I don't really see a home cast ball as substandard. Mine come out of the mold looking pretty good. As Doc says, if you cast at the right temp everything is fine. Which is why a lead thermometer is a great idea. I don't think there were any swagged ball back in the day,
. As long as that ring of lead is shaved ALL the way around the ball at loading, then the chamber is sealed no grease over the ball necessary. But each to his own, ya'll keep spending that 15 bucks per hundred, cost me about a dollar worth of lead and about 30 minutes of my time.