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dannyhunley
I had my first experience with a 4-cavity RG mold this weekend using the hollow point pins on a 255 grain 45 caliber SWC mold. I had a heck of a time getting the slugs to drop free of the pins. I am an experienced caster with a number of NOE molds, but this is my first RG. The mold was preheated to about 375 – 400 degrees and I was using a 700 degree Lyman #2 melt. I tried adding a bit more heat to the pins, but it didn’t seem to help. The mold cavities and the pins were finished nice and smooth — no burrs, snags, etc. I also tried smoking the pins (and cavities). I did make some pretty bullets but the pin problem made it really hard to keep enough speed to maintain temperature of the mold. Obviously, I am missing something. Does anyone have a tip (or two)??? Thanks in advance for your help.
Dwayne
dannyhunley-
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charlesgilbert
Well…. you said the pins were slick…. but just to say what I do, I spin em between my fingers in some 800 grit til I can see myself in them. You can use 1000 grit, if you got it. Scrub off the smoke and shine them babies up! Then I keep a Qtip that is very lightly dampened with sprue lube close by, and I rub it around the tip of the pins before I start, and again about every 30-40 casts, and that keeps them jumping off. Just a very little bit will do ya, and it won’t migrate to the cavities that way. If you get the mold and pins hot, and use just a micro film of lube on some really glass-smooth pins, I have never seen a NOE that won’t practically throw the boolits at you then, when you open the mold.
adamsutherland
When I am seasoning my moulds, usually on top of the cast iron stove, after it has heated up and cooled down a couple of times I then apply the sprue plate lube to the block pins, mould top and sprue plate a swell as any pins on a hot mould and let that season in with the other heating and cooling cycles. With the mould lube less is more.
Thanks, dromia. I heat cycled the mold before I started using it — 3 cycles. — bringing it up to 400 degrees each time and letting it cool to <100 degees. And, I lightly lubed the alignment pins before I made the first cast and I lubed the under side of the sprue plate and top of the blocks once the first pour was in the cavities. I did not, however, think to lube/season the pins. That will happen before the next use. And, I'll uber-polish with some 1000 grit as Beagle333 recommends. Again, may thanks for the advice! Dyayne
SwedeNelson
dwayne
A lot of the information in our casting hint post applies to RG moulds too
http://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php/topic,2.0.htmlThe biggest problem we see is trying to cast with cold HP pins.
Don’t even try or the frustration level will go way up.I hope this helps
Bullet maker, maker
Al NelsonThanks, Al. I was familiar with this guidance and I have used it religiously with a number of your molds (with great success). The HP pins are what gave me the issues. I’m pretty sure I had them hot as I even used a propane torch to boost them a few times and checked them with a 400 degree temp’ crayon. Smoking them helped some — but it was a far cry from a free release. I’m going to give them some extra polish with 1000 grit paper, re-season them and then try a bit of lube on the tips. I’ll get ’em working. Thanks for your note.
cliftonmorris
williamhogan
jeffreyharned
charlesgilbert
adamsutherland
SwedeNelson
cliftonmorris
williamhogan
jeffreyharned
kevinwengren
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