compression casting

[45-70]

Idaholewis,
tried your method and can't say enough about it, who says can't teach old dog new trick, Love it.

 

[Idaholewis]

Idaholewis,
tried your method and can't say enough about it, who says can't teach old dog new trick, Love it.

I don’t know how i missed this Bob? Anyway, Compression casting definitely works Some Molds do better than others with this Tecnique, My Highest quality, tightest tolerance molds do best for me. Bullet Molds are like people, They all have their own Personality, Wants/Needs

I am glad you were able to put this Tecnique to use I have casted some of the Nicest bullets i ever have compression casting.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Im still making a bit of a mess but getting better with it. It definitely fills out better but i get some overflow still.

 

[Idaholewis]

Im still making a bit of a mess but getting better with it. It definitely fills out better but i get some overflow still.

Just keep at it MM, You will get a Rhythm down with it

 

[LR_Smoker]

I’ve been using your compression molding technique and it definitely has made for a significant improvement on my bullets however I still have some issues. I get nice sharp edges on the base and the first lube groove is well defined with sharp grooves. The 2nd and 3rd lube grooves tend to have rounded edges and almost looks like oxidation in the lead in some places. I’m using an old RCBS 20lb bottom pour opened up to 3/32 and my Lyman digital thermometer was reading 775 +\- 5 degrees. I held compression for a total of 6 seconds (2 to fill + 4 ). The mold is my new accurate 50-478P. The mold was degreased and washed with soap and water before use and was set on the molten lead for 7-8 minutes before using the open sprue plate Pre-heat routine. Any thoughts as to what I’m doing wrong ?

 

[Idaholewis]

I’ve been using your compression molding technique and it definitely has made for a significant improvement on my bullets however I still have some issues. I get nice sharp edges on the base and the first lube groove is well defined with sharp grooves. The 2nd and 3rd lube grooves tend to have rounded edges and almost looks like oxidation in the lead in some places. I’m using an old RCBS 20lb bottom pour opened up to 3/32 and my Lyman digital thermometer was reading 775 +\- 5 degrees. I held compression for a total of 6 seconds (2 to fill + 4 ). The mold is my new accurate 50-478P. The mold was degreased and washed with soap and water before use and was set on the molten lead for 7-8 minutes before using the open sprue plate Pre-heat routine. Any thoughts as to what I’m doing wrong ?

Up your Heat, 800 to 825 Degrees for PURE Lead, NO COMPRESSION needed here.

Soak your mold for 7-8 Minutes, With Sprue plate open Fill the Mold, It should take a Full minute or so to Solidify, DON’T open the Mold to Soon here, As the Sprue starts to Solidify you will see a Hole Start sinking down in the Bullet, When you Can’t see anymore movement, Count 30 Seconds, Now Drop that Bullet, Quickly fill the Mold again, When it solidifies count 5 Seconds and Dump that Bullet. Cast 3 or 4 like this as Quickly as you can. Now Swing the Sprue Plate Closed and Hold the Mold RIGHT UP CLOSE TO the Spout, But NO COMPRESSION here, You don’t want to allow the Lead Stream to Contact a Lot of Air, This is why i say hold the Mold up CLOSE to the Spout, I probably have about a 1/4“ inch of Space between the Spout and Sprue Plate, Just enough that i can See the Lead enter the Mold.

Fill the Mold, allowing a Nice Large Sprue Puddle to Form on Top, When the Sprue Solidifies count 3-5 Seconds, Cut the Sprue, Open the Mold and Gently Dump the Bullet. I use an Old Towel to Drop them on, I get the Mold down REALLY Close to the Towel so the Hot Bullets are not Falling far, just a Few inches.

 

[LR_Smoker]

Up your Heat, 800 to 825 Degrees for PURE Lead, NO COMPRESSION needed here.

Soak your mold for 7-8 Minutes, With Sprue plate open Fill the Mold, It should take a Full minute or so to Solidify, DON’T open the Mold to Soon here, As the Sprue starts to Solidify you will see a Hole Start sinking down in the Bullet, When you Can’t see anymore movement, Count 30 Seconds, Now Drop that Bullet, Quickly fill the Mold again, When it solidifies count 5 Seconds and Dump that Bullet. Cast 3 or 4 like this as Quickly as you can. Now Swing the Sprue Plate Closed and Hold the Mold RIGHT UP CLOSE TO the Spout, But NO COMPRESSION here, You don’t want to allow the Lead Stream to Contact a Lot of Air, This is why i say hold the Mold up CLOSE to the Spout, I probably have about a 1/4“ inch of Space between the Spout and Sprue Plate, Just enough that i can See the Lead enter the Mold.

Fill the Mold, allowing a Nice Large Sprue Puddle to Form on Top, When the Sprue Solidifies count 3-5 Seconds, Cut the Sprue, Open the Mold and Gently Dump the Bullet. I use an Old Towel to Drop them on, I get the Mold down REALLY Close to the Towel so the Hot Bullets are not Falling far, just a Few inches.

Well that’s certainly interesting. After the compression filling I was waiting about 45 seconds after the sprue frosted over so now I’m guessing that I was letting the mold cool down too much. I was opening the mould just over the top of about six layers of cotton towel and starting the cycle over again. It took me one minute to make a bullet from the start of one to the start of the next. I have received my new Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot today and I have opened up the drain hole to .089 by hand and cleaned out the rust preventative oils. Tomorrow I will put in a new batch of lead that I have made from sheet lead used in a dentist office and re-try using the method you described above to the best of my ability. Thank you for your help.

 

[Idaholewis]

Well that’s certainly interesting. After the compression filling I was waiting about 45 seconds after the sprue frosted over so now I’m guessing that I was letting the mold cool down too much. I was opening the mould just over the top of about six layers of cotton towel and starting the cycle over again. It took me one minute to make a bullet from the start of one to the start of the next. I have received my new Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot today and I have opened up the drain hole to .089 by hand and cleaned out the rust preventative oils. Tomorrow I will put in a new batch of lead that I have made from sheet lead used in a dentist office and re-try using the method you described above to the best of my ability. Thank you for your help.

You we’re Definitely letting your mold cool down to much, Get that Lead Temp UP to 800-825, Shoot for 810, (HOT/HEAT Is your best friend here with PURE Lead!!) Follow what i said above, and you will be Turning out Perfect Bullets

Compression Casting is just another Tecnique that i use, But it’s not always the answer, In fact some molds don’t do well with it at all, and some others Cast AWESOME with Compression

 

[LR_Smoker]

You we’re Definitely letting your mold cool down to much, Get that Lead Temp up to 800-825, Shoot for 810, (HOT/HEAT Is your best friend here!!) Follow what i said above, and you will be Turning out Perfect Bullets

Compression Casting is just another Tecnique that i use, But it’s not always the answer, In fact some molds don’t do well with it at all, and some others Cast AWESOME with Compression

Super ! As I said I’ll have another go at it tomorrow. If I can I’ll post some pictures of what the results look like. Thanks again for your help. Stay safe.

 

[Idaholewis]

Super ! As I said I’ll have another go at it tomorrow. If I can I’ll post some pictures of what the results look like. Thanks again for your help. Stay safe.

Any questions, Just ask, I’ll do everything i can to help you get the same Results i do

 

[WoodsGnome]

Thank You Lewis for ALL U help us with!! Safe and Happy holidays to U and yours please!! Old John

 

[Idaholewis]

Thank You Lewis for ALL U help us with!! Safe and Happy holidays to U and yours please!! Old John

I enjoy doing it Safe & Happy Holidays to you & yours as well!

 

[LR_Smoker]

Sorry about the delay getting back with an update however I did make some progress during the wait. I managed to cast some more Accurate 50-478P using the last recommended procedure. Out of 51 bullets I figure that if I set plus or minus 1 grain as my tolerance I can keep 43. I know it’s not up to the high standard that IdahoLewis has set however its my best effort to date. I still have issues to resolve and I’ll keep working diligently at it being as I can’t do much else anyways at this time.
Here’s the last ten that I cast and as you can see there are some sort of flow lines that can be seen on some and less than perfect fillout.
The last picture shows why it took me so long. It’s my version of a cabin tree hardness tester. I just have to much trouble trying to read the scale on my Lee hardness tester. I had most of the components with the exception of a spring so I winged that and it seems to work out alright.
Thanks for all the help, I would never have made it this far so quickly without the help from IdahoLewis and others on this forum.

 

[HC]

Those look really good for using dentist office sheet lead.