Bliss...

SC357-135-RF

Got a new NOE mold in the mail, yesterday. While I was watching football last night, I preheated it 4 times and got it ready to go. This afternoon I put it on some handles, warmed it (hot plate) and the pot up and gave it a spin. I will say that it was the slowest starting new mold that I have EVER seen. Aggravated the hell out of me...literally, drained the pot (do you realize HOW MANY 135gr bullets are in a 20lb pot?) and it had not filled out all of the bases on a single fill. It is a 4cav and it would have 1 or 2 nice bullets and the remainder would be rejects, every fill...and it was not the same cavities everytime. I did EVERYTHING that I knew to do...nothing worked. When the pot ran dry, I filled it up and laid the mold on top while it melted the alloy. It took about 20 minutes to get the alloy right as I was not expecting this problem and had not been warming any to put in the pot. Anyway, when the pot got right, I took the mold off the top and gave it another go...and within just a few fills, it hit it's groove...like flipping a switch...and RAINED keepers until I just said...ENOUGH. I counted them after finishing up, I counted 1045 keepers. At the outset, I had only intended to cast a couple of hundred...it was just so smooth after finally getting going, that I hated to stop.

For an entire pot, it was the worst mold that I have held in my hand...and it turned out to be the best casting mold that I have ever had in my hand...Jekyll/Hyde type deal. When it got going and until the last fill, I just had to swing in over the bullet pile and GOOD bullets would just fall out...NEVER had one cast this smooth.

Mark another one up to, Al.

With all the recommendations for cleaning, degreasing, treating and preheating moulds, what often gets neglected is the advice that sometimes you just have to live with a mould for a session or two. I notice that Hoch moulds often seem to need a preliminary run or two before they settle in and start producing. And, like you, once things are running smoothly, I'm very reluctant to stop.

I've noticed that casting bullets is a lot like working out...it's easy to keep going after you get started.

When I get a mould dialed in on particular day with temp & wait time after pour, it's easy to keep on going until the pot is empty.

And like y'all said...when they're dropping good looking bullets easily, it's hard to stop!


-Butchman

Got the same mould and had the same problems. I ran a file along the inside top of both blocks and across the top of each cavity to help venting. (LEE really got with the program venting the last six cavity moulds I got from.them.) The second casting session really improved it.

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Originally Posted by Butchman205

I've noticed that casting bullets is a lot like working out...it's easy to keep going after you get started.


-Butchman

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Particularly when you get keepers.

Shiloh

With aluminum molds, there is no time to inspect the product while pouring. Every second a mold is open and or not filled with fresh lead, there is big time heat loss.
Naturally, when good boolits start falling you stop inspecting and keep a rhythm going.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mold maker

With aluminum molds, there is no time to inspect the product while pouring. Every second a mold is open and or not filled with fresh lead, there is big time heat loss.
Naturally, when good boolits start falling you stop inspecting and keep a rhythm going.

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There was NO inspecting going on...you can see non-filled bases when you cut the sprue...

The pot was drained with nonstop filling and dumping.

I have the gas check HP version. Very aggressive hollow point, shoots great

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Originally Posted by Boolseye

I have the gas check HP version. Very aggressive hollow point, shoots great

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I shot some of these solids in the Rossi lever, yesterday, shot great...very pleased.

I had the same thing going on with my NOE mold.It tool a few sessions and a lot of head scratching to get it runs now it runs great

Alot of things require a little break in to get to the full potential. A new rifle is noticably smoother and more accurate after the first couple hundred rounds. A new press may feel smother after a few loading sessions. A new mould may also need this break in. The heat cycling helps as toes the heavy cleaning but some areas and light burrs machine marks rough spots may require actual casting and the working to smooth out.Some vent lines may have issues until they have been cast with. Some things just need a little time to "LEARN" what they need do.