• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

HELP! Casting issue

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Captain Rob

36 Cl.
Joined
May 5, 2020
Messages
64
Reaction score
83
I was trying to cast some round ball last night. I had some radio pharmacy containers that I assumed to be lead. Anyway, when it melted, they were milky looking and seemed to come out of the pot (Lee) like soft serve ice cream and ruined my new .600 molds with the stuff. I guess it melted the hole on top so now all the balls are deformed with a very large sprue. Is there any way to repair the molds or should I just chalk it up to experience and buy another? The balls also come out with stripes and not a smooth finish.
 
I was trying to cast some round ball last night. I had some radio pharmacy containers that I assumed to be lead. Anyway, when it melted, they were milky looking and seemed to come out of the pot (Lee) like soft serve ice cream and ruined my new .600 molds with the stuff. I guess it melted the hole on top so now all the balls are deformed with a very large sprue. Is there any way to repair the molds or should I just chalk it up to experience and buy another? The balls also come out with stripes and not a smooth finish.
I think we need pictures, in order to help with this one!
 
Is it possible you have some of the allow still stuck to the mold and sprue plate? I can't imagine how anything would enlarge the hole in a piece of steel, have you removed the sprue plate and checked to see if there is anything on the underside. Lee sells parts for their molds (and other items) so you can repair them cheaply.

Mold And Melter Parts
 
The first pic is an ingot I poured after the fact.
Next ate the balls
Then the mold, 2 pics
 

Attachments

  • 0515201425.jpg
    0515201425.jpg
    78 KB · Views: 163
  • 0515201424a.jpg
    0515201424a.jpg
    171.1 KB · Views: 158
  • 0515201423c.jpg
    0515201423c.jpg
    78.7 KB · Views: 177
  • 0515201423a.jpg
    0515201423a.jpg
    79.6 KB · Views: 161
First neve melt scrap lead in your bullet casting pot. Melt in a junk pot and make clean ingots into the bullet pot.

Lead should never look milky. Pharmacy lead I take as nuke med containers which is good lead. Lead is the only metal used for that.

Your pics show to cold of mold and lead and no lube on the mould hinge and top.
 
First neve melt scrap lead in your bullet casting pot. Melt in a junk pot and make clean ingots into the bullet pot.

Lead should never look milky. Pharmacy lead I take as nuke med containers which is good lead. Lead is the only metal used for that.

Your pics show to cold of mold and lead and no lube on the mould hinge and top.
Yes, from nuclear med. A buddy of mine is a physicist and gave them to me. Thanks for the info. I am learning, sometimes the hard way.
 
The lead ingot looks bad like it has zinc or some other contamination. If it rings when dropped on concrete it is too hard too.

Your lead or mold is not hot enough or you aren’t leaving enough puddle of lead on top of the mold as you pour. You also may be trying to cut the sprue before the lead is set too.

I hope this helps along with the other folk’s suggestions.
 
I have cast items (no bullets) using lead from containers that carried something for hospital x-ray systems with no problems. I used my now defunct Saeco pot and my regular ladle. I don't know what you have there but It sure did make a mess. You might be able to save that mold if you have the patience but new ones are cheap.
 
Holy cow, I don't know what you have, but it looks like it damage the mold blocks. I've never heard of any melted alloy act like soft serve.

And the ingot doesn't look like any I've seen in 40 years of casting.

Could radioactive material leaked into the lead? I'd limit exposure to it until you learn more.
 
Holy cow, I don't know what you have, but it looks like it damage the mold blocks. I've never heard of any melted alloy act like soft serve.

And the ingot doesn't look like any I've seen in 40 years of casting.

Could radioactive material leaked into the lead? I'd limit exposure to it until you learn more.
Radiation may have damaged the structure I guess. I tossed the whole bunch. Have to buy a new mold.
 
Back
Top