Don't worry about walking on the post that is just another way to get to know you guys better and to get a little more information. The bullet casting is going good. I pulled those bullets threw them back into the pot and made some new ones. I had a heck of a time getting my mold up to temp must of cast 30 bullets before they stopped having wrinkles. Is there a good way to preheat those? all I have for a pot is a Production Pot from Lee it holds ten pounds of alloy. I layed the mold across the top of the pot for about 45 minutes before I started pouring. Anyway I have 50 rounds loaded up and ready for my first day at the range with my new gun, I'm a little excited. Is there any process I should follow for a break in or just clean it between my 10 shot strings? I plan on shooting 2 each of 10 rounds of 2 different loads for group and over my chrony to check for ES and Vel. Can't wait till Saturday, I hope the weather is nice.
i am back had to work,have to feed my little monsters,this could be good Trigger Dr adopt mike,mike gets me and then the monsters can learn to send lead in to all the critters in teaxs and we all get to eat :)Mike you do like texas dontcha.
B.J. Spalding
"I came I saw and I forgot why I am here."
SHILOH#1
Wolfie,
that sounds OK to me, but remember, If This happens, I will be the head of the household, and as such will have control of ALL the firearms. In the interest of safety (UH HUH) you know
Trigger Dr
I hate to be so rude as to come back to the subject, but ....
To warm the mold, I wrap a rubber band around the handles to keep them tight together and sit the bottom of the blocks in the lead for about a minute and a half for steel molds. It would be less for aluminum blocks. The mould is ready when you can take it out of the lead and nothing sticks to the mould. Wipe any stray drops or flakes away from the parting seam and have at it.
Y'all be good.
horsefly
P.S.
Take the rubber band off the handles before you start trying to cast!!!!!!!!
I bought a cheap hot plate at Wal-Mart for 8.00. I used my casting thermometer to adjust the heat on the plate and found that 475 degrees kept my mould blocks at the right temperature to start casting right away. I lay only the mould blocks on the hot plate and let the handles rest on a small wood block off to the side. Turn on the casting furnace and hot plate at the same time and when the lead is at the right temp,your mould will be too. I try to keep the hot plate on the whole time I am casting. If you need to flux or get side tracked you can lay the mould back on the hot plate and keep it hot. One other thing that can help out a stubborn mould is to disassemble the mould and put the two cavity halves in an ultrasonic cleaner. No more than 15 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with mild detergent and water will clean all of the vent lines and the cavities. The water solution will look like mud you are done. I have been using these methods for awhile and have good results using them.
Radar
After reading a post from HPguy I went to E-Bay and picked up one of the Thermolyne student hotplates for $20.00
It works great and as Dan has posted, The mold is ready when the lead is and the first cast is a keeper.
The best part though is "She who must be obeyed" can drag me off for another project and when I come back I do not have to cast 20 times to get the heat back up
Thank you Dan!!!!
P.S. I am using a Steve Brooks mould and seating to Steve Brooks suggested seating depth and it works so good it is scary.
Thanks guys, the hot plate seems like the best way to go for me because my production pot being so small that I would have to have a full pot of metal for the blocks to touch it.
Is there any process I should follow for a break in or just clean it between my 10 shot strings? I plan on shooting 2 each of 10 rounds of 2 different loads for group and over my chrony to check for ES and Vel. Can't wait till Saturday, I hope the weather is nice.
