Best Hollow Point Mold Technique?

[guninhand]

Hi Folks,

Just started using my first hollow point mold and am surprised to find there are a number of approaches to take. So which way gives best quality or production rate?
first, to preheat, do you do it with the pin in the mold or out, heating the pin seperately when out?

when the boolit is cast, do you open the molt and tap it, letting the pin and boolit fall out together, or hold the pin while you open it, and remove the pin and then let the boolit fall off the pin.(or something else)

do you re-heat the pin from time to time while it is out of the mold?

for a 45 cal bullet and WW alloy, what is likely the best casting temperature?

to put the pin back in, do you close the mold and then insert the pin or put the pin in one half and then close the mold:confused:

[twotrees]

Pre-heat the mold with the pin out. Heat the pin by holding 1/3 of it it the melt until no lead sticks to it.

Install pin and cast. a few boolits later, everything will be up to temp.

I twist and remove the pin after the sprue hardens then open the mold and remove boolit.

Re-install the pin into the mold after I close the mold and cast again.

As for temp with Straight WW I wouldn't know as I add tin to my alloy especially for hollow points to get good fill out. The setting I use will vary from what you will need, due to the exact alloy you are using, but hot 700 F does a good job on mine.

Good Shooting,

[guninhand]

2 trees, I appreciate the reply.My pin is a tad tight. Several of the few boolits I cast so far have wrinkled noses, and melt temp was a bit below 800F. I think when I get the procedure streamlined the mold will stay hot enough to lower the temperature. The boolits that turned out good look real pretty.

[mikenbarb]

I made a holder for keeping the pin over a small propane torch flame. It keeps it nice and hot and the noses fill out alot better. Its hard to keep the pins hot by just casting and it sometimes needs a little kick up in temp.

[Ben]

A small step added to all this makes a world of difference in fill out.

Once your mold and metal are both up to temp, take the hp pin and hold about 1/3 of it in your HOT alloy for 4 - 5 seconds. Now insert the hp pin quickly into the mold and make the pour.

Some molds require more of this than others.

As a general rule, dip the hp pin in the alloy for the 4 - 5 seconds every 2nd or 3rd pour. This keeps the pin hot and at the optimum temp. 98% of the time when the nose isn't filling out properly it is due to a pin that is too cool.( or the mold or your alloy that it too cool - - OR BOTH )

You'll see a dramatic difference in fill out with this technique.

Ben

[arcticbreeze]

I have had good results with the following:

1) As already said get the mold and pin hot.

2) With it assembled start casting. I first pour the lead with a generous sprue.

3) When sprue just hardens I cut the sprue first with a light tap of a wood dowel.

4) Then with the hand that has the dowel in it I pull the pin.

5) Open the mold and tap if needed.

6) Close the mold and reinsert immediately.

7) Pour again.

Its kind of hard to explain but if done this way the pin is out of the mold only for about 2 or 3 seconds and I then pour immediately to keep the pin hot. Today I was able to cast about 180 boolits in about an hour. I did have to cull about 20 boolits.

Two tips;

One would be to be very careful not get any lube near the pin. With the mold hot I had a problem with getting just a little to much on the alignment pins and after about 5 or so castings it migrated to the pin hole and then on to the pin. The other is don't put the pin down. If you have to stop to refill your pot or something even for a minute only stop with lead in the mold and pin inserted to hold the heat.

Hot and clean is the key...

[guninhand]

Thanks for all the tips. Uneven fillout at the nose was my first problem using wheel weights and tin. I was dipping the pin in the melt every 30 bullets or so, and dipping the mold in every 50 bullets or so. Next go round I had about 2/3 linotype in the alloy. Now i got even fillout in the nose, but base problems. I'm moving the sprue cutter by hand, and because the alloy is harder when solid, I get lumps on the base at the sprue hole location, i.e. not cutting soon enough. The optimum cutoff window is very short with this alloy, too soon and you smear the underside of the sprue plate, too late and you get a nub lump on the base of the bullet.

For 3rd go round I'll use same alloy and temp, heat the pin more and keep 0000 steel wool nearby to clean up sprue plate underside. I'm using the new MiHec mold and the boolits done right look fabulous.

[fredj338]

The hardest alloy I like to cast HP w/ is 50/50 ww & lead w/ 5% tin added. Mostly though, it's 25-1 lead & tin. I heat the pin inside the mold, on top of the pot, & start casting when the alloy is to temp. At a steady pace of fill, remove pin, open spru plate, drop bullet, close mold & replace pin, bullets start falling out pretty nicely after a dozen or so rejects. I have not yet had to reheat the pin, just keep a steady pace up @ 700-750deg casting temp.