Another run of the XCB

[waco]

So I fired up the pot again today and broke out the 5 cavity NOE XCB mold. Same 90/6/4 alloy as last time water dropped. I paid more attention to my casting technique today. Once the mold was up to temp I focused on a good rhythm and cadence.

I would pour the 5 cavities, tap the mold on the table, hold in front of fan for a 5 count, open dump in water.

This new fan by the way works very well to help keep the mold from overheating. Thank you Mrs. Waco for the gift.

Anyway, I ended up with 18-19lbs of bullets. I'll sort them out in a few days, toss all the rejects and sort them by weight.

 

[waco]

 

[Will]

Looks good Waco.

After I fire form some more brass I plan to give the XCB a try. I’d really like to find something that shoots and get a 4 or 5 cavity mold. The 2 cavity is wearing me out.

I look forward to seeing some shooting results.

 

[fiver]

I can't get mine to grey up like that.
as soon as I get to satin, the drive bands frost over white and round off.

 

[waco]

Difference in alloy?

 

[fiver]

no I'm sure it's my mold.
it is a super early one like #2 or #1.
the vent lines look like they etched in with an electro pencil that needs sharpened.
just using ww type alloy is a beat down of epic proportions.

 

[waco]

Well I think this batch will be more consistent than the last. I just grabbed five random bullets and they weighed 168.2-168.9gr
I know that's not saying much but I'll get a better feel when I start sorting them out.
I might have to try these out in the Bergara.

 

[Ian]

Might try going hotter still, Fiver. Most of my Lee moulds do that light sating with some whiteish splotches and then this stuff like mold on all the sharp corners. If I keep getting the mould hotter it all evens out, but they cast about half a thousandth smaller at that point. Still, the "frost" I get all over them wipes off with a cotton rag and it's shiny underneath, so I'm not heating them to the sandblasted frosty point.

 

[fiver]

I might have to give it a shot at just over running the heat.
the only other NOE mold I have finally straightened itself out when I got kind of bent at it and run it up in temp to about the full retard point.
the next run of bullets after that was like working with an old friend.

 

[fiver]

your weights are about right.
so it's not an alloy difference thing, I think I was right in the mid 168's with gas check installed.

 

[Ian]

I've cast with four NOE moulds now and every one of them has been a buggar. The one that worked the best I borrowed and it had been boiled in detergent/water solution and had a nice matte grey patina all over it, but unfortunately it hadn't been cast with before and had some burrs. I stopped and twisted a brush wrapped in 6/0 steel wool in each hole just to knock off the burrs, but not ruin the patina, and it worked pretty well after that at sane temperatures other than being the typical .002" too large on the nose and pretty much useless. The venting on all of them has sucked, too, but watching the pour speed, keeping them plenty hot, and running the alloy at at least 725 helps that a bunch.

 

[fiver]

airc Charles Graff does something like that to his aluminum molds.
he boils them in dish soap and water for like an hour after a good washing.

 

[waco]

I boiled mine in clean tap water after it was scrubbed with Dawn(the soap, not you guys) and a toothbrush. It has a nice grey patina to it.

 

[Ian]

I see what you did there....

 

[Brad]

Fiver and I each have a Dawn too.

 

[waco]

So right at 600 bullets cast. I culled 160 for visual defects. Stopping and starting, low alloy, ect....
I pulled another 30 because they weighed too little or too much.
That left me with right at 400 bullets between 161.8-162.9gr
400 bullets with only a 1.1gr span is good for me and my casting to date.
I sorted them into three groups.

 

[waco]

 

[fiver]

I take back the 168.
I'm right in the middle of 166 with a Hornady check and lube.
166.4-.6 is the big spot followed by .7 & .8.
none over 167 and only 3 or 4 under 166, they were obvious with a trip through the size die and I should have seen them in the initial cull.
it looks like you get that little nib on the nose too.

 

[waco]

it looks like you get that little nib on the nose too.

Yep. Pops right off with a thumb nail at least....

 

[Ian]

If they're within a half a grain of each other they'll shoot fine.

You might measure some samples from each pile and see if you're having mould closure issues. Typically your three pile spread is exactly what I see from moulds in that weight range having four or more cavities.