Wrinkled Roundballs?

[Franna]

Hi Guys

I'm casting my own RBs with a LEE mold, but every single one of them is wrinkled, though it has a perfect round shape. Now this was only the 4th time that I cast with the Lee mold and dont know if I should cast some more before it start to drop nice balls.

No, after I cleaned the blocks with acetone, I heated up the mold and lubed the V-blocks with SPG Bullet lube (the mold was so hot that when something wet or damp touched it, it sizzled and the lead took about 2-3 seconds to set). I made sure that the face of the blocks are always clean of oil and other stuff. But still the balls get wrinkled.

One interesting thing is that when I hit open the spru-plate, it is as if the ball "moves" inside the mold because when I examine the bullets it has 2 "flat areas" and not one.

This is after I fluxed the lead and also, I use pure soft lead.

I'm out of ideas :surrender:
Any suggestions?

 

[Bosteldr]

Your mold is still too cool. Recycle the first 5 to 10 roundballs back to the pot. Once the mold is hot wrinkles will disappear.

 

[chapmans]

Also your lead may be too cold try turning the heat up a little, when you start casting balls that look frosted then it is too hot,you need something in between the two temps.

 

[Franna]

ok thanks, so it will be best to play around a little more.

 

[reddogge]

And if they start to get frosty looking the metal is too hot. Got to get it just right.

 

[chapmans]

Another thing to try is to degrease the mold and then use a candle to "smoke" the mold this will act as a release.

 

[BrownBear]

I'm with you on smoking the mold and upping the temp of the lead. There's also a bit of a breakin period on new molds. In my experience with the Lee aluminum molds, it also matters a bit how big the block is. I.e., a single cavity for a large ball has less metal in it to buffer or stabilize the temp, so it seems to be a little more touchy about getting the temps right.

For example, last weekend I used a brand new .575 single cavity. Even with the lead pot on high setting and after heating the mold for a minute or so by holding a corner in the lead, I got a lot of wrinkled balls at first. On the order of the first 30 or so.

That was out of whack from my experience, so I resmoked the mold cavity, and the wrinkles went away. And of course in a while I started getting blue balls (No, the TV wasn't on!), so I dropped the heat setting from high to 9. Then after a while I dropped it back to 8. I sure couldn't have turned out a decent ball on the 8 setting when I started out and was getting the wrinkled balls, so that tells me the lead temp wasn't as high as it should have been when I started out, even after waiting a bit with the pot on high.

It's a little fiddly when you first start with a pot of lead and a new mold. Once you get things right, the fiddling goes away. I'll probably never have to smoke that mold again, but I'm certainly going to expect to have to let that particular lead pot heat up a little longer before I start casting.

 

[Claude Mathis]

More references to "wrinkled balls " can be found here...

(searched for "wrinkled")
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/205114
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/220800
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/217447
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/213760
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/202401

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Bring up heat until you get a light frosting on balls, then cut back a bit on temps or leave as is. A light frost does not detract from cast projectiles, but does enhance filling of the mould.

 

[Swede50]

I use a RCBS Pro Melt for the lead. If you have a hot plate put your mold on it while the lead is gettin hot. It will help you to control your heat and less wasted balls. I learned this trick while casting with a 10 cavity H&G mold.

Be carefull not to let the handles touch the hotplate or they will burn. Yep I learned that one the hard way too. :hmm:

 

[Johnny Tremain]

a lead themometer is your friend

 

[pcrum]

a lead themometer is your friend

What is a good temperature for pure lead? I've been using a cast iron pot over a propane burner. It seems OK, but I'm still fiddleing with trying to find the proper temp.
Cheers,
Pat

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Lead melts at 621F

 

[BrownBear]

One last thing to check----

Swing the sprue cutter into place and look down the hole. If it's not lined up so there's no edge of the mold block showing around the hole, you're going to get wrinkles every blessed time.

The .575 mold I was just breaking in would swing a little too far past the opening in the mold if I didn't eyeball it into place each time. But if I was careful to center the hole in the plate over the hole in the mold, no probs.

 

[pcrum]

is that the working temperature then for casting?

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu usually want lead to be between 650 and 700 Degrees for casting. You may need it hotter to pour very large balls or bullets, to keep the lead hot enough during the pour. You will know the lead is the right temperature for casting when the balls come out of the mold with no wrinkles. You will know the lead is too hot when they come out frosted.

When casting conicals, keep an eye on the edges of the grease grooves. When they are sharp edged, you have the right casting temperature.

Oh, don't expect the thermostat on the pot to be accurate. Get a separate thermometer.