My Noe mold is frustrating me..Please help

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So, I bought this last year when I was new at casting..Did what I seemed was good bullets…Let it set for several months and got back into the game..I driving bands are coming out a bit rounded over.

After a little reading here and pulling my hair out I figured I’d ask WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!  I think I may know the answer but am gonna ask anyway.  I have a temp probe in mine and set it on a hot plate and try casting at 425 mold temp.  Please oh please tell me thats the problem!  My bullets are by no means totally frosted but they aint shine either.  More a dull gray fish color.  At the the edges of the driving bands I’m getting what looks like a white area or line.  I assume thats the frosting starting?

Any temp ranges I should try it it?  I’ve been at it for 3 days and no go.  Never once did I consider getting the mold below 400 deg.

BTW, it’s the Now H&G 68 clone…  453 200 gr swc

Thanks fellas

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[AlvinYorkParticipant]

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What’s the alloy you’re using?
The other thing might be that 450 is a bit too hot. How’s the sprue come off? When the sprue comes off a mould so that it crumbles when I pick it up I know the mould is too hot. I use a damp rag to lower the temp, at that point.

[charlesgilbertParticipant]

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Try the alloy at 415 at the mold at 350. Then just cast fast until the mold starts dropping good bullets. It’ll find its own temp once you get your rhythm established.

[Full.Lead.TacoKeymaster]

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Pictures might be helpful for us to know what you are seeing.  Also more details.  What alloy are you using, etc…?

[josephtasse]

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Ww with 1% tin. I’ll try to get some pics up tonight. No crumbling sprus but they do break in half sometimes. Vent lines etc seem good to go

[matthewsaunorasParticipant]

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You might need to adjust your pour speed too.  Too fast or too slow can both cause incomplete fillout. 

[charlesgilbertParticipant]

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Make sure you are hitting the hole with the pour stream. Do not let it hit on the sprue plate and swirl around down into the hole. You want to hit that hole cleanly and flood it FAST. That lead needs to be in a hurry to get from nozzle tip to final resting place in the grooves of the mold. Learn how much to move the mold after each one fills, so that you hit the first hole cleanly and move fast and accurately to the next and the next and next as you fill the mold. You will not move smoothly and slowly from one end of the sprue plate to the other as you fill, it will be a series of quick short movements.  (or at least that’s the way I do it.) 

[Full.Lead.TacoKeymaster]

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Make sure you are hitting the hole with the pour stream. Do not let it hit on the sprue plate and swirl around down into the hole. You want to hit that hole cleanly and flood it FAST. That lead needs to be in a hurry to get from nozzle tip to final resting place in the grooves of the mold. Learn how much to move the mold after each one fills, so that you hit the first hole cleanly and move fast and accurately to the next and the next and next as you fill the mold. You will not move smoothly and slowly from one end of the sprue plate to the other as you fill, it will be a series of quick short movements.  (or at least that’s the way I do it.) 

I pour this way also.  I try to have the spout pretty close to the mold and then lift the handle each time I fill up a cavity of the mold with lead.  I try to have the lead hit directly into the cavity, not on the edge of the sprue cutter.

[charlesgilbertParticipant]

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This video for the new mold guide shows it really well, I think. Watch the pouring sequences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__XfjxHZB1w&feature=youtu.be

[AlvinYorkParticipant]

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If your sprue is breaking up like that then the mould is too hot.
As beagle333 said, try a mould temp of 350 and have a damp rag nearby to hold it against for a few seconds when it does become too hot to get it down to the optimal temperature.

[josephtasse]

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If your sprue is breaking up like that then the mould is too hot.
As beagle333 said, try a mould temp of 350 and have a damp rag nearby to hold it against for a few seconds when it does become too hot to get it down to the optimal temperature.

WOW!!!!  Yea, I seem to be doing everything WRONG!  When I had my little 10 pound pot I melt the mold with no guide.  I got a new Lyman 4-20 and trying to use the guide I what I think is causing my problems.  I have the guide so when I have the mold under and ready to pour the spur plate is about 2 inches or so from the nozzle, might be part of my problem ya think.  Also, I do a continue stream and try to go from hole to hole while the continue stream.  Might be another problem…  I figured it was my alloy because I couldn’t even get good bullets out of my little lee mold that usually cast pretty well.

I came on to 300 lbs of lean already in ingots so started using that.  I re-smelted it all and never got the temp above 750 and I saw no signs of zinc..I figured if I had zinc in the mix it would show up as chunks or oatmeal at the top..Never happened so I figure I’m good to go.

I will confess and say I took a bronze brush to my Now mold and fear I may have done it more bad then good.  I’m tempted to contact Noe and ask if I can send it to them and see how bad I MAY have screwed it up if at all. 

I was at it again last night and not a single good driving band.  All had that slight round over look to them…I swear I tried mold hot, cold in between, EVERYTHING.  I’d love to go out and try it again but am exhausted from a long day at work.  Quite honestly I would be a wreck if I still could not get it right.  I almost gave it all up last night and told myself time to buy bullets.

I can’t thank you all for the help so far.  I’d really love to buy another mold but it’s not in the budget right now..I could find a way but if I can’t get this figured out I may just explode…LOL

Heck, I even broke down and bought a RCBS lube sizer…I need to figure this out
Joe

[Full.Lead.TacoKeymaster]

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Just as an FYI, the lead will cool while it is falling from the spout to the mold.  If you are pouring it from about 2 inches high, and then running a continuous stream on the sprue plate, there is a good chance that your lead is cooling down significantly before it even gets inside the mold.

[josephtasse]

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Just as an FYI, the lead will cool while it is falling from the spout to the mold.  If you are pouring it from about 2 inches high, and then running a continuous stream on the sprue plate, there is a good chance that your lead is cooling down significantly before it even gets inside the mold.

I really hope that is one of the issues.  I’m gonna try to get a pic posted…If I can figure it out!

[josephtasse]

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OK, lets see if I can post a pic

3 bullets, the one on the left and middle is the problem.  The one on the right is almost perfect.  Sometimes or most times I can get sharp driving bands but then on one side of the bullet I get the soft looking bands you see here on the first 2 bullets.  It has to be me!!

[josephtasse]

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Hey, at least I got the picture thing right.

Thanks for the help

[charlesgilbertParticipant]

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Looks like the one on the left, the lead is too cool. On the middle one, the mold is too hot. It has cooked the tin on the edge. It can do that even with cooler lead, if the blocks get too hot.

[Author]

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