mold sprue plate and screws

[castmiester]

I think eventually Kal tool is my answer to the sprue plates. They also provide the hardware too.

A great ebay seller who sells alot of moulds and has decades of casting experience, and how he carries himself I can tell he does, not saying youguys don't but you never mentioned about hardened plates.

I just checked my plate AFTER I sanded it flat last week and only used it once. It's warped again. 750 melt casted great bullets.

If Lyman would harden their sprew plates, they would work correctly. They cut into the soft plate and then become useless.

I'd say that would sum up this thread..... well at least I got a tid bit about lead inserts for both of my molds instead of brass for my RCBS and no insert in my Ideal. Thanks.

On the flip side I can still run these moulds with the plates considering they are GC'ed and finned bases won't interfere with seating. I don't need to check them.

Forget Kal tool.... they make them out of 1018 cold rolled steel and the are 1/16 less in thickness too.

 

[Slughammer]

gonna guess it has to be adjusted every time you return to a new cast session ?

Typically, no. But the tools are always handy at the bench if needed.

I see the finning you're getting on the base and down the sides. Are you pressure casting?

 

[castmiester]

Typically, no. But the tools are always handy at the bench if needed.

I see the finning you're getting on the base and down the sides. Are you pressure casting?

You have to look really hard to see fins on the side, no big deal. And yes, I am pressure casting. I need to back off a little sooner and only fill my ladle half way rather than full.

 

[beagle]

Better than shot to hold the sprue plate screw is balls from a key chain. I keep a piece in my “stuff” box and cut off as many as required and drop in hole. They’re plated brass and last a while./beagle

 

[Brad]

Never thought of balls from bead chain. A 6” chunk will last a lifetime.

 

[Ian]

I use #6 shot or snip off bits from a soft, solid copper wire, whichever I can find first.

Lyman moulds are Mehanite which is a trade name for a continuous bar casting process that taps from near the bottom of the furnace so zero slag gets in it. Leaded iron is one possible alloy from that process and is preferred for bullet moulds because it machines SO much more easily than grey iron, is easy on expensive cherry cutters, and leaves a very nice finish if the tools are sharp and feeds/speeds are correct. The only steel moulds I know of are Hoch, and since I've never machined one of those I wouldn't swear to that, just an impression from owning a couple. I think RCBS moulds are grey cast iron, probably poured via the Mehan (?) process but without the lead.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Like Ian, I use a small section cut off of some solid copper wire. Works well, plentiful, doesn't melt, costs nearly nothing.

 

[JonB]

SNIP>>>
The only steel moulds I know of are Hoch, and since I've never machined one of those I wouldn't swear to that, just an impression from owning a couple.

I have the same feeling about a Ballisti-cast mold I ordered new. 3 cavity 1436. The boys that took over (and ran it into the ground) from Bill Sand, ran a group buy to get business going, of any Cherry they had (could find) from Ballisti-cast's stock and maybe H&G's stock? The 1436 was a 50 cal 385gr RNFP. When I got it, it was shiny like tool steel, and when used several times it heat stained blue, a slightly brighter blue than I would think grey iron would be. This was back when I stored them in air tight containers without a oil coating. After those several casting sessions, it sat untouched for a year or two in a airtight container, I open the container, and it's full of surface rust. That's when I started coating stored iron molds with Kroil...although, I never had a known grey Iron/Mehanite rust like that. I sold that mold after I sold my 500S&W Mag revolver. Side note: That 385gr mold, did cast easily, some nice looking bullets.