Drops most mixtures about .382. sizing to .379. Shoot good. However, I keep getting leakage at the air vents causing "whiskers". Lyman mold #375449 GC. Hadn't used it for 15 years, don't remember if it always did it or not. What is wrong?

Thanks,

quote:

Originally posted by AfricanHunter:
Drops most mixtures about .382. sizing to .379. Shoot good. However, I keep getting leakage at the air vents causing "whiskers". Lyman mold #375449 GC. Hadn't used it for 15 years, don't remember if it always did it or not. What is wrong?

Thanks,

Raise it up and hold it in front of a light. ?Try to see if you can see any light between the block halfs. Sometimes they will do that when the blocks are "sprung" a little bit and don't quite close all the way. Other times they do it when there is a little alloy stuck to the face of one block half, again keeping them from shutting 100% all the way.

Still another cause is sometimes having a good flowing alloy such as linotype and the mould both heated too hot. That CAN sometimes allow the metal to flow a bit into the vents.

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by AfricanHunter:
Drops most mixtures about .382. sizing to .379. Shoot good. However, I keep getting leakage at the air vents causing "whiskers". Lyman mold #375449 GC. Hadn't used it for 15 years, don't remember if it always did it or not. What is wrong?

Thanks,

Raise it up and hold it in front of a light. ?Try to see if you can see any light between the block halfs. Sometimes they will do that when the blocks are "sprung" a little bit and don't quite close all the way. Other times they do it when there is a little alloy stuck to the face of one block half, again keeping them from shutting 100% all the way.

Still another cause is sometimes having a good flowing alloy such as linotype and the mould both heated too hot. That CAN sometimes allow the metal to flow a bit into the vents.

No light seen. Mold faces clean. Tried lower temp on mix, no help. I'll try lower, but I was low enough I could cast continuely with no "frosty" bullets ever showing.

Using 4# Lino, 4# lead and 3 oz tin, sure shoots good, just have to rub of the whiskers with a knife edge.

Thanks,

Could be one of a couple of things. Sometimes a bit too much tin will allow those whiskers to form. The method of how you fill the mold can also be part of the problem. If you have the mold up against the spout can allow this to happen, at least more often than when not holding it tight against the spout. Sometimes it's a combination of the two. However, looking at your alloy, I'm thinking a bit too much tin. Lino is already rther tin rich and adding that extra just might make it a but too tin rich. Try adding maybe a half pound to one full pound of lead to that mix and see if that doesn't fix the propblem.
Paul B.

What Paul said... lino is 4% tin already if memory serves, so you are at 2% before you add the other 3 oz. No disrespect intended, but you are wasting very expensive tin. 2% should be enough.

One other thing to try is to ladle cast, if you aren't already. Assuming you are using a bottom pour pot, sometimes the additional pressure on the alloy from a full pot will cause a bullet to whisker.

+ another on too much tin causing the whiskers. Don't add the additional 3 oz of tin as it is not necessary with the linotype in the mix. A 50/50 Lino/lead alloy makes very good .375 bullets out of the Lyman 375449 mould. If you want them harder to dive to 2200+ fps out of a .375 then simply water quench them out of the mould. It works very well for me in my M70 .375 H&H.

Larry Gibson

With 4 lbs of lino omit the extra tin and try 6 lbs of lead. I use this mix to make my limited supply of lino do double duty. Some years back I bought a bunch of linotype and when finished had about a half 5 gallon bucket. Sad to say the bucket is almost empty. If you are getting wiskers then either your alloy is too hot or the mold blocks aren't in proper alignment. Good shooting, Frank

Dropped the tin, still cast good, some less whiskers, Using bottom feed Lee pot. I have the same problem with a double cavity 30 cal. SAECO, but I can see some light in it. Too heavy any way. No problem with my single cavity Lyman, much lighter to handle as well.

Thanks.

I have found that when I fill my mould from the bottom spigot of my LEE 4-20 pot my bullets drop with a small amount of air vent whiskers attached.

I believe the 15 lb + load of melted lead in the pot is suppling too much lead pressure to the outlet valve, the lead is forced by this pressure into the air vents.

After I've top dipped out at least half the lead in the pot the bottom pour method no longer makes air vent whiskers lead pressure has been reduced.