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Thread: 6 cavity mold

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Castaway View Post
    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
    Got one now. See a little light crack at bottom, which is making a tapered bullet. Nothing In it. Had to pull some bullets cause they failed plunk test. Just ordered another mold cause it has thousands thru it. Will look at it in am. Bumpy ride last couple days
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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mk42gunner View Post
    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
    My mould started out dropping at .401 so I figured everything was OK and didn't check any more. with 800 in the egg crates I started trying to size them thru a push thru sizer using my Rock Chucker, that went no where and I had to beat the stuck one out of the sizing die.

    I started measuring them and found the first 150 were OK at .401-.402 Then up they went all the way to .406.I re-melted 2-300 of these oversized boolits. I couldn't get anything above .403 to go thru the Lyman .401 die in a Lyman sizer. I still have to Powder Coat these boolits so I can run them in my Glocks and Ruger PCC.40. I will have to size them again after PC, which is a PITB !

    I concluded that the Lee 6 cav. mould was "Beagaling" itself as "heat soak" took its toll. I checked for debris between the halves and they were clean. So my solution is to not try and run a bazillion Boolits all at once. 150-200 then let everything settle down and go again later. The actual Best solution is a Mihec Brass Mould for these boolits. I want one that drops at .399 so I can PC them and not have much to size in the end and if they came out .401 after PC then not at all.

    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!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  3. #23
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    Mk42gunner's Avatar
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    Well that kind of reeks. The whole point of having a six cavity is running large amounts of boolits in a short amount of time. Maybe there is a good point to not being able to stand at the casting pot for hours?

    My most used six cavity is a 358-148WC, usually I run it for about twenty or so minutes then have to do something else for a while.

    Robert

  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master Harter66's Avatar
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    2 constants with my ladle technique .
    Pre heat , do so the last few min sprue plate down .
    Every 1 of my 6c Lee moulds casts 1 light and 2 heavy or the other way . I don't know why but I do know it doesn't matter which end I pour from or if I pour 3,4,5,1,2,3 .
    Its not a huge difference but the 401-175 I have drops 2 about 178 , 3@176 , and 1@ 174 . The 358-200 drops 3@ 205 , 2 @ 210 , and 1@199.5-201 . My initial thoughts were that the sprue hinge end ran hot while the handle end runs cold but the pairs changed up with different moulds and changing the fill sequence didn't alter the count . Maybe I just drew the short straw but I'm 7/7 .
    The 358-125 RF is only about 4gr top to bottom so it's pretty close .
    The variety probably doesn't matter at 7-25 yd in a pistol but that swing with the 358-200 messes up a good run with a 10 gr flier out of 358 Win .

    Let me repeat "keep your hands of the 3rd handle after it's closed all the way ."
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  5. #25
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    Give me break, it isn't "heat soak". I try and cast at least 1000 bullets every time I cast, which is often. I like to load in big batches after I cast, then can just shoot for a while, and then cast something else. You most likely causes with LEE 6 cav's is either lead bits holding the mould open, or even more likely, the alignment pins are working their way out and holding the mould open. I have learned to just stake the pins in place before I even cast the first time. And even then they sometimes move when the mould is hot for a long period of time. I have at east 30 LEE moulds and have never experienced "heat soak".

  6. #26
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    I’ve never used a six cavity mold, but have made a lot of 400-500 grain boolits in a double mold. After a couple of hours, my wrist is sore. I’m thinking seriously about next time starting out wearing an Ace bandage around my wrist for support. Tendinitis takes a long time to get rid of. I can imagine a six cavity would tire your wrist if you kept it up for a while.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    I’ve never experienced the too fast cooling or too hot casting as problems stated above. A good rhythm with two moulds makes a lot of bullets in a given time period. The time it takes to cycle for one mould to fill and properly cool is about the same as the time to fill the second mould. Works for me with two 6 cavities, or if I’m casting a double cavity pistol mould and a 560 grain rifle mould simultaneously. If the empty mould shows light between the halves, lead splatter on the mould face is sometimes hard to see and it doesn’t take much, or female alignment pin hole has lead, or like mentioned, male or female needs to be restated. If no light, the most likely cause of your bullets being that far out of round is gripping the sprue handle. Doesn’t take much pressure but easy to do.
    Last edited by Castaway; 11-15-2021 at 08:21 AM.

  8. #28
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    Have a number of Lee 6 cavity molds and use a hotplate to pre-heat while the pot is melting. Make sure the mold is lubed; anti-seize between sprue and pivot point, and on the contact with the hold down washer, 2 cycle on the alignment pins and a drop on the shaft of the hold down washer. I spray a light coat of mold release on the top of the mold and bottom of the sprue plate before pre-heating, and re-lube the alignment pins and pivot points (2 cycle oil) every 200 bullets or so. Casting from a Lee 20# pot I add ingots after 200 rounds and let the mold sit on the hotplate while it melts. This gives me a break to hit the bathroom and then the coffee pot, return refreshed to run another batch of 200 or so. This keeps fatigue to a minimum and casting a 1000 or so per session is not exhausting. FWIW I use copper anti-seize as it has a higher temp rating but don't know if it is any better hen the aluminum type.

  9. #29
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Since I have a Bridgeport mill, what advantage would I have cutting a runner on the sprue plate. What pattern mill cutter should I use. Looks like a ball cutter in photo. Still haven’t made anything yet. Still ruminating. Planning on using a surface grinder to touch up the plate. I kinda like the runner ideal.
    Last edited by dave 45-90; 11-21-2021 at 05:32 PM.
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  10. #30
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    Pouring into individual holes rather than a connecting channel is more controlled and maybe hotter.

    With unconnected holes, alloy goes directly from ladle or spout into each cavity, on an individual basis. The flow can be directed on how it hits the cavity, which matters since different techniques can improve fill out. Straight from the ladle or nozzle, the alloy is at its hottest, which can also improve fill out. With the channel, overflow from the cavity being filled will spill into the next immediately, without the opportunity to influence how it enters the cavity. The alloy is also cooling as it flows over the sprue plate. So, yes, a channel is a bit faster, but may have drawbacks unacceptable to some.

    Tom at Accurate molds offers the option of a channel, but also notes that most don’t like it. Since you’re milling your own, you can try it both ways and go with what you like best.

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by dave 45-90 View Post
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    Since I have a Bridgeport mill, what advantage would I have cutting a runner on the spew plate. What pattern mill cutter should I use. Looks like a ball cutter in photo. Still haven’t made anything yet. Still ruminating. Planning on using a surface grinder to touch up the plate. I kinda like the runner ideal.
    You need to pour into each cavity keeping the temperature up for each one. Even with only a double mold, when accidentally getting alloy into a different cavity and then trying to top it off never worked for me.

  12. #32
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Can buy new plate, but thought I would ask someone that may have tried it. I can see your point
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  13. #33
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    Deburr the pour holes on the bottom of the sprue plate. Aluminum galls easily especially when hot. Also, a good sprue plate lube like Bullplate goes a long way towards keeping things looking newer. You can see a big difference in the wear and tear on my oldest molds compared to my newer ones, all attributed to that learning curve!

  14. #34
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick L View Post
    Deburr the pour holes on the bottom of the sprue plate. Aluminum galls easily especially when hot. Also, a good sprue plate lube like Bullplate goes a long way towards keeping things looking newer. You can see a big difference in the wear and tear on my oldest molds compared to my newer ones, all attributed to that learning curve!
    Thanks. I have seen what hot aluminum will do to the shiny new mold. You use like a dowel with fine grinding compound on the bullet side of plate?
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  15. #35
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    That would do it. I just used a round stone and honing oil. Just break the edges and make sure there are no burrs on the down (bullet) side.

  16. #36
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    Notice the trend in the replies?

    Proper HEAT is the answer. Also a seasoned mold helps ya keep your hair longer.

    A HOT PLATE is the best advice I didnt listen to for a decade... NOW I PREACH ITS USE!!!

    CHEAP HOT PLATE @ Walmart was like 10$. NIGHT AND DAY IMPROVEMENTS!!

    CW
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  17. #37
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick L View Post
    You can see a big difference in the wear and tear on my oldest molds compared to my newer ones, all attributed to that learning curve!
    Unfortunately, I’m still learning…*sigh*

  18. #38
    Boolit Master
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    Kevin c Even though you are a student of casting. You should hold your head HIGH. You have joined the minority that strive to make a better componant than they can purchase.
    Even NoBade, Springfield, and all of the other bullet masters are students!

  19. #39
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    Thats 100%. There are ONLY two reasons anyone stops learning... CHOICE & DEATH.

    The good lord gave us all TWO EYES & TWO EARS but only a single mouth. A speaker dosen't learn by speaking. Unless they where not listening in the first place.

    CW
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  20. #40
    Boolit Buddy dave 45-90's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwlongshot View Post
    Notice the trend in the replies?

    Proper HEAT is the answer. Also a seasoned mold helps ya keep your hair longer.

    A HOT PLATE is the best advice I didnt listen to for a decade... NOW I PREACH ITS USE!!!

    CHEAP HOT PLATE @ Walmart was like 10$. NIGHT AND DAY IMPROVEMENTS!!

    CW
    I followed the directions from here. No channel, hot plate, break cleaner, lube, 730 degrees, no smoking mold,, That mold has poured the best bullets I have ever cast. Looking at 6 hole molds for everything. Thanks for everyone’s help on this. Really appreciated the input
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check