Heating Molds

[Cohagen]

Howdy Pards,

Got a couple of  molds from DD.  A few questions before I enter into my first casting session.

How do you bring your molds to temp for casting?

When is the right time to cut the spru?

Thanks as always for the expertise you guys share.

Cohagen

[Mad Mucus]

I'm only new to this casting thing, but found this site very helpful...

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/index.html

HTH,

Mucus

[Cohagen]

Thanks Mucus,

Goatlips site is a great help.

Cohagen

[Howdy Doody]

Goatlips site is a really good one. For sure.

My personal method to starting up is to of course get my lead up to temp and then with a 6 gang mold I work fast. I fill the first cavity and get a good pool of lead on top of the sprue cutter. I then open and cut the sprue quickly and dump. I then fill the first one again and the second hole too and cut quickly after filling and so forth. Cutting the sprue fast as the cavity is full keeps from too much pressure on the sprue cutter handle and I have actually broke one before I learned my lesson. The sprue cutter needs to be hot too. Once I am filling all 6 cavities and the sprue is cutting easily, I then start to inspect the boolits to see if they are filled out and looking good. I would say that usually it takes my start up and then maybe 3 or 4 full mold pours to get boolits that look good. Then I just go on at a fairly easy pace until it is time for more lead in the pot. I will add lead and then take a break while it melts. If it takes a long while I will do the same thing as inital start up and maybe by the time I am filling all 6 the boolits are good looking. It doesn't seem to take as many fills on a restart as it does on an initial start up.
I ran my Lee pot at around 700 degrees and the RCBS pot I use now more like 650 and the boolits look pretty durn good, but a little on the frosty side, which is the way I like mine.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Cohagen, Pard,

Don't be afraid of "waisting" a couple of pours.  Simply dump 'em back and recycle 'em.  Soon enuf you will find that yer molds get to temp and start dumpin' great boolits.  Don't stop for coffee, keep 'em runnin'.

Tomorrow I've got some pards comin' to the DD ranch to make boolits.  We'll make a few scrap ones and then we'll make thousands of good ones.  These are experienced casters and yet, they don't get every boolit perfect from the first pour.  But, once them molds get runnin', don't stop for lunch.  You soon enuf get a rhythm and you kin send yer slaves for refreshments.

I like to keep a good supply of melted metal on the side in a plumbers pot.  That way when I  start to run low I don't have to wait for my bottom pour pot to ketch up.

You'll get the hang of it and then I'll be hard pressed to bet yer butt shootin' Frontiersman. . .

DD-DLoS

[hellgate]

I do what Doody does and only fill the first 2 cavities for a while and then go to 3 or 4 and eventually to all six once the mold gets hot enough to keep the sprues fairly soft. I too have broken the sprue cutter lever before and found if I pour all six cavities on a cold mold I am chancing snapping the lever. Been there, done that but not since gradually warming the mold. You can also dip the corner of the mold into the molten lead to start the heating process.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

Yup, the first few pours will be just to heat up the mold.

I pour all 6 cavities, let it sit for a minute, and do this about 5 times to make sure the mold is all up to the right temp.

for single or double cavity molds, I just let it sit over the Lee pot while the alloy heats up and then start casting right away.

Lee used to suggest putting the end of their molds into the liquid alloy, but, this invites trouble.

Only alloy,flux or a laddle goes into the pot.

[sundance44`s]

When I was casting with an electric pot I would heat my mold with a propane torch ..now that I went back to casting with the propane stove I just lay my mold next to the flame while I wait for the lead to melt and its nice and hot when I start casting ....I tried that sticking the mold in the melt for a min ...that is an invite for trouble ..I had plenty first time I tried it ....win some lose some.

[Tommy tornado]

I also soot them up with a candle.  The heat from the candle helps a bit with temp, too.

[Delmonico]

I also soot them up with a candle.  The heat from the candle helps a bit with temp, too.

Use a couple of kitchen matches instead, a candle can deposit oils on yer mould, oils and grease makes it harder to cast good boolits.

[Mason Stillwell]

I use matches for soot and I lay the mould on top of my casting pot until the lead melts and is ready to pour. By that time the mould is always hot and ready to go to work.

My $0.02 worth
Yer milage might vary!!!!1

Hope this helps


Mason (what has cast a couple of boolits ) Stillwell

[Delmonico]

Thats what I do also, but talkin' about heatin' moulds is like talkin' about fryin' chicken or makin' chili, no one seems to do it the same.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Cohagen,

Pukin' Dog, Rotten Redeye Randy and myownself cast a couple a thousand projectiles this afternoon.  Universal truth seems to be, make sure the mold is clean, then smoke it good and don't use no spray on crap and just start casting.  Have yer pot at around 750 degrees and pour a few for return before you pour for yourself.

We have a LOT of great lookin' boolits from this afternoon's work and had a lot of fun doin' it.

Good luck with your new molds.

DD-DLoS

P.S. We are shootn' at OSC this coming weekend.  Hope to see you and Dusty there.

[Cohagen]

As usual hats off and my humble thanks.

You guys only forgot ofne thing........It Is Fun

Thanks to all.....

Cohagen
]

[Drydock]

I use an old hotplate I got at a garage sale for a $1.  Set at medium, let my various Lee molds set on it while the pot heats up, then cast perfect bullets from the first pour.  Good place to set the hot molds to cool down as well, or if I'm interrupted, I can set the empty mold on it to maintain temperature.

[Mick Archer]

  Howdy Pards!

  I use a Coleman camper stove that replaced an electric production pot.
  I set the dipper in the molten lead, and the mold in the blue flame of the burner for a minute or two.
  Since I use only single and double cavity molds, I usually always get my first keeper bullet on the first or second pour.  (I like casting, so singles and doubles are fine for me).

    Since I use only singles and doubles, I watch the sprue go through its crystalization/hardening process which takes a second or two (or three if I am casting 500 grain Minies)

    (Not that I have cast that many bulli,  maybe only a puny 40,000+ or so...)

  Mick Archer

[Tommy tornado]

Use a couple of kitchen matches instead, a candle can deposit oils on yer mould, oils and grease makes it harder to cast good boolits.

I haven't had that problem yet, but thanks for the tip.

[Dick Dastardly]

One last thing on heating aluminum alloy mold blocks.  You can melt 'em.  I know cuz many years ago I did just that.  It was a cheap round ball mold so I  didn't cry too much.  I was hurrying my pot with a propane plumbers torch and then decided to heat up my mold too.  Got it too hot and melted it.  Dumb.

DD-DLoS

[Mick Archer]

  Howdy Pards!

   Good point..
   Plus the excessive heat may warp them even if not melting them.

    (Too hot of lead/molds, can cause "frosting."  While I never knew if that was an accuracy  concern or not, it does take away from the putry shine..  ;-)  )

   My molds are steel, and it is just a minute or two "kiss".

    Mick Archer

[Delmonico]

Warpage is caused by uneven heating, any one who has ever done any welding or other types of metal work will understand this one.  Frosting does not hurt bullets, some moulds I have found such as my RCBS 500 gr BPS mould will be at it's best with a slight frosting.  When they are frosting slightly they will run about 95% at +/- 1/2 gr with 24-1.  Weight perfection is much better than purty.