Balls!

[Paul_R]

This is how many I got with my brand new Lee two cavity .600 round ball mold before the mold was galled and unusable. I'm not new to casting, it was properly cleaned and lubed. And to top it off, the balls were .004" undersized and out of round. I spent an hour drilling, tapping and lapping and had to order some .002" shim washers to lift the sprue plate up off the mold so it doesn't gall on the entire surface of the plate and now it at least doesn't gall. What junk! Never again on the Lee molds.

[nedro]

Maybe next time, don't use the hedge trimmer on them?

[Paul_R]

Maybe next time, don't use the hedge trimmer on them?

LOL!

[rm1911]

Dude, the continental army called. Cornwallis just surrendered.

[Sir Toast]

My great grandfather had that exact same set of screwdrivers! Sorry OP.

[wbunning]

Are you sure you're not just tearing it down because of the name ? It seems to be a "thing" these days.

[AragornElessar86]

I feel like an idiot. I've been fighting the cold mold for years, basically throwing the first 3-4 sets back in the pot right away because the mold hasn't warmed up. How have I not thought of the hot plate?

[kcstott]

I feel like an idiot. I've been fighting the cold mold for years, basically throwing the first 3-4 sets back in the pot right away because the mold hasn't warmed up. How have I not thought of the hot plate?

You don't soak the mold in your lead first??

[AragornElessar86]

You don't soak the mold in your lead first??

Nope. Is there a reason to do that other than to heat it up? Besides, my 6 gang mold is too long to fully submerge in my pot.

Even once my mold is hot it still cools down between pours. Again, the hot plate is brilliant and I feel like a total idiot for not thinking of it.

[Paul_R]

Nope. Is there a reason to do that other than to heat it up? Besides, my 6 gang mold is too long to fully submerge in my pot.

Even once my mold is hot it still cools down between pours. Again, the hot plate is brilliant and I feel like a total idiot for not thinking of it.

My aluminum mold garage is a little extravagant, most people just use an old saw blade

[Pardini]

I feel like an idiot. I've been fighting the cold mold for years, basically throwing the first 3-4 sets back in the pot right away because the mold hasn't warmed up. How have I not thought of the hot plate?

Lol. Well ok, but what do you think of that PID?

[Redemption]

That is genius! Why didnt I think of a hotplate.... Buying one immediately...

[jericho89]

I have a stainless steel plate that I put on top of my lead pot that the mold gets set on when lead is not being pored into it. It keeps the mold hot and I do not need another thing to plug in.

[stilly]

This is how many I got with my brand new Lee two cavity .600 round ball mold before the mold was galled and unusable. I'm not new to casting, it was properly cleaned and lubed. And to top it off, the balls were .004" undersized and out of round. I spent an hour drilling, tapping and lapping and had to order some .002" shim washers to lift the sprue plate up off the mold so it doesn't gall on the entire surface of the plate and now it at least doesn't gall. What junk! Never again on the Lee molds.

Please do not tell me that you have a mold oven and hotplate for a Lee two banger Aluminum mold.

If so, then you need to surrender your fine looking PID and well, where you at again? I think my dad was telling me about someone stealing his screwdriver the other day and oddly it was described as one I see there on the right. Wooden handle, grip cuts notched in the wood at various levels, been his favorite since 1954...

[Redemption]

All my molds are Lee molds, ive only ever had one that was bad, there was something wrong with the aluminum and it failed almost immediately. It went back and was replaced free of charge. I like me Lee molds