dimples on base of bullet

gaffer · Post by **gaffer** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 2:35 pm

OK guys I'v got a new one on me..I just got a Lyman 45 cal mould back from Lyman with a new sprue plate. I fired up my pot and with my new Rowell dippper I cast some bullets. On the base of all of them it looks like the craters on the moon. What am I doing wrong. Thanks Gaffer

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 3:00 pm

gaffer, don't say that I will be right here, but whenever I get what looks like what you describe, it is due to not having a thick enough lead sprue on top of the plate. As the alloy cools, it draws some of the molten sprue down into the base of the bullet. If there is not enough alloy on top to be drawn down in, then you will get what you aptly described as craters. You will sometimes also get rounded edges on the base of the bullet instead of nice sharply cut edges.

When using a nose pour mould, you will most likely end up with a rough nose (not the one on your face

) but the nose of the bullet. Try to make the lead sprue on top of the base uniform and thick. Hope this might help

, Randy

JD · Post by JD » Fri Oct 31, 2003 3:55 pm

Did you clean and de-grease the new sprue plate? I find that when the sprue plate has oil on it it will cause small "craters" on the bottom of the bullet.

Ray Newman · Post by **Ray Newman** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 4:08 pm

Besdies pouring a generous amt. of melt on the sprue plate, I would advise that you let the sprue plate melt harden before cutting the sprue.

powderburner · Post by **powderburner** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 5:45 pm

I have to agree with jd as I occasionly get what you describe when i get generous with the lube pencil on the spru plate pivot.

Omaha Poke · Post by **Omaha Poke** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 5:53 pm

gaffer, since you got a mould back from Lyman, I don't wish to assume that you are new to casting if you are not. If you are, the advice that Ray gave you is very good. I always watch the color change, well not exactly the color change, but the change from a bright shinney surface to an almost frosted look before cutting the sprue. It is right before this change in the surface of the sprue that you can see the final bit of molten lead being drawn down into the base of the bullet. Didn't mean to suggest that you were an inexperienced caster, just some observations that I found over 35 years of casting both bullets and jigs for fishing. Every time I have a sprue that looks too thin, I get what you described. Randy

Tasmanian Rebel · Post by **Tasmanian Rebel** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:17 pm

Gaffer, I had a similar problem plague me earlier this year and came to the conclusion that I had gotten some alloy (30:1) from what I think is a reputable business that had some antimony in it. I switched to another source and my problem cleared up. I agree with the solutions the guys gave you above but my problem, at least for me, cleared up with a change in source of lead and tin alloy.

powderburner · Post by **powderburner** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 9:57 pm

Gaffer

I just got my new rowell ladle and put it to work today ,it works wonderfullyand as an aside I wear cotton gloves to cut the spru with .I had a little melt that stuck to the plate so I wiped it with the dirty glove and lo and behold I got dimples for 4 or 5 bullets than it went away just got a little oil on the bottom and when it burned off all was well.

the rowell ladle is worth the price. I got the #1and it is just the right size.