. But I've got a few H&G molds, so I'm used to the heavies...

I usually just rest the mold on top of the pot as it is coming up to temperature. Usually by the time it is at the correct casting temperature I pour 3-4 times to get the mold warmed up, and my mold is working flawlessly. I guess if I was casting really small boolits it might be an issue. But I don't even have problems with my 92gr 30cal boolits in brass for my 30 Tok. So I'm not sure why you're having problems.

[MightyThor]

I shoot the wrinkles. I sort them as I size and lube so they get shot separate from the good stuff, but a mag full of wrinkles when practicing close up drills where it is more about smooth and steady than hitting previous hole my wrinkles don't seem to be a problem. As long as the base is complete they go in the case and then down the barrel.

[fredj338]

I prefer iron to brass or alum, but when working with 4c-8cav molds, alum makes sense. I prefer 4-6cav for good production. No place for 2cav in my casting but for my Magma. Not hard at all to keep a good casting pace for 6cav molds, 4cav seem about perfect.

[Smoke4320]

Brass Molds need to be heated more than aluminum molds. Also helps to build a little patina before serious casting.
with a new Brass Mold I will preheat on a hot plate set on hi for at least 45 minutes . Usually that mold will be near 500 degrees by that time
Then I will cast 15 to 25 casts and stop... Dont Care what they look like they just go back in the pot let the mold get totally cold and do same procedure again.
by the third session the mold is seasoned fairly well and I begin serious casting sessions
Just my procedure .. after breaking in over 15 brass molds it has proven to be a good procedure

[Thumbcocker]

Man, I love brass molds (its kind of a toss up whether I like them or iron more...). And I've never had problems with getting them up to temp. They always seem to maintain a more consistent temperature for me than aluminum does. Though I will confess that the weight can wear thin on you. But I've got a few H&G molds, so I'm used to the heavies...

I usually just rest the mold on top of the pot as it is coming up to temperature. Usually by the time it is at the correct casting temperature I pour 3-4 times to get the mold warmed up, and my mold is working flawlessly. I guess if I was casting really small boolits it might be an issue. But I don't even have problems with my 92gr 30cal boolits in brass for my 30 Tok. So I'm not sure why you're having problems.

A layer of clay based cat litter or oil absorber on top of the melt will let you rest the mold directly on top of the lead. Also prevents oxidation.

[jdgabbard]

A layer of clay based cat litter or oil absorber on top of the melt will let you rest the mold directly on top of the lead. Also prevents oxidation.

I've heard this before, but I don't want that stuff in my pot. Hate the idea of anything but lead and flux in there...

[Bigslug]

IME, ladle pouring is a process best reserved for an octopus or the pantheon of multi-armed Indian gods. It may have a place with single-cavity molds for huge BPCR bullets, but pressure casting with that same kind of mold against the spigot of a bottom-pour pot can address those needs. The constant putting down and picking up of all the required hardware is not for me. . .and it probably isn't a good way to keep the necessary heat going into a multi-cavity hollow point mold.

At any rate, your other thread seems to indicate you've got it figured out. The only other thing I could think to recommend for 9mm is to make sure your cases aren't sizing your bullets down below their starting .357" nominal diameter on seating. My answer was to use a Lee .38 S&W sizing die in station 1, then finish with standard 9mm seating and TC dies. Other options are out there, but that's a cheap and effective cure.

[Thumbcocker]

I've heard this before, but I don't want that stuff in my pot. Hate the idea of anything but lead and flux in there...

I don't flux. The fluxing is done during smelting and only clean ingots are added. The cat litter floats on top and can easily be scooped off with an old spoon if necessary. To each their own.

[PhilC]

Did you season the mould as suggested on MP's website? Couple good write-ups under Tips n Tricks section I just ignored the parts pertaining to hollow points as mine doesn't have them.

https://www.mp-molds.com/tipstricks/general-advice-for-using-brass-hp-hollow-point-moulds/

https://www.mp-molds.com/tipstricks/mp-molds-and-me-by-gregor-hodnik/

[Harter66]

I have a thread somewhere about a brand new MP PB/HB brass mould . It was a pain in the .......yeah all over , I had over a dozen heat cycles 8-9 casting sessions with it and still sent bullets back to the pot . Hotter , cooler , smoke , clean ....the only thing that did cast right were the stupid hollow base pins ...... it's a great mould to cast now . It took me 2 months of messing around in the land of "what's rust" to get enough patina on the fresh cut brass for it to cast well .

Yep that 2 cavity 462-420 weighs about the same as the 257412 4 cavity iron mould . Either way neither of those have anything on that 8 cavity H & G #130 . Give it a little more time. Just heat it and pour a few every time you cast something and try making a run with it after a dozen or so cycles . I love the brass mould to cast with but it was such a a hassle to get running I might buy another pre owned but probably not another new one . At least not with the idea of having an immediate need for it .

All of my moulds over 2 cavity except the 2 above are aluminum in 3,4,5,&6 cavity and I'm very happy with them from NOE and Lee (not the same at all and only lumped in by cavity counts) . The huge advantage of the H&G is that it drops 1600 gr of bullets at a time and by the time you've made 30 pours it's time to reload the pot and take a breather anyway and by the time you've made 70 pours you've cast 480 bullets and 450 of them will be keepers even on a poor day . There's only 280 when you get to the rest stop with the 4 cavity but that's still twice as many as the double . Of what value it's worth the NOE 3,4,5s don't cast so far apart that you can say they cast a heavy and a light bullet in cavity X . The 3c 460-543 Postell cast about .7 gr throughout a pot and the 454-255 SWC 5c varies depending on my mood and whether it's to cast a pile of bullets or cast 2-3 yr of hunting business bullets in any case it's only about 3 gr for slop and 1 for business. I have a Lee that's been known to cast 3 of a nominal standard 1 or 2 up to 3 gr light and the same heavy in the 6c the steel sprue plates on the 2 largest offenders seem to have closed that gap some . About 2 gr across the mould in both a 158&255 .

[gwpercle]

Ladle Casting with a NOE 3 cavity aluminum mould is about perfect for me now that I've hit the "over 70 years of age mark" ...
15 years ago I bought my first 4 cavity mould ... NOE aluminum and discovered that was about as large and heavy a mould as I could dipper cast with , hands , wrist and arms would tire after 2 hours . Then .... An NOE Sale ...
I noticed NOE sold 3-cavity moulds ... whoeee :happy dance: Just about Perfect ...
I can cast with the 3 cavity longer and can fill all 3 cavity with one dipper full of alloy ...
no stopping to refill dipper in the middle of a mould fill ... can cast more in a session .
Every mould I have ordered in the last 15 years has been a 3 cavity NOE aluminum !

I would never be able to use a brass mould , too heavy ... so thanks to the members fot keeping me from buying one ... it would have been wasted on my "weenie arms" ...

So Thanks Guys :drinks:

Gary
Love Them 3 Holers !

[murf205]

I am in Gary's corner with this. The 3 cavity molds give just about 100% good boolits vs the 4 to 6 cavity molds I have tried. Aluminum molds are light enough to let me cast 250 to 300 boolits without a hitch, especially in the 3 cav's. I have read that a lot of people have great results with 6 cav molds but most of them were with lighter weight boolits. It doesn't take long for a 6 cavity of 260 gr boolits to get to working on the arms and wrist. Especially for us casters with a lot of birthday's behind us.

[gwpercle]

I am in Gary's corner with this. The 3 cavity molds give just about 100% good boolits vs the 4 to 6 cavity molds I have tried. Aluminum molds are light enough to let me cast 250 to 300 boolits without a hitch, especially in the 3 cav's. I have read that a lot of people have great results with 6 cav molds but most of them were with lighter weight boolits. It doesn't take long for a 6 cavity of 260 gr boolits to get to working on the arms and wrist. Especially for us casters with a lot of birthday's behind us.

:goodpost:
LIKE !

[justindad]

I don’t like the pace of a 2-holer, but I have anger issues when my 5-holer has one sticky cavity. I’ve had a mold with one sticky cavity that could not be resolved. I spent hours carefully deburring in a way that would not round off the parting line. I got so frustrated with the mold getting cold while wacking with a mallet that I ultimately destroyed the mold. I knew I was going to destroy it, and it felt good.
*
I recently got two iron 2-holers in .40 S&W. The boolits just rolled out in the first use. It might be the iron that works better, but I’m nervous about buying a 4-holer iron and getting one sticky cavity. Slower pace without anger management is good.