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Mel-4857
05-18-2005, 02:21 PM
While I'm waiting for my first 6 cavity mould, a question for the experienced casters: do you break them in just like I've read in your cast bullet article on Leementing? Any other tips on using the mould would be appreciated. Mel

Buckshot
05-18-2005, 02:59 PM
...........While the Lee 6 cavity units are much more robust in their construction they are produced the same way (lathe boring) and from the same materials. You want to do a complete de-greasing to clean them from the cutting fluids used in production and to flush away any small chips.

I'd then inspect the cavities and block faces with a low power glass to insure yourself of no pig's ears/tag ends on the parting edge of the cavity or stuck to the mating surfaces of the blocks. If none, then you're good to go. I like to coat the block top and underside of the sprueplate with pencil lead. Smoke the cavities with the flame from a Bic type lighter or Zippo. Warm the blocks and use a dab of bullet lube to touch:

Sprueplate pivit pin
Sprueplate cam pivit pin
Block alignment pins

............Buckshot

Mel-4857
05-18-2005, 11:51 PM
Thanks for the Advice. It'll be great to cast 6 at a time. Already have other 6.5 mm shooters at the Club asking about the mould. Thanks again Buckshot. Mel

azrednek
05-19-2005, 04:39 PM
I've owned several Lee 6-bangers and had a problem with only one. Weigh your slugs and check the consistancy. I had a 9mm mold that dropped two oddballs, one light one heavy. Sent it to Lee, asked for postage costs, got a new mold, catalog and a check. Turn around time was about as week.

I never found it necessary to "break them in". I degrease them and clean the cavitys with an old toothbrush. Many theories about what to smoke them with, I've always used whatever is handy, be it matches, lighter, birthday candle all seem to work. Don't over-do it and let the soot pile on, just get enough black to cover the cavity. I warm the mold a little before the casting session by holding over a gas flame on my kitchen stove. After a few batches getting the mold and mix temperature just right you wont have to do anymore than keeping it lubed and making certain the nut doesn't loosen.

The 6-bangers will get you spoiled!! The pile of slugs builds up fast and its hard, at least mentally going back to a single or double. My last casting session I cast a few hundred double end wadcutters with my 6-banger in no-time, then cast a bunch of hollow based wadcutters from a slow, slow one at a time single cavity.

35remington
05-19-2005, 07:52 PM
When smoking the cavities, the soot needs to be from a grease or wax free type of flame, like butane lighters or wooden/paper matches. Not saying it can't work on occasion, but flame from a candle often has unburned wax that gets deposited with the soot, and wax deposits will cause poor bullet fillout and wrinkles. Avoid this way of smoking the mould. Greases, oils and wax must positively be kept out of bullet mould cavities. When lubing the mould, make sure you don't use so much lube that it creeps across the mould blocks and enters the cavities, or wrinkled bullets will start to occur.