need advice about casting
 

Would some of you experienced casters help me out? This was my first attempt at casting my own balls. It is becoming a learning experience. From the pics. what do I need to do different? The balls seem pretty wrinkled and some even have places that are void.

Also, when I flux my lead, is a flame always suppose to appear? I got a lot of smoke, but no flame. I used about a marble size piece of wax from an old candle.

Thx.

Either your lead is not hot enough or the mold is contaminated with oil. Most likely it's the lead temperature.

Don't worry about not having the flux flame. It's not at all necessary and its only benefit is to burn off the smoke/smell. I don't flux my lead at all - just get it real hot, stir and skim. I stir the lead with a ten inch piece of heavy wire mounted on a wood handle cut from a piece of broomstick. Stir and skim, stir and skim, etc. A point is reached where no crud comes to the top when stirred, and the lead is perfectly clean.

What type of set up are you using? Burner/pot/ladle? Electric pot?

I'd have to say both, oil contaminated, doesnt take a whole lot to ruin the first castings, and the lead looks a bit to cool.

When casting, after you pour the lead into the mold, it should stay molten for 4 to 5 seconds and then glaze over and harden.

I'm using an electic "hot pot 2". I'm thinking I may have waited to long before filling the mold between castings and the mold cooled off a bit. I think I might have spent to much time checking out the balls that fell from my mold. I would hate to think I bought the "hot pot 2" and it doesn't get the lead hot enough.

Anyways...

I'm going to try again tomorrow and move a little quicker after dropping the balls from the mold.

That's a real possibility Mike. You need to develop a steady rhythm to cast good balls. There's no time for inspection of individual balls. Your first few may be wrinkled or have voids until the mold heats up. As Devil stated, when the temperature is right the sprue should take a few seconds to set. Once it sets, dump the ball on something soft (I use a folded towel) and fill the mold immediately. If the sprue seems to be taking longer and longer to set slow down a little between balls. Pretty soon you will get a feel for the speed that works best.

Thanks guys...I'm going to speed up a bit and I'll take a few more pics tomorrow to post.

I appreciate your advice and help.

Mike , hold the front bottom corners of the mold in the melted lead just the corners to heat the mold so I don't have to remelt so many, just pour steady for a hundred balls before looking so you know when you check the last ones out the mold has reached the temperature it will hold when you pour steady the first few are expected to be remelts.

If you notice your ball look like they are frosted and not shinny the mould is to hot and not cooling quick enough. Lead temp I like is about 800 o/o

I believe your mould wasn't hot enough. Don't worry about (I hate to say this in here) checking your balls. If you can, place the edge of your mould in the molten lead to help heat it up. Even then you will have to cast maybe 10 cycles before your mould is sufficiently hot enough. Once it is, don't stop just keep going. Just stop long enough to add lead to the pot.

Before I start casting, I clean the mold with alcohol. Then when it's dry I apply my mold lube. It looks like either your lead is not hot enough, or your mold is too cool. Turn the heat up a little more. Like Lee said, hold the corner of the mold in the lead. Count to thirty. Lift the mold. The lead should fall off back in the pot. And when you get casting stick with it. Do not stop to admire your... work. It takes time but when you find the groove, cast like the devil.

I am not seeing the frost on them my self. Frosting normally happens to alloyed lead. I have never seen soft lead ( 5 BHN to 8 BHN) frost. In the middle picture the two balls on the left look like they have a tint of blue. That to me looks like soft lead and no frosting at all. They are wrinkled bad but I don't see frost.

To the OP. I am with the rest. You need to just clean the mould good. Get the lead, and mould hot. If it is a bottom pour pot make sure your getting good fast flow from the spout. Slow flow from the pot or ladle with allow the lead to cool as it is going into the mould. That will also cause wrinkles.
Speed up your pouring, and grade them after you have some done. After you get better you will be able to grade as you go but it will take time. For a while just pour some balls and get used to the whole thing. Ron

cayugad, Do you ever burn a match to get carbon inside the cavity itself? Is that even necessary? How often do I need to lube the mold (the V's and grooves, the bolt and nut and the alignment pins) every time before I start casting?

Thanks Ron, I'm using a "Hot Pot 2" an electric pot for melting. I read a lot of reviews and they seemed to be good so as a beginner I figured the hot pot 2 would work good. Did I make a mistake buying it? Has anyone had a bad experience using it? I hope I just need to speed up my process and get into a good rhythm.

I use a candle to smoke the mold. But I also have a product I purchased when I first started casting. It is called "Rapine Mold Lube" and it is like liquid carbon in a bottle. I use a model builder's brush and paint the inside and the hinge on the molds first. Then if I think of it, I will smoke the mold, but with the lube I really don't think it is necessary.

Just smoke the mold real hard before you start molding. And lets say after a hundred ball cast, you decided to have a break and rest... smoke it again before you start. The mold will start to come clean eventually.

One other hint.. some do not do this. When I am finished with casting for the day, I leave the last ball in the mold and let the mold cool this way. I use LEE molds which are aluminum and was taught they are subject to warping if they cool too fast. The ball left in the mold allows the mold to cool from the outside in. My molds are over 30 years old (some of them) and I still cast a great roundball out of them.

Gentlemen: thanks for your help and advice. Here are some pics of today's results...much better, I think.

Sounds like most have hit it on the head. The only thing I could add is instead of dipping your mold between castings, I just let it rest on the top of the melting between drops and am good to go.
Cayugad is right on cleaning between casting sessions with alcohol and then spraying with drop out spray. Makes a huge difference!!!!!

Those look real good. If you have a scale... weigh some and see how close you are. It will surprise you how good you did. And I have to ask.. did you pick any of them up with your fingers before they were cool? I always tell myself I am not going to do it.. and always come off the day with burnt fingers.

Funny you should ask!!! :D Of course I did, ouch!!!

:happy0001::happy0001: its nice to know that I am not alone. Its like they draw you to them... pick me up.. please, pick me up.

According to OSHA mandatory provision 17.3, the following sign is required in all casting areas.

Yep you got them perfect!

Your projectiles look good to me.

Now that ther is sum funny chit, I don't care who u are!!!!!!!!!!
And I thought I was the only DA that has told myself not to as I reached for one only to howl so loud my wife heard it over the TV upstairs!!!!!:eek2:

Yep...been there, done that! I don't think there is anyone amongst us that casts their own that wouldn't (honestly) admit to having done that. There's just something about that shiny new lead ball/bullet that gets ya! Kinda like a child being drawn to a shiny new penny....

BPS

it's posted where i cast!