Whitespider
03-20-2009, 07:59 AM
I’ve only heard about the “finicky” mold until now. Picked up a Lyman 2-cav for .357, darn thing casts beautiful boolits, if, and only if, you do things just right. I think I must have dumped a 100 boolits back in the pot before I figured out what it likes.
It wants the melt HOT, but the mold cooled a bit between pours (runs best when an occasional boolit comes out just a touch frosty)
Wait too long between pours and the nose wrinkles
Pour too quick and the center bands frost and look rounded
It needs the cavities smoked, but only lightly
It won’t open unless you push lightly on the lower, right rear corner
I ladle pour, and it wants a FULL ladle and “pressure poured”
I had to drill out the spout on my ladle to get the right pressure
It needs to be held absolutely level for the bases to fill out properly
The sprue plate must be struck just right and not too soon, not too late, to shear the sprue flush
But once you get it “right”; man does it cast beautiful boolits! I finally got 111 keepers, weighed every single one, only .3-grains difference from heaviest to lightest; bright shinny boolits, with sharp square corners.
Question;
I’m getting quite an investment molds and would like to store them without worry of rust and such.
What’s the best storage solution?
Should I grease them, oil them, store them dry, smoked?
Thanks
It wants the melt HOT, but the mold cooled a bit between pours (runs best when an occasional boolit comes out just a touch frosty)
Wait too long between pours and the nose wrinkles
Pour too quick and the center bands frost and look rounded
It needs the cavities smoked, but only lightly
It won’t open unless you push lightly on the lower, right rear corner
I ladle pour, and it wants a FULL ladle and “pressure poured”
I had to drill out the spout on my ladle to get the right pressure
It needs to be held absolutely level for the bases to fill out properly
The sprue plate must be struck just right and not too soon, not too late, to shear the sprue flush
But once you get it “right”; man does it cast beautiful boolits! I finally got 111 keepers, weighed every single one, only .3-grains difference from heaviest to lightest; bright shinny boolits, with sharp square corners.
Question;
I’m getting quite an investment molds and would like to store them without worry of rust and such.
What’s the best storage solution?
Should I grease them, oil them, store them dry, smoked?
Thanks