Solve a "Flash" Problem ? .43 Spanish Lyman Mold.

[DoctorBill]

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I was wondering, myself, why this mold is so pitted. Could it be ?
But the back side isn't pitted.
If I were a 'Sniper' or 'Tack Driver', I would be bugged, but all I want is
some reasonable Cast Bullets to shoot my new toy with...

These will be fired with 12 grains of Trail Boss to Fireform them.
Then I will work up to a bigger load....I shoot my 12.7mmx44R Remington
Rolling Block with 15 grains of Trail Boss. That's sufficient to kill them
waskuwie Paper Wabbits with out at the range. I am not a masochist for
shoulder whacks from Rifles - I'm 78 and a woosie.

DoctorBill

[Dusty Bannister]

Shooter Bob, I think the dimpled finish in the cavities is just the spray on mold release that builds up. Maybe not quite dry when the mold was placed back in service. Until the mold is cleaned from that stuff, you will have no idea what the cavity really looks like. Just do not wire brush or blast the mold as that will ruin it. While the mold release does go on in layers, cleaning only requires you find the correct solvent to cut the baked on material. Water based cleaners are of questionable value in this case. Just be patient and use the alcohol as a solvent and it will loosen and you can brush away the baked on deposit.

[DoctorBill]

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...."Find the Correct Solvent".... - THAT is the trick !

I found an old partial Spray Can of Brake Cleaner in the Garage.
Barely works, but I sprayed all of it into a glass bottle and put the
Mold Halves in that for the night. Alcohol was working, but extremely slowly.

Wish I had some Methylene Chloride - THAT is what old Paint Strippers
were made with before Uncle Sam banned it. Cut thru ANYTHING - Quickly.
Nasty stuff, though.

18 hours later - Brake Cleaner did absolutely NOTHING ! Back to 91% Alcohol !

DoctorBill

[DoctorBill]

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Next Day - the Brake Cleaner Solvent seemed to do nothing, so I dried the Mold sides
and put them back into the 91% "Rubbing" Alcohol [Isopropanol]. (Cheap, readily available
Solvent, too)

After just an hour soaking, I took them out and rubbed the faces and cavity with a Q-Tip.
Got a LOT more brown residue off - rubbed HARD and off it came... ! I'm amazed.

- Double Click on the Image !

I am so impatient to put it back together to see what it casts....patience is not my thing !

So - the 91% Isopropanol is working - slowly, but it works. FYI for yous guys.

Edited in later: Tried an hour soak in "409". Thought it might cut thru the baked on
coating. NOTHING. Back into the Alcohol.
This baked on coating is waterproof ! It acts like fresh Bluing does. Waterproof.
Probably an Iron Oxide layer. Who says an Oxide Layer has to be uniform ?!

Just for the grins of it - here is the mold face before I started trying to "Clean" it:
...click on the image - 2x
I will compare this to same face after I 'clean' it.....I hope !

Could that mold have REALLY been sand blasted ? ! Why would anyone DO that ?!

DoctorBill

[Mk42gunner]

Strange issues posting replies tonight.
Robert

[Mk42gunner]

I don't know what was done to the poor abused mold, but it kind of looks like the cavity itself is fairly smooth under all the crap.

Don't give up yet.

Maybe email Midway about a suitable solvent for their version of mold release???

Robert

[imashooter2]

The more pictures you post, the more clear it becomes that the edges of the cavities have been rounded over. Clean is not your fin problem. The fin problem is that the iron of the mold blocks at the parting line is gone and lead is naturally filling the space where it used to be.

[GregLaROCHE]

You might try some bore cleaners on it, if what you’ve tried so far isn’t getting it clean.

[Cap'n Morgan]

The mold has obviously seen better times. The edges of the cavity are no longer sharp, and the vent lines seem too deep to avoid whiskers with any alloy except pure lead
slowly poured from a ladle. What does the boolits look like after sizing? If they are uniform and round those whiskers won't matter one bit.

[DoctorBill]

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I do not have a Sizing Die for this bullet.
I scrape off any flash and rub the bullet on a fiber Dish Pan cleaning pad.

Still soaking the Mold in Alcohol. Going to try it again soon to see if I have
improved it at all.

I may try making a Sizing Die, on my lathe, out of 7/8ths Threaded Rod.

DoctorBill

[country gent]

Try easy off oven cleaner, we used it in the shop fr baked on deposits. Its meant to cut burnt and baked on deposits. It may do the job.

Look at the corners of the cavities with some magnification if the are rounded you may not get rid of the flash with out some fancy work.

[Dusty Bannister]

If the alcohol is working (even if working slowly) why keep messing around with other water based solvents. I would be very careful using an oven cleaner on a steel mold.

The appearance of the rounded edge could be surface tension of the sprayed on material tending to build up in the middle of the flat surface as it dries, or perhaps the sludge is wearing off at the edges faster than in the middle of the flat surface. As to the deep vent lines, it is also possible that as the thickness of the mold release increased, the vent lines were cleared down to the original depth.

Get it clean before doing anything to the original surface and see if it needs "fixing". You might fix it beyond use. It likely took years of use to get to this point, why would anyone expect instant clean up now? Take your time.

[Tar Heel]

By now you realize that this mold, which had been coated with some coating to enhance its appearance for a sale, is only going to throw bullets that are perhaps usable but not beautiful. Having purchased molds like this from pawn shops and the like, I know that a little elbow grease and solvent will be required to get back to the original metal of the mold. I do use minor abrasive material sometimes to recover the mold and in a few cases, have caused more problems than were originally present. So be it. On a $10 pawn shop mold - I am not too worried about damaging it. As long as I can get usable bullets, which may require a fingernail to remove flashing, I am a happy camper.

It's not a new mold and you have given restoration a healthy try. Let the old guy give you what it can at this point and be happy with the purchase of a fine old mold still trying to appease its owner. Shame on the original nimrod who let it rust, and shame on the person who coated it with whatever they coated it with to make it more eye appealing on fleabay.

Some molds are just too far gone to be recovered and there is no amount of CPR which will bring them back. I paint them with spray paint and decorate the shop.

[DoctorBill]

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Here is what this "Old Mouldy Mold" is throwing after all my efforts.

Double click to see photo

I just contacted the Vendor (dfw_test_equipment) who sold me this "Bob Hayley" Estate Sale mold
and requested a return and refund. e-bay has a "return" policy to help buyers. We'll see how THAT
works out.....lol

Anyway - I give up. For $118.91 - this was a "bust". I'll wait until I can buy a new mold.

Postscript: The vendor WILL take the mold back ! Here is his reply:

From: dfw_test_equipment (13,791YellowShooting Star)
I apologize, it was not my intent to waste your time or my money shipping a broken tool. Bob Hayley
seemed to be very good at marking issues and in the 200+ molds I've sold there has
been one with a sprue plate that would not tighten and now this. Please go through the
eBay return system and they will have me issue a return label so there is no cost to you.
Sorry for the trouble,
Jim

Decided - I'm returning the mold !

I rolled a Casting between Flat Metal Plates and rubbed the Flash areas to get this (.439 dia),
but don't want to go thru THAT for EACH bullet !


BTW - Here is what they are 'supposed' to look like:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010236363

DoctorBill

another postscript: S&SFirearms.com apparently has this mold and I ordered it
(no "Out of Stock" appeared on the order Item) - I'll believe it when I get the Mold !
I will keep everyone posted on THIS order......

[Mk42gunner]

I see your point, for ~$120 I would expect something to work right from the start.

As I alluded to earlier, some years ago Lyman started making larger caliber single cavity molds on the big double cavity mold blocks. Your current handle (assuming they didn't go back with the mold) may or may not work with the new style block.

Robert

[0verkill]

Did S&S actually have them in stock?

[DoctorBill]

Did S&S actually have them in stock?

NO THEY DID NOT (DO NOT) HAVE IT IN STOCK !

They do NOT show ANY molds "Out of stock" and this was my second attempt to order it.
I just now looked (6-9-2021 7:30 PM PST)...still there - as if they have it.
I do not understand why their Web Site lures people to order things they do not have......
Not Kosher, as far as I am concerned ! But that's just me.

DoctorBill

[DoctorBill]

.
. I am making a "D-Bit" out of 7/16" Drill Rod. I started shaping it, but not happy
with the shape. I want to make something like the Buffalo Arms "Money" bullet
shown below with a "Screen Shot" from their web site.

- or maybe this!
Of course Straight Sided for Paper Patching - without Lube Rings.
I will Paper Patch out to .439"... I am crazy - I make bullets that are aesthetically pleasing !
I have no idea which shape is aerodynamically best - not sure ANYONE does.

Here is where I am right now. I believe it is close to a Postell shape, no ?
Will work on the shape on the lathe. Want to make
an Aluminum "Fall Out" Mold. I know how to do that.


Over and out.

DoctorBill

[Mk42gunner]

~Twenty years ago or so, when I got my first (and only so far) .43 Spanish, I though about just paper patching some of the heavier .44 Magnum boolits up to use in it. I never did any, but I think it would work.

Of course back then most molds were in stock everywhere. They were even affordable on E bay, believe it or not.

Robert

[John Boy]

Buy a 1000/6000 grit whetstone … oil the stone and rub each mold cavity LIGHTLY to eliminate the pock holes. When cleaned up, cast with no lube of any kind except the mold pins will need to be always lubed with paraffin
Then clean out the vent lines with a single edge razor blade

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpening-Do...dDbGljaz10cnVl

When you clean up the cavities, hold the closed mold up to a bright light and there should be no light shining in between the 2 halves