Well I tried using my new Lee #4 buckshot mold and i have to say I am a bit disappointed. I use Lee style aluminum molds exclusively so I'm familiar with their quirks. I wonder if this mold introduces some of its own.
I clean and smoke the mold like usual and go outside and start the furnace and preheat the mold. As soon as I start casting, WW alloy, the problems start. Most of the shot I cast has lead seeping out of the cavity in between the blocks. I try cleaning the mold, thinking there is something in between the blocks but the problem never goes away. It was happening in all 6 cavities, sometimes I would get a good cast and sometimes I wouldn't. I tried varying temps from 700 to 950F with no real change.
I eventually got sick of messing with this mold and bust out my 30 cal 2 cavity and start water dropping slugs for my Ruger GSR no problem. So it's not the lead or me, there is something with that mold that's not working correctly and I don't know if I got a bad one or what.
Anyone have any experience or advice?
I clean and smoke the mold like usual and go outside and start the furnace and preheat the mold. As soon as I start casting, WW alloy, the problems start. Most of the shot I cast has lead seeping out of the cavity in between the blocks. I try cleaning the mold, thinking there is something in between the blocks but the problem never goes away. It was happening in all 6 cavities, sometimes I would get a good cast and sometimes I wouldn't. I tried varying temps from 700 to 950F with no real change.
I eventually got sick of messing with this mold and bust out my 30 cal 2 cavity and start water dropping slugs for my Ruger GSR no problem. So it's not the lead or me, there is something with that mold that's not working correctly and I don't know if I got a bad one or what.
Anyone have any experience or advice?