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Mold won't clear up (Read 2319 times)

jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1554 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Mold won't clear up May 12^th, 2024 at 7:29pm	Print Post
	Recently purchased an Accurate double cavity mold in 30 cal but can't get it to settle in and cast a wrinkle free bullet. I cleaned it good then lightly smoked it but after about 50 bullets it simply won't cast a wrinkle free bullet. Both my 40 cal. cleaned right up. I am using wheel weight that has been thoroughly fluxed and a ladle to pour. Going to try some 20 to 1 and see if it will cast. Any ideas anyone? JMH


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oneatatime Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3912 Location: Rocky Mountains Joined: Oct 30^th, 2011	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #1 - May 12^th, 2024 at 7:37pm	Print Post
	May not be as clean as you think and maybe could use a little more heat and a longer contact time. And, maybe a little more tin in the mix.


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oneatatime Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3912 Location: Rocky Mountains Joined: Oct 30^th, 2011	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #2 - May 12^th, 2024 at 7:40pm	Print Post
	I use alcohol and a toothbrush repeated several times and paying attention to the bottom of the sprue plate. I always preheat the mold on an electric hotplate and on the first use after a couple of bullets I hold the mold slightly open before refilling it to see if any smoke comes out.


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 16269 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #3 - May 12^th, 2024 at 7:51pm	Print Post
	I just use acetone to clean inside molds. If it wont get oils out nothing will. I've wiped them with a cloth soaked in acetone, and if I'm in a hurry I pour some acetone in a tin can and dip the molds in it, then shake dry. Whatever is left evaporates quickly and they cast great.

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gnoahhh Oldtimer Offline Posts: 829 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Joined: Mar 31^st, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #4 - May 12^th, 2024 at 9:30pm	Print Post
	I too am a fanboy of acetone. The comment about "lightly smoking" the cavities piqued my curiosity. When I smoke a cavity I make it good and black with a Bic lighter.


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bpjack Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2839 Location: East Olympia, WA Joined: May 18^th, 2008	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #5 - May 12^th, 2024 at 11:28pm	Print Post
	I have a plethora of used smoky Birthday candles. When I first heard of smoking moulds I reminisced about the 60s. Then I remembered I was in Vietnam at the end of that decade. And I was smoking Camels. Jack

	ASSRA # 11318 just a bit of a hoot.
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jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1554 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #6 - May 13^th, 2024 at 9:40am	Print Post
	I will go back and give it a good scrubbing with some acetone and a brush and see if it helps. Think I will add a bit of tin too. Thanks guys... JMH


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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 16269 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #7 - May 13^th, 2024 at 10:22am	Print Post
	jhm wrote on May 13^th, 2024 at 9:40am: I will go back and give it a good scrubbing with some acetone and a brush and see if it helps. Think I will add a bit of tin too. Thanks guys... JMH If you use a brush with acetone it needs to be brass bristles and wood handle! Trying to brush acetone in a mold or anywhere else with a nylon brush will leave nylon residue all over as the acetone melts the brush!

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jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1554 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #8 - May 13^th, 2024 at 10:40pm	Print Post
	Hadn't thought of that but you are right... JMH


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Grand slam Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 345 Location: Mountains of E. Tennessee Joined: Jun 7^th, 2015	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #9 - May 14^th, 2024 at 5:29am	Print Post
	I give mine a shot of brake cleaner, works fine. Cheers Richard


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Cat_Whisperer Frequent Elocutionist Offline No 1, 9.3x74R Posts: 3886 Location: Mountains of Virginia Joined: Apr 17^th, 2004	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #10 - May 14^th, 2024 at 6:58am	Print Post
	CLEANING the mold is NOT the problem. Wrinkles? The alloy is cooling too fast. Hotter mold and/or hotter alloy! Hotter mold is the first thing I'd try. Preheat it.

	Cat Whisperer (trk) Chief of Smoke Pulaski Coehorn Works and Skunk Works Drafted May 1970, Retired Maj. U.S.Army assra #9885
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LRF Oldtimer Offline Posts: 610 Location: MN Joined: May 8^th, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #11 - May 14^th, 2024 at 7:29am	Print Post
	Cat_Whisperer wrote on May 14^th, 2024 at 6:58am: Wrinkles? The alloy is cooling too fast. Hotter mold and/or hotter alloy! Hotter mold is the first thing I'd try. Preheat it. JHM, is your mold made from aluminum? If yes then I agree try getting your lead hotter. Aluminum molds cool off much faster then cast iron and one of the reasons I do not like them. Your cadence of molding will probably need to speed up but not so fast you accidentally drop a bullet that has not yet frozen off.


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Schuetzendave Frequent Elocutionist Offline Retired Ex-Shooter Posts: 4075 Location: St. Albert, Alberta Joined: Jan 28^th, 2005	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #12 - May 14^th, 2024 at 9:31am	Print Post
	Yup Wrinkled bullets are the result of your casting alloy not being hot enough and you have not preheated your mold. I cast 20:1 lead:tin at 862 F. Picture of a 165 grain .32 Winchester Special or .32-40 from my Accurate mold. I preheat my mold for twenty minutes by placing it on top of my melting pot while it heats up the alloy. I use a clean mold and do NOT smoke or coat it with anything - no need to if it is warm enough.
	« Last Edit: May 18^th, 2024 at 9:00am by Schuetzendave »

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SchwarzStock Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1205 Location: SchwarzWald Joined: Mar 23^rd, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #13 - May 14^th, 2024 at 10:28am	Print Post
	bpjack wrote on May 12^th, 2024 at 11:28pm: I have a plethora of used smoky Birthday candles. When I first heard of smoking moulds I reminisced about the 60s. Then I remembered I was in Vietnam at the end of that decade. And I was smoking Camels. Jack Don't lie, in VN you were smoking whatever came in the C-Rats

	If your rifle is not in 7.62 and you can't hit what you are aiming at with de-linked machinegun ammo you are a pretender.
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bpjack Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2839 Location: East Olympia, WA Joined: May 18^th, 2008	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #14 - May 14^th, 2024 at 11:14am	Print Post
	We could actually buy cartons of cigarettes the PX or the small commissary my second year most of the time. The only time we had to smoke the ones from C Rations is when they did a money swap. Those rations were so old the crackers were totally stale. Cartons were $1.70 (compared to over $9 stateside) and you could trade a carton of menthols for an M1 carbine.

	ASSRA # 11318 just a bit of a hoot.
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gnoahhh Oldtimer Offline Posts: 829 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Joined: Mar 31^st, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #15 - May 14^th, 2024 at 12:34pm	Print Post
	To keep the thread on track, when in VN how did you pre-heat your mold and melt lead to make bullets for the M1 Carbines you swapped for? In a canteen cup over a fire of old ration containers?


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frnkeore Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 7323 Location: Central Point, OR 97502 Joined: Jun 16^th, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #16 - May 14^th, 2024 at 2:21pm	Print Post
	bpjack wrote on May 14^th, 2024 at 11:14am: We could actually buy cartons of cigarettes the PX or the small commissary my second year most of the time. The only time we had to smoke the ones from C Rations is when they did a money swap. Those rations were so old the crackers were totally stale. Cartons were $1.70 (compared to over $9 stateside) and you could trade a carton of menthols for an M1 carbine. Jack, they were over charging you!! When I was there a carton was $1.10 Maybe inflation? I was there in '66/'67.

	ASSRA Member #696, ISSA Member #339
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bpjack Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2839 Location: East Olympia, WA Joined: May 18^th, 2008	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #17 - May 14^th, 2024 at 2:28pm	Print Post
	C4 makes a great heat source. Just cut a claymore mine apart and you will have plenty. Fall 69-to fall 71, Frank. I guess inflation was rampant.

	ASSRA # 11318 just a bit of a hoot.
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jfeldman ASSRA Board Member Offline Posts: 1083 Location: Imperial Beach, Ca Joined: Nov 5^th, 2005	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #18 - May 14^th, 2024 at 8:28pm	Print Post
	What I think I know about my Aluminum NOE mold: The sprue plate, being steel basically regulates the mold temp. My alloy needs to be at about 850 and as one of our oldtimers on here recommends, it should take 4 to 5 seconds for the sprue to harden when you leave a good sized puddle on the sprue plate. Anyway, it seems to work for me. Regards, Joe


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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11512 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #19 - May 14^th, 2024 at 10:33pm	Print Post
	Just about every new mold I buy I have to vent. Modern machinery is so good and the tolerances are so tight air will not escape as the lead is poured into the mold. I cast at 775-800 Vent your mold.
	« Last Edit: May 14^th, 2024 at 10:43pm by westerner »
	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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uscra112 Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 4079 Location: Switzerland of Ohio Joined: May 7^th, 2007	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #20 - May 15^th, 2024 at 12:48am	Print Post
	marlinguy wrote on May 12^th, 2024 at 7:51pm: I just use acetone to clean inside molds. Brakleen, in the big spray can. Close the sprue plate, crack the mold open 1/16" inch or so. Stick the straw in the hole and blast! Wear safety glasses. I've never needed to vent any NOE or Accurate molds. But with aluminum you have to keep your rhythm going and the sprue plate hot. Charlie Dell once wrote about spilling some hot lead over the plate as you detach the spout, and I've been doing it ever since.

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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11512 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #21 - May 15^th, 2024 at 4:31am	Print Post
	Here is the best way to vent a mold. Use a fine mill file. I vent all NOE and Accurate molds this way as they have needed it the most. I vented a Barnett mold a couple months ago and what a huge difference it made. Ron Long taught me this in the 1980s.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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nuclearcricket Oldtimer Offline Posts: 758 Joined: Oct 15^th, 2008	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #22 - May 18^th, 2024 at 8:14am	Print Post
	When coating the inside of an aluminum or any mold for that matter you DO NOT want to use a candle, that will leave an oily/waxy film in your mold and you don't want that. The best thing I have found to coat the inside of a mold with smoke is a grill lighter, it keeps the heat away from your fingers and you can more easily manipulate the flame around the inside of the cavity. What that carbon coating does is slightly slow down the cooling process. Thus it helps to get rid of the wrinkles and such. If you are casting good looking bullets other than the wrinkles, up your heat a bit till you get things looking the way you want them to. Sam


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gnoahhh Oldtimer Offline Posts: 829 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Joined: Mar 31^st, 2010	Re: Mold won't clear up Reply #23 - May 18^th, 2024 at 10:13am	Print Post
	nuclearcricket wrote on May 18^th, 2024 at 8:14am: When coating the inside of an aluminum or any mold for that matter you DO NOT want to use a candle, that will leave an oily/waxy film in your mold and you don't want that. The best thing I have found to coat the inside of a mold with smoke is a grill lighter, it keeps the heat away from your fingers and you can more easily manipulate the flame around the inside of the cavity. What that carbon coating does is slightly slow down the cooling process. Thus it helps to get rid of the wrinkles and such. If you are casting good looking bullets other than the wrinkles, up your heat a bit till you get things looking the way you want them to. Sam That's been my gut feeling, and is why I utilize a Bic lighter.


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