How may pours should you get per mold?

[hesjustbassin]

I've toasted 6 molds today including all 4 of my 3/4oz molds and am about fed up. 
At $125 apiece for these things, they should last longer. I'm only getting about 1-2000 heads per mold. Does anyone know how many should I get per silicone mold?

[Mike Cork]

Man I have never used a silicone one, it's centrifical too isn't it? I would think that you would be able to do much more than that. You have to get lead pretty hot and that's going to be a factor, but I just don't know enough about these systems. I do know they aint cheap, that alone tells me they should last.

[hesjustbassin]

Mike, I just did the math and at this rate, it's coasting me 18 cents per head including hooks and fiber guard. I was mad at first, but the numbers aren't so bad after all. The only thing that bugs me is that it'll take at least 2 weeks to get more 3/4oz molds in.

[Mike Cork]

Still though how much labor is in replacing the mold? I have a buddy that pours and next time I talk to him I will try to get some info  He's out west and I haven't hollared at him in quite some time, guess a "how ya doing" email is in order 

[hesjustbassin]

That would be great. Right now I use Cast Ind. for my molds. The only tricky part is that they have all my masters in order to do reproduction molds.

[Ouachita]

I still have plaster of paris molds I made in the 60s and later. Make two matching wood boxes with sides and bottom. Cast a base in one, let it set up to almost putty consistency, press heads in half way deep, cover with
Saran Wrap, then cast the matching mold over that. To do that fill the second box a little over-full and let it lay there setting up like putty, then invert the first mold over it, and mash them together with a heavy weight. That's a little tricky. Let set overnight, then carefully separate the two molds, and peel the wrap off, then carefully remove the sample heads. Then use a Dremmel drill set to customize shapes and remove air pockets, smooth channels for hooks, and make channels for the molten lead. Polish it all down smooth using a buffing wheel.

They last until dropped on the floor 

Jim

[Mike Cork]

Very good instructions Ouachita, I may do that one day, sounds like a great way to play with designs

However Hesjustbassin is in production and retail so he is needing to pour as many as possible in an hour and if he had enough molds this might work, but the process he's got with the silicone mods is pretty fast and simple just obviously not that durable.....


I had to laugh at the "last until dropped" when I was in the worm pouring business we made plaster molds to expereiment with and they never "lasted" very long for that very reason  you could never get lucky, if it fell you didn't even need to look it was a goner....

[Quick Skirt]

I have never used that type of mold however I have used Aluminum molds quite a bit I remember that I had to coat them with carbon to get a good finish also made them release a lot easier
I guess if I were to do this in a production style then I would have a tool and die shop make me a mold out of steel the initial cost would be higher but they will last from now on with just a little polishing and cleaning from time to time the only down side for either one would be the heat up time and the cooling time but if you have a couple of them the cycle times would not be that bad there are molds called investment castings in the indusrtial markets they are high precision so that there is no trimming or other operation involved with the finished products cast and done on to assembly same as the other steel mold just higher quality just some ideas
Shawn

[hesjustbassin]

I have 2 steel ones for my 1.5oz heads Shawn, but I can't spin them up as fast as the silicone. I also need a releasing agent with them in order to prevent sticking. The over all cost was much more for them vice the silicone so, I'll just deal with the replacement every couple weeks.