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Thread: 6 cavity mold

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    6 cavity mold

    Anything i have to relearn with a 6 hole. Used a 4, but never a six
    Thanks for any input that will make journey easier
    Use a hot plate now to help maintain heat
    The mold looks awful big hanging over the pot
    Asking before starting may help me
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  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    Get her hot and don't let the pot drain down to far.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Dark Helmet's Avatar
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    Clean it if you haven't already, warm it up, pour the cavities as fast as you can, wait for the sprues to harden, cut sprues, count to five, open and dump mold, repeat as necessary.....they work easy enough.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Do not let the sprues get too hard before cutting the sprue. Some have broken the sprue cam lever by treating it like a steel mold. The cam lever seem to be the weak link. I do not use a hot plate, but you need to run the alloy hot and cut with just past the slush phase. Keep an eye out for lead build up on the mold blocks and the sprue plate. A good release agent before starting, and very lightly applied can save some headaches.

    If you have not heat cycled the mold several times before use, you might find the alignment pins will shift and your blocks will no longer align.

    Several threads in the archives.

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...g+lee+cav+mold

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Targa's Avatar
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    I like to lap each side of the sprue plate with a butane torch, about 10 seconds on each side, it helps cut those first few sprues a bit easier.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Greetings,

    When the Aluminum mould gets hot, the blocks have a tendency to stick.

    After closing the mould, give it a "gentle" tap on the side to ensure the pins are seating true.

    I learned the above the hard way.

    Cheers,

    Dave

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Thanks all for your input
    I was concerned about fill with such a long contraption
    If I have a mess, I will get back to you
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  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy billyb's Avatar
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    when you close the mold, do not hold the sprue handle, it will cause a gap and cause flashing.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


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    I always start out after heating the mold just filling one or two cavities until the sprue cuts easy and then move to filling 3 or 4 cavities then when that is going easy go ahead and go for all 6 cavities. Be sure to have a stack of ingots handy to keep your pot close to full so you don't break your cadence to get more lead.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Make sure the sprue plate is fully seated against its stop pin/bolt. If not, the cam loses just about all its leverage and you’ll end up needing to beat on the handle with a hammer to cut the sprues; bad for the handle, bad for the boolits, bad for your equanimity. Please don’t ask me how I know this…

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    Billyb’s advice is solid. Get a other 6 cavity, get your rhythm down and while one cools, the other is being filled. You can go through a pot of lead in a hurry

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    In addition, lube the sprue plate pivot and hold down areas well. I use aluminum anti sieze, and don't be afraid to relube while using it.

    The sprue plate may or may not get chewed up by the hold down bolt, but it hasn't hindered operation of any of mine, yet.

    Robert

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Castaway View Post
    Billyb’s advice is solid. Get a other 6 cavity, get your rhythm down and while one cools, the other is being filled. You can go through a pot of lead in a hurry
    I find that I kinda have to be in a hurry myself when alternating two molds. It’s literally twice the work in the same time as one mold. I use 8 cav aluminum molds that can cool down fast so cycling just one is a matter of ~30 seconds (shorter in cold conditions). With two as soon as one mold is filled and set down I have to pick up the second.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Lot of generic casting advise that pertains to all molds. But my first thought is temperature control. Consistent temperature all along the mold. I have experience wrinkling in one end cavity with good bullets from the opposite end.One reason I cast faster with my 6 bangers and use a hot plate between pours...
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master



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    1.Pre-heat the mould, either on a hot plate or dipping it in the lead, or just cast fewer cavities until heated.
    2.Use 2 stroke oil on a Q-tip to lubricate the alignment pins, and the top of the mould, bottom of the sprue plate, to eliminate lead smearing/galling.
    3.Run it through a few heat and cool cycles like mentioned above to help set the alignment pins, otherwise they might push into the mould and cause a loose, misaligned mould. Also, never slam the mould closed, for the same reason.
    4. Cut the sprue as soon as you can to make it easier on yourself and the mould. 3- 8 seconds after the sprue changes color is usually good. Any longer and it will be a pain the cut the sprue.

  16. #16
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    Make sure to check the Dia. on a few from time to time. My mould started dropping much bigger boolits after a while, and I ended up with about 200 that were too big to size. When they get up around .404+ they are just about impossible to stuff thru a .401 sizing die.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    Make sure to check the Dia. on a few from time to time. My mould started dropping much bigger boolits after a while, and I ended up with about 200 that were too big to size. When they get up around .404+ they are just about impossible to stuff thru a .401 sizing die.

    Randy
    This makes a great argument for running even the ones you plan on tumble lubing through a push through sizing die. It becomes readily apparent just when you screwed up and touched the third handle.

    I'm not saying that is what Randy did, the way I read his post the mold just kept expanding as it got hotter.

    Robert

  18. #18
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Was ruminating last night about led pot size and refilling while casting. I prep my lead in muffin tins . Dumping them in when the pot is low takes time to recover. Not trying to reinvent my setup with a six hole, but this could make the process I hoped to speed up even slower. Even thought about making a larger pot set up like a silo. The pot Has elements in bottom. Not bottom and top. Making it to large, will screw my hood and fan system up. I’ve casting for a long time and kinda figured adding 2 more holes would double the problems. You folks are great. I am listening and thinking BEFORE I make a mess
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  19. #19
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    W.R.Buchanan, if your bullets were getting larger, one cause could be lead spatter, either on the mould proper or on the alignment pins. Either would keep the mould from closing completely

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dave 45-90 View Post
    Was ruminating last night about led pot size and refilling while casting. I prep my lead in muffin tins . Dumping them in when the pot is low takes time to recover. Not trying to reinvent my setup with a six hole, but this could make the process I hoped to speed up even slower. Even thought about making a larger pot set up like a silo. The pot Has elements in bottom. Not bottom and top. Making it to large, will screw my hood and fan system up. I’ve casting for a long time and kinda figured adding 2 more holes would double the problems. You folks are great. I am listening and thinking BEFORE I make a mess
    To prevent the temp drop when refilling the pot, preheat your ingots. You can do this a variety of ways, from using a separate hot plate to balancing ingots on the edge of the casting furnace (free heat).

    I didn't really like using muffin tins as ingot molds, just about the time they started releasing the ingots nicely, they tended to self destruct.

    What I did was take BruceB's advice and started using angle iron molds. He recommended a 10˝" length, I use anywhere from 8-10˝". Size from 1˝-2". These will span the top of a Lee 4-20 or RCBS Promelt. Put two or three on when you start casting and by the time you have the level down far enough to take the whole ingot, it is usually hot enough to have driven off any moisture and to not drop the pot temp too much.

    Robert

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