Lumpless

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  • Last Post 07 February 2009
joeb33050 posted this 03 December 2008

I have no lumkps on the base of any bullet, no sprue lumps at all.

You can too.

Clean mold, sprue plate set so thea is just/almost swings of its own weight.

Pour.

Let the sprue harden.

Knock the sprue plate so the sprue falls off.

Move the sprue plate back so the bullet/s doesn't/don't show through the hole/s-you want solid sprue plate over the base/s.

Whack the sprue plate, over the mold. Not the projection-handle thing.

Don't listen to any nonsense about bending sprue plates or going to hell, it works for me and has for several years now. I invented it, and it works. Pay no attention to the nay sayers who haven't tried it.

Be sprue lump free!!

joe b.

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FAsmus posted this 03 December 2008

Joe;

Wow! That sounds like mold abuse for sure.

A better method by far is to cool the sprue plate briefly by touching the hot metal to a cooling sponge or rag, then cutting it off conventionally. The hardened alloy will cut uniformly clean when the sprue is cut with the force of the mallet blow directed at a slightly downward angle.

Good evening,

Forrest

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cityboy posted this 03 December 2008

Joe

What do you use to hit the sprue plate?

cityboy

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joeb33050 posted this 04 December 2008

I use a YELLOW plastic headed mallet to operate on the mold. Correctly whacking the sprue plate is easily learned by anyone with moderate hand-eye coordination. YELLOW is crucial.

Forrest has been inducted to the league of nay sayers, until he tries this enormously clever method and becomes wildly enthusiastic.

"They all laughed at Christopher Columbus.........."

joe b. (Sprue plate whacker #1)

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billwnr posted this 04 December 2008

I think the mould would be better served by closely inspecting the top and finding out why it's sitting high and causing sprue bumps.

I solved my sprue bump by buying one of Gussy's machined sprue plates.

Only needed a screw driver, not a hammer.

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CB posted this 04 December 2008

FAsmus wrote: Wow! That sounds like mold abuse for sure.

I think there should be some kind of law against mold abuse or cruelty. I recently bought two such neglected Lyman molds out of a box of junk at a Pawn Shop for practically nothing. I filed down the beat up edges and polished up all the rust to now have rescued two such victims.

I think 'whacking' ought to be reserved to other forms of conduct besides to a precision product such as a mold. I open my sprueplates with a gloved hand, easy, soft, and, gentle. My CBs are lumpless and my molds are happy, happy, happy giving me many hours a satisfactory performance.................Dan

Nothing against whackers, Joe.  :)

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CB posted this 04 December 2008

chuckle,chuckle.. Where is Veral when you need him? What you do with your molds Joe, is your business.. Just remind me to never lend you one of mine.

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joeb33050 posted this 04 December 2008

Dan Willems wrote: FAsmus wrote: Wow! That sounds like mold abuse for sure.

I think there should be some kind of law against mold abuse or cruelty. I recently bought two such neglected Lyman molds out of a box of junk at a Pawn Shop for practically nothing. I filed down the beat up edges and polished up all the rust to now have rescued two such victims.

I think 'whacking' ought to be reserved to other forms of conduct besides to a precision product such as a mold. I open my sprueplates with a gloved hand, easy, soft, and, gentle. My CBs are lumpless and my molds are happy, happy, happy giving me many hours a satisfactory performance.................Dan

Nothing against whackers, Joe.  :)

Dan;

The only thing you have to fear, (is fear itself), or is a new idea.

You and Forrest and Jeff are now in the club. Won't ask, Jeff.

Don't worry, be happy!  Try something new on occasion, you may7 be surprised.

Nothing against mold fondlers, Dan.

joe b. 

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Wally Enga posted this 04 December 2008

Gotta agree with Dan on this one --- if you can't easily open the sprue plate with a gloved hand once the mold is up to temperature, you are waiting way too long to open it.

With a “very light coat” of a high temp lube like Bull Plate Lube on the sprue plate & top of the mold --- you can open it as soon as it solidifies without any smearing and a nice smooth bullet base.

Wally

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CB posted this 04 December 2008

joeb33050 wrote: Nothing against mold fondlers, Dan.

None taken, thanks Joe

que c'est la vie

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joeb33050 posted this 05 December 2008

Wally Enga wrote: Gotta agree with Dan on this one --- if you can't easily open the sprue plate with a gloved hand once the mold is up to temperature, you are waiting way too long to open it.

With a “very light coat” of a high temp lube like Bull Plate Lube on the sprue plate & top of the mold --- you can open it as soon as it solidifies without any smearing and a nice smooth bullet base.

Wally

I learned about the yellow mallet first from Guy Loverin, a gentle and knowledgable man, who said that the yellow color of the mallet head indicated the plastic type-which causes no harm to the mold. After talking to him for hours and watching him cast many bullets, I was converted to the yellow mallet. A year or so later I spent several weeks with Elmer Keith on an extended grizzly, elk and carabou hunt. Elmer cast a lot of bullets while we talked, and he used a yellow plastic mallet-said he learned of its advantages while corresponding with Guy.

Whacking the sprue plate correctly “coins” the bullet metal, makes it denser and eliminates internal voids. This process squares up the base with the longitudinal axis of the bullet and increases the hardness of the bullet by 1.3 BHN.

Both Guy and Elmer had little good to say about the “gloved hand” sprue plate opening method, the word “sissy” was mentioned by Elmer.

Cast off your gloves, whack that sprue plate and get burned like a real man.

joe b.  

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Ed Harris posted this 05 December 2008

cityboy wrote: ...What do you use to hit the sprue plate?... Cast my own lead mallet from a Hensley & Gibbs hammer head mould.  Dead blow, positive whack!  When the face gets beat up, stick the head in the pot and cast another one pound head.  Great for gang moulds and precise for machine set up etc.

  

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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CB posted this 05 December 2008

I just dont think whacking a aluminum mold with any type of hammer is a good idea.

Most of my 2 cavity molds are aluminum. All but 2 of my 4 cavity molds are steel or similar material. I do use a leather mallet to open the sprue on those.

I think if the people that made the mold designed it to be used in that fashion they would have stamped the words “Strike Here” or in Joe's case “Whack Here” on the sprue plate.

Just something about striking a precision made mold with a mallet that doesnt sit right with me.

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CB posted this 05 December 2008

I don't care one way or the other if someone wants to toss their mold up in the air and bat it out of the park but if you use your hand or adjust the plate right and hit it like you're supposed to you don't have to.

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Ed Harris posted this 05 December 2008

pat i. wrote: I don't care one way or the other if someone wants to toss their mold up in the air and bat it out of the park but if you use your hand or adjust the plate right and hit it like you're supposed to you don't have to. That works with single-cavity blocks, but not with 4 or 6 cavity gang moulds if you wait for the sprue to harden.  That's what H&G made the hammer for.

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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CB posted this 05 December 2008

I don't have much experience with 4 and 6 cavity molds but aren't you hitting the plate where you're supposed to and not on the top to smash any lumps flat? That's what I was talking about.

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Ed Harris posted this 05 December 2008

Sprue plate is adjusted to swing of its own weight. I stack ceramic tiles under bottom pour pot to raise mould to proper height. Fill and overflow mould pulling through lead stream in one continuous pour. Turn mould 90 degrees onto its resting on edge of wooden Coca Cola crate and strike tang of sprue plate parallel to the block face, open mould, tap handle hinge pivot only rarely as needed to drop bullets. With a decent mould they fall out.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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runnin lead posted this 05 December 2008

Wooden coca cola crate ?

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CB posted this 05 December 2008

Watch it Ed, you're dating yourself ...

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JetMech posted this 09 December 2008

2 questions. If you use Bull Plate lube, do you ever have a problem with the lube migrating into the mold, and if you are using it sparingly enough to not have a migration problem, does the lube need to be reapplied during a casting session?

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Wally Enga posted this 09 December 2008

Dollar Bill wrote: 2 questions. If you use Bull Plate lube, do you ever have a problem with the lube migrating into the mold, and if you are using it sparingly enough to not have a migration problem, does the lube need to be reapplied during a casting session? It is definitely possible to get the lube into the mold cavity & if it does you will have to scrub the cavities out again.

 Put it on with the mold hot --- cut the sprue and leave the bullets in the cavities. Use a Q-tip that has very little lube on it to spread it on the top of the mold & the sprue plate. Have a cloth or paper towel ready to wipe off any excess over a very thin layer of lube.

When lubing it for the first time, you may need to reapply, after that once a session seems to work fine --- great stuff.

 Wally

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