Can anyone help

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2013Posts13

can anyone tell me what i am doin wrong??

"Silence in the face of tyranny implies consent, and I do not consent." Mike Vanderbough, April 20, 2013

Most likely a cold or dirty mold.

Mold is too cold would be my first answer, oil in mold could cause it also. I use a hot plate to rest the molds on to keep them up to temp, that corrected my wrinkles.

Mold, and alloy not hot enough. You need to get a thermometer for your pot. Probably you are trying to cast as soon as the alloy is melted. You have to get it to 700-850+ degrees, enough so that the alloy does not begin to set up the instant it leaves the pot. A mold not hot enough will cool and set the alloy in a non uniform way. That creates the wrinkles you see. It must remain in a molten state all the way through the pour process. Then give it time enough to set up before moving the mold, so that it can't move around in the mold while it is still molten. A cheap hot plate can be used to prewarm the mold.

Dutch

"The future ain't what it used to be".
-Yogi Berra.

Boolit Mold Join DateApr 2013Posts13

ok more info, its a Lee 6 cavity mold brand new out of box, i cleaned it before use. i could not fit th corner of it into the mold pot like the lee video shows so i set it up on top of the pot for about 5 min, used beeswax where i was told to and used a match to oxodize the bullet mold cavities. casted around 100 bullets all came out this way.

Mold too cold. I set my mold on top of the pot when I plug it in.

Wrinkled bullets can indicate a) metal too cold b) mold too cold c) oil in the cavity - or any combination, or all three

I would scrub the mold clean with white ( camp stove naptha) and dry it with an air hose.

1) when you smoke the cavity (cavities) do this when a the mold is cold. make sure you use a hardwood splinter. Sometimes matches, both wood and paper, will have wax in them. When smoking a mold, less smoke is better than a black sooty mold. Do not use a candle to smoke a mold

2) when you lube the points on a mold it is best to do this on a hot mold with a bullet in the cavity , cast 4-5 bullets, then lube before you drop the bullet.

3) it is extremely important to have the alloy temperature high enough so the mould fills.

Just a note, an oily mold will sometimes give wrinkles in the same pattern. Cold metal or a cold mold will give rounded edges where there should be sharp edges.
The sprue should take a slow count to between 8 and 10 to harden when the mold is at the best casting temperature
also a larger sprue is better than a smaller sprue.

Go now and pour yourself a hot one...

Boolit Mold Join DateDec 2008LocationTXPosts11

I usually just dip the corner of the lee six banger into the lead pot and hold it there for about 15 seconds or until the lead that adhered to the corner of the mold remelts. That will get the first four
cavities hot enough to make good bullets. The two cavities closest to you will heat up after 5 to 10
casting cycles.

Boolit Master Join DateMar 2005LocationBritish ColumbiaPosts476

If you have a small hot plate pre-heat your mould on it. Melt has to be hot enough to stay liquid while it fills out in the mould.Mould has to be hot enough to allow that.

No hot plate, cant get mould in pot? Get melt to about 750-850 and cast until the mould gains enough heat to let the metal fill out. Just dump the rejects into the remelt pile. May take a dozen or more pours until the mould is warm enough.

Once the mould is up to operating temps. you may have to reduce pot setting a bit until you can establish a smooth casting rythm. Watch your fill out and act accordingly.

I preheat my molds on my gas burning stove in the kitchen . The spruw puddle on top should stay liquid for three or four seconds before it starts to harden, then you know your mold is up to temp .

Seems like most have covered the bare facts here on getting your mold up to temp.

I don't know about going anything over 750* on your melt as this will start burning out any tin you have in it.
But either/ or you use a hotplate, or set the corner of the mold in the melt to preheat, once you start casting, cast fast. 3-4 casts/minute, don't look at them as in this time your molds will loose heat. As quick as you can refill do, maybe let the casts set a sec or 2 in mold after breaking sprue, as they will still transfer heat to the mold. Pour a big sprue puddle on top of the sprue plate as this will help with base fillout and get your sprue plate up to temp. 6 seconds to solidify on sprue is optimum time range.

You'll know when your mold is up to temp if after 8-10 casts they start coming out filled out. In that time, if they come out shiny and then start turning to a grainy looking texture on them, your mold is too hot.
That's when you can back off on the speed and build a cadence or rythym.

On all my molds, I run my pot at 700*, since I have a shop with a/c and a vent over my pots. If I cast in my garage door in the summer, I can get away with 650-675*.
When my molds come up to temp, I establish a rythym, I might cast 2 sets real quick back to back, then stop and leave my mold open for about 10 seconds, and i'll watch my casts to see if they stay shiny or start to turn grainy.
If grainy looking finish, I'll slow down more, leave my molds open longer, maybe 15 seconds. If they stay shiny, then I will start casting again, maybe cast 2 back to back, leave mold open count of 10 , cast another, leave mold open for 5 or 10.

I'll know when I got the ultimate rythym, as my casts will fall out. Sometimes it takes a little shake, but most often they fall out. If they start to stick, i'll speed up, no waiting between casts, for 3 or 4 casts, then start backing off again. If my sprue starts taking longer than 6 sec to solidify but my molds still cool, I'll keep mold closed, leave sprue plate open for 5 -10 sec to cool down, then start again.
You'll know you got the ultimate rythym going, when your casts fall out as soon as you start to open the mold. Sometimes it gets to the point of irritating as they fall quicker than I can get my mold open, causing dings on them.

Another way I can tell if my molds are not up to par, is thru my Lyman furnace. I like refilling at 1/2-1/3 pot, my casts will start sticking in my molds at these levels, letting me know to either check my rythym or check my pot level.
Good luck and enjoy your casting adventures!

Looks like you got lots of good info here. I ran into the same problem at first. Here's the thread covering that. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?195530-Newb-s-first-try-at-casting

For me, 95% of the time the problem is mold not hot enough. Period. Find a way to get the mold temp up that works for you. I happen to use an electric skillet that I "borrowed" from the wife. I set it to 400deg and let the mold get toasty.

Your pot temp never needs to be over 700. Isn't good for the lead and it didn't help a bit with the cool mold problem. Keep at it and you'll get there. By my 3rd attempt it was going very well.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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