Armory Sponsor
Posted: 4/1/2017 10:08:45 PM EDT
|
I've got a Lee 6 cavity .452 200gr SWC mold that is a problem child. When pressure casting most bullets come out out of round. They are as wide as .455. Now that would be ok since a sizer could work it down to the correct size. What's not ok is that some of the bullets are .451 at their narrowest point. That's undersized for my barrel which cause serious leading.
I've already sent it back to Lee once. They say there's nothing wrong with it. Before I ship it back to them again, this time with a bunch of these jacked up bullets it made, is there any common mistakes in technique that could account for this issue. |
|
Mold pre heated before you using it, and what temp are you running the lead.
Also, are you dam sure that you tooth brush cleaned (with cleaning agent) the cavities and mold before you used it , and not over smoking the mold or using a release agent too much that your decreasing some of the cavities IDs way down instead. Hence of the aluminum molds, once you get them clean, then you really only need a light smoking of the mold caivities, if any smoking at all. On the spruce and pins, very light touch of either wax, or two stroke oil, and not so much that it gets into the cavities. As for an ideal lead temp, once you slightly over fill the spruce plate top on a pre-heated mold on the fills, you should see the lead drop/start to crystallize in about 2 seconds. If the lead is taking longer to set up, either you got the mold too hot/running the lead too hot instead. |
|
Listen to Dano.
We had our very first experience with Lee 6 banger moulds Friday. My brother is the pour master and the mould is the .225" which has so much heat sink (small cavities and lots of aluminum) that it took him a while to figure it out but like Dano says it's all about heat. We also used a 40 cal 6 banger for the first time and had the same problem you are having. What we found is that you need to get the spure plate really hot so the lead does not slow down going though it. I was watching the pour hitting the side of the taper and going straight into the mould without any hesitation or build up. This is when we started getting good bullets. We also enlarged the holes in the plate a few thousandths but I don't recommend this for a beginner. Motor |
Mr Lee has all the answer to fix there products. Â  Â Â Â MR Lee link
|
|
Two things I'd check:
Are you SQUEEZING the handles together and HOLDING THEM TIGHT throughout the entire pour??? Are you using enough Tin in your alloy??? It is easy -- especially on a gang mold -- to hold the handles too loosely and get out of round and oversized bullets. Seems like I have to relearn this lesson every time I start a new casting session. Undersized is a different issue. Either the "lead" or the mold are not up to temperature or the alloy is not consistent throughout a session. |
|
Came to say this too. If you get weak after casting a while, bullets get out of round. Keep the mold closed till they harden. Doesnt take much.
Quoted:
Two things I'd check: Are you SQUEEZING the handles together and HOLDING THEM TIGHT throughout the entire pour??? Are you using enough Tin in your alloy??? It is easy -- especially on a gang mold -- to hold the handles too loosely and get out of round and oversized bullets. Seems like I have to relearn this lesson every time I start a new casting session. Undersized is a different issue. Either the "lead" or the mold are not up to temperature or the alloy is not consistent throughout a session. |
|
Quoted:
Mold pre heated before you using it, and what temp are you running the lead. Also, are you dam sure that you tooth brush cleaned (with cleaning agent) the cavities and mold before you used it , and not over smoking the mold or using a release agent too much that your decreasing some of the cavities IDs way down instead. Hence of the aluminum molds, once you get them clean, then you really only need a light smoking of the mold caivities, if any smoking at all. On the spruce and pins, very light touch of either wax, or two stroke oil, and not so much that it gets into the cavities. As for an ideal lead temp, once you slightly over fill the spruce plate top on a pre-heated mold on the fills, you should see the lead drop/start to crystallize in about 2 seconds. If the lead is taking longer to set up, either you got the mold too hot/running the lead too hot instead. Befor first use I sprayed the cavities with brake cleaner. I then wiped them down with a rag. I did not smoke them at all. I use 2 cycle oil sparingly once or twice per casting session. My sprues usually solidify in about 2 seconds then haze over within another 4 seconds. |
|
Quoted:
I run my Lee molds hot and hold mold to the bottom of the pot, count to 3, release pour lever and move on to the next cavity. |
|
Quoted:
Two things I'd check: Are you SQUEEZING the handles together and HOLDING THEM TIGHT throughout the entire pour??? Are you using enough Tin in your alloy??? It is easy -- especially on a gang mold -- to hold the handles too loosely and get out of round and oversized bullets. Seems like I have to relearn this lesson every time I start a new casting session. Undersized is a different issue. Either the "lead" or the mold are not up to temperature or the alloy is not consistent throughout a session. Thing is, if the out of roundness were being caused by the mold blocks not being closed, why am I getting an undersize .451 measurement 45 degrees off the casting seam? It would make sense if they were undersized along the casting seam...the mold just wasn't cut right. But that's not what's happening here. |
|
Quoted:
Are the bullets smaller near the parting line, or at 90 degrees to the parting line? |
|
Quoted:
I'm ladle casting. Got a large soup ladle with a 1/8 hole drilled in the bottom of it. Strong flow, it lets you pressure cast and has enough lead for the 6 cavity molds. Very nice base fill out this way, and no leaky bottom pour drama. I started using a hot plate to preheat molds while waiting for the lead to melt in the furnace. Those guys at Cast Boolets are on to something here. Don't see an issue with your alloy. 
Extreme examples of not holding mold closed. Was teaching a newbie and had to correct this. |
Armory Sponsor