Not dissin', bashin' or even complaining, my order of 45-70 Lee dies, mold and Remington brass arrived today. Got home and began casting. These days I always use Frankford Arsenal Mold release on my molds, iron or aluminum, stuff just works really good. But I have noticed that my Lee molds (aluminum) are quite prone to frosting the bullets. I am well aware, this is a result of lead/mold temperature, but I find the effect harder to control when using aluminum molds than when using iron molds. Other than getting all iron molds, anyone have any suggestions? My "cure" at present is time. I either wait longer between casts or use two molds, alternating casts between the two. How do you guys deal with this?

JPH45, I like my boolits frosted, but if you don't just do the "Bruce B". Cool the mold with a damp towel. I just hang one in a handy spot (where no water can drip in the pot). After the pour, I press the the sprue plate against the towel to quickly cool, dump the boolit, make another pass at the towel with the bottom of the mold on my way back to the pot. HTH Regards, Woody

One of my shooting buddies works in the city sign shop. He liberated dinted 'No Parking' sign that I use for a heat sink for aluminum molds. Fill the mold and set it down on the aluminum sign, sucks the heat out like a sponge.
Makes for regulating the temp of molds a bit easier.
Jim

I use a literal sponge. Just set the sponge in a flat dish with a little water and touch the mould to the sponge when the bullets get a little too frosty. I like a mild uniform frost anyway.



I like the Frankfort Arsenal release stuff too, but it makes bullets cast a thou or so smaller. Normally not a problem, but when it is, I do without it.

JPH45, I've no quibble with the excellent advice offered earlier. As I too have Lee molds, including several for the .45-70, let me put in my oar. First, the larger ones, e.g., 405gr., require a great deal of heat (800 deg. F) before they begin to drop perfect bullets, but after a dozen or so, you can drop the temperature to a more reasonable 700 -730 deg. Of course, if you don't have a lead thermometer, you'll have to guess at the temp. While thermometers aren't essential to casting success, they do make things a bit more consistent. Second, you'll probably get good, if not better results from Lee molds if you smoke the cavities with wooden matches, particularly when the mold is hot: you can reapply the coating quickly and you can't beat their price. Lastly, frosted bullets aren't bad bullets, they just aren't all that attractive. ...Maven

hmmm... You might try a fan. Fix it to blow on the mold as you pour. Another to blow on the blocks as you knock the slugs out.

On my casting machine, there is a fan ( a small computer cooling fan) that blows on the sprue as it cools or on the blocks when open. I can run 4 casts/minute or maybe a tad faster with 4 cavity Lyman molds. (depends on the mold,too) Lee aluminium molds can run only 2 or so casts per minute. (definitely less than 3)

Thanks Guys, have spent the last little bit loading some of these up over some Unique to see how they shoot, perhaps I should have been a bit more specific...what I am seeing is not uniform, but frosting in the middle of the bullet. As has been mentioned, I began to run the lead a bit hot, and when that began to frost a lot, cut back on the heat. May be that it is a new mold. Will make some more and see what I get. Thanks for all the great input. Now that deer season is past and spring is approaching, it is time once again to get focused and wring the best out of a new rifle, in a chambering I have not used and certainly not cast for in over 10 years and prepare, prepare, prepare for next season. Thanks again, JP