Casted.. Hated it

[brassrat]

I go to my casting spot for the 2nd time this week and it was another pain. I had a pot full of unused mix with a unknown ingot mixed in. Friday this totally froze up my new Lyman 358429 and I broke one of the ground Lee handle holes, all on the first cast. I figured the mould was too cold. Today I had my new/old Lyman handles and high hopes.My pot didnt act normally and temps were rising. Now I had what looked like, frosty, dull boollets. They filled out OK but I was getting a mushy mess on the sprue plate that seemed to not harden and blocked the sprueplate. The boolets and waste was extremely grey and grainy looking. I made a, new, normal, batch and got nothing but minor wrinkling everywhere. I plan on really cleaning and try the lighter fluid. Tks for sharing my rant

[jessdigs]

You might benefit from a PID. It keeps the temp within a few degrees of where you set it, regardless of how full or empty the pot is.

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[Flailguy]

It sounds like you are casting with straight zink to me. If not then I'm not sure.

[brassrat]

I am wondering about zink. I have had a handful of small ingots for years, found IDK. They seem hard and I was thinking/hoping they were a type metal They did fill out well though. Gonna try some acid. Weirdest mix ever. Maybe post a pic tommorrow

[44Blam]

Sounds like you were too hot and then too cold.
It's interesting I find that some molds like to cast hot some like to be cooler.

[charlie b]

Do you have a known, good alloy to start with? If not you are fighting an uphill battle. What kind of pot are you using? What heat source?

I would get some known alloy, even if you have to buy it. Figure out how hot your pot is getting. You are seeing the effects of too cold a pot as well as mold not being right temp. This is why many of us use a hot plate to pre-heat the mold and a thermometer to see what the pot temp is at.

If the mold is new then it definitely needs to be cleaned and will still not cast perfect bullets right away.

[brassrat]

I cast with this mold a couple weeks ago with no troubles. I may have gotten contaminates on it from all the messing around to repair my Lee handles and ditched them anyways. Had a Lee mould that gave me the same wrinkles until recleaned. The brake cleaner needed a detergent scrub before and after. The funny, first pot, was leaving like a grey sand in the holes that I have never seen.

[Dusty Bannister]

If you are talking about the hole where the sprue is torn out of the base of the bullet, that is because the sprue was cut too soon and before the alloy hardened. The sandy appearance is where the alloy was still a little "mushy". Slow down a bit more before cutting the sprue. A thermometer might help you control the temp on your alloy and improve your product.

[MrWolf]

Sounds like the unknown ingot that got mixed in your pot may be the problem if the temperature isn't the issue. Try it with a known mix and see what happens. Reduce the variables that can cause issues. Good luck.

[Soundguy]

frosted is too hot.. mushy is too cold.. sounds like the mold was cold...

[Rickf1985]

Too many variables to even hazard guessing at the problem. You need to start with a known good alloy. Break down and buy some from Rotometals, this will get you started with a known good, tested alloy. Clean out your pot before starting over with this new lead. Do NOT add anything to it!!!!! GET A THERMOMETER!!!! If you do not know what the lead temp is you will have absolutely no idea what you are casting at. And warm up your molds to at least 350-400 degrees before casting. This will all get you in the right ballpark to make good boolits. If this all works or at least gets you real close then you now know that you can do it correctly with the equipment you have. You just need good alloy after that.

[brassrat]

I still don't know if my little ingot was the problem. I think the last session, I popped in at least the, same, Saeco stamped ingot, of which, I accumulated probably 25 lbs. Everything went well. I have a USA Lyman, thermometer and have always used it. This last batch, I really slowed down to a non-counting count of 5 or so and waited until the sprue went dull. Seeing this, damp grainy mush, seemed like Twilight Zone. I do know that my thermometer barely moves when I try to check molds. Gonna bring a handheld next time. The heat confuses me, in that, this trip, the pot temp kept rising. I usually keep it in one place, all day. The mold was kept on the heat, one way or another plus casting. I hold it near my face and do feel significant heat. The, totally fresh batch, lost the frosty and gritty look but went shiny and wrinkled. This didnt make sense. The day was cooler and pretty breezy unlike any other casting day.

[Soundguy]

see what temp the alloy melts at.. zinc melts way hotter than lead.. and tin.. etc.. If you are having to get into the 800's to get a liquid pot.. you may have zinc in there.. another possibility is copper babbit.. it's super hard.. melts hotter.. and if not hot enough to mix.. will stay thick like zinc. There is also the possibility of lo temp undesireable metals in the mix.. like bismuth.... someone may have melted down reclaimed or 'found' bags of shot.. and might have been bismuth shot. I have seen ranges that screen, wash and grade and re-bag shot..

[Soundguy]

Bismuth is grainy...

[Dusty Bannister]

"The, totally fresh batch, lost the frosty and gritty look but went shiny and wrinkled. This didnt make sense. The day was cooler and pretty breezy unlike any other casting day."

Casting outside or in a breeze can mask many issues and lead you out into the weeds. Shiny and wrinkled often suggests a cool mold. That would be consistent with cooler ambient air temps chilling the mold during the casting session.

[Geezer in NH]

I do know that my thermometer barely moves when I try to check molds. .

Huh I am confused. The thermometer is for the alloy not the mold.

[bangerjim]

Try preheating your molds on an electric hotplate to FULL casting temp, not just warm!

I do that and get perfect drops from the 1st one with any ally I use.

Also, pre-heat your feed ingots to about 10°F under liquidous of the alloy. Saves tons of time when refreshing your pot as there is very little cycle time.

If you think there is Zn, test with muriatic acid for a reaction.

[super6]

You lost the mojo gods, I cast from a stainless steel pot and a ladle pour, Never ever used a thermometer, Your melt will tell you what you need to know. As far as the mold...Hot till it frosts then back off a little. And yes I have sessions where nothing go's right just go at it another day!

[mdi]

N/a

[mdi]

Lot's of hints and "coulda beens" so I'll add one more. The clues for me are the "unknown ingot" and "grainy". Sounds like zinc to me. I'd remove all the alloy from the pot and refill with a known good alloy and try again...