January 4, 2014, 01:48 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 17, 2013
Location: South Louisiana
Posts: 432
|
First casting results
OK today I had my first casting experience. Started out a little shaky, but after the mold got hot enough, it started filling the cavities pretty well. I used a 1-1 ratio of soft lead and WWs, with a little 95/5 solder in the mix. The ones I let air cool had a BHN of 10.4. The ones I water quenched was BHN 15.4. Took a little time getting used to the Lee 20X microscope, but final steadied it enough to get a good reading. The Lee mold 429-200 was actually dropping them at 210 grs. Some of them appear to have both halves not matching up very well. Didn't notice it until after I was done. Upon inspection of my Lee 2 cavity mold, it looks like each side doesn't always align properly when closed. Yet I can take my fingers a force them to align perfectly. Is there some sort of adjustment required? I also noticed that even the ones that appear to be seamless, are not actually round. My calipers measure one at .430-434 size, and some seem to be 429-434. Any thoughts and/or criticisms are appreciated.
Last edited by Swampman1; January 4, 2014 at 01:55 PM. |
January 4, 2014, 02:17 PM | #2 |
Member
Join Date: December 24, 2012
Posts: 63
|
Try giving it a light rap on the hinge bolt when closed and a little squeeze on the handles.
|
January 4, 2014, 02:53 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 7, 2012
Location: Auburn, AL.
Posts: 2,332
|
I'm pretty new to Lee molds, but my three work pretty good if I keep something very flat (piece of steel, aluminum, or even smooth plywood) handy to the casting area and just set the mold blocks on it when closing it after dumping. Just a little practice will let you work this into your cadence and you can do this quickly so you don't lose any heat or time, and it'll automatically align the mold halves as you close the mold and you're ready for the next pour.
Good luck! Those look good for first pours!
__________________
. . . Have a Colt and a smile. |
January 4, 2014, 04:46 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 23, 2011
Location: Trinity, Texas
Posts: 636
|
I use a short piece of 1 1/4" dowel rod and tap the mold lightly three or four times to make sure everything is in lined up just right. Just a slight tap will work wonders, I also may add just a small amount of wax to the pins, very slight.
Very slight taps ... no more. My LEE molds work great, once you get everything up to temp.
__________________
David Bachelder Trinity, Texas I load, 9mm Luger, 38 and 40 S&W, 38 Special, 357Magnum, 45ACP, 45 Colt, 223, 300 AAC, 243 and 30-06 |
January 4, 2014, 06:14 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 8, 2000
Posts: 2,101
|
Not a lot I can add to what has been put up on the mold other than I use a pice of aluminum plate to close them on top of similar to Beagle. This lets the halves align quick and with less fuss or jarring around. From what I have read this helps to keep all of the pins nice and tight.
As for the out of round bullets, this could be due to a couple of things. First off I would look the mold haves over really good to make sure there aren't any small pieces of lead which might have splashed out between them. It only takes one little drop to cause exactly what your referring to. If you DO find something just warm it back up to temp and use a lead ingot to rub it off like you were erasing it. If it is away from any of the critical areas you can also use the side of a razor blade to drag across it and remove it that way. Just make sure you keep it flat and aren't trying to cut it off. If you don't find anything which looks like it could hold the halves apart then you might give a bit more thought to how your holding the handles when you pour. It is real easy to let them flex out just a touch and get things out of whack. I usually end up with sore hands after a good session simply from holding the handles together so tight. I have a good grip and even so I don't notice it until after it is all over with. I do the same thing when driving in traffic where I grip the steering wheel so tight I get sore hands after we're home. I never even notice it while I am driving or when pouring bullets.
__________________
LAter, Mike / TX |
January 5, 2014, 09:20 AM | #6 |
Junior member
Join Date: January 1, 2007
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,282
|
I had to drive my alignment pins in deeper to get one of my newer Lee's to line up correctly
|
January 5, 2014, 11:56 AM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 19, 2012
Posts: 297
|
Lee Molds
I've had the same issues with my Lee molds. A light tap on the mold blocks after closing and a hint of candle wax on the locating pins once in a while does it for me. My bullets run heavy also. The 230 grain TL RN drops bullets about 240 grains, and the 158 grain mold drops them at around 165 grains. I been using a 50/50 mixture of wheel weights and range lead. hdbiker
|
January 5, 2014, 04:25 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,424
|
My Lee 429-200-RF is also a pain in the butt to use. Even trying to close it on a flat surface doesn't work. I have to align it by hand, every time the mold is closed. Otherwise, you end up with terribly misaligned mold halves and worthless bullets. Even if they don't look too bad, they're badly out-of-round.
It's primarily a byproduct of the crappy alignment method Lee uses, and made worse by the super-soft aluminum they use for their mold blocks. Check the mold out, and see if you can find any burrs, peening, or other reasons for poor alignment. But... don't be surprised if it's just a bad mold. Lee might replace it, if you want to send it back; but you have to pay for shipping, and there's no guarantee that the replacement will be any better. I have more Lee molds than any other brand, but I freely admit that they're trash. They get the job done... usually; but not smoothly, not easily, not predictably, and not as well as higher quality molds.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe. |
January 5, 2014, 04:45 PM | #9 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 17, 2013
Location: South Louisiana
Posts: 432
|
Quote:
|
|
January 5, 2014, 04:51 PM | #10 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 17, 2013
Location: South Louisiana
Posts: 432
|
-
Quote:
|
|
January 5, 2014, 04:55 PM | #11 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,424
|
Quote:
I can hold a 400 degree mold for at least 20-30 seconds, if I have to. But, for the quick touches required for aligning the Lee mold, I never feel the heat. I'm even a caster that cuts sprues by hand. Good gloves will do wonders. I hold the mold handles in one hand, grab the mold in the other hand, and cut the sprue with a twist of the wrist. The sprue gets tossed in the re-melt pile, the bullets get dumped in their appropriate pile, and the mold is closed back up with a gloved hand.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe. |
|
January 5, 2014, 06:11 PM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 17, 2013
Location: South Louisiana
Posts: 432
|
Yeah my problem isn't with poor gloves. I also use welders gloves. It's the inability to "feel" the aligning blocks through heavy gloves that's the issue. I'm thinking of using a combination square to do a quick 90 degree check on each side. Again, shouldn't have to be doing this.
|
|
|