Lee 9mm mold, what to lube?

[dave1909]

Hello I have a new Lee 6 cavity mold that I have used twice so far. The first time it was brand new, and I was able to produce about 2000 bullets that were of exceptional quality for a new caster. My second run was not as nice. I had alot of bullets with overmold on them. Seems that the mold was not closing tight enough. I took it apart that night and cleaned it very well. What i found was tiny specs of lead in places where it should not be. Now what I need to know is what to "Lube" the steel pins with, and this time I will "Smoke the mold" as well. Please don't bother to tell me that Lee molds are junk, because they are what I can afford right now. I did get a great run from my first time using the mold, and I have it very clean now, I just want to know what to do to keep it working well. Also, on average how long do you wait prior to opening the sprue plate. I think I am doing it to soon. Im afraid of the stories of people breaking spru plates. Thank you for all of the advise. Oh, I am using melted and clean wheel weights, and am quenching them in water when I take them out of the mold. Thanks again!

[40Super]

There used to be a guy that sold mold lube(Bullplate) here be he moved. M-p or NOE(SwedeNelson on here) can get you some of theirs, I use both that came with molds I bought. A good two cycle engine oil will also work.

[williamwaco]

See:

http://reloadingtips.com/reviews/lee_reloading_equipment.htm

for some of my thoughts on Lee equipment.

It is inexpensive but it is not junk - especially the bullet molds.
The bullet molds are one of their best products.


The instruction sheet that came with it will list all the points that need to be lubed.

Lubed means VERY LIGHTLY and when lubing the sprue cutter be VERY SURE none gets in any of the cavities.

[Shiloh]

I don't smoke anymore. My LEE molds have had boolits coated with Comet cleanser and turned in the cavities. Stubborn cavities hav had the vent lines to then gently scribed with a hard steel or carbide point.

LEE molds can be tweaked to cast perfect boolits. My big issue with LEE 9mm molds is that they are too small.

Shiloh

[theperfessor]

If by "overmolding" you mean flash from not quite closed mold blocks there are a couple things to watch for:

Close the sprue plate but do not hold it or grip it while casting. Squeezing the sprue plate handle can actually cam open the mold halves slightly.

Do not use bullet lube as a mold lube. I know Lee says to do it but all it will do is bake on and gunk up your mold. Use Bullplate or good synthetic 2 cycle oil and apply it sparingly. A cotton tip swab with just enough lube on it to wet the surface it touches is enough. Lube anything that slides or moves against anything else, just keep it out of the cavities.

I like and use Lee stuff but it needs to be treated properly to get the most value from it.

[root]

Lee makes a decent mold if taken care of. They are not as tuff as a steel mold that's all.

I have a 20 YO 6 cavity 9mm that just finally gave up the ghost.
It's plain wore out.
So I'm going to be sending it back to lee for the 1/2 price rebuild.

Like the rest said lube vary sparingly. I lube mine molds alot when I put them away and clean them when I get it out to cast.
I do this because one time I put away a single cavity lee mold and the sprue cutter got surface rust on it. It's still going and is 20 YO like the 6 cavity.