Drat

[Echo]

I got a new Lee 35-200 2-cavity on eBay, and gave it a try a couple of days ago. Wanted to try them in my 35 Whelen. The results weren't to my liking. When it gave me a good boolit, it was a good boolit. But at least half the time the pair turned out like this. Occasionally both OK, but more often than not, as you see. The far cavity turns out a good one, and the near cavity turns out round-heels. Alloy is whatever - the ingots are hard, and my BHN tester is packed away somewhere, temperature was 720, mold was washed in dish detergent, then brake cleaner and washed again. The alloy works well in other molds.

[Dusty Bannister]

Slow pour? Try a little more temp, clear the nozzle if a bottom pour pot by lifting the valve and letting it flow into a catch pan. If it is still slow, do the pliers and bent paper clip to probe gently in the nozzle and let it flow a little to clear the crud and try it again. Since things are cooling down, if you are outside or in a breeze, or unheated shed, the sprue plate might be chilling the alloy flow and bridge across the sprue hole. Pour down the center of the hole and see what you get.

[Rcmaveric]

Hmmm... also try a bigger generous sprue. I get the rounded edges when the mold is cool and typicaly only get craters when the mold is too hot. Maybe add a bit of tin to help the mold fill out. Hold the nozzle to the mold to "pressure fill" the mold. Then quickly tapping the bottom of the mold while it is still molten. Looks like maybe a mold fill out problem and spure too hot. Cutting it before it cools causes the craters. Use a higher temp to help fill out and let the sprue cool longer to fix the craters or tap the sprues on a damp sponge.

[MyFlatline]

Looks to me like the rounded bottom one is a fill out issue...As said, bigger puddle and a tad more heat , with a touch of tin. I prefer my bullets a bit on the frosty side..

Best of luck..

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Looks to me like the rounded bottom one is a fill out issue...As said, bigger puddle and a tad more heat , with a touch of tin. I prefer my bullets a bit on the frosty side..

Best of luck..

yes ^^^ this...plus check venting.
sometimes "breaking" the top edge of the mold blocks helps.

PS, I'll also add...I had this mold, I don't like the design, with such shallow lube grooves. That may be OK for pistols, but I'm afraid IMHO, it's a poor design for Rifle. I sold my mold.

[jcren]

Just my experience, but I usually see rounded bottoms with the rest looking good when my sprue plate is a little cold. Bigger puddle, open and close the sprue quickly to keep it against the mold as long as possible, or open the sprue and dip the plate in your melt.

[runfiverun]

pour the back hole first.
quite often the front hole gets more heat just because it is filled and sitting under the warm pot while the back one is filled and removed.

[Echo]

yes ^^^ this...plus check venting.
sometimes "breaking" the top edge of the mold blocks helps.

PS, I'll also add...I had this mold, I don't like the design, with such shallow lube grooves. That may be OK for pistols, but I'm afraid IMHO, it's a poor design for Rifle. I sold my mold.

Thanks, JB - I will break the top edges before I cast again. I intended to size .360 and use NRA loob, then TL w/Recluse, and see how the Whelen likes 'em.
Ed

[Echo]

Just my experience, but I usually see rounded bottoms with the rest looking good when my sprue plate is a little cold. Bigger puddle, open and close the sprue quickly to keep it against the mold as long as possible, or open the sprue and dip the plate in your melt.

Tanks, jcren - I don't think the sprue plate is too cool - the lead flows almost like water, running off the near end of the plate.

[Echo]

Thanks to all that responded to my plea. I suspected maybe a venting problem, as JB said, and will keep all up to date on the continuing saga...

[mdi]

Lots of good suggestions. I have found that each mold seems to have it's own personality, especially aluminum molds. I have one mold that will show signs of poor fill out if not "pressure poured" (keep the sprue plate against the pot's nozzle when filling mold). One other mold works well if used with a ladle...

[Echo]

Well - I broke the top edges of the mold - used an old hone stone, knocked off the corners just enough to see, then fired up and set the mold on top of the SAECO as per usual. Gave it a while to melt down the load, then went out and had at it. Hmmm...
First couple weren't bad, but wrinkly. After doing along for maybe 15 minutes, throwing a few back in the pot, keeping some I would normally toss, I noticed the mold blocks were smoking when I dropped the boolits - Smoke? ***, Over?
Let the mold cool down a while and scrubbed it again, since it seems that there was still some cutting oil in the pores of the Al. Scrubbed pretty good with old toothbrush & liquid soap. Rinsed thoroughly, half-a$$ wiped dry, and pt back on top of furnace to evaporate remaining H2O. Let it set for a few minutes, then back to it. Crip - no joy. To He[[ with it. It goes on eBay...
Since I had a furnace full of alloy, I set the RCBS 9-124 on the furnace to warm up, came back in a few minutes, started casting, and the first 2 were keepers! Knocked out about 300 TC 9's, returning only one (my fault) to cooker. Beautiful boolits...
Rats - the file is too big for the site to accept, and I forgot how to cut the pixels. Rats...

[Victor N TN]

Looks to me like the rounded bottom one is a fill out issue...As said, bigger puddle and a tad more heat , with a touch of tin. I prefer my bullets a bit on the frosty side..

Best of luck..

I agree.