BangerJim and Lee molds

[Walter Laich]

BangerJim had stated several times that all he does to get a new Lee mold ready is heat it to full operating temp. No scrubbing the cavities with a toothbrush or spraying alcohol/acetone on the mold. He did say he smokes the aluminum molds but that's it.

Had a new Lee mold and decided to give it a try--kids were always complaining their toothbrushes tasted different after I used them.

Well, golly gee Batman--BJ is totally correct. I smoked the mold, put it on a hot plate while the pot heated up and went to town. The first pour had some wrinkles but that's because the mold wasn't all the way up to temp.

From No. 2 pour on they were great.

Also this is one of Lee's new molds and but it and a previous one have bullets that just fall out of the cavities. No beating the mold to death to get them to drop out.

just goes to show you that you are never too old to learn

[Yodogsandman]

I know that some molds respond favorably to being cleaned first before any casting. Have to wonder if different manufacturers might use different cutting oils. That and whether Lee is the only mold maker that uses a cutting oil that's compatible with cast boolits. I don't smoke any molds unless it's a last resort to get it to cast good.

Good to know that Lee is putting out some nicer, new molds.

[JWFilips]

I have found there is no "sin" in smoking an aluminum mould...Al from NOE said it is fine! A smoked Lee mould will drop boolits really well! Just don't tell anyone! :bigsmyl2: otherwise you will will feel the "pain" & "Wrath" of this forum!:oops:
Jim

[RogerDat]

My knee acting up is "pain and wrath" folks not agreeing with how someone casts their own bullets, easier to ignore than an ex-mother-in-law when using caller id. Smoke it or don't but fear not the internet troll or the jabberwocky. Worn out joints and bone spurs those you can fear.

I don't get the big deal either way, takes like maybe a few minutes to spray with some brake cleaner, scrub with a little soap and rinse. You do this one time for a new mold. Takes a minute or two to smoke the mold. Takes longer than either one or both together to put some refrigerator system oil on the places that need it.

NOE does recommend running the mold up to temp then allowing to cool down three times before trying to cast for real.

[Ben]

I have found there is no "sin" in smoking an aluminum mould...Al from NOE said it is fine! A smoked Lee mould will drop boolits really well! Just don't tell anyone! :bigsmyl2: otherwise you will will feel the "pain" & "Wrath" of this forum!:oops:
Jim

The Casting Gods will not look favorably on smoking a mold.

[JWFilips]

What works for you! Works for you... Bottom line! There is no "underlaying problem"!!! You have an an aluminum mould!! What ever it takes to cast a good bullet is the right way! I have heard all the "wisdom" but I follow my own path! You will do well following the same!!
Jim

[JWFilips]

Ben,
I think you know what I will say to the casting "Gods" ( they thought me a lot! & I'm grateful) but they never thought me much humility ( That didn't take!!!) I know what I know and it it is time to be shared!
Smoke away Lads!
Jim

[DerekP Houston]

I didn't know about washing and smoking until i came here. I just pour lead in them and after a few dozen casts they are "broken in"

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I mentioned smoking a mold on another forum and you would a thought I had robbed a bank. I still smoke my molds though.

[EDG]

What brand of tobacco do you pack into it?


I mentioned smoking a mold on another forum and you would a thought I had robbed a bank. I still smoke my molds though.

[Newtire]

My doc slipped me a scalpel & I found it to be the best tool for cleaning up those tiny burrs & then I smoke it up good about one time. This is after hitting it good with brake clean. Get it good & hot & most times that does the trick. Just don't inhale if you smoke the mould & you'll be alright.

[rbuck351]

I'll smoke a mold in a heart beat if it'll make it cast better. And, I use the worst possible smoke. I dip a stick in candle wax, light it and smoke it so thick with black goo you can almost mic the difference of the boolits now falling out of the mold. I know it's a terrible habit but it works so good for me, and only me, that I'm not going to quit. What I can't do is put kroil in a mold and end up with anything but boolits that resemble prunes. Yet lot's of folks swear that works for them. I strongly recommend you all do what ever it takes to make pretty boolits and I'll use my way to make pretty boolits and we'll all be making pretty boolits the wrong way. Lot's of folks use a ladel to pour pretty boolits. Me, I get prunes with a ladel. Yeah, I know, I'm going at it all wrong. But I don't care cause I can bottom pour, with a Lee drip o matic no less, a real pretty 600+gr minie ball for my 69cal muzzel stuffer from lead. Heck, I would flux with eye of newt or bat wings if I thought it would help. Any body got any newts laying around?

[Tailhunter]

The NOE moulds I have rain bullets and I have yet to smoke one.
That being said who cares if you feel you must.

[Newtire]

The NOE moulds I have rain bullets and I have yet to smoke one.
That being said who cares if you feel you must.

You must not have had one of the NOE molds I had- big Lee fan here.. Not complaining, just explaining.

[brtelec]

I have never had to smoke any of my Lee molds to get them to cast properly, but I would not hesitate to do it if I was having trouble with one. I have found that the best way to avoid a dog pack style attack on here is to never discuss that my Lee equipment works as advertised and never, ever speak well of my Lee Loadmaster press.

[Don Fischer]

I've only got two Lee molds. The first one I never smoked and it works fine. The second I smoked and it works fine. I don't spend much time getting them up to temp, shoot I don't even know the temp that should be. I seldom get a bad bullet early on. I like pretty much any mold I can afford that cast's bullet's!

[Budzilla 19]

Never smoked a mold yet! BUT, I did learn about the proper pre-heating, for sure!
The point of this discussion was to do what it takes to cast your boolits how YOU want them to be! Be it smoking, voodoo,(who knows,may be someone out there who has just dunked it under, let it fill up and then took it out! I'm just saying,!) upside down, backwards, whatever! Acceptable casts are what we are after anyway, so how YOU get there is really a matter of choice! YOUR choice!

[Newtire]

I think the Casting Gods do need a few sacrificial boolits once in awhile. I would recommend this if only to keep away the Tinsel Fairy..

[OS OK]

(who knows,may be someone out there who has just dunked it under, let it fill up and then took it out! I'm just saying,!)

"I knew you couldn't keep a secret…but…you get pretty good sprues that way!"

[robg]

My new .224 55gr mould worked great from the off ,smoked it poured in lead after 2casts mould was up to temp and boolits fell out no tapping hinge etc.I'm impressed with new design Lee moulds.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have found there is no "sin" in smoking an aluminum mould...Al from NOE said it is fine! A smoked Lee mould will drop boolits really well! Just don't tell anyone! :bigsmyl2: otherwise you will will feel the "pain" & "Wrath" of this forum!:oops:
Jim
Most of us gun enthusiasts are a independent bunch,
then those of us that load our own are even more independent,
then those of us that cast our own projectiles are even more independent.

I can't believe that, "WE" the most independent of this crowd, are gonna let some self-appointed casting god tell us if we should smoke a mold or not ?

OK, with that said, you should NEVER smoke a mold [smilie=l:

[bangerjim]

So......... Swede is a 'god'! Just another attribute to add to his successful mold-making sheep skin.


:bigsmyl2:
banger

[brassrat]

In my short casting life, I haven't noticed any good from smoking my Lee 15 groove .452 (not # 68) mold that my gun hates. I was getting terrible wrinkles after a good brake cleaning and smoke. Only after a trip to the sink did it work well, with no smoke or lube at all.

[bangerjim]

I have always smoked Al molds. So did my grandfather! Works for me.

No smoke for Fe and brass molds. Just heat treat (3x) B4 casting the 1st time.

Do what you feel is best for you. I know what works for me! And grease does NOT cause wrinkles!!!!! I have never de-greased a mold in my life. And I get perect drops from the 1st one. Guess clean Christian living pays off? And a hotplate helps!!!!!!!!!


banger(radical)jim

[JWFilips]

banger(radical)jim
You are dead right on!
just plain ole Jim

[GhostHawk]

I used to smoke molds, I'm not ashamed of it. Right there in the instructions. Casting gods can go argue with Lee for all I care.

Then I discovered a better way.

Liquid Wrench dry lubricant.

Goes on (I use single q tip's worth) drys, leaves an invisible layer that does not screw up boolits.
Sprue can be done as well and lead no longer likes to stick all over.
Boolits rain out with hardly a tap.

Also works well for removing old smoke. And the q-tip finds every burr and leaves tell tail threads.
From there scalpel or exacto knife and be CAREFUL, no pressure, just brush the burr off with the sharp edge.

Voila brand new mold casts like an old well loved broken in mold with minimum of fuss and bother.

[Handloader109]

I've a variety of Lee and NOE molds with a little Lyman single cavity steel laying around. The biggest problem was not getting the temperature of the mold high enough. All my Lee molds work great. No smoke or anything now. I did try most everything when I first started. Now my 22 NOE molds for my 9mm are hp. I've had issues with getting good bullets to fill out and then drop.... Heat! Raised my pot 40 degrees and heated up the mold more and they both fill and drop.... Not quite a frosting but it works. Now the 6 cavity mold for my 223 (only 38gr) drops like a champ and the mold is heavy even in aluminum.. So heat more than anything makes a world of difference.

[HangFireW8]

Different things work for different molds.

Some molds work despite what we do, some only because of what we do.

I've had widely varying experiences with Lee molds. A few years back most of mine came with burrs, and not just a few burrs, that smoke wouldn't fix. Then they got a new QC inspector and most needed almost nothing but to use it, but I got one with mismatched sides. Haven't bought any in the last couple of years, so don't know if things have changed... and there is always old stock to watch out for.

Smoke has worked for me, but never needed it in a Lee mold once that mold was fully Lee-mented. Or any other mold, once broken-in and properly deburred. As a fix for sticking, it has always been a temporary fix, meaning if bullets stick without smoke, before I'm done the first pot I have to re-smoke the mold. Deburring, polishing out rough finish, or pushing the alignment pins forward was always that real fix for me. But that's just my experience.

[Jal5]

So does the Lee-menting or polishing out the cavities help with fillout problems? I have the Lee 2cavity 358125rf. Bullets fall nicely but base is rounded and bands are not sharp either. Tried lower and higher heat in the pot that I ladle pour with no difference. 3 pouring sessions now on this brand new mold. Washed good twice after using alcohol cleaning.

[Walter Laich]

some molds need a few heat/cool cycles to get into the groove.

do you have an idea what temperatures you have tried? My Lee love 710* coming out of a bottom pour mold. I have a goodly number of Lees and they all do well at this heat level

[ncbearman]

Kroil

any mold, brass, alum, steel. A soaking/treatment after each session before you put it away and the boolits jump out.

Kroil

[HangFireW8]

So does the Lee-menting or polishing out the cavities help with fillout problems? I have the Lee 2cavity 358125rf. Bullets fall nicely but base is rounded and bands are not sharp either. Tried lower and higher heat in the pot that I ladle pour with no difference. 3 pouring sessions now on this brand new mold. Washed good twice after using alcohol cleaning.

Improving venting can improve fillout. Usually poor fillout is more of a mold temp, not melt temp problem.

Polishing helps with
falling out.

[Jal5]

Walter I am using a thermometer. I first tried as high as 800 then backed off to about 750 finally a little more than 700. Never did get frosted boolits even at the hi temp. This is ladle poured fill one mold 2 cav. Put it down fill the other one also 2 cav. Then cut sprue and drop those boolits and repeat. Really goes pretty fast. The old mold dropped good boolits almost 100% of the time. The new one had a lot of rejects.

[Jal5]

I'm using a hotplate to bring both molds up to temp too. I may play with the new one only today and make some notes on what it does at what temps.