molds

[Johnny Tremain]

aluminum or steel ball mold, which is best and why??

This is a loaded question. I have steel, brass, and aluminum molds. Mostly for black powder cartridge shooting.
As far as the flinter goes. I have one Lee 45 cal round ball mold. I think I bought it new in the 90s, and fill 10 Pepsi bottle (biggins) every few years. My cheap neighbor only had one 45 cal, so he uses mine every now and again.

I see no need for anything else for round ball.

 

[M. De Land]

Guys, just so you can gain a bit of knowledge, no current molds that I know of are made of steel. It is fine grain cast iron, known in the trade as Mehanite. May have spelled it wrong but it is what folks mistakenly call steel.
The other metal mold materials are brass, bronze and aluminum. Some serviceable molds have even been made of fired clay and soap stone I have read.
I have personally made molds out of mild steel but they do not work quite as well as the cast iron custom or production molds.
Generally now days I look for smaller caliber Mehanite molds at gun shows then lathe bore them out to what ever larger caliber I need.
Lathe bore molds almost always release castings better and make ball or bullet more uniformly round.
Ball molds are usually cut from a cherry for obvious reasons but can also be lathe or mill cut with a ball mill.
Now the period bag molds that look like a small pair of pliers were made of mild steel but the balls made from then are not of the quality of good mehanite molds.

 

[M. De Land]

Well, I was wrong! I went on line and it turns out the TOTW sells the plier molds made of mild steel. First I knew of them.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I had a mold made of steel two years ago. It was a paper patch mold custom to me rifle. But your right most of my steel molds date from the 40s and 50s.

 

[Ketchakah]

Ah yes... My misuse of terms. Allow me to restate. Iron, yes. The point being, NOT aluminum, and not modern style. I do believe the one i use is steel but honestly, i do not know. It is an original, so probably Iron. I have one from Brass/ bronze
Thank you for the correction. ^^

 

[Idaholewis]

A good steel Mold for me ANYDAY over Aluminum. I prefer the Durability of a Steel Mold. A Steel mold is much more forgiving to the new Caster, An Aluminum Mold can be Damaged BADLY in 1 Session (Galling) Of course this is the Casters Fault. Don’t Run your Sprue Plate to tight, i snug the Sprue Plate up, and then back off SLOWLY until it just starts to Swing open Freely with a flick/swing of my Wrist. I have MANY Custom Molds of Both Aluminum and Steel, If i had it to do over again i would Own all Steel Molds

 

[OldJoe212]

aluminum or steel ball mold, which is best and why??

I have a .490 TC mold that's AL and it throws really good balls. I also have something like 5 Lee's, round and minie, that are very good. The only steel are 2 Dixie GW's, .440 and .730. On the .440, I did some work on it and added a sprue cutter. Both of those are also very good. Bottom line, If you take your time, get the mold and your lead heated to the right temperature, you're going to have good results.

 

[Southron129]

BRASS IS A FAR SUPERIOR METAL TO MEHAINITE IRON, STEEL OF ALUMINUM FOR MAKING A MOULD.

1. At casting temperatures, aluminum loses half its strength and is easily damaged. Mould makers love to use aluminum simply because the metal is so cheap.

2. Iron and steel moulds rust easily in storage. To prevent that, the moulds have to be oiled and before they can be used for casting, ALL the oil must be removed-which is a hassle.

3. Brass moulds cast excellent bullets and when put away they don't rust. Brass machines easily and is by far, the BEST metal to make moulds out of.

I wish Lee would introduce a Premium line of bullet moulds made out of Brass. The extra cost would be well worth it.

 

[M. De Land]

BRASS IS A FAR SUPERIOR METAL TO MEHAINITE IRON, STEEL OF ALUMINUM FOR MAKING A MOULD.

1. At casting temperatures, aluminum loses half its strength and is easily damaged. Mould makers love to use aluminum simply because the metal is so cheap.

2. Iron and steel moulds rust easily in storage. To prevent that, the moulds have to be oiled and before they can be used for casting, ALL the oil must be removed-which is a hassle.

3. Brass moulds cast excellent bullets and when put away they don't rust. Brass machines easily and is by far, the BEST metal to make moulds out of.

I wish Lee would introduce a Premium line of bullet moulds made out of Brass. The extra cost would be well worth it.

Brass molds can corrode as well if not cared for especially if any form of powder residue gets on them in the form of the green Devries (sp).
Also, the practice of leaving a bullet or ball in a mold is not a rust prevention.
Mehanite fine grain cast iron is one of the very best mold materials because of how well it machines free of burrs, heats evenly and is nearly as tough as mild steel.
A couple of things that will save molds from galling:
1. Stone the underside of spru plate flat. It sharpens the bottom of the hole for cleaner spru cut and keeps it from galling the mold top.
2. Coat the bottom of the spru plate and the entire top of the mold with carpenters pencil graphite. This lubes the mold top and keeps lead from sticking to either.
3. If possible buy a 3/16 thick spru plate as it will resist warpage better and make a deeper pour cavity which holds more heat and encourages a better ball top or bullet base or nose.
4. Adjust spru plate tension to just snug when fully closed and the mold is up to casting heat.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I dislike arguing over small things, but I use either Lyman molds or Lee molds for casting bullets. Lee makes theirs out of aluminum alloy and I've never personally had a lick of trouble with them. Lyman makes theirs out of steel, or so they claim. Their ad copy reads: "Lyman 1-Cavity Bullet Molds are made from solid leaded-steel and machined to an exact and smooth super fine finish. The molds are then heat treated (that is why they are blue in color) and feature hardened steel alignment pins to provide many years of bullet casting service. Sprue plates are made from solid steel, ground flat and held tightly in place with tempered steel spring washers and screws." Whether they're actually made of steel or Mehanite, I've never had trouble with them either. I spray them with oil after they cool and store them in a tightly sealed ammo can with a couple dehumidifying capsules in the bottom, then clean the oil off with mineral spirits before I use them again. My suggestion to Johnny is, try `em and use the ones you like best. There floats my stick.
Tanglefoot

 

[kemart17]

aluminum or steel ball mold, which is best and why??

all great info guys, thanks!!!!!

 

[hawkeye2]

BRASS IS A FAR SUPERIOR METAL TO MEHAINITE IRON, STEEL OF ALUMINUM FOR MAKING A MOULD.

1. At casting temperatures, aluminum loses half its strength and is easily damaged. Mould makers love to use aluminum simply because the metal is so cheap.

2. Iron and steel moulds rust easily in storage. To prevent that, the moulds have to be oiled and before they can be used for casting, ALL the oil must be removed-which is a hassle.

3. Brass moulds cast excellent bullets and when put away they don't rust. Brass machines easily and is by far, the BEST metal to make moulds out of.

I wish Lee would introduce a Premium line of bullet moulds made out of Brass. The extra cost would be well worth it.

#1. I have never heard that before, can you direct me to a source for aluminum strength vs temperature? I have never damaged my Lee molds and have been using the same Rapine mini mold for over 25 years and it's still going strong.

#2. I store all my iron & steel molds in my basement, usually with a bullet in them and have never had any problems with rust and I also have several pre 1900 Winchester molds that are rust free. When I have oiled a mold a few spritzes of carb cleaner and 30 seconds for it to evaporate is all it takes.

#3 I have used brass molds and have no issues with them.

It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see Lee produce a line of iron, steel or brass molds but I doubt it will ever happen.

I break the top edges of my Lee molds with a fine file and check for burrs on the top. I sometimes have to take a countersink to the sprue hole to give it a knife edge. I have a very nice flat and hard stone and I dress the underside of the sprue plate (they need it). When casting I use a graphite based lube on the top and keep the sprue plate adjusted so that it moves without drag but is still down on top of the blocks somewhat firmly.

 

[Zonie]

Yes, aluminum looses half or more of its tensile strength and yield strength when it is heated up to the temperatures we cast lead at.
That is the reason no one should ever consider using an aluminum pot or pan to melt lead in. More than a few aluminum pots have had the bottom fall out of them when lead was melted in them even though the lead temperature was less than half of the melting temperature of aluminum.

Of course, this is talking about aluminum's tensile strength, the point where it breaks under a heavy load or yield strength, the point that it doesn't return to its original shape after a heavy load is applied to it and then removed.

There is very little load involved in casting balls and bullets so even though aluminum molds don't have a lot of strength left at casting temperatures, there is still more than enough strength to handle the job.

Now, if someone was foolish enough to pound on their aluminum bullet mold when it was at casting temperature it would damage it a lot but, I think everyone understands, pounding on any mold regardless of what it is made out of, isn't a good idea.

 

[Coot]

I can testify about aluminum losing strength. When in high school, I used an aluminum pot to melt about 4-5 pounds of lead to cast a keel for a racing model sailboat. When I went to pick up the pot full of molten lead, the bottom fell out. Good luck was all the prevented injury or serious damage.

 

[OLD CROW]

I live on an island in the pacific ocean, so what do I really know But I have a 1/2'' thick aluminum pot about 3 quart size that has worked for about 20 years......my LYMAN casting pot was borrowed back in the day and along with the borrower,has yet to appear......(I quit waiting about 6 years ago lol ).
I have LEE Molds that I cast .50 cal.r.b. /45 cal r.e.a.l./ 255gr. 45 (Colt) / .38/357 w.c and swc.and the only LEE mold that has given ANY problems was a 125 gr. 9mm mold that ''loosened up''.
just saying...but when I cast,. I usually have 2 or 3 molds going.....so none get over heated...
if I still lived Stateside,i might be able to afford IRON Molds...but I have to buy gas for the trucks at almost $6 a gallon and fuel oil to heat the shack so the old LEE products HAVE to work !!

 

[Zonie]

They don't have cheap, steel pots made in China on your island?
Even a cheap steel pot would be safer than an aluminum pot. Even a thick walled one like you say yours is.

 

[Le Loup]

This is a loaded question. I have steel, brass, and aluminum molds. Mostly for black powder cartridge shooting.
As far as the flinter goes. I have one Lee 45 cal round ball mold. I think I bought it new in the 90s, and fill 10 Pepsi bottle (biggins) every few years. My cheap neighbor only had one 45 cal, so he uses mine every now and again.

I see no need for anything else for round ball.

Aluminium is not a good conductor of heat, but if you are moulding bullets at a reasonable fast rate, the aluminium will not cool down appreciably. However, a cold mould tends to make poor bullets, so those of us who mould our ball & swan shot/goose shot/buckshot when trekking use a brass or steel mould. This is because brass & steel are good conductors of heat (& authentic to the period), & we are moulding slowly using a bag ladle, one at a time.

Ball mould & ladle.

Goose shot mould.
Keith.

 

[Zonie]

Actually, aluminum conducts heat almost as well as brass or bronze.
The 1000 series of aluminum has a conductivity of 135 BTU/ft/hr and 6061 aluminum has a conductivity of 125 BTU/ft/hr.

Wrought brass's have a conductivity of 135 BTU/ft/hr and pure copper has a value of 226 BTU/ft/hr. (Higher = more heat moves thru the material).

The thing is, the mass of the brass or bronze alloys is much higher than aluminum (brass/bronze is much heavier) so it takes more heat to heat up a brass or bronze mold.
Due to this, brass and bronze take much longer to cool down.

Beyond this picky information, I agree with everything else you said.

 

[Le Loup]

Actually, aluminum conducts heat almost as well as brass or bronze.
The 1000 series of aluminum has a conductivity of 135 BTU/ft/hr and 6061 aluminum has a conductivity of 125 BTU/ft/hr.

Wrought brass's have a conductivity of 135 BTU/ft/hr and pure copper has a value of 226 BTU/ft/hr. (Higher = more heat moves thru the material).

The thing is, the mass of the brass or bronze alloys is much higher than aluminum (brass/bronze is much heavier) so it takes more heat to heat up a brass or bronze mold.
Due to this, brass and bronze take much longer to cool down.

Beyond this picky information, I agree with everything else you said.

Thank you for the clarification Zonie, I am duly informed
Regards, Keith.

 

[8 BORE]

I only use period correct equipment, so mine would be steel. I do however have a brass mould as well.

"Period correct equipment" 3 words that don't mean diddly manure. Rifleman is right what period.