Need help with 30 200 Sil

[Longone]

I have been having a real tough time trying to get a RCBS 30 cal 200-Sil. mold to drop good boolits. While the mold is taking heat cycles there are the normal wrinkles. And when it gets to temp there are small void areas that I can't seem to get rid of.

In trying to solve this I emptied the RCBS elec pot and gave it a cleaning, fluxed the lead several times, tried different pour rates. I was also casting a 150 RCBS 30 cal Boolit and they were casting just fine. I also played withy the temp and frequency of filling the mold until I was getting frosted boolits, no better. The pic of the Boolits I am going to try and attach are some of the better ones, most all are worse. This is a mold I purchased used and at least visually it looks great but it's giving me fits.

Any help would be appreciated.

Longone

[lawboy]

Have you tried smoking the cavities? I would smoke them good with a wooden match cast a few cycles, then smoke them again and see how that works.

That is a nice looking projectile, btw.
I have a Saeco 311 mould that is very similar but has an actual truncated cone tip and the sides are tapered just a little. Mine weight 185.5grs lubed and gas checked. Shoot them from a CZ527 in 7.62x39. Had to throat the barrel just a hair with a finishing reamer to prevent bullet set backwhen running them at 2.285-2.288 OAL with the GC seated to the base of the neck. They feed from the magazine just fine like that, btw.

[mag44uk]

I would try giving the mould a good clean.
Tooth brush and brake cleaner.
Or boil it in soapy water.
HTH
Tony

[Longone]

I wonder if I outsmarted myself, first I cleaned the mold with Brake cleaner as suggested, that produced the same results. Then I smoked it with a smoke lamp and the bullets looked like they were frosted. You might even say they had very tiny pits, so I wonder if the smoke lamp applied too much smoke. [smilie=b:

LG

[Echo]

I go along with mag44uk - the spots on the boolits in the picture seem to be in the same place, and that indicates to me that there is some contamination in the mold. Scrub w/brake cleaner again, then boil in dihydro-monoxide & Dawn, rinse thoroughly, boil in clear dihydro-monoxide, dry thoroughly, and try again.

[44man]

Might be the smoke lamp if is an oily flame.
I make a lot of my own molds and find just hot tap water and dish soap cleans them perfect. First boolit will be perfect after I pre-heat it.
I use WD-40 for cutting lube and the soap even removes it.
Some cleaners and solvents can leave as much residue as what was on the mold to start with.

[Longone]

Well guys I give up, I've tried the cleaning and boiling, brake cleaner with a nylon brush and a bronze brush to no avail. Just when you think it's straightened out, it will start casting with a huge wrinkle up the length of the bullet. I tried to watch and see if it is just one cavity on one side but it appears to be both cavity's.
Perhaps someone with more time can solve this puzzle as I have had enough, this mold will be up for sale by days end.
:groner:
Thanks for all your guidance.

LG

[STP22]

Longone,

Hot water...bar soap (Ivory)...old toothbrush.
Scrub it, rinse, scrub it again, rinse. Let it air dry completely.

Your voids along the boolit`s nose is probably residual debris of some sort. Using a brass brush on the cavities simply aggravates the problem.

Once the cavities are truely clean, it will drop good bullets when the mould gets up to temperature. Use a Bic lighter after 8 or 10 casts, but don`t go overboard with it. It tends to make all the difference in order to get great lookin` boolits.

Keep at it...that`s a great mould.

[45 2.1]

Well guys I give up, I've tried the cleaning and boiling, brake cleaner with a nylon brush and a bronze brush to no avail. Just when you think it's straightened out, it will start casting with a huge wrinkle up the length of the bullet. I tried to watch and see if it is just one cavity on one side but it appears to be both cavity's.
Perhaps someone with more time can solve this puzzle as I have had enough, this mold will be up for sale by days end.
:groner:
Thanks for all your guidance.

LG

Before you sell it, try this, when the mold is hot at casting temperature..... take it outside where there is a breeze with a spray can of carb. cleaner and spray the cavities good DOWNWIND. DO NOT breath any of the fumes as this will cause you problems. This usually cures a stubborn mold plus you can try it immediately. Let us know how you did.

[runfiverun]

knock the drip from your spout before starting your pour.

[HORNET]

Venting...and the smoke from the lamp blocked off more of the vents at the cavity edges and made it worse. Cavities with that high a L/D ratio usually benefit from a vent cut between the cavities and parallel to them as well. If you REALLY want to get rid of it, I'll give you $10 + shipping (it's at least 3rd hand)...:kidding:

[32ideal]

The second in a series of RCBS 200gr 30cal Sil. moulds I tried in one rifle for CBA matches did the same crazy thing, understand this was 7-8yrs ago, was lucky and took it to work with me, one of the electric labs had a ultrasonic cleaner with fluid for degreasing electronic parts and circuit boards, 10-15 minutes in the cleaner turned that mould into a fantastically great casting mould! Don't know if it would work for you but I took a couple more stubborn moulds and had them run through and they also perform very well, ask around maybe someone can help you out.

I DO NOT oil my moulds when done casting, but use the kitchen vacuum sealer and for short term storage wrap the moulds once around with a heavy clear plastic for table cloths from the craft store to prevent the sharp edges from cutting through the vacuum sealer bags, throw in one of the VPI chips and if bag does not lose its seal they never rust and are ready to cast as soon as they and the alloy are up to temp. Best part of using the sealer is if you have enough handles you can leave them on your favorite or most used moulds. See photo below!
:bigsmyl2:

32ideal




Well guys I give up, I've tried the cleaning and boiling, brake cleaner with a nylon brush and a bronze brush to no avail. Just when you think it's straightened out, it will start casting with a huge wrinkle up the length of the bullet. I tried to watch and see if it is just one cavity on one side but it appears to be both cavity's.
Perhaps someone with more time can solve this puzzle as I have had enough, this mold will be up for sale by days end.
:groner:
Thanks for all your guidance.

LG

[Longone]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guy's. This is at least the third time I have tried this mold and it is just plain frustrating. I store my molds in a 50 cal. ammo can with some desiccant in the can. When I first started casting about 10 years ago I would spray them down with WD-40, but it was a pain to clean them up prior to use so I stopped that.

After all the scrubbing I've done yesterday and today and the cleaning solvents that have been used it's hard to imagine anything could still be in the cavity's but who knows.

runfiverun, I thought about your idea and will try it but the flaws also run the length of some boolits. Could it be the cause.......I'll let you know if it helped.

Hornet, If you are serious about the $10 offer that may work out just fine, but wait till you see the freight charges!!!! :kidding: :drinks:

I'll give it another go in the morning.


Longone

[KYCaster]

Some brake cleaners leave a residue. MEK has always worked well for me.

Jerry

[longbow]

I don't see where you mention casting temperature.

I cast hot and even hotter with a stubborn mould and it works for me. Can't give you a temperature as I don't use a thermometer or electric pot. I heat until I have a golden sheen on the surface of clean lead.

That mark looks like the first drip in from the sprue hole hitting the mould and freezing. My latest NOE was giving me similar problems so I turned the heat up until the bullets were good and frosty and they cast just fine then.

Frosty bullets don't bother me but bad fillout does. I also ladle cast because I find that seems to work better for me than Lyman dippers or bottom pour pots especially with large bullets, shotgun slugs and stubborn moulds.

runfiverun makes a good suggestion too about the drip especially if there is a "skin" (wet dross).

I would also check the sprue hole size (I don't like small sprue holes) and mould venting. Sprue holes can easily be enlarged if small and vent lines can be cleaned out. Then cast hot until the bullets are really frosty and the sprue puddle takes several seconds to solidify.

Longbow