Sprue removal

[Mike from OK]

Part review, part request for advice here...

I recently purchased one of the bag molds from TOTW for my .32 rifle. If you haven't looked at these, they are a single cavity mold with sprue cutters in the handles. I believe they are made in India, which caused me some trepidation, but the fit and finish are acceptable.

After finishing a day of honey-do's in this heat I decided to give the mold a trial run. After all, every sane person sits down near a pot of melted metal after baking in the sun all day.

In a little while I had cast about 3 dozen balls... Most of that time was spent prepping and melting lead... The casting went quick and the mold throws a fine ball.

The sprue nippers are less than stellar. I can't make up my mind if the geometry of the cutting edges is incorrect. Or... More likely... The .310 ball is just too small to get enough proximity to the cutters to provide enough clearance to get a clean cut.

As I said, the mold throws a nice ball. But it looks like I may have to invest in a small pair of end nipper pliers to get a cleaner cut on the sprues.

Any suggestions?

Mike

[smylee grouch]

Grab the sprue as close to the ball as you can with the cutter and twist the ball as you squeeze the handles. This is how I do it with an electrician type pliers and the balls out of one of Jeff Tanner's molds and it seems to do a good job.

[hanshi]

Sprue removal is probably the one thing that tumbling the ball actually helps.  After cutting the sprue off as best as I can, I put them in a Thumbler Tumbler or a vibrating tumbler.  What remains of the sprue is pretty much leveled out or gone.

[mark esterly]

ditto what smylee said.     i've seen the tool he mentioned at the local dollar store and that one will work just fine

[stubshaft]

I bought me a cheap diagonal cutter from Sears and ground a 3/8" radius in it to snip off small sprues.

[Mike from OK]

Thank you gents.

Mike

[JBJ]

Google "flush cutting pliers". Prices vary but they do work.
J.B.

[Mike from OK]

I tried doing what Smylee advised... There just isn't much clearance and it's dadgum hard to manipulate that .310 ball so close in to the cutters on the mold.

So I picked up a pair of cheap end nippers. They weren't flush cut... But after a few minutes touching up the face on the grinder they are now. And they cut clean and very close.

I think the whole system would work fine on a larger diameter ball. But those .310 balls have such a small radius you just can't get in close enough for a clean cut.

Mike

[Mike from OK]

Well Curt, let me just dig around in the closet for my old Bridgeport. Lol

Mike

[heinz]

Those bag style molds were never meant for production runs.  I always used a knife to cut the sprue off.  Works well if you are only running a half dozen balls on the trail.  At home in the shop you need a tuned up Lyman 

[Mike from OK]

Those bag style molds were never meant for production runs.  I always used a knife to cut the sprue off.  Works well if you are only running a half dozen balls on the trail.  At home in the shop you need a tuned up Lyman 

Indeed. That's why I'm not getting too wrapped up about it. But I figured I'd ask in case there was an angle I hadn't considered.

Mike

[heinz]

I have never done much shooting with 32 cast balls.  I bought a bunch of .310 round balls from speer.  I had a friend who used a bag mold on a 32 squirrel gun.  When target shooting he would touch up the rough sprue cut when he started the ball n the muzzle.  I always thought it was funny he used a pre-cut batch and carved the ball

[B.Habermehl]

.32caliber stuff is way too fiddley for my fat fingers. That being said I use the toenail clippers that look like diagonal pliers to clip sprues. They cut nice and flush. BJH

[mark esterly]

mike from ok
   use the wire stripper holes on that electrical tool and twist. not the cutter.  the cutter is too blunt

[smylee grouch]

Yes the wire stripper holes is what I was speaking of in my first post. You can get quite close with them and when you grip and twist there won,t be hardly any sprue left.

[Mike from OK]

I assume you fellers are talking about wire strippers...

I'm an electrician so I have several pair. I'll give them a shot next time I cast some balls.

Mike

[Daryl]

Grab the sprue as close to the ball as you can with the cutter and twist the ball as you squeeze the handles. This is how I do it with an electrician type pliers and the balls out of one of Jeff Tanner's molds and it seems to do a good job.

That is exactly how I remove sprues from my Tanner moulds, using plyer's type wire strippers. Works perfectly & with practice, perfectly round ball with no sprue to orient to the top position.

[Mike from OK]

So are you guys using the cutting blade portion or the actual stripping holes?

Mike

[smylee grouch]

Use the stripping holes,flat side against the ball, squeeze enough to get a good grip on the ball but not so much as to cut it off, then twist ball as you apply more pressure to the pliers grips.

[Mike from OK]

I'll give it a go next time I pour a few.

Mike