Casting questions

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AJC1

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Using my new lee 4-20 pot I had really good bullets after 5 pours in my molds when running my pot on the 7 setting. My pot was full to begin with and never got below half. What are you running your pot at...

I used a lee 2 cavity mold for the first time. I sprayed the mold off with carb cleaner and put it on top of the pot while heating up. How many pours does in normally take to get rolling. The were terribly wrinkled at first then perfect...

I never experienced over heating, are 2 cavity molds harder to overheat, I tried to keep up the pace or got wrinkles. From what I watched I was on the look out for frosting but got none.

Finally do you use lube to swage bullets to size and what do you use. I was thinking liquid lanolin.
 
I have a Lee Production Pot, it's a 10 pounder and I run it at about 6.5 to 7 depending on the alloy. All of my molds are Lee molds until tomorrow when I get my Lyman 266469, 6.5mm (.266). Lee doesn't have a 6.5 except one for the 6.5X55 Swede at 170 grians and I don't have any data for anything that heavy, plus I wanted a 140 grain.
All of my Lee molds drop really good pills most of the time. I have heated some of mine and got a couple frosted bullets, but they shoot just as good as the good shiny bullets. I don't lube my cast bullets any more, I use powder coat instead. I have several bottles of Lee liquid alox for back up. I have used the LLA when I first started casting, powder coat works as well and better and no smell that ticks off my wife. Using the PC bullets my bores are squeaky clean after firing. I thought about getting a 20 pot but I don't shoot enough now to justify one, so I'll wait on that.
 
I have a Lee Production Pot, it's a 10 pounder and I run it at about 6.5 to 7 depending on the alloy. All of my molds are Lee molds until tomorrow when I get my Lyman 266469, 6.5mm (.266). Lee doesn't have a 6.5 except one for the 6.5X55 Swede at 170 grians and I don't have any data for anything that heavy, plus I wanted a 140 grain.
All of my Lee molds drop really good pills most of the time. I have heated some of mine and got a couple frosted bullets, but they shoot just as good as the good shiny bullets. I don't lube my cast bullets any more, I use powder coat instead. I have several bottles of Lee liquid alox for back up. I have used the LLA when I first started casting, powder coat works as well and better and no smell that ticks off my wife. Using the PC bullets my bores are squeaky clean after firing. I thought about getting a 20 pot but I don't shoot enough now to justify one, so I'll wait on that.
I only decided on the 4-20 because I could get it cheaper on backorder from midway than the one you have.
 
Lee bottom pour 10 lb pot. Max 9 to start. About 6 to 8 pours to get good bullets. 3in1 oil is removed using Dawn , hot running water & a stencil brush. Towel dry. Place mould on pot.

Sprues go back into pot, flux. When the sprue plate starts cutting easly, i back off to 8.5 setting. When pot gets to 1/2, sprues go in pot. Flux again. From now on, sprues go back in pot, no fluxing.

For quality control , i measure the diameter of bullets as soon as they cool enough. I take 4 samples. Start, finish & 2 in the middle. Then i check weight & diameter of 1 bullet from each check point.

I size and lube using a Lyman 450. Current lube RCBS Pistol. But like a 50/50 that is soft & not needing a heater.
Have used Lee Alox tumble lube on Lyman 200 gr BB 45 acp bullets that drop from the mold at .452" diameter. Sized bullets are more accurate. Alox builds up on the seating stem.

Using Saeco Iron 4 cavaty molds & 1 Lyman. 38, 45 acp, 44 mag.
Alloy WW & 1 1/2 lbs of Rotometels linotype .
 
Lee bottom pour 10 lb pot. Max 9 to start. About 6 to 8 pours to get good bullets. 3in1 oil is removed using Dawn , hot running water & a stencil brush. Towel dry. Place mould on pot.

Sprues go back into pot, flux. When the sprue plate starts cutting easly, i back off to 8.5 setting. When pot gets to 1/2, sprues go in pot. Flux again. From now on, sprues go back in pot, no fluxing.

For quality control , i measure the diameter of bullets as soon as they cool enough. I take 4 samples. Start, finish & 2 in the middle. Then i check weight & diameter of 1 bullet from each check point.

I size and lube using a Lyman 450. Current lube RCBS Pistol. But like a 50/50 that is soft & not needing a heater.
Have used Lee Alox tumble lube on Lyman 200 gr BB 45 acp bullets that drop from the mold at .452" diameter. Sized bullets are more accurate. Alox builds up on the seating stem.

Using Saeco Iron 4 cavaty molds & 1 Lyman. 38, 45 acp, 44 mag.
Alloy WW & 1 1/2 lbs of Rotometels linotype .
What do you lube your mold with. I am currently trying bees wax.
 
with my lee and nei molds i run around 7 after start up at max to get things moving. with my rcbs, lyman, and other steel molds they like a 6 on a very old 1980 lee bottom pour pot. every pot will be different. you will have to find your pot sweet spot. the more you cast the more you learn. there are no bad bullets, the sad looking ones go back into the pot and come out looking good.
 
with my lee and nei molds i run around 7 after start up at max to get things moving. with my rcbs, lyman, and other steel molds they like a 6 on a very old 1980 lee bottom pour pot. every pot will be different. you will have to find your pot sweet spot. the more you cast the more you learn. there are no bad bullets, the sad looking ones go back into the pot and come out looking good.
I picked 7 for the most arbitrary reason, its rms voltage in electrical work and that seemed as good as any other reason. I may try 7.5 next time because why not.
 
Synthetic 2-stroke motor oil to lube the mold alignment pins, top plate, top plate pivot point & handles.

I either set the mold on top of the full pot of alloy or use a hot plate to pre-heat the molds.

I tend to run my molds hot & like to see frosted bullets. Doing this does 2 things, casts a larger in diameter bullet & takes longer for the alloy to harden (less voids). Typically I use a 8.9bhn soft alloy for 95%+ of my casting needs, the softer the alloy the smaller in diameter the bullets will cast. The hotter mold/frosted bullets help make up for the soft alloy.

It's worth it to buy a casting thermometer or better yet use a pid controller like the +/- $20 rex-100. I use a pid for casting and powder coating, caveman simple to use and the result is an extremely consistent bullet & coating that's easily repeatable.

No need to lube your bullets when sizing them unless you're taking them down a lot in 1 pass. I never like to go more that 3/1000th's in 1 sizing pass and prefer +/- 2/1000th's. Doing 3/1000th's or more leads to deformation of the bullet's base affecting accuracy. If you're affecting the bullets base then lube the bullets.
 
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I use molds of iron, brass, and aluminum. I find aluminum is easiest to overheat, especially one and two pot molds.

That may be because I tend to keep my lead pretty warm. I can't actually say what the numerical setting normally is on the Lee pot, other than that I have to gradually turn it down as the pot drains. In my opinion the pot setting is irrelevant and a thermometer is crucial. Without a thermometer one has no idea how hot the metal is.

I usually keep the mix at 800 to 850 degrees. I degrease the mold with dish soap and hot water, or brake cleaner if I am in a hurry. I then violate the warranty by dipping the lower front edge of the mold into the lead for two minutes. If the mold is new I smoke the cavities with a butane lighter and lube the plate pin with the little bottle of stuff that I got with an LBT mold a million years ago. With this method the first bullet is almost always perfect. I have to be a little careful not to overheat the mold - frosty works fine, but I prefer perfect. I usually will get two molds going. While one is being filled the other is cooling. Lots of bullets without overheating.

I rarely put rejects and sprue back into the pot, as I find it can cause temperature fluctuations.

I am a lube snob. For smokeless powder use I have found nothing better than LBT soft. For blackpowder I like SPG - which actually works fine for smokeless as well, but is pretty expensive.

I hear powdercoating works well, but I also heard that about graphite and Teflon and copper wash and every other damn thing, so I no longer believe in anything except lead and lube.
 
Synthetic 2-stroke motor oil to lube the mold alignment pins, top plate, top plate pivot point & handles.

I either set the mold on top of the full pot of alloy or use a hot plate to pre-heat the molds.

I tend to run my molds hot & like to see frosted bullets. Doing this does 2 things, casts a larger in diameter bullet & takes longer for the alloy to harden (less voids). Typically I use a 8.9bhn soft alloy for 95%+ of my casting needs, the softer the alloy the smaller in diameter the bullets will cast. The hotter mold/frosted bullets help make up for the soft alloy.

It's worth it to buy a casting thermometer or better yet use a pid controller like the +/- $20 rex-100. I use a pid for casting and powder coating, caveman simple to use and the result is an extremely consistent bullet & coating that's easily repeatable.

No need to lube your bullets when sizing them unless you're taking them down a lot in 1 pass. I never like to go more that 3/1000th's in 1 sizing pass and prefer +/- 2/1000th's. Doing 3/1000th's or more leads to deformation of the bullet's base affecting accuracy. If you're affecting the bullets base then lube the bullets.
If you could provide a link for that pic that would be wonderful. I want one but that's waaaaay cheaper than I have seen.
 
I use molds of iron, brass, and aluminum. I find aluminum is easiest to overheat, especially one and two pot molds.

That may be because I tend to keep my lead pretty warm. I can't actually say what the numerical setting normally is on the Lee pot, other than that I have to gradually turn it down as the pot drains. In my opinion the pot setting is irrelevant and a thermometer is crucial. Without a thermometer one has no idea how hot the metal is.

I usually keep the mix at 800 to 850 degrees. I degrease the mold with dish soap and hot water, or brake cleaner if I am in a hurry. I then violate the warranty by dipping the lower front edge of the mold into the lead for two minutes. If the mold is new I smoke the cavities with a butane lighter and lube the plate pin with the little bottle of stuff that I got with an LBT mold a million years ago. With this method the first bullet is almost always perfect. I have to be a little careful not to overheat the mold - frosty works fine, but I prefer perfect. I usually will get two molds going. While one is being filled the other is cooling. Lots of bullets without overheating.

I rarely put rejects and sprue back into the pot, as I find it can cause temperature fluctuations.

I am a lube snob. For smokeless powder use I have found nothing better than LBT soft. For blackpowder I like SPG - which actually works fine for smokeless as well, but is pretty expensive.

I hear powdercoating works well, but I also heard that about graphite and Teflon and copper wash and every other damn thing, so I no longer believe in anything except lead and lube.
Thank you for the great insight. I am currently using the eastwood powder and baking it at 400 for 20min. It's a ptia to stand all the bullets on their bases but that's how I ran the first batch. I almost lost my mind when I bumped the side and half fell over.... I did get good bonding on them with the smash test so I'm planning to go the PC route for now. I'm getting all the stuff and by the time I got my pot I could no longer resist the temptation to cast at least a test batch...
 
Ignore the number and use a thermometer.
wrinkled bullets=cold mould

frosty bullets = hot mould
I was using the bullets as a guide just as you state. Figured it would be just like using the target for load development. Not as scientific or repeatable but usable until I get all the gear.
 
I never experienced over heating, are 2 cavity molds harder to overheat, I tried to keep up the pace or got wrinkles.

I use a Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot.
I have a couple of Lyman iron molds, but mostly Lee.
I do indeed have problems with overheating if I don't pace myself.
Your speed will likely increase as you do it more, and you'll have to watch for it.
I usually keep my pot on about 7 as well, and I start getting frosted bullets if I'm not careful.
It's not a big deal though. Keep a wet sponge or washcloth close by and set the mold on top of it if it heats up. It will cool it down quickly and easily.

By swaging the bullets I assume you mean running them through a Lee sizing die. Just about anything will work if your bullets are within a couple of thousandths.
I've sprayed case lube on them and it worked fine. I've done the Lee alox, but that isn't an option if you want to size right away.
I've heard of some people spraying cooking spray on them, but I've never tried that. Seems too messy.
 
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I use a Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot.
I have a couple of Lyman iron molds, but mostly Lee.
I do indeed have problems with overheating if I don't pace myself.
Your speed will likely increase as you do it more, and you'll have to watch for it.
I usually keep my pot on about 7 as well, and I start getting frosted bullets if I'm not careful.
It's not a big deal though. Keep a wet sponge or washcloth close by and set the mold on top of it if it heats up. It will cool it down quickly and easily.

By swaging the bullets I assume you mean running them through a Lee sizing die. Just about anything will work if your bullets are within a couple of thousandths.
I've sprayed case lube on them and it worked fine. I've done the Lee alox, but that isn't an option if you want to size right away.
I've heard of some people spraying cooking spray on them, but I've never tried that. Seems too messy.
I was using the reaction of sprue to control my pace. If it started to be flattened I waited longer to cut the sprue. If I didn't, I would get smear and that is a pain all of it own to deal with. Seems like there are a lot of indications that give you good information if you watch for them, and know there telling you something.
 
WOW!!!

They have gone up to $25 now!!! Were $20 when I bought mine but then again that was 6 years ago.

$25
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PID-REX-C1...=1639189028996e9ac28b576246e6bcfec5702509fe11

They have kits without the heat sink for $17 on e-bay. I like the heat sink myself.

Amazon has them for $20.26
https://www.amazon.com/REX-C100-Tem...ild=1&keywords=rex-c100&qid=1590134546&sr=8-9

FWIW:
I don't put anything back into the pot when casting, sprue's will make the heat jump around too much. I used a lyman thermometer for decades, actually 2 of them. 1 for the casting pot and a 2nd for a feeder pot when casting volumes of bullets. The feeder pot held 100# of alloy and when using 6/8/10 cavity molds I'd use the feeder pot to fill the casting pot. It was nothing to cast cast 60#/70# of bullets this was in a couple hours. Switching over to a pid was night and day difference/so much better then using a thermometer.

A thermometer tells you the temp of the allow.
A pid tells you the temp along with controlling it to +/- 4*. You set a rex-c100 to 725* and it turns your pot on at 723* and shuts your pot off at 727*
 
I drop all my sprues back in the pot while casting. If a double cavity sprue causes the temp to jump around then your pot is way too small.

I can drop six cavity sprues back into the pot with no problem. I'm using a Pro-Melt or Pro-Melt 2.
 
I drop all my sprues back in the pot while casting. If a double cavity sprue causes the temp to jump around then your pot is way too small.

I can drop six cavity sprues back into the pot with no problem. I'm using a Pro-Melt or Pro-Melt 2.
I'm a sprue recycler so far. I pour, then return the sprue and rejection bullets and then cut the sprue and drop bullets. Seems to pace out well so far but things will adjust and change as I go. The size and volume of the molds has to have an impact on process.
 
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