This is a neat little plain base SWC that I cast today. It was my first time casting with this mold and at first I thought the sprue holes were going to be way too small to ever get any bullets out of the thing, as it appeared that the lead pooled up on the plate and then got sucked down into the hole, rather than me just flooding the hole like usual. But I had preheated it on my hotplate, and after only about 10 pours, it started filling out very nicely. These were 50/50 with 1% tin, ladle cast at 720 degrees. This one has rounded lube grooves and the corners aren't very sharp, so it doesn't need a lot of tin. But I was having great difficulty getting one cavity to release. I couldn't find anything wrong with it, as it was a brand new mold (found it still NIB in an estate sale) and was nice and shiny in the cavities, but one of them just held onto the bullet like a pit bull. 
So finally, after much aggravation, I resorted to something I have never done before. I smoked that one cavity. 
I am not a fan of it, nor do I ever recommend it, but in the absence of any mold release agent and I really wanted to cast a lot today, I smoked 'er up. That worked for about 10 pours, then I had to do it again. I got maybe 30-40 pours out of it then. After the 3rd smoking, I guess maybe I had gotten all the pores filled in the cavity or whatever was the problem and it worked until I finished. (I haven't counted, but I made two pie pans full of 'em.)
I hope it's "seasoned" now and I don't have to do that any more. The next time I use it, I'm going to take a very sharp pencil and "shade in" the cavity before I start heating the mold. That should work well. But I already had the mold hot today and didn't want to let it cool so I could scribble in it.
But anyway.... it is a very nice little SWC and it does have one peculiarity about it. It does not like to go slow. It is a very accurate bullet and fun to shoot, but it is not a plinker. I have gotten feedback from my friends who shoot this one too, and they agree..... light 'er up and make it fly if you want to see holes close together.
So finally, after much aggravation, I resorted to something I have never done before. I smoked that one cavity. I am not a fan of it, nor do I ever recommend it, but in the absence of any mold release agent and I really wanted to cast a lot today, I smoked 'er up. That worked for about 10 pours, then I had to do it again. I got maybe 30-40 pours out of it then. After the 3rd smoking, I guess maybe I had gotten all the pores filled in the cavity or whatever was the problem and it worked until I finished. (I haven't counted, but I made two pie pans full of 'em.)I hope it's "seasoned" now and I don't have to do that any more. The next time I use it, I'm going to take a very sharp pencil and "shade in" the cavity before I start heating the mold. That should work well. But I already had the mold hot today and didn't want to let it cool so I could scribble in it.
But anyway.... it is a very nice little SWC and it does have one peculiarity about it. It does not like to go slow. It is a very accurate bullet and fun to shoot, but it is not a plinker. I have gotten feedback from my friends who shoot this one too, and they agree..... light 'er up and make it fly if you want to see holes close together.
