I just PCd my first run of our .402 group buy HP mold. It's raining here so I figured I wouldn't have that great of coverage. I even used old powder I had sitting it Tupperware wit air soft BBs. I used Smokes powder. First go was traffic purple with black and blue mixed in. I noticed the HP cavities didn't want to have PC stick to them today. I had a few bright specs of bare alloy showing as well. All colors I tried did the same but seemed to flow into the spots but not the HP cavities. Not to worried about the HP areas anyway. I then had some red, Green, and orange mixed from last year or longer. Made a nice brown. I ran out so I dumped some.orange in I had in a another Tupperware tumbling container.
I'll have to get a .401 lee sizer ordered up! I did get some tinning towards the end of my casting session. I think I scraped most of it out with a wood dowel. I'll have to take it apart for cleaning and run another batch. I have 2 buddies waiting for small flat rate boxes full.to test. I did put a heavy patina on my mold but just end up running them to hot and to long.
My patina with salt and vinegar fumes before casting...
My outter pin kept not wanting to release boolits. I did end up spraying a little dry graphite on the pins and spru plate to help with the release. I'll have to debur the pins when I take the mold apart to clean and check for tinning.
I did get some finning right towars the end. Around the HP area and then by the crimp.groove so I knew I either didn't get the mold shut all the way and or tinning was present. Oh well, what can I say? I like to cast pretty bullets...and hot! Had my lee.4/20 on 8.5 and it still took alot to keep my mold and pins hot consistently so the boolits would drop and not wrinkle. Been a while since I casted anything so I had to get my groove back in order. I'll be loading these in my glock 20. I used 16/1 pure lead and pewter alloy with a BH of 7.5.