Newbie question

[kgriff]

I'm new to this forum, and new to casting. I have a Lee mold (please don't criticize too much, it's what I could afford) and Lee pot with the bottom spout.
So, here's my issue:
After casting, and rejecting about 10 pots full, I've decided I don't know what's going on.
Every bullet I cast has a lot of small imperfections in it. Not that the mold's not filling out, because everything is filled, just small imperfections. Looks almost like inverted bubbles. I've tried two different alloys, wheel weights, and another that was given to me that the guy said was Lyman #2. Both give me the same problem. I've tried casting at temperatures from about 580 to 710, with the same results.
I've gotten quite a few that 3/4 of the bullet was fine, perfectly smooth, but one side not smooth and full of these "bubbles".

Apart from the mold and lead pot, the only other thing that is the same all along is the towel I'm dropping bullets on. Is there any possibility that the towel is causing this?

[canyon-ghost]

It sounds like the mold is dirty, or you're using a release agent. If you pause for a minute for the sprue to harden and the lead to turn dull on the surface, it shouldn't be soft enough for the towel to leave an impression.
I use bore solvent and a regular bore brush, scrub the mold, dry with a rag. Then, pour alcohol or acetone over it and dry again with a rag (tee shirts work great).

Ron in Texas (howdy again)

[geargnasher]

First, welcome aboard! One of the principles of this forum is to help people, not belittle people. Nobody's going to knock the Lee equipent you're using because half of us use the same stuff. It's cheap, but it does work. The trick is knowing how to use it.

Now for some homework. The answers to all your questions are in the Classics and Stickies section, as well as in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. If you don't have the Lyman cast book, it is a worthwhile investment. You should read, re-read, and read again the entire section on alloys, bullet casting, sizing, and lubrication.

Most anything you need to know to get started out on the right foot is in that book. There are other good books, but that one is easy to get.

As to the problem at hand, you haven't said if you're fluxing your alloy, how fast you're casting, what you're using for mould lubricant, etc. If you don't know what I mean, see the above two paragraphs, because you need to know the basics from a good manual so you have a common frame of reference in which we can communicate and help you better. Read that as "the people we are most able to help are the ones that help themselves". You gotta do your part.

The towel is likely not causing your problems unless you're dropping half-molten boolits or the towel has exceptionally hard knapp.

Gear

[fryboy]

good points in the above post ! and just so u know i have numerous lee molds and again just so u know some lee molds ( or others of another make ) like to run hot , this could be one of them but it does tend ( from the limited evidence ) seem to suggest that u could be dropping ur boolits too soon ( the inverted bubbles thing ) try water dropping a couple , if no ummm inverted bubbles then u'd know ,as a plus if ur alloy is heat treatable u'll have much harder boolits , but as above make sure ur mold is clean n g'luck !

[lwknight]

Welcome to the madness Kgriff

Wow! Geargnasher, to the point and not too harshly both.
You might make a good ambassador.

[zxcvbob]

I think your mold is oily. Clean it with some brake degreaser. You can also use water and toothpaste and a soft brush, but rinse and dry it really well.

And make sure the mold is HOT. Dip it in the hot lead for about a minute before you start casting.

[mooman76]

Welcome. Only a few here would knock Lee moulds. Most of us use them and allot like myself have allot of them. They are cheap but they work and I can afford to have more because they are cheaper. I believe you either have a dirty mould, dirty alloy or maybe running to hot and you have what we call frosting. Pictures would help allot if you can. The good news is even your bullets if filled out will shoot reasonably well. Try turning the pot down some, flux the lead and clean your mould.

[geargnasher]

Welcome to the madness Kgriff

Wow! Geargnasher, to the point and not too harshly both.
You might make a good ambassador.

You haven't been reading some of my posts elsewhere here lately, have you? :twisted:

What sucks for a lot of people is they are trying to learn a very involved, potentially dangerous new hobby from just the internet or books with no one to actually show them how. I had the great benefit of having someone teach me the basics when I was young. A few things I've improved upon, but he showed me in five minutes what would have taken me a year to learn on the internet and weeks to learn from a book. I still say, like reloading, that we can't teach everything here, only point out what needs to be learned and then stand by to answer questions or add clarification as needed.

Youtube is actually a very valuble asset to a new boolit caster in that it shows people actually pouring molten lead in a mould, but I cringe at some of the safety oversights and just poor technique and cruddy boolits some of those guys produce.

BTW, kgriff, that doen't mean you can't still ask questions! Keep 'em coming!

Gear

[kgriff]

Howdy again, Ron.

Thanks for the quick comments, both.
I wasn't under the impression that the towel itself was making "dents" in the lead, but didn't know if there was any possibility, that anyone had ever seen, of contaminants in the towel (i.e. leftover laundry soap) off-gassing and causing problems when a hot bullet is dropped on it.

I do have the Lyman book, as well as Lee Modern Reloading. I have read both multiple times and thought I was on the right track.

I have lubricated the mold using Bees Wax, as advised in the instructions included with the mold. (Lubed the V ribs, cross pin, and sprue plate bushing.) When I got the mold new I followed the instructions about cleaning, lubing, and smoking. I haven't had any issues with boolits sticking, so I figured I was okay.
Am I better off to just clean it, as suggested by Ron, then skip the smoking part? ( At least, that's how I read that post)

As for the rest of the story, I am fluxing with Bees Wax. Typically twice per 10 lb. pot, once when full, then again about halfway through. I don't know if this is right or not, but I'm still in the learning/experimenting stage. I've tried fluxing only at the start of the pot, and twice. So far, I've cast one pot at a time, without adding any new alloy during the process. I'm going about it this way in order to try and maintain a steady temperature.

Casting speed: I would guess I'm dropping 1 boolit per 30 seconds or so. This is a 405 grn 45 cal mold. My process so far is: Several to heat up the mold. The first couple stick a bit. Once everything seems to be dropping okay, every third boolit I touch the mold, with boolit still inside, to a wet rag, as advised by Lee. If I go 4 before the rag, the 4th comes out frosted which, as I understand it, is caused by a too hot mold.

The part that made me think it wasn't a dirty mold is that the pattern of imperfection is not the same. In my little pea brain, if the mold was dirty, the dirty wouldn't be moving around and I should be able to see some sort of pattern. As it is, like I said in the first post, some had blemishes pretty much all over, with some it's just on one side.

It appears that, no matter what, my first thing to do is give the mold a thorough cleaning.

[kgriff]

I see several other replies posted while I was typing. It's refreshing to see an actual friendly and helpful forum.
Geargnasher, I in no way took offense to what you said. As you have no idea of my knowledge level, you are stating the obvious starting point, especially since I said I was brand new.

I too lament not having anyone to show me the ropes. I'm doing what I can and being as careful as I can so as not to damage myself or anything around. I figure it will all come together eventually.

So, there's two votes for dirty/oily mold. A cleaning is in order.
I will also try the dropping in water thing and see how that goes. I do know that what I'm seeing is not frosting, as I've seen that on some also, and this is very different.
I'll try to post pictures tomorrow, if cleaning doesn't help out.

[geargnasher]

DO NOT FOLLOW THE LEE MOULD PREP INSTRUCTIONS.

You are in for a world of trouble if you do. You need to clean that mould completly, get ALL of the lube and smoke off of it and out of the pores. More people have been ruined on Lee moulds by waxing and smoking than you can believe, that's part of what's wrong with their reputation.

The mould cavities need to be ABSOLUTELY CLEAN, that means degreased, boiled in soapy water, scrubbed with a toothbrush and brake cleaner or both, or the grease/oil/wax will get into the cavities and cause fillout problems bigtime. Even the leftover machining oil in the pores of the metal can make the first casting session a pain unless the mould is soaked in mineral spirits for a couple of days to leach it out.

As for lube, it is important to use some, and we here at castboolits swear by Bullplate sprue lube, a product sold by one of our vendors and that is the only place to get it other than some of the custom mould manufacturers here that include a small sample with their moulds. Bullplate is applied VERY sparingly so it won't wick into the cavities, and the only place you need to put it is on the pivot, the alinment pins and channels, and on the top and bottom of the sprue plate. That keeps the top of the blocks from galling and the pins alinging nicely.

Gear

[kgriff]

Gear,
Thanks for the tips.
So, first thing when I get home from work tomorrow is a good cleaning.
Then I get some Bullplate. Excuse my ignorance, but where do I find the vendors?

Edit: Found it.

[lwknight]

Beeswax in the cavity!! Oh what horror!!

I thought about that from your first paragraph but , didn't seriously consider it.
I imagined that if there was some kind of oil in the mold that it would have burned out
eventually. Never thought about someone adding it back in. LOL!!

[quack1]

One question- are you smelting your wheel weights in the same pot? Might be some dirt and crud stuck to the sides and bottom of your pot that is getting in your bullets. All the dirt from smelting does not float. When you clean your mold you might want to empty your pot and give it a good cleaning too.

[Bret4207]

Welcome to the asylum! You've been given good advice. Chances are your mould has oils or waxes contaminating it. Also, try fluxing simply by using a wooden stick, like a paint stirring stick, and scrape the sides and bottom as you agitate the alloy. This will do a far, far better job of fluxing than any oil, wax or sawdust.

FYI- do not be concerned with light, even frosting. Aluminum moulds need to run hot simply because they cool quickly. Uniform frosting is not an issue, in fact it's often the only way to get properly filled out boolits with some alloys. I would stop wetting the mould.

[qajaq59]

Kgriff, Welcome aboard. I think the guys have you pretty well set, so I'll just say Hello.

[Tom Myers]

What bullet are you attempting to cast?
Do you have a ladle?

Perhaps I missed it, but I haven't seen a mention of the difficulty of pouring LARGE blemish-free bullets from a BOTTOM POUR pot. Whereas the small short bullets cast quite nicely from the bottom pour spout.

I have been casting for nearly 40 years and have yet to bottom pour anything over .375 caliber as good as I can make them with the RCBS ladle. And, believe me, I have really tried.

After all my trials and experiments, I have yet to arrive at a reason or explanation for the tiny bubbles and pits that are on the surface of long, bottom-pour bullets. I have scrubbed the pot squeaky clean, fluxed, heated the pour spout with a torch, pressure casted, drop poured and held the mold at every conceivable angle and the bullets still appear as if they are full of little granules of dirt. But grab the ladle and pour a few and they drop from the mold looking like pieces of jewelry.

Hope this helps.

[qajaq59]

My bottom pour pot does ok on my .50 caliber Lee R.E.A.L. bullets. But I have to open the spout to do it. I never did get good with a ladle.

[pistolman44]

You have got good advice here. 3 of my molds are Lee and I clean mine with brake cleaner and use Bull Plate Sprue Lube. I never smoke mine and forget the beeswax. Seems you are on the right track with your fluxing. If you start to get a lead smear under your sprue plate and on top of your mold after cutting turn it over and touch it on a wet sponge to cool it down. I could go on but read all you can on this site there is a wealth of info here.

[zxcvbob]

Perhaps I missed it, but I haven't seen a mention of the difficulty of pouring LARGE blemish-free bullets from a BOTTOM POUR pot. Whereas the small short bullets cast quite nicely from the bottom pour spout.I pour 255 grain .45's with a bottom pour Lee furnace, but have never gone bigger than that, nor long skinny rifle bullets.

[Echo]

Welcome, kgriff. This will become an obsession, but a very fulfilling one. Frustrating at times, bu a great endeavor.

My question is: How are you rendering down your alloy? Are you ingotizing your stuff in he same pot you use to cast boolits with? If so, that's a problem - stuff deposits in the pot, and then comes out in the casting.

Or are you buying ingots?

And +1 for cleaning the heck out of mold - How do you make Holy Water? Boil the He]] out of it. Same with molds.

[Wayne Smith]

With clean alloy fluxing simply returns oxides back to the mix. Oxidation is happening at the surface interface with the air. Many using bottom pour pots flux with sawdust and simply leave the ash/coal on the surface. Many others put a layer of kitty litter (clay) on the melt to prevent O2 from getting to the melt.

Bubbles in the bullet from a "dirty" mold are a result of oils from the pores of the metal outgassing from the heat of the pour. This causes a blemish in the boolit. For whatever reason it does not happen all at the same time but seems to continue much longer than I would expect or want. This is the reason for all the emphasis on cleaning the mold.

[Moonie]

If you will add your location I'm fairly confident you may find someone close on this forum that will be glad to help in person.

[geargnasher]

If you will add your location I'm fairly confident you may find someone close on this forum that will be glad to help in person.

+1 I was thinking the same thing.

Gear

[sourceofuncertainty]

More people have been ruined on Lee moulds by waxing and smoking than you can believe, that's part of what's wrong with their reputation.Gear

Geargnasher, could you explain the smoke part a little? I'm not a newbie to casting but I'm not that experienced either. I found that with the 6-gang Lee pistol moulds, I couldn't get the boolits to easily drop free until I'd smoked the mould. Once I smoked my pistol moulds, most seem to drop the bullets much more easily.

What is the downside to smoking the moulds?

[Recluse]

What bullet are you attempting to cast?
Do you have a ladle?

Perhaps I missed it, but I haven't seen a mention of the difficulty of pouring LARGE blemish-free bullets from a BOTTOM POUR pot. Whereas the small short bullets cast quite nicely from the bottom pour spout.

*DING*

Beat me to it.

Big boolits or long boolits, at least for me, seem to do better when I ladle-pour them rather than using the bottom pour. Easy enough to do--get yourself the RCBS or Lyman ladle. Leave it sitting in the pot to keep it up to temperature, scoop and pour.

:coffee:

[lwknight]

What is the downside to smoking the moulds?

The only downside that I have found is that it only does good for a few casts.
When you want to get down and dirty ,there is no time for re-smoking the molds every few rounds. So we have to learn other ways around.

I would equate smoking the molds to having a 1 gallon gas tank on your car.

[noamet]

I had the same problem once. I had been casting for about thirty minutes and all of a sudden I started getting blemished castings. Turns out the mold had collected some of the lube I was using. Had to stop and completely clean the mold. I am still sorta new at casting and Learned the hard way about not getting lube into the mold cavities.

[Bret4207]

Geargnasher, could you explain the smoke part a little? I'm not a newbie to casting but I'm not that experienced either. I found that with the 6-gang Lee pistol moulds, I couldn't get the boolits to easily drop free until I'd smoked the mould. Once I smoked my pistol moulds, most seem to drop the bullets much more easily.

What is the downside to smoking the moulds?

First off, you get smaller boolits. That's usually a problem for most of us. Second, you're insulating the mould from much needed heat. Third, you're blocking your venting. Fourth, you're using a bandaid approach to getting the mould to work right. Clean it, lap it, deburr it, whatever, but fix the darn thing!

[Centaur 1]

I tried something new the last time that I was casting, and all of my molds are Lee. While I was waiting for the pot to warm up I got out my hot glue gun and a couple of old taps, either 6-32 or 8-32 it doesn't really matter. With the sprue plate swung out of the way I filled the mold cavity with hot glue, then I inserted a tap before the glue hardened. After the glue boolit hardened with the tap sticking in it, I chucked the tap in my electric drill. I then coated the gluelit with 1200 grit lapping compound, it's just what I had and you could even use toothpaste or comet. I gently closed the mold on the glue lap and started spinning the lap with the drill. I didn't do it long enough to remove metal, just polish it a little. I cleaned my molds with joy detergent and a toothbrush in the kitchen sink, and dried the mold by spraying it with quick drying brakleen. By the time I did all that my lead was melted and ready to pour. My boolits not only looked better than ever, but they just dropped from the mold, no more rapping the handle with a stick to get the boolits to fall out. You'll never need to smoke a mold that's been polished this way.

[ghh3rd]

As other have said, I too have a few Lee molds. They work fine for me, and I've shot some groups that have had comments at the range such as "I can't even do that with factory ammo" -- makes me smile to hear that. I love to shoot boolits that I make, with lube that I make (Felix Lube - great stuff), and will soon being making my own gas checks.

My first Lee mold was the .38 wadcutter (looks like a little soup can). I was surprised at how well I could do with it from my little 1.8" snub revolver.

All I can say is follow the advice that you got, especially about cleaning the mold thoroughly. Once it's very clean, try very hard to avoid getting any oil in it again, such as when lubricating the mold where it seats together or when lubricating he spru plate. A little lube such as Bullshop goes a long way.

You will make it. You've proven that you are determined by going through so much lead over and over and still trying. Once it clicks, you'll so pleased at the results that you won't want to stop casting.

Welcome, and have fun!

Randy

[kgriff]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses and advice.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it out tonight. Spent the evening helping my brother with computer/data issues, long distance.
However, to respond to some of the questions that have been posed, and perhaps ask a couple in response:

I'm in Fort Collins, Colorado. If anyone is nearby and willing to help out a beginner, I would be eternally grateful.

I'm casting 405 grn .459 dia. About the ladle method, and again I reference the Lee instructions and Modern Reloading, it is stated that a ladle is not the best tool to use with the aluminum molds. According to these references, lead poured from the ladle tends to hit one side of the mold first, thus heating it unevenly, which will cause uneven cooling. This kinda makes sense to me, since it would be virtually impossible to pour from a ladle straight into the bottom of the mold without hitting the side first. So, for those that advocate ladle pouring, is this a real problem? If so, how does one overcome this?

I have not smelted anything in the same pot. I have an old cast iron pot used for this purpose. The casting pot is only used for casting.

I believe, after I give the mold and pot a good cleaning, I'll believe I'll try the sawdust fluxing mentioned. I like the idea of a barrier to slow oxidation.

Again, thanks for all the kind advice. I cannot adequately express my appreciation for the willingness of the experienced folks on this board to help out a beginner.

[cbrick]

Also, try fluxing simply by using a wooden stick, like a paint stirring stick, and scrape the sides and bottom as you agitate the alloy. This will do a far, far better job of fluxing than any oil, wax or sawdust.

I agree with Bret on almost everything casting but not this time. While I occasionally will use a wood stick or oak dowel, of all the various fluxes I've tried nothing has worked better than sawdust. Definitely does a better job of fluxing (and reducing) than waxes and oils and it leaves the inside of the pot clean, oils and waxes do not. Sawdust puts far more carbon on the alloy than just a stick.

kgriff, welcome to Castboolits. As you have been told, keep the wax, oils and everything else well away from your molds. A very small amount of Bullplate but not in the cavities.

Beeswax on the mold, oh no.

http://www.lasc.us/Holycripe.jpg

Rick

[zxcvbob]

The best flux I've found by far is lard. It does a better job than wax or old motor oil, lasts longer, and it doesn't flame-up as bad. (I still use sawdust too.)

Scraping the pot with a paint stick is a good thing to do, and it fluxes a little, but it's not the same as putting flux on top where most of the oxides are.

[geargnasher]

Geargnasher, could you explain the smoke part a little? I'm not a newbie to casting but I'm not that experienced either. I found that with the 6-gang Lee pistol moulds, I couldn't get the boolits to easily drop free until I'd smoked the mould. Once I smoked my pistol moulds, most seem to drop the bullets much more easily.

What is the downside to smoking the moulds?

See Bret's post #29, he absolutely covered it.

Gear

[geargnasher]

I tried something new the last time that I was casting, and all of my molds are Lee. While I was waiting for the pot to warm up I got out my hot glue gun and a couple of old taps, either 6-32 or 8-32 it doesn't really matter. With the sprue plate swung out of the way I filled the mold cavity with hot glue, then I inserted a tap before the glue hardened. After the glue boolit hardened with the tap sticking in it, I chucked the tap in my electric drill. I then coated the gluelit with 1200 grit lapping compound, it's just what I had and you could even use toothpaste or comet. I gently closed the mold on the glue lap and started spinning the lap with the drill. I didn't do it long enough to remove metal, just polish it a little. I cleaned my molds with joy detergent and a toothbrush in the kitchen sink, and dried the mold by spraying it with quick drying brakleen. By the time I did all that my lead was melted and ready to pour. My boolits not only looked better than ever, but they just dropped from the mold, no more rapping the handle with a stick to get the boolits to fall out. You'll never need to smoke a mold that's been polished this way.

I didn't think of doing that, although I've cast epoxy laps before (much tougher than lead alloy laps) with the grit mixed right in. The Glulit lap sounds like the hot ticked for deburring aluminum moulds without damaging them.

Gear

[Recluse]

I'm casting 405 grn .459 dia. About the ladle method, and again I reference the Lee instructions and Modern Reloading, it is stated that a ladle is not the best tool to use with the aluminum molds. According to these references, lead poured from the ladle tends to hit one side of the mold first, thus heating it unevenly, which will cause uneven cooling. This kinda makes sense to me, since it would be virtually impossible to pour from a ladle straight into the bottom of the mold without hitting the side first. So, for those that advocate ladle pouring, is this a real problem? If so, how does one overcome this?

If Lee made a ladle that was worth a flip, they'd re-write that portion of their book. . . :)

I use several Lee "big boolit" molds, including a shotgun slug mold. I set the molds on top of the furnace/pot while the alloy is heating up. I also usually up the temp of the alloy when using aluminum molds, and I prefer a temp of around 800F for the bigger/longer boolits.

I'll bottom pour for four or five rounds, each time letting the alloy stay in the mold for a while to help transfer heat. Then, when I'm satisfied the molds are hot enough, I'll begin ladle pouring.

Because the boolits are longer/bigger, I let them set in the mold for a few seconds longer than I normally would for smaller (handgun caliber) boolits. This also seems to help me keep the mold temp steady and consistent.

Lot of trial and error to see what works best for you. The biggest thing about casting boolits is the result moreso than the methods (just as long as your methods are safe).

No feeling like it, though. None at all. Your lead, your boolit, your reload, your firearm, you're taking the shot.

Pure bliss.

:coffee:

[Bret4207]

[COLOR=#001f30][FONT=Verdana]I agree with Bret on almost everything casting but not this time. While I occasionally will use a wood stick or oak dowel, of all the various fluxes I've tried nothing has worked better than sawdust. Definitely does a better job of fluxing (and reducing) than waxes and oils and it leaves the inside of the pot clean, oils and waxes do not. Sawdust puts far more carbon on the alloy than just a stick.
Rick

I agree sawdust [puts far more carbon ON the melt, but it doesn't get UNDER the melt. That's where a stick shines. It's charring the whole time and as you're scraping and stirring it's rubbing off into the melt. I suppose sawdust and a stick would be the best of both worlds.

[Moonie]

I do sawdust and paint stick. Learned it here, great stuff, even having cast for 20 years or so you can pick up helpful stuff at this wonderful site.

[44man]

I use nothing but a ladle, I got over the bottom pour about 59 years ago.
I see no need for lube on a Lee mold but I do use a lube on the pivot for the sprue plate and a touch of Bullplate on the mold top.
Close a mold gently and there is no need for lube anywhere else.
Never seen a Lee mold cast funny but have had a few I sent back because they were casting too small. A great deal for the price.

[fredj338]

I think ladle casting for a newb is tougher route than bottom pour pot, JMO. If the mol is clean & the alloy is clean, you should get good fill w/ few imperfections. Dropping on a towel is NOT going to damage the bullet, it's solid long before you break the spru & drop the bullet. With the mold hot, try shooting the cav w/ a degreaser like Gunscrubber, but if you have thoroughly cleaned the mold w/ toothbrush & soemthing to remove any cutting oil, you should be good to go.
SOmetimes the Lee molds will not have the vent lines cut deeply enough, can be an issue w/ good mold fill out. Work w/ one alloy source until you sort it out. Switching back & forth just adds another vairable. Get the alloy temp up to 750 or so, might also help.

[canyon-ghost]

I just use a little Lyman Master Casting Kit, have for 10 years now. Consequently, I never have done bottom pour. Ladle casting leaves me with only 2 cavity molds for the most part. Until recently, I'd never used an aluminum mold, all mine are iron molds (that's mostly so I can't mess up something fragile). None of that makes a real difference, even with a small set-up, a guy can make boolits and shoot.
You want the cavities clean and dry to pour right, years of using parafin as flux taught me that. I had one mold that I cleaned twice before it poured right, thought it would drive me crazy. It finally got clean enough and hot enough to drop bullets.

If I thought my reloading equipment was prestigious, I'd probably stand around and admire it rather than make ammunition and shoot but, I don't.

[kgriff]

I'm much closer than before. Using the suggestions presented here, this is what I've done:
Cleaned the heck out of the mold.
Emptied and cleaned the lead pot. (Pretty sure this didn't play a part in the problem but, what the heck. Can't hurt, right?)
Cast without using the wet cloth to cool the mold.
Turned the temperature up.

Here's what I'm getting now:
Completely filled out boolits. For the most part, none of the small blemishes I was seeing before.
Now, for what may be my final question on this quest, with this boolit. How can I cast without frosting? I'm dropping mostly usable boolits now, but all are frosted due to the high temperature and not cooling the mold like I was before. I'm using the Lee 90268 459-405-HB mold. If I don't run the temperature at about 720 or higher, the hollow base doesn't fill right. However, with the temp this high, if I pause for even 20 seconds or so to allow the mold to air cool, I have fill out problems. Is there any way to cast this boolit without frosting? I realize they are usable with the frosting, but it would be nice to cast nice, shiny, boolits.

[WHITETAIL]

kgriff, Welcome to the forum.[smilie=w:
And as stated befor frosted boolits are not bad.

[Bret4207]

IME there are some moulds that just work best that way. Frosting, even frosting, hurts nothing that I can see. A different alloy might work for you, but I'd rather use one basic alloy and learn to use it than to be switching alloys for appearances sake.

Frosted boolits can be loaded and made shiny by lightly polishing it with 4/0 steel wool. It won't be chrome shiny, but better than frosted.

[codgerville@zianet.com]

Don't worry about the frosting. I have a DC 358156 that absolutely will not fill out unless I run it hot enough to frost. Doesn't affect accuracy or anything else except appearance. Go for it !:Fire:

[kgriff]

Yeah, I'm not really concerned about the frosting, just wondering if these could be cast, out of this mold, without the frosting. On the other hand, I do like cake.[smilie=p:

On a different note, I took my niece and nephew, 10 and 8, out shooting today. Their first time. We had a training session Thursday evening to go over safety, loading, unloading, aiming, etc.
"A good time was had by all"