Sight black in a mold?

[jonk]

Just thinking out loud here...

Competition shooters often use a product called sight black on their sights to reduce glare. It is supposed to be an aerosol version of carbide soot.

We often smoke our molds with a candle.

Hmm.

Wonder if a drop of sight black on a q tip swirled around in the mold would do anything good?

[wonderwolf]

Interesting idea....though I'm not sure on the various spray products out there and their content. Just watch for fire hazards. Don't want an explosion then find that everything is covered in a nice layer of soot

[cuzinbruce]

Hi,
Simplest is a butane lighter.
I didn't like using a candle, there seems to be something greasy about the smoke. I have used a carbide smoker and it works OK but is a pain to set up and use, then clean up.
Good Luck,
Bruce

[Ben]

I haven't found anything wrong with butane cig. lighters. They work great for me and have for the past 25 yrs.

Ben

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I smoke molds using what I use for sights, a strip of masking tape folded down the middle and ignited. Gives off a batch of carbon, that works well for both.
Morgan

[sundog]

+1 for masking tape as sight black. Can't comment on it as a mould smoker.

[montana_charlie]

Are you bothered by glare from within your cavity, jonk?
CM

[wonderwolf]

I smoke molds using what I use for sights, a strip of masking tape folded down the middle and ignited. Gives off a batch of carbon, that works well for both.
Morgan

That get sticky at all?

[Morgan Astorbilt]

No, It seems to be pure carbon. I've been using it for years. Do it once, at the start of your casting session, and that should be enough. I'm using iron molds, if that matters.

Morgan

[sundog]

Prolly not the glare as much as alignment, Charlie...

[xr650]

Prolly not the glare as much as alignment, Charlie...

I have been smoking molds with a candle and wiping the soot off the faces of the mold.
Should I leave the soot on the faces and pins?

Sorry for the drift.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I've never bothered to wipe them. I'd imagine the coating would be too thin to measure.
Morgan

[xr650]

Thanks Morgan.

[cbrick]

Competition shooters often use a product called sight black on their sights to reduce glare. It is supposed to be an aerosol version of carbide soot.

Birchwood Casey makes it but this competition shooter wouldn't let that stuff anywhere near my sights. It makes the sights appear incredibly fuzzy.

What the stuff is really good for is blacking case necks when setting up NK sizing dies, don't care how fuzzy it is there.

I can only assume it would be fuzzy inside the mould also. Besides, its not carbon, its flat black paint that comes out of the can very nearly dry.

Rick

[jonk]

I never found it to be fuzzy. Not unless I emptied half the can onto the sights. It reduces glare well. But, to each his own.


I doubt it is paint (or solely paint) as it flash dries and wipes off with a finger. It might be pigment based, but isn't paint per se.

[wonderwolf]

I've never had fuzz issue on my front sight and I've used the stuff for about 5 years now. If you put to much on that might be an issue as stated above. :Fire:

[lovedogs]

I once discussed this with one of Saeco's engineers. He informed me that using all this stuff in mould cavities was one of their biggest problems when people send in what they think are defective moulds. Mould releases and all the other concoctions folks put in their moulds cause a dimensional change. Some moulds won't close properly and some just throw out-of-round bullets because of uneven distribution of whatever they put in the cavities. The best is to smoke with a match and wipe all visible carbon off with a Q-tip, from cavities and all mating surfaces. I do this twice before casting. The first application removes oil and any contaminants, the second fills the pores of the steel with minute amounts of carbon. My bullets come out smooth and easy, are dimensionally as perfect as can they can be, and shoot very well.