HELP! Bullet Casters Problem Sloved ! Thanks

[Mad Dog McGee]

Help !!!!!!! I've spent about 4 hours trying to cast a good bullet, All of them come out wrinkled . Got a Lee 4/20 and been running it on 6 ; however my Lyman thermometer reads 750. Is the problem with it being too hot? I read that its best at 600-650. Using wheel weights with some lino. This is my first time casting. The bullets are shiny, just wrinkled with lines in them.

Thanks in advance, MDM

 

Problem Solved!!! Thanks to you guys!! Heated up the furnace to 9.5 , heated the mold on top , Cast over 700 bullets, NICE, SHINY, No wrinkles!!!!!!!!!!! 4 hrs. setting up and learning curve ; 2 hrs casting. Now I are A bullet castor( Sort Of).

Thanks again to my PARDS to the rescue!!! This is another great thing about SASS , a forum that works!

Tomorrow I'll size, lube and load WITH THE REAL POWDER: BLACK POWDER!!!!!

 

FIRE and Lots of SMOKE!!!! YEE-HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mad Dog McGee

 

 

 

[Ricochet_86515]

I have only been casting for a year now, but when I get wrinkles it's because of a cold mold. Are you using Lee molds?

[Yusta B.]

Let your mold cool down. Clean it thoroughly with detergent & toothbrush. rinse thoroughly. Dry COMPLETELY.

Try again. You will probably need to warm the mold prior to casting.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Clean the mold with some rubbing alcohol and toothbrush to make sure any oil is off it.

 

With an aluminum Lee mold, you need it hot from the start. If you have an old hot plate, or a propane torch, warm that mold up.

 

I set my casting temp at 750 degrees (by thermometer), and go slightly higher to make sure all the wrinkles are gone, with wheelweight and tin alloy. Wrinkles are usually either oil in the mold, or cold metal or mold. Frosted heavily is too hot a mold or metal. You CANNOT successfully cast any reasonable bullet alloy at 650 degrees, in my experience. If you read that in a book or web site, ignore that source from now on.

 

Tin (0.5 % of the weight of the pot of metal, or 1.6 ounces in a 20 pound pot), makes bullets fill out very crisply. You may need some tin with those wheelweights and lino. Old 50/50 solder (wire or bar) can be used for your tin - use twice the weight of the solder to get the necessary weight of tin (so, 3.2 ounces in a 20 lb pot).

 

Overall, it sounds like you are running the pot too cold and probably starting with a cold mold. A cold Lee 6 cavity is also VERY hard to cut the sprues, and you will probably damage the mold. Get it hot before you cast. If you can stick a corner of the mold in the molten lead and have a bunch stick, the mold is still too cold.

 

The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook has great casting instructions as well as it's wealth of cowboy-suitable loads.

 

Good luck, GJ

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Your melt is way to cold. Try 790* and how do you read the temp?

What do you flux with?

Do you bottom fill or ladle pour?

How do you pre-heat your mold?

LG

[Jackson Rose, SASS #45478]

First, check your thermometer. I run 50 50 wheel weights and pure lead at approx 675(on my thermometer). My first cast with my 6 cavity Lee molds usually will warm the mold sufficiently to start throwing good bullet on the next fill. Second, the numbers on the dial are there to give you a reference point. Once your pot is hot and you start to cast you will have to adjust the heat as the level of alloy goes down.

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

My commercial casting machine runs at 702 degrees.

The wrinkles are from dirty or cold molds.

I use hot sticks I got from the welding supplier.

This are large crayon looking things that come in different melting points.

I have a 350 degree and a 400 degree.

I found that I only use the 350 degree stick.

Use it to mark the side of the mold.

When the mold gets to and over 350 degrees the bullet alloy will flow in the mold and fill it out completely.

 

You can drop the bullets out of the mold in about 10 to 15 seconds of the lead flashing in the mold.

Get the timing right and the molds will stay above the 350 degree temperature.

[Knarley Bob]

When you melt is starting to take on a straw or gold color.................... your pot is about the right temp

Warm up your mould too, if metal sticks to the bottom, it's too cold, a little is o.K.

I run my Lyman thermometer @ 700-750. Who knows how accurate they are?

Wrinkles tells me you need to meat up the melt.

Hope this helps