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#11076140 03/27/16
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i was throwing .45acp 200 grain from a mihec four hole mould with pins yesterday.
didn't catch it until i started resizing them, but a number were to large to fit in the .452 sizer die.

Got to looking at the mould today, and it wasn't fully closing you could rock it front and back and there was movement.
took the pins out and it was flush.
One of two things, either the pin was just a little too large, or had worked loose, meaning my fault i should have checked they were tight.
I think this is more the case, as of about 300 bullets cast, 20 or 30 were this way which probable meant the pin had loosened up.
One question, is anyone lubricating the pin holes in the mould?


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Yes, lube the pin holes. Also sometimes the pins that come out the side of the hp pins will prevent the mold from fully closing so loosening them up slightly might be needed. There shouldn't be any burrs, but wouldn't hurt giving everything a once over to see what's hanging it up.

I haven't had any problems with the MP molds I've had to date.

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Originally Posted by RoninPhx
i was throwing .45acp 200 grain from a mihec four hole mould with pins yesterday.
didn't catch it until i started resizing them, but a number were to large to fit in the .452 sizer die.

Got to looking at the mould today, and it wasn't fully closing you could rock it front and back and there was movement.
took the pins out and it was flush.
One of two things, either the pin was just a little too large, or had worked loose, meaning my fault i should have checked they were tight.
I think this is more the case, as of about 300 bullets cast, 20 or 30 were this way which probable meant the pin had loosened up.
One question, is anyone lubricating the pin holes in the mould?


Actually, this is common with MP molds if the side pins are tight. Back them off 1/2 turn or so and leave them loose, this lets them seat in the blocks correctly without being bound up.

Alternatively you can drill the side holes just slightly oversized (what I think Mihec should be doing in the first place) but most prefer not to do that. I've used both methods and they both work fine.

Do use some lube on the pins, but very very sparingly.

Last edited by Yondering; 03/27/16.
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I've found on my Mihec moulds that if I lube the pins using Kroil they slide easily, don't build up gunk, and the Kroil has no effect on bullet casting in that it will not cause wrinkles if it migrates into the mold cavity. I'll bet I have the same .45 mold as you, and it is a good one.
(I've actually started storing all my iron molds wiped down with Kroil inside and out...)

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Huh. I've tried Kroil in my molds, and it always caused horrible wrinkles until it finally burned away, just like any other oil. Some guys swear by Kroil in their molds, but I've found it to be pretty awful. I wonder what you're doing differently that it works? Are you just preheating the molds long enough that it burns the oils out?

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Very well could be - my standard operating procedure is to turn the lead pot on and top it off, then turn on the hot plate to 350* and start heating the mold (s). 20-30 minutes later the pot is ready, and the mold is at it's 350* setting. First bullets drop perfect for me every time.

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That makes sense. I've found by the time Kroil is burned out of a mold enough to cast well, it's pretty much gone; might as well just use a clean mold in the first place. I prefer the silicone based lubes for mold pins, as recommended by Mihec and others, since it stays put and keeps lubricating when hot.

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I can't seem to avoid wrinkles if any oil is left in the cavities. My prep procedure is to clean the cavities several times with oil free solvents and cue tips, followed up by smoking the cavities. This works so well that I haven't even tried to cast a single bullet without prior cleaning and smoking the cavities in decades.


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Some people get all worked up about smoking the cavities and how it's not needed, but I do it on most of my molds too. It just makes casting easier, with no ill effects that I've ever seen.

To be honest I rarely preheat my molds much other than dipping the end in the pot for a few seconds, but usually get good bullets on the first cast with smoked cavities. Once a mold is broken in though and used for a while, I usually don't need to go back and smoke it again.

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I have pretty much allways smoked the lyman steel molds, but don't ever remember doing it for the brass molds. One thing i learned on here recently after years of casting bullets is to use a hot plate to preheat the molds. Much difference. I think i get better fill out to by throwing in some lead free solder to the mix. I know with that added to the wheelweights i can get right to the brinell rating of lyman no 2


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I used to always add 2% tin to my wheel weight alloy, but quit doing that when I realized I could cast just as well without it. Only time I do any more is for some special hollow point alloy, but that's pretty rare, and is a lot more than 2%.

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Originally Posted by Yondering
Huh. I've tried Kroil in my molds, and it always caused horrible wrinkles until it finally burned away, just like any other oil. Some guys swear by Kroil in their molds, but I've found it to be pretty awful. I wonder what you're doing differently that it works? Are you just preheating the molds long enough that it burns the oils out?


I've had the same experience with Kroil, and it was disappointing. I am a huge fan of Kroil- I even use it to scrub rifle bores. BUT, in this instance I ended up doing a complete cleaning of the moulds with acetone and Scotch-Brite, then brake cleaner to get the Kroil out of the cavities.

The advice I have always heard was to store moulds with your final casting still in place. It retains the sprue plate and locks your mould handles in place.

Of course, for long term storage one would need to take more permanent steps in dis-mounting the moulds, cleaning, protecting, and storing.


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