Casting sinkers - updated question post 32

P

piker

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I know it’s not a bullet mold but I’m sure some of you experienced casters can tell me what the issue is.
My pyramid sinker mold for fishing always casts sinkers with ripples.

They of course work fine for fishing, but we were curious as to why the rippled finish.
Thanks in advance.
 
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You said straight wheel weights, did you use stick-on weights. The colour and surface of your cast sinkers says very soft lead to me. Yes your mold is too cold hence the wrinkles.
 
piker said:
I’m wondering if I should have my brother “skeletonize” the mold some, so it heats faster - good idea or bad?
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Most times I just run my molds for a while without putting hooks or eyes in them until the start casting nice. If you pot is big enough or mold small enough, just stick the mold in the molten lead for a minute or two
 
piker said:
I had my brother make longer handles, and lighten the mold some. Again I preheated the mold with propane torches and after roughly 15-20 casts they got much smoother, but after 30 they still were not perfect - but I’m happy either way. Since it’s a homemade mold and it was really about experimenting more than anything else, I think I will get him to cut some vents in the mold and see if anything changes. And if I can talk him into it, I will get him to make a bigger dipper with a larger port.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions, they were appreciated
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To be honest I think in your case the appearance is moot. Unlike bullets where surface irregularities, small voids, etc. are not desirable as they may affect accuracy these are just sinkers used to add weight and from the photo are perfectly usable as is. I'm as OCD as the next person as far as casting perfect looking bullets is concerned but for sinkers (especially big ones like these) it's not an issue unless having perfect looking sinkers really matters to you. I could perhaps see your concern if you wanted to cast nice, professional looking jig heads for painting but for these I think trying for casting perfection is a fool's errand.
 
Those sinkers look like they've been filled by multiple small pours, or one very slow one.

How big are the sinkers? You say it's one ladle pour, how long do you take for the pour?

If the mold is hot enough, maybe the heat of the ladle and/or of the lead you're pouring is not.
 
yomomma said:
Does the mold have a vent?
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That's what I was wondering.

While he probably doesn't want to drop the money for a proper casting pot I wonder if something like a Lee Pro 4-20 would produce better pours. The lead comes out of those pretty quick, especially when the pot is near full and would likely help to keep the alloy temperature up and reduce wrinkling since you're getting a constant flow of hot metal whereas with the dipper the last metal be poured will have cooled down somewhat.

BTW, wrinkling or not that's a pretty nice machining job on the mould.
 
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