Break Cleaner on Molds?

[shepherddogs]

I have a couple new Lee molds I'm ready to try out. They still have some machine oil from when they were made. Will brake cleaner take this off? Or does it leave a residue? Thanks for any advice.

[mtgrs737]

Thats what I use. Seems to work OK.

[No_1]

I use the cheapest brake or carb cleaner on sale at wally world or kmart right before I do the soap / water washing the follow up with another shot of the cleaner before preheating my moulds to about 650 degrees. That exact technique along with my melt being up around ~700 before I start pretty much guarantee's good boolits from the git-go.

Robert

[HeavyMetal]

Brake cleaner and a Q-tip are what I use to clean a mold.

If it's a Lee I pull the sprue plate off clean and deburr the the top of the mold ( two cavities usually have a "lump" where the Pivot screw is drilled into the mold) I dress this area down with at least 600 grit then drill and tap for a set screw on the pivot screw and then shoot them with brake cleaker and ruib the cavities down with several fresh Q-tips until dry.

When I re-asymble I put just a little bit of anti sieze under the bushing on the pivot screw and along the alignment pins. Anti sieze is good for way more heat than casting will generate so I usually never have to re lube the mold for years!

Fire up the pot and put the molds on to pre heat and I'm good to go mostly right from the start.

[Willbird]

I would not use brake clean ALONE to clean them, I have wrestled with molds I cleaned that way, then went back and cleaned them with Dawn dish soap and had that remove something that was in there that brake clean would not remove.

Bill

[shepherddogs]

So I can't just use brake cleaner and skip the boiling routine?

[technetium-99m]

I've had decent results just shooting them with brake cleaner and using q-tips. Give it a try and if you have problems clean the mold more thouroughly with detergent and boiling water.

GT

[wiljen]

I've used Brakleen to good effect.

[bart55]

I also use brake cleaner ,but then use the dawn dish liquid . It seems that when I do I have better results right off the bat. Maybe I just did not get it all with the brake cleaner but it really is pretty easy to do both and then I am happy and so are my moulds

[13Echo]

Since I started cleaning my moulds with dish soap, hot water, and a clean tooth brush I haven't had a problem with casting. Even new moulds come clean and start casting with minimal break in. I just get the water hot, put some soap on the brush and have at it, rinse and repeat, and once more, then thoroughly wash off the soap and dry the mould. I preheat the mould over a hot plate in a little box that holds in the heat to get it up to casting temp (about 450deg on the bar-B-Q thermometer) and make certain there is no water left on the mould. Old moulds start giving good bullets from the first or second cast. A brand new Lyman for my 38-50 gave good bullets on the third.

Start the lead melting, clean the mould, put it in the hot box. By the time the lead is up to temp the mould is thoroughly heat soaked and ready to go. When I have to flux, or take a break, the mould goes back in the hot box and stays ready to go.

Brake cleaner and carb cleaners will work, but I just don't like the rather harsh chemicals on my hands and they sometimes leave residue.

Works for me.

Jerry Liles

[high standard 40]

I was in the automotive trade for most of my years. Not all brake cleaner is the same. The formulation changes from one supplier to the next. Some do leave a slightly oily residue. Others leave a pale white looking residue. It would be a good idea to wash with Dawn and water after the brake cleaner. And be sure to wear eye protection when you spray your mold. It can splash back into your eyes. Be careful with it and you'll be OK.

Charlie........

[35remington]

I find GUMOUT brand carb cleaner to leave absolutely no residue.

I'd rather be turpentined than go through the whole boiling water or dish soap routine if I didn't have to.

This way, I don't.

I oil the moulds before thoroughly before storage (and certainly the carb cleaner has something to degrease, so it's definitely working) and hose them down well with GUMOUT after retrieving them for the next casting session, dry with a paper towel, warm them, and start casting.

That's it.

You don't have to get any on your hands if you don't want to. I'd rather cast than boil up a pot of water and piss off the ladies dunking hardware atop her stove.

[rockrat]

I use Berrymans B-12 CARB cleaner. It cleans really well

[13Echo]

Hot water straight out of the tap, a toothbrush, and dish washing soap are all you need. No boiling the blocks, no potentially dangerous solvents to get on your hands, or breathe or splash in your eyes. It's the easiest, least messy, and safest way to clean blocks that I've used provided you make certain they are dry before pouring lead.

Jerry Liles

[Shiloh]

It's great for cleaning the bulk of the oil used for rustproofing stored Lyman molds. Followed by a little Mr. Clean and an old toothbrush. It is used for the final rinse on firearms after cleaning with Ed's Red.

Shiloh

[Bret4207]

Don't tell anyone, but I use brake cleaner followed by ether. Very clean.

[Willbird]

I find GUMOUT brand carb cleaner to leave absolutely no residue.

I'd rather be turpentined than go through the whole boiling water or dish soap routine if I didn't have to.

This way, I don't.

I oil the moulds before thoroughly before storage (and certainly the carb cleaner has something to degrease, so it's definitely working) and hose them down well with GUMOUT after retrieving them for the next casting session, dry with a paper towel, warm them, and start casting.

That's it.

You don't have to get any on your hands if you don't want to. I'd rather cast than boil up a pot of water and piss off the ladies dunking hardware atop her stove.

Scrubbing a couple new molds and drying them takes far less time than it does for my lead pot to get up to temp :-). I just run hot tap water over the blocks to warm them after cleaning, I do not boil them or anything like that, I do not have kids so my hot tap water is pretty HOT :-).

Bill

[13Echo]

I'm with Willbird on this one. Scrubbing takes very little time, is very effective, is non-toxic, and not a fire or even explosion (ether) hazard. I particularly like it in winter as I don't have to go outside to clean the moulds.

My two cents.

Jerry Liles

[madman]

If you use the boiling method be sure to uses your own pan and not SWMBO"S.
I have used acetone, denatured alcohol, carb cleaner, brake cleaner, starting fluid, hot water it all works fine. just be careful around open flames and enclosed areas and do not use it in the house!! Also if you have a mold that is slightly rusted find a jeweler that has a soda blaster.
It uses baking soda and will not remove major metal. There are a bunch of commercial blasters using it for auto body work. It will not distort the thin high strength sheet metal that is used in modern vehicles.

[jack19512]

I have never used anything but boiling water and dish washing liquid and an old tooth brush. I wash them a couple times and have never had any problems of any kind.

[No_1]

I would imagine that warm, soapy water would do for most cleaning. I use the brake / carb cleaner because I live in Florida and spray my moulds down with a heavy coat of lubricant / preservative before I put them away and the brake / carb cleaner cuts a majority of the grease & oil from the mould before I wash it.

Robert

[HORNET]

One reason that the hot soapy water works so well is that a lot of the cutting fluids used now are water-soluble to make the environmentalists happy and reduce hazardous waste (and expensive disposal). Hydrocarbon-based solvents don't work very well on some of them. Some of the lubes & corrosion inhibitors used for storage aren't very easily removed by the soapy water and brake cleaner works well on them. Gotta match the solvent to the substance being removed.