Ready to begin first cast. Have a questions

[FNilo]

I just received my mould today and want to give it a try. I have a Lee double cavity. I am aware about preping your moulds (ie cleaning, smoking) but I have to lubricate the sprue bushing and pins. It said to use some bullet lube but not Liquid Alox. Is there anything around the house or garage that I can use to lubricate the mould? I am excited to give it a try tonight.

Thanks

[mooman76]

I use WD-40 and I use it as a mould release also!

[quiknot]

been using the lithium grease for the V grooves and pins...got a large tube at a hardware store, will last into my great great grandchildrens days....i do smoke the mold cavities as well

[Bret4207]

Candle wax, bullet lube, rubbing a nice soft carpenters pencil on the surfaces works great too. The pencil is nice as it doesn't flow. Wax and grease will. It can contanimate the cavity if you're not careful and then you have to clean it up.

[Howdy Doody]

I actually use neverseize. I dab it on the alignment pins and the graphite or whatever the lubricant is in neverseize. Stays right there and I seldom ever have to put any more on. I use wooden matches to smoke the mold, that keeps the mold from build up. I tried the spray releases and they tend to build up after a while. The sprue cutter nut on the bolt tends to loosen up on some of my 6 gang molds and I found that if I heat it up and flux it, I can pour a bit of lead on it and it does not melt away and keeps the nut from loosening. I have had good luck with Lee molds for my purpose at least. I might consider a better quality mold if i cast something I hunted with or long range shooting. I like to keep my pot on the hot side and run it near 750 and I swap back and forth with another mold when I am casting. Most of my problems have been when starting up and that is with the sprue cutter not hot enough. I use just 6 gang molds usually. I will start by filling a couple cavities and then cutting sprue and then 3 and so on untill my mold is warm enough and my sprue cutter is hot enough to cut sprues easily. If you are using just the two cavity mold, see if you can find a piece of brass to tap the cutter open. It is easier on the sprue cutter that way then hitting it with steel.
That's about it, unless you have more questions and if you do, come on back and we can all help you out.:-D

[Buckshot]

................FEAR NOT!!!!!!!!!! After you have wrecked a couple Lee moulds you'll aquire a 'feel' for when they need lube, HA. Actually those Lee 1 and 2 cavity moulds have yards of alignment surface in those 2 'V' features in the extruded blocks. That is a good thing.

The bad thing is that when we're casting, the alloy is much closer to the melting point of aluminum then it is to brass, cast iron, etc. What happens is the aluminum gets sticky. Not sticky so it would stick to a wall if you threw it, but on a molecular level.

The other alignment feature is those pressed in roller bearings. An elegant solution but just not enough surface area. And, you have aluminum banging against steel (through block wobble and less then 100% alignment when closing the blocks). Those steel pins WILL eventually kind of waller out (sorry, engineering term) their mating recess in the other block.

Wonder if Carpetman can do anything with that "Mating Recess"? :idea:

A danger also is possible over lubing. The lube will wick up between the closed blocks, and if any way possible will find it's way into a cavity. For lubeing my Lee moulds before I eventually destroy them. I merely use boolit lube that has found it's way out of the lube-sizer press somehow or the other. I add to a supply I keep in a metal musket cap tin. To apply it I use a small jeweler's screwdriver.

Just a little dab'l do ya.

.................Buckshot

[georgeld]

Seems everyone does it differently.

I have never smoked the molds. Gave it a try some times and seemed to create more problems than it solve's. Like spray release agent. What a mess and cost $7 a can too. Will save that for something else.

Been using a wire to dip in ATF and drip on the pins and hinge's.

I like that idea of neversieze. Had a bottle of it handy, will try to keep that in mind next time I get to casting.

[FNilo]

Thanks for all the advice! I casted around 300 boolits last night. It went very well for the first time. There is a learning curve on anything you do for the first time.

I put a caliper on some of the boolits and they measure out to be .452-.453 (.45 acp) Do I need to size them or can I lube and load? I have a Lee .452 sizing dye but it seems that if they are already .452 it won't be doing anything.

What do you think?

Thanks for everything!

[mooman76]

You can size them if you want. I quit sizing pistol bullets some time ago. The 452 sizer may still do some good. If your bullet is out of round a little it will even them out. I just shoot as cast any more!