I need to ease up on my equipment. Ideas? Experiences?
Hello Wise Ones of the Silver Stream! My casting equipment is telling me to ease up.
I busted two of my favorite Lee molds last year, and I'm looking at my equipment--it looks a lot older than it is. I chewed through two mold "mallets", and the last one is really just a 2x2 I grabbed because I needed something. I noticed today when I cast, it's kind of loud. One to three whacks to cut the sprue, a couple bangs on the elbow of the mold, and bullets banging on a sheet metal ramp. After my stroke, I have difficulty controlling the force I apply when I do tasks that require gross motor skills. As a result, I also suspect that I'm not being good a neighbor because of the noise. If I don't be careful, that will pay unwanted dividends later.
I've already bought a metal basket, and I plan to set it on foam to stop the bullet fall/roll noise. I am thinking a bent pipe to pop the sprue, and a rubber mallet?
What do you suggest? Anyone else have this problem? Thank you for reading.