FAQs

What size mould should I order?

To work out what size mould you need there are two main things to consider – Patches & Shrinkage.

 

Patches

If you are using a patch, then deduct the thickness of the patch from the mould size. E.g. If you want a .750″ mould and will be using a 15 thou patch, you would want to order a .735″ mould.

 

Shrinkage

The next thing to consider is the shrinkage. You can use this simple formula to calculate the cavity diameter: Multiply the ball diameter with 1.005 to get the size of the cavity. This is based on Wheel Weight alloy with 0.5% shrinkage. For absolutely pure lead you may increase the factor to 1.007 (0.7%).

These two factors should give you everything to calculate the size mould you need.

Here is an example:

.688″ x 1.007 (pure lead shrinkage rate) = 0.692816    So, in this instance you would select a .692″ mould

If using a .015″ thou patch:

.692″ – .015″ (patch thickness) = .677″ Mould

How do the moulds fit the handles?

Please see these images

Mould 2  Mould 1  Mould 5

Do you ship internationally?

Yes! We are happy to ship our goods world wide.

Round Ball Moulds

Q: What material is the Ball Mould made from?

A: Our moulds are made from Brass – specifically CZ 121 brass, noted for its clean cutting and hardness.

Q: What size can I order?

A: We can make any size Ball Mould you require.

Q: Do you make multi cavity moulds?

A: Not at present.

Q: Are handles included with the Ball Mould?

A: No, but our Moulds are designed to fit regular handles. We can supply LEE 90005 Mould Handles which are very good value.

Q: How does the old bore size system work?

A: Below is the old system for calculating bore sizes. It works on balls to the pound. i.e. a 16 bore would use a ball which weighed 1oz.

No. of Gauge Dia. of Bore in Inches No. of Gauge Dia. of Bore in Inches No. of Gauge Dia. of Bore in Inches
1 1.669 13 0.710 25 0.571
2 1.325 14 0.693 26 0.563
3 1.157 15 0.677 27 0.556
4 1.052 16 0.662 28 0.550
5 0.976 17 0.650 29 0.543
6 0.919 18 0.637 30 0.537
7 0.873 19 0.626 31 0.531
8 0.835 20 0.615 32 0.526
9 0.803 21 0.605 33 0.520
10 0.775 22 0.596 34 0.515
11 0.751 23 0.587 35 0.510
12 0.729 24 0.579 36 0.506

 

Belted Ball Moulds

Q: Why do you need a sample ball or slug of my gun barrel?

A: We need a sample ball or slug of your bore if it is for a Belted Ball Mould. Please click here to see why (PDF)

Q: How should I make a slug of my gun barrel?

A: The best way to take a cast of a two groove (Brunswick style) rifle barrel is do the following:

Put a length of wire, with a hook on the end, into the barrel. Place some rag on top of the hook and push down the barrel approx..2” Pour the lead ( Cerrosafe or whatever material you are using to make the cast), on top of the rag. When cooled pull the slug out using the wire.

Once you have the slug, please send it to:

James Tanner,

30 Rayleigh Avenue,

Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex,

England, SS0 7DS

 

Cannon Ball and Hollow Cannon Ball Moulds

Q: What Material is the Cannon Ball Mould made from?

A: Moulds from 1.100″ up to 2.000″ are made from CZ 121 Brass which is noted for its clean cutting and hardness. Moulds from 2.001″ are made from Aircraft grade duralumin which is noted for its ability to take a high finish and is unaffected by molten lead.

Q: What about handles for the Cannon Ball Moulds?

A: We don’t supply handles for either type of cannon mould, but you can find a picture of how to make them here:

– Cannon Moulds Handles (PDF)

 

Patches

Q: What material are the Patches made from?

A: The Patches are made from quality dry cotton.

Q: What size Patch should I use for the Round ball?

A: Please see the table below for a guide:

Bore Dia. of Patch in Inches
0.360″ 3/4″ or 7/8″
0.450″ 1″
0.500″ 1.1/8″ or 1.1/4″
0.625″ 1.1/2″
0.690″ 1.1/2″ or 1.3/4″
0.750″ 1.3/4″

 

Payment

Q: What are GBP?

A: Great Britain Pounds.

Q: I don’t have a PayPal account

A: PayPal is very easy to set up. Please follow this link: PAYPAL

Q: Can I send you a cheque instead?

A: Cheques are accepted, but only if the payment is in GB pounds.

 

Delivery times

Most orders will be posted within 1 to 2 weeks, however sometimes delays happen so please allow between 7 and 21 days for your order to arrive. If more than 30 days have passed please email us at orders@ballmoulds.com to review the status of your order.

This website doesn’t recognize my address

Sorry if you are having this problem. Please fill in the contact form with your order & we will send you an invoice.

Other FAQ’s

Q: Nice photos. Who took them?

A: Yeah, they’re great! Perry Andrews took the pictures. Here is his website: www.pelnet.co.uk