chemist308
05-17-2009, 08:31 PM
This evening after a day of shooting with son, I had my second experience with boolit casting. A few notes and a couple questions:
Thanks to all for your advice on cleaning solvents for molds and pre-heating. I preheated my molds on the side stove burner of my outdoor grill. That worked beautifully. My 38s are looking pretty good. Some have a seam where the mold closes.
Questions 1: Is this seam an issue, and will it affect performance?
The 308 boolit casting was a bit of an issue. The mold was a little on the hot side and the liquid metal stayed liquid for longer than expected. Then when tried to drop the boolits out, the ran out... A bunch tried to stick in the seams of the mold. Then to make matters worse the sprue cutter appears lifted slightly over the second bullet mold. Basically, one bullet comes out with a flat, clean base. The other came out with a lead base the size of a dime, because the sprue cutter IS lifted slightly over that mold.
Questions 2: Should I junk this mold and get another? Looking to try a different brand but on a Lee budget. Any suggestions for a better quality mold?
Thanks to all for your advice on cleaning solvents for molds and pre-heating. I preheated my molds on the side stove burner of my outdoor grill. That worked beautifully. My 38s are looking pretty good. Some have a seam where the mold closes.
Questions 1: Is this seam an issue, and will it affect performance?
The 308 boolit casting was a bit of an issue. The mold was a little on the hot side and the liquid metal stayed liquid for longer than expected. Then when tried to drop the boolits out, the ran out... A bunch tried to stick in the seams of the mold. Then to make matters worse the sprue cutter appears lifted slightly over the second bullet mold. Basically, one bullet comes out with a flat, clean base. The other came out with a lead base the size of a dime, because the sprue cutter IS lifted slightly over that mold.
Questions 2: Should I junk this mold and get another? Looking to try a different brand but on a Lee budget. Any suggestions for a better quality mold?