WVEric Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have wasted about 20 wires and hooks on this mold. I can't get the lead to form in all the places. Either the hook is showing or the barb isn't molded all the way. Anybody else have this trouble with this mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 After pouring many of these, and getting a refresher jolt from Basseducer, you must use soft lead. I have tried in vain many other ways to pour these with mixed lead ratios, to no avail. Save yourself a lot of time and headaches and pour pure soft lead. Some molds will pour better than others. It depends how they are cast and assembled. I am not a fan of pure soft lead, but that is the only way I can get consistently good pours in this mold. Here are some other tips. You can keep your hooks and wireforms on a hot plate, you can smoke your mold and above all, flux your lead. I do not smoke my molds, but many guys on this site do and they swear by it. This should help you considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Once again cadman is there to the rescue!!! Listen to him because he has helped most of us here at one time or another. 1 thing I can add is make sure before you pour that you mold is HOT, put your mold on top of your melting pot while waiting for the lead to melt then make some casts without wire or hooks and after you get a few complete casts without the hardware then you can go for the real thing. It will help to leave your wire and hook colse to the pot to keep them warm, not hot but warm, I had problems in the barb area in the winter time and after making sure my hardware was warm to the touch it was good to go, and the pure soft lead is the only way to go with that mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f150with20s Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 I have wasted about 20 wires and hooks on this mold. I can't get the lead to form in all the places. Either the hook is showing or the barb isn't molded all the way. Anybody else have this trouble with this mold? The guy at Do-It told me to take a real small piece of lead, like the size of a ball point pin tip and put it in the corner of the mold toward the handles and smash it in the mold. It works great for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Since this mold was introduced several years ago, this subject comes up every couple of months. I used to cuss this mold, publicly on this forum, for the grief it has caused me. I always felt like if Do-it designed it for a bottom-pour furnace it would work just fine. Instead you must ladel pour by hand. I have had all the problems with this mold from the start, and all the tips given in the above posts are proven to solve the problem, most of the time. Something I stumbled on while pouring one day not too long ago was that if I poured the lead (soft of course) into the mold real slow, it produced every time. Go figure, cause I have always introduced the lead into the mold at a more rapid flow to keep it from solidifying too soon. Try that and see if it works for you as well. Lots of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I have wasted about 20 wires and hooks on this mold. I can't get the lead to form in all the places. Either the hook is showing or the barb isn't molded all the way. Anybody else have this trouble with this mold? Score a few vent lines, radiating from the cavity, to allow air to escape and lead to fill in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cz75b Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Keep that mold and alloy as hot as possible, pre-heat the hooks to but not too much to ruin their temper. The reason I suspect that folks suggest using pure/soft lead is that it melts at a much higher temperature than any alloy and that keeps the mold hotter as well. I still believe through years of casting bullets (where fill-out really matters) that alloyed lead-tin-antimony far out casts pure lead in every mold and is more forgiving when things are not perfect. Maybe the hook inserts make a difference? I cast hollow point bullet moulds (with an insert) too and the alloyed lead always cast better than pure/soft lead. Temperature, alloy, venting and cavity treatment all help,Midway Drop-Out is amazing. Pre heat the mold when closed and loaded with hooks/wire with a propane torch before each pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskiefool Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I heat that mold with a Mapp gas torch before I start, if you disrupt the flow while pouring even for an instant it will go goofy no matter how soft the lead or hot the mold, steady pour is key with soft lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncleskippy Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I have been pouring this mold for about a year with no problems. I always use as pure as possible soft lead. This and the Ultra Minnow Jig is both my favorite ones to paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
