Minnie ball casting

[bub524]

Please excuse me if this is in the wrong place.

I feel foolish asking this after cast various BP bullets and round balls for over 30 years, but here it is:
I have a couple of Lyman 575-213 molds that I use for my Enfields and Springfields. One old and one new. I usually get about 50% toss backs because they have voids in the apex of the base. On the older mold I have slightly deepened the air release groves and opened the sprue hole up, but I still get a lot of voids.
I'm not a skirmisher or real serious competitor, but I do shoot ALOT and like to have my bullets reasonably accurate and not waste a lot of time casting bad bullets to remelt.
Any suggestions

 

[BEP]

How are you getting the lead into the mould? Are you pouring it with a ladle or are you using a bottom-spout type of pot? I've found that my .58 calibers - both minies and Lee REAL slugs and my .715 round balls need a lot of lead in a hurry, with a fair amount of lead forming a "head" in the pouring ladle to fill the moulds properly. When I use my Production Pot, even when I know that the spout is unobstructed, I get a lot of rejects with the big projectiles. I went back to a burner, a Lyman pot and ladle and have had great success. Just a thought.

 

[bub524]

Using a Lee Production Pro pot.

 

[BEP]

If you have a ladle, try using it from the top of your Production Pot. If you don't have one, you can probably borrow one just for a trial. The pot doesn't lend itself to this method very well, but you will be able to tell if you are having a problem similar to the one I had. Good luck.

sneezy

 

[faw3]

Make sure your molds are really warm ALL OVER that solved most my 58 makeing, wasnt getting the whole thing hot enough just in spots and the lead would "shy" away from cooler spots. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[arquebus]

Never had much success casting Minies from any Lee electric pot.....can't get sufficient heat. If you are planning on shooting Minies alot I'd recommend investing in a small to medium cast iron Dutch Oven & a propane ring. That will hold a good supply of lead & keep it hot. Another thing I did which I found helps the quality of my Minies is to enlarge the pour hole in my ladle

 

[timbuckII]

Do you smoke the inside of the mould? I used to use a candle and blacken the entire inside. It seemed to help the lead flow better. Your mold also needs to be HOT. Like cast 3 or 4 minies as scrap just to heat it up.

TC

 

[bub524]

Yes I either smoke them or lately using some bullet release speray from Midway. Doesn't work well on RBs tho. Its so slippery that the balls rotate in the mold when you strike the sprue off.

 

[nuttbush]

When I'm casting, instead of pouring a few to heat up the mold, when the lead is melted to flow, I just hold the bottom front edge of my mold in the molten lead for a few minutes until it heats up and the lead won't stick. Just a trick I picked up.

 

[wulf]

I have cast many mini and RB..I use a Lee electric
melting pot and a dipper. The mold and dipper I
rest on the pot as the lead melts..I also use a
propane torch to make sure the molds and dipper
are hot,,,not warm,,,HOT. Most important is that
the center plug that makes the hollow base be hot,
not warm but HOT! Lead should also be 750 to 800
not knowing the temp of yours I suggest you play
it my ear and wittness the reaction of the pour.
HOT HOT HOT....that is the secret..Wulf

 

[Tumblernotch]

I've had this problem before myself. What the other guys say about keeping your mold good and hot is true, but you already know that.

I use an 8lb cast iron pot on a Coleman stove and a spout type dipper. And regardless of what people say about getting your lead too hot, ie: frosty, I get it about as hot as I can stand it. When you pour the lead into the mold, tip the mold just a little and go a little slower. This gives the air in the mold a chance to escape out of the hole. Don't block the hole with the ladle spout. I also believe that somehow when the lead hits the nose of the plug something happens, maybe when it splashes around it traps a little air at that point. I don't know for sure, but I do know that tilting the mold a little and slowing the flow down keeps those voids from occuring.

I ran a small batch of 70 today and I had about 5 tiny voids in the cavities and those happened when I got lazy and didn't follow my own instructions. I can't guarantee this will work for you as some molds handle differently, but it sure does for me. If you keep your lead good and hot it'll work just fine if you slow down just a little and keep an escape route open for the air.