A couple of casting round ball questions

[HighUintas]

I've got a few questions on casting round ball.

I have a Lyman single cavity 570 and a Lee magnum melter. Pure soft lead. I hear it up to 775F monitoring with thermo, put mold on edge to warm up and leave ladle in lead then start casting. I leave a few balls in the mold over the top of the pot longer than normal and toss them back to get the mold extra hot.

My balls come out 280-281.5gr.  and measure 0.570 x 0.570, but last batch was 0.570x0.571

Good balls but have slight circumference lines. Is it an issue?







At 775-800, the lead oxidizes with a yellow skin super fast. Fluxing it with wax or saw dust and skimming the dross doesn't help much. It comes back super fast.

I struggle to prevent getting dross inclusions in my balls.

What is the proper way to pour in the two pictures below? The first picture is hard to prevent dross inclusions and doesn't make as smooth a surface even though my mold is super hot and lead super hot. The second picture puts no dross in the ball and fills it out really well, super smooth ball surface, but the lead also wants to flow into the air grooves and I don't want to have to remove those. Sometimes it gets stuck in the grooves and seems tinned.






Bad ball with dross inclusions

[smylee grouch]

A 570 RB should be around 278 grains of pure lead. Was the melting pot clean when you started ? With that hot of lead and a hot mold held level pour the lead into mold as fast as you can and keep mold level until lead solidifies. The hole in the spru plate might be too small.

[Daryl]

My .570 Lyman mould casts .574 x .574. I've never weighed them. There will be a line around the ball caused by the mould design, NP.
If the wires from the air vents are scraped off, again NP
 Casting as the Grouch noted, no wires. Those are caused by "pressure" casting with a little too much heat in either lead  or mold, or both.
The quick crusting dross can be somewhat eliminated by the addition of about 1 ounce of 50/50 solder or 1/2 ounce of tin wire to a 20 pound pot of lead. That is what I do instead of too much fiddling with the temp. This minute amount of tin does not materially harden the lead enough to make ANY difference in any manner.
Usually when the FIA. changes it is due to a spec of lead(as from an air bleed hole) between the blocks. This can be difficult to see.
A tray of freshly cast balls in the sunlight should look like a tray of round gems.

[HighUintas]

A 570 RB should be around 278 grains of pure lead. Was the melting pot clean when you started ? With that hot of lead and a hot mold held level pour the lead into mold as fast as you can and keep mold level until lead solidifies. The hole in the spru plate might be too small.

It's has a decent sized sprue on it. I figured that the extra weight is in the sprue.

[HighUintas]

My .570 Lyman mould casts .574 x .574. I've never weighed them. There will be a line around the ball caused by the mould design, NP.
If the wires from the air vents are scraped off, again NP
 Casting as the Grouch noted, no wires. Those are caused by "pressure" casting with a little too much heat in either lead  or mold, or both.
The quick crusting dross can be somewhat eliminated by the addition of about 1 ounce of 50/50 solder or 1/2 ounce of tin wire to a 20 pound pot of lead. That is what I do instead of too much fiddling with the temp. This minute amount of tin does not materially harden the lead enough to make ANY difference in any manner.
Usually when the FIA. changes it is due to a spec of lead(as from an air bleed hole) between the blocks. This can be difficult to see.
A tray of freshly cast balls in the sunlight should look like a tray of round gems.

So I might be able to prevent the wires when pressure pouring if I lower the temp? I might try that because I like the look of those a little more. I think I've got some 50/50, so I'll try that next time.

I was thinking that I must have a little lead spatter inside the blocks, but I couldn't find any anywhere. I'll get the magnivisor thing out and look closer.

Thanks!

[smylee grouch]

I assume your ball weight figures were a typo? If you use that dipper with a spout you might consider drilling out the spout hole to help the lead flow into the mold faster. I use a ladel style dipped which will give me more of a spru. That little lead puddle gives you the reserve lead to draw from when the ball cools-solidifies- and shrinks.

[Bill in Md]

Are you using pure beeswax???

[HighUintas]

I assume your ball weight figures were a typo? If you use that dipper with a spout you might consider drilling out the spout hole to help the lead flow into the mold faster. I use a ladel style dipped which will give me more of a spru. That little lead puddle gives you the reserve lead to draw from when the ball cools-solidifies- and shrinks.

The weights are not a typo and I know my scale is accurate. It's a nerdy lab scale with certified check weights.

Most of what I see is that a pure lead ball at 0.570 is about 279gr, so I don't think it's unreasonable to think that there could be 1-2.5gr in the sprue

[HighUintas]

Are you using pure beeswax???

Beeswax for fluxing? No, I have parafin. Haven't tried pure beeswax

[HighUintas]

So it seems either pouring method is acceptable but doing the pressure pour may require lower temperature and non pressure pour requires a much faster pour and maybe some tin to reduce dross/oxidation issues.

Thanks! I'll experiment with both methods next time.

[HighUintas]

A 570 RB should be around 278 grains of pure lead. Was the melting pot clean when you started ? With that hot of lead and a hot mold held level pour the lead into mold as fast as you can and keep mold level until lead solidifies. The hole in the spru plate might be too small.

My here's the sprue size. It also almost looks like the top of the sphere below the sprue might have more of an elongated curve rather than a true circle leading to the sprue. Maybe that accounts for the weight.

Yes the pot was new when I started using it

[Bill in Md]

Try fluxing with pure beeswax and you will never have a dross issue again.....It separates it instantly and you just spoon it off the top. It will flame up a little though when added....I won't cast without it

[beerd]

I assume your ball weight figures were a typo? If you use that dipper with a spout you might consider drilling out the spout hole to help the lead flow into the mold faster. I use a ladel style dipped which will give me more of a spru. That little lead puddle gives you the reserve lead to draw from when the ball cools-solidifies- and shrinks.

The weights are not a typo and I know my scale is accurate. It's a nerdy lab scale with certified check weights.

Most of what I see is that a pure lead ball at 0.570 is about 279gr, so I don't think it's unreasonable to think that there could be 1-2.5gr in the sprue

look at your first post again
..

[smylee grouch]

So I had a mold that I thought the spru hole was too small, so I drilled it out from the cone side, just slightly. Then I took a 60 degree counter sink and re established the cutting edge in the spru hole from the cone side.This allows the molten lead to flow into the cavity easier-faster. Thus allowing the mold to fill with out wrinkles on my balls. Try a ladel style dipper so you can get more spru puddle.

[Daryl]

I use nothing but good pure beeswax for fluxing. I use the small amount of tin to prevent the rapid forming of dross on top of the very hot and very pure X-Ray room lead I use.
I disliked having to flux every 10 balls cast and I cast at a VERY fast rate. I hate casting & if I could buy .682" or .685" pure lead balls I would. I can buy .495's for the Beck rifle, so I do that even though i have 2, .495" DC round ball moulds for that rifle. If I could buy .350" or even .360", I would instead of casting then in my .350" DC mould.

[HighUintas]

I assume your ball weight figures were a typo? If you use that dipper with a spout you might consider drilling out the spout hole to help the lead flow into the mold faster. I use a ladel style dipped which will give me more of a spru. That little lead puddle gives you the reserve lead to draw from when the ball cools-solidifies- and shrinks.

The weights are not a typo and I know my scale is accurate. It's a nerdy lab scale with certified check weights.

Most of what I see is that a pure lead ball at 0.570 is about 279gr, so I don't think it's unreasonable to think that there could be 1-2.5gr in the sprue

look at your first post again
..

Hehe... Silly me. It's fixed.

[HighUintas]

So I had a mold that I thought the spru hole was too small, so I drilled it out from the cone side, just slightly. Then I took a 60 degree counter sink and re established the cutting edge in the spru hole from the cone side.This allows the molten lead to flow into the cavity easier-faster. Thus allowing the mold to fill with out wrinkles on my balls. Try a ladel style dipper so you can get more spru puddle.

Ahh I see. Thanks for that tip. I may try it. I do get a pretty big sprue puddle now, but pouring faster without doing the pressure method would be nice. When I try to pour it real fast now, it gets messy due to that small hole.

[HighUintas]

I use nothing but good pure beeswax for fluxing. I use the small amount of tin to prevent the rapid forming of dross on top of the very hot and very pure X-Ray room lead I use.
I disliked having to flux every 10 balls cast and I cast at a VERY fast rate. I hate casting & if I could buy .682" or .685" pure lead balls I would. I can buy .495's for the Beck rifle, so I do that even though i have 2, .495" DC round ball moulds for that rifle. If I could buy .350" or even .360", I would instead of casting then in my .350" DC mould.

I hate casting too! I'd considered buying some, but I have lead and this nice mold, so why not use it til the lead is gone

[Daryl]

You can easily increase the size of the sprue hole with a ctg. case chamferel tool, or a simple large drill. Dont make it too large. Discretion is the better part of valor.

[snapper]

I tip the mold sideways, but the ladle to the hole and rotate the mold vertical.   I also leave the full ladle on top of the mold for a 4 second count to allow the mold to take more lead and IMO for the head pressure of the full ladle of lead to cause the mold to fill out better.

I only use bees wax and when I flux I stir the heck out of the leas.  All the $#@* floats to the top nicely.

I also have a hot plate in my casting area that is used only to pre heat my molds.   AL molds are not much an issue, but steel molds greatly benefit from the hot plate pre heat.

I typically buy RB and am casting conicals for LRML.

Practice is all you need.

Fleener

[HighUintas]

I tip the mold sideways, but the ladle to the hole and rotate the mold vertical.   I also leave the full ladle on top of the mold for a 4 second count to allow the mold to take more lead and IMO for the head pressure of the full ladle of lead to cause the mold to fill out better.

I only use bees wax and when I flux I stir the heck out of the leas.  All the $#@* floats to the top nicely.

I also have a hot plate in my casting area that is used only to pre heat my molds.   AL molds are not much an issue, but steel molds greatly benefit from the hot plate pre heat.

I typically buy RB and am casting conicals for LRML.

Practice is all you need.

Fleener

When you pull the ladle away from the mold using that method, do you tip the mold before pulling away, or just quickly flip the ladle level while holding the mold level? And do you ever get the ladle stuck to the sprue plate? The first time I did it last year, it worked fine but a few days ago it was wanting to stick to the sprue plate hole, even after I had cast quite a few balls with the other pour method so the plate should have been plenty hot.

[snapper]

Mold is level and I tip away the ladle which leaves a puddle on top for more lead if needed.   The ladle does not get stuck on top.   If that is happening your lead might be too cool or you are leaving the ladle on too long.

Fleener

[Daryl]

Ditto, quickly flip the mould sideways. I actually pour the molten metal into the mould's sprue hole, leaving a large puddle on the top surface
for the mould to draw from.
These are .570's.(.574's) All are perfect. The marks around the circumference are from the mould's machining marks. V/hot casing, shows by the nibs showing
from the vent holes. I don't pressure cast. Used to, but hated having to carve off the pegs and getting the odd one breaking off dropping between the blocks and
wedging them apart.

[Daryl]

You pictures finally showed for me. Your balls seem to show the blocks too cool, along with a "debris" inclusion in one, maybe all balls.
Could be lead temp(or oil in the blocks), but is one or more of those. I prop up the handles of the blocks & lay the blocks themselves on the edge of the pot while it is heating.
After 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, all if ready to cast, once the lead is well fluxed.
I normally don't oil my blocks and here, they don't rust.  If there is oil in them, they need to be scrubbed under a VERY hot tap pouring water on them. Use
something like AJAX to get the blocks cleaned of all oil. AJAX works well.

[HighUintas]

You pictures finally showed for me. Your balls seem to show the blocks too cool, along with a "debris" inclusion in one, maybe all balls.
Could be lead temp(or oil in the blocks), but is one or more of those. I prop up the handles of the blocks & lay the blocks themselves on the edge of the pot while it is heating.
After 1/2 hour or 45 minutes, all if ready to cast, once the lead is well fluxed.
I normally don't oil my blocks and here, they don't rust.  If there is oil in them, they need to be scrubbed under a VERY hot tap pouring water on them. Use
something like AJAX to get the blocks cleaned of all oil. AJAX works well.

Hmm. The first two are what I called good and the last had a noticeable inclusion.

I don't understand how my mold could have been too cool. I preheated that thing forever sitting over the top of the pot like you describe (except closed) and they look the same even after casting many balls and it's definitely hotter.

I did clean my mold before, and don't oil it. Maybe I somehow got oil in it without knowing. I'll scrub it really well with degreaser before I cast again.