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Thread: Casted.. Hated it

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master fredj338's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brassrat View Post
    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.
    If your spru is setting in 5sec, things are too cold imo. I look at the spru, it tells you when its solid. Pot temps will always rise as you cast, unless you have a pid, the amount of alloy is always reducing. IF casting outside, its going to affect pot & mold temp. Maybe a wind screen. Yes a hot plate is the way to go for heating the mold & any ingots added to the pot. Just be sure it isnt too hot for ingots, huge mess.
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  2. #22
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    Hope to check for zinc but can't easily, gotta take a small ride for my stash. I went through all my moulds and hopefully everything is clean and did some shopping to get some sprueplates from moving which also annoyed me bigly. I have stopped scrubbing cavities with my soft brushes that I use at my bench and to clean up dust on my pistols. I wonder if that caused wrinkles, this trip. The cylinder releases and various corners look great howeverClick image for larger version. 

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  3. #23
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdi View Post
    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...
    I said that and was totally ignored. "You can lead a horse to water"...............................

  4. #24
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rickf1985 View Post
    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.
    Beat me to it Rick.This is good advice.
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  5. #25
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    Gary's Tip-O-the-Day.
    No mystery metal ... when casting know for sure what is tin & lead and don't "hope" a ingot isn't Zinc .
    Avoid zinc at all costs ... have ingots tested and know what they are .

    From what I've been reading ... you dropped a Zinc ingot in your pot and everything went to heck in a handbasket after that ... Know what your metal is ... or don't use it .

    Gary
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  6. #26
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    What do the boolets look like. I havent had any experience with zinc, just avoided it, until maybe now and I knew better but chanced it. Like I said, I removed the questionable stuff and put in a new mix consisting of a few ingots of pure lead that I made from, brand new, scrapped rolls of roofing lead and pure pewter ingots that I bought and melted. I also said that I did use a Lyman thermometer, from when I started casting around ten yrs ago. Not a long lifetime like some but not my first casting. Thanks for all the advice thou

  7. #27
    Boolit Mold
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    Get yourself some hydrochloric acid ("The Works" toilet bowl cleaner is a popular choice) and put a couple of drops on a clean spot on an ingot or boolet.

    If it starts bubbling/"foaming" you got yourself some zinc in the mix .

  8. #28
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    I have a jar of HCL and will test, but its not here. I think I will have a few tests done on my various materials and look for that bismuth. Sorry for not responding to everyone but was very busy with my moulds. Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	299545 I think a couple had been contaminated and the weather was not what I was used to. Still maybe some zinc, will see.

  9. #29
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    Why complicate the issue? Quickest, easiest test is use a known good alloy. Same results, check molds, methods etc. Good bullets, toss contaminated alloy...
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdi View Post
    Why complicate the issue? Quickest, easiest test is use a known good alloy. Same results, check molds, methods etc. Good bullets, toss contaminated alloy...
    Maybe he wants to know.

    I would want to know even if it never changed anything.

    "Why" is this happening isn't an unreasonable question.

  11. #31
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    Wrinkles are nearly always temp issues. Best to dump the pot carefully when it is liquid, then start a fresh alloy. I really think you have 2 issues running.. unknown alloy and temp issues.. equalize these and you will have shootable bullets.

    Marko
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  12. #32
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    Well still no satisfaction on a couple trys at casting. 0 saved boolets with wrinkles large and small.I did make a nifty acid dropper bottle up thou. I tested a questionable boolet and there was no fizzing at all. The cool winds won't go away. I only started with problems after really keeping an eye on pot temps. Usually I would be into the 850* ++ areas with great results. The more I know, the more dangerous I get. I suspect it will get better with hotter weather.

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flailguy View Post
    It sounds like you are casting with straight zink to me. If not then I'm not sure.
    Seriously doubt it was pure zinc. Considering zinc melts it almost 800° compared to lead that melts at about 630! Hardness would certainly be considerably harder than any normal Cast Boolet if it was pure zinc. Sounds to me like the temperature problem. First batch, to hot. That would explain the grainy sprews (cut them while the lead was to hot and not fully harden. Second batch was too cold, that would explain the wrinkles
    Last edited by poppy42; 05-19-2022 at 11:25 PM. Reason: I hate freaking auto correct
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  14. #34
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    Sounds like you could have a some zinc in your mix. Best to start over with a 100% known alloy. Heat and cast until the boolits are frosted and well filled out and then turn the pot down. A thermometer or PID makes things easier to sort out, but not 100% necessary.

  15. #35
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    I can't get a break from the wind, as if that is a casting, deal breaker, so I will post something from 2014 when I stumbled into casting. Somebody here let me know that it looked like a H+G that I had. They cleaned up well and the Ideal mould had new wood made from some hickory. They are both .38 WCs. The HG is a, pitted boolet, maker but a great mould. The Ideal has a, still unidentified, green surface. Its another great mould.Click image for larger version. 

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  16. #36
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    I just noticed another pic in my file. The lube is from a members or members, hometown. I dissolved at least one of them in One Step and use a little in a TL. with a couple of other mixes. I love the coating.Click image for larger version. 

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    Sorry, in my folder, the print is large and clear but blurry, in thread. It says ' Las Cruces NM
    Last edited by brassrat; 05-23-2022 at 08:54 AM.

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by brassrat View Post
    I plan on really cleaning and try the lighter fluid. Tks for sharing my rant
    I wouldn't use Lighter Fluid to clean with. It will leave a residue behind. Its great for flushing out a trigger but not on a bullet mold. Its what Jewell recommends for their triggers.

    I store my molds with oil on them and have to degrease them before use. I use a tooth brush and either Brake Cleaner or Electrical Contact Cleaner as a solvent.

    Wishing you Luck with this.

  18. #38
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    Well I broke out my setup and, sort of, got my mojo back. No wrinkling. It looks like 800 * is my new temp, same as what I'm used to. I used an electronic thermometer on the molds and am sure they were too cold, giving problems. I was trying to keep my tin dissolved so dropped to 700* and read how everyone puts something on the hotplate coils and I started but it dropped my mold temps. As to the lighterfluid that was a burning lighterfluid idea and I did it on all of them after extensive work and other cleaning. Thanks to Lightman and all responders for all the help

  19. #39
    Boolit Master brassrat's Avatar
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    My pot was bone dry and took forever to heat up, again. Checking mould temps and pot temps is mandatory, at least for now. Mojo is back bigly and actually did a little something for a change. Had 2x 4c going for a bit and temps were high, still, on all the moulds. Handles were hot, with my little wool gloves No frosting thou. Gotta get everything into one mix, next, instead of guessing every little pot.

  20. #40
    Boolit Buddy AlHunt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by brassrat View Post
    My pot was bone dry and took forever to heat up, again.
    My Lyman 4-20 had a terminal inside corrode on me. It didn't stop the pot but it took a long time to heat up and wouldn't hold temp. Easily fixed.

    Might be worth a glance.
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