Boolit Casting, à new experience begins

[BWest]

I own two Lyman molds, and they work great, but I have 8 Lee molds, which I consider to be the best value.

My method of using the Lee molds:

prep:

1.Take a lighter and burn off whatever packing grease or whatever is currently in the mold, you can also use alchohol or brake cleaner but I've just used a lighter on my last couple molds and it's done fine.

2. Smoke the mold, you can use a candle, let the flame touch every surface of the mold and blacken it, both the inside cavity and flat surfaces around the cavity. I typically use a piece of lighter wood, since the flame is bigger and it will blacken the whole mold very fast.

3. oil joints, take some 3 in 1 or whatever (5w30, rem oil...) and oil the joint on the handles. Then open the sprue plate and oil the hinge screw, and move it back and forth a bunch to make sure it is loose enough to move freely. If I can, I'll even take a phillips screwdriver and try and loosen the screw a quarter turn, though the gorillas at Lee tighten them really well so I haven't always been able to. I consider the sprue plate to be the weak part of Lee's design, as the molds heat up they get hard to open, and on one of my molds I've even gouged the top of the mold because the sprue plate was too tight. I also lightly oil the bottom surface of the sprue plate, so it lubricates it moving across the top of the mold surface, I think it helps some.

Use:

Lee molds cast shitty bullets until they heat up, then they cast good ones. Being aluminum, they heat up pretty fast, but also cool fast, so you should cast as fast as you safely can to get repeatable quality pours and drops.

Before using them, I will stage the molds by leaning them against the pot to preheat. I've always leaned them sprue plate facing up, I don't know if the other way would make a difference. Then, once I'm ready to cast I will cast several bullets and drop them directly back into the molten lead (from pretty close to avoid splashing), Lee molds tend to take several castings before they really heat up enough to drop good looking bullets. (that being said, slightly ugly bullets don't matter all that much in my opinion, in most cases)

after filling however many cavities, I will pour a little lead on to the plate, this gives a large enough piece to pull any lead that gets stuck in the holes in the sprue plate free.

I don't use a mold mallet unless I absolutely can't open the sprue by hand. I feel this prolongs the life of the mold (cause you aren't beating on it), and is more time efficient. I just wear thick leather gloves and push the sprue open with the palm of my hand, then if it is hot enough the cutoff excess lead should just fall off, then I just open the mold and shake it to get the bullets to fall out onto a wet towel.

[BWest]

Also I highly suggest getting the Lyman (or maybe other brands have them too) ball dipper with the nipple that mates up directly to the holes in the sprue plate, much easier than a ladle like Lee has.

[BWest]

Also I highly suggest getting the Lyman (or maybe other brands have them too) ball dipper with the nipple that mates up directly to the holes in the sprue plate, much easier than a ladle like Lee has.

I forgot, you have a bottom pour don't you mapper, probably even easier than the ball dipper

[Cattle/Horses]

Mapper, let me be the first to place my order for some 325 to 350 grain 44 magnum bullets. 1000 - 2000 would be good

Any idea of an ETA on these?

[WinterSoldier]

I own two Lyman molds, and they work great, but I have 8 Lee molds, which I consider to be the best value.

My method of using the Lee molds:

prep:

1.Take a lighter and burn off whatever packing grease or whatever is currently in the mold, you can also use alchohol or brake cleaner but I've just used a lighter on my last couple molds and it's done fine.

2. Smoke the mold, you can use a candle, let the flame touch every surface of the mold and blacken it, both the inside cavity and flat surfaces around the cavity. I typically use a piece of lighter wood, since the flame is bigger and it will blacken the whole mold very fast.

3. oil joints, take some 3 in 1 or whatever (5w30, rem oil...) and oil the joint on the handles. Then open the sprue plate and oil the hinge screw, and move it back and forth a bunch to make sure it is loose enough to move freely. If I can, I'll even take a phillips screwdriver and try and loosen the screw a quarter turn, though the gorillas at Lee tighten them really well so I haven't always been able to. I consider the sprue plate to be the weak part of Lee's design, as the molds heat up they get hard to open, and on one of my molds I've even gouged the top of the mold because the sprue plate was too tight. I also lightly oil the bottom surface of the sprue plate, so it lubricates it moving across the top of the mold surface, I think it helps some.

Use:

Lee molds cast shitty bullets until they heat up, then they cast good ones. Being aluminum, they heat up pretty fast, but also cool fast, so you should cast as fast as you safely can to get repeatable quality pours and drops.

Before using them, I will stage the molds by leaning them against the pot to preheat. I've always leaned them sprue plate facing up, I don't know if the other way would make a difference. Then, once I'm ready to cast I will cast several bullets and drop them directly back into the molten lead (from pretty close to avoid splashing), Lee molds tend to take several castings before they really heat up enough to drop good looking bullets. (that being said, slightly ugly bullets don't matter all that much in my opinion, in most cases)

after filling however many cavities, I will pour a little lead on to the plate, this gives a large enough piece to pull any lead that gets stuck in the holes in the sprue plate free.

I don't use a mold mallet unless I absolutely can't open the sprue by hand. I feel this prolongs the life of the mold (cause you aren't beating on it), and is more time efficient. I just wear thick leather gloves and push the sprue open with the palm of my hand, then if it is hot enough the cutoff excess lead should just fall off, then I just open the mold and shake it to get the bullets to fall out onto a wet towel.

Clean your molds with mineral spirits and a small brush, then air dry them. Ballistol will remove minor rust, but I have had to remove major rust by immersion in lemon juice... then Ballistol will neutralize any remnants of acid. Lube the parts that need lubing (e.g. alignment pins) with a tiny touch of beeswax after heating them. Beeswax melts and spreads like crazy though, so you have to do that very lightly and very carefully carefully. Though I have commercial products, I do most fluxing of lead with beeswax, too... and its the main ingredient in black powder bullet lube, along with some amount of some kind of VEGETABLE oil.

I use about a 12 inch or slightly longer section of 3/4 inch dowel to tap sprue plates, or, often just to push them open and closed. I HATE using leather gloves... but sometimes I do, and sometimes I just burn myself. What the Hell?!!!

You can never buy a new one, but the best molds ever made were the George S. Hensley molds, followed by the Hensley & Gibbs molds. They are worth what you pay for them on eBay.

On the other end of the scale, Lee Precision molds will do the job at least for awhile. Lee, NOE, CBE, Mountain Molds, Meha Prevec, and other aluminum molds are my least favorite to use, but at least for awhile they will turn out bullets... and where else can I find a .329 mold that will make a bullet usable in a Kropatschek?

I just use kitchen matches to smoke the mold cavities, being sure to get all parts of the cavities. If your smoking isn't working (bullets are sticking/hard to release from the mold, smoke them again. If that doesn't work... clean them with mineral spirits and a brush, air dry, then smoke them again.

I specialize more in low velocity, older guns, black powder guns using black powder or those that made the conversion to early semi-smokeless or smokeless... and reduced loads in modern guns using soft(ish) lead, so powder coating doesn't even interest me (it sho do look priddy, though)
One point of note about quenching bullets, is that the hardening effect is TEMPORARY. Once I cast them I may not use the bullets for many years, so besides not really looking for high velocity or particularly hard bullets, quenching has never been part of my repertoire, except when annealing brass. If I ever get around to working with 5.56mm cast loads, though, I guess I'll have to move in that direction. At the low velocities I drive them, just ordinary wheel weight or linotype loads have done fine in 7.62x39mm.

And Lee tumble lube works awfully well, is quicker and easier... but lubrisizing is cool too. I use it mostly for black powder loads.

My main problem with bullet casting, lubing, reloading, and even with shooting, is... the older I get the busier I am and I just ain't had time for several years now. My next projects are 8x56R Kropatschek, .45-70, and 5.56mm... if I can ever get to them... I have a book to write that I still ain't got to yet, though, and the clock is ticking...

[BWest]

Clean your molds with mineral spirits and a small brush, then air dry them. Ballistol will remove minor rust, but I have had to remove major rust by immersion in lemon juice... then Ballistol will neutralize any remnants of acid. Lube the parts that need lubing (e.g. alignment pins) with a tiny touch of beeswax after heating them. Beeswax melts and spreads like crazy though, so you have to do that very lightly and very carefully carefully. Though I have commercial products, I do most fluxing of lead with beeswax, too... and its the main ingredient in black powder bullet lube, along with some amount of some kind of VEGETABLE oil.

The lemon juice thing is a good idea.

I usually keep my steel molds coated liberally in motor oil, since its so humid here and they rust fast.

[WinterSoldier]

The lemon juice thing is a good idea.

I usually keep my steel molds coated liberally in motor oil, since its so humid here and they rust fast.

I'll give you a "clue". If exposed to high humidity, the steel pins in aluminum molds will rust. All of my molds are in controlled temperature/humidity except my 5.56mm Lee which I was getting ready to use several years ago but left in a shed, never used. The pins on it were rusted quite significantly when I looked at it a couple of days ago. I use Ballistol on almost everything unless I think it might attack the material. It will prevent and even remove rust and will prevent rust even if mixed with water.

And... BTW: I suspect you will find that your "steel" molds are IRON.

I actually have a preference of brass over aluminum molds in cases were custom mold makers will use either.

[leadpoison]

anyone here loading cast bullets for 6.5 Creedmoor?

[BWest]

I'll give you a "clue". If exposed to high humidity, the steel pins in aluminum molds will rust. All of my molds are in controlled temperature/humidity except my 5.56mm Lee which I was getting ready to use several years ago but left in a shed, never used. The pins on it were rusted quite significantly when I looked at it a couple of days ago. I use Ballistol on almost everything unless I think it might attack the material. It will prevent and even remove rust and will prevent rust even if mixed with water.

And... BTW: I suspect you will find that your "steel" molds are IRON.

I actually have a preference of brass over aluminum molds in cases were custom mold makers will use either.

I've got a bunch of the 55 grain lee cast and coated

Yet to get reliable cycling, but I have gotten pretty close, got some loaded up that I need to experiment some more with soon.

[BWest]

anyone here loading cast bullets for 6.5 Creedmoor?

it can be done, though I think you probably lose a lot of the value of shooting a 6.5 creedmore when you do.