Casting Round Balls..............

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The Lee instructions tell you to dip a corner of the mold in your hot lead to heat it up. Hold the blocks tightly together while dipping it. Check it every few minutes until the lead doesn't stick to the mold. Then dip the other corner the same way. Don't immerse the joint between the blocks.

This takes less than a minute. If your mold is clean and oil free the balls are nearly always perfect from the first drop.

Using a bottom pour furnace. No way to dip the corner of the mold in the hot lead. Pot no big enough.

The instructions also state "or" lay the mold on top to preheat. They never had to state that because I was using that process years ago with an old used Lees mold. After a few minutes I've always been able to cast some nice looking projectiles.

But I have this one figured out now anyway.

 

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Lee used to say lube it with beeswax and nothing about preheating. They come along way reading the internet!! One day they might even catch up with a few of the people who actually DO know how to use their moulds to good effect.

Been using Lee molds for years with no trouble. Still have an old Maxi Ball mold from many years ago. The directions still state to lube with beeswax and its been working for me.

There's no doubt better molds available if one chooses to spend the extra money.

 

[longcruise]

, I have a Lee .530 RB mold that throws .535 balls.

That's one thing about Lee molds, they can be a bit off. I have a 530 Lee that drops 533. Had no idea for years. Load and patch were settled easily and it mattered not.

The directions still state to lube with beeswax and its been working for me.

Yeah, they recommend a very small amount of lube. Too much with make it into the cavities. LBT makes aluminum molds and have the exact same recommendation.

 

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Interesting. Looking into this a bit deeper I dug out out all 3 of my Lee molds. A .311 RB mold, a .309-150 mold and a .50 caliber, 370 grain Maxi Ball mold. I lined them up beside each other and compared the sprue plate holes of each one. Right away I visually noticed a difference in size of the holes in the sprue plates. Not having anything precise to measure the holes I used a drill bit that would fit the .311 sprue holes fairly tight and used that as a Go-No go gage. Sure enough, the *larger* the diameter of the projectile, the *smaller* the sprue holes are in the sprue plates.

The same drill bit would not go down into the .309-150 sprue hole. Considering the Maxi Ball sprue holes are obviously smaller, there was no reason to even try.