How to clean Aluminum molds?

[webby4x4]

I have a set of Lee aluminum boolit molds. An old timer told me that I should spray a bit of G96 lube on the blocks so that the boolits release easier.

It worked... but it made an awful mess of my molds and there is a nasty brown build up on them.

What's the best solution to use, to clean these?

Thanks,
Rick

[No_1]

I use carb cleaner and a toothbrush.

Robert

[Trey45]

+1 on the carb cleaner.

[RayinNH]

Make sure it's a nylon bristled brush. No wire of any sort , not even brass...Ray

[rockrat]

I use Berrymans B12 carb cleaner to clean my moulds. Try it without using the brush as it will "melt" the bristles. Warm the mould up to about 130 degrees or so, first. Use the stuff outside and careful about splashing it on you. It will remove all body oils.

[mooman76]

Might try soaking it in a solvent over night. That's the bad thing about using some things as a mould release. The build up. I was using Moly lube for awhile. Now I don't really use anything.

[webby4x4]

Thanks guys - that seems to have helped a bit. I tried carb cleaner (setting for 10 or so min), mineral spirits, laquer thinner, etc. It's definately cleaner, but there's still a good amount of brown stain on there.

I think I'll try rockrat's suggestion about warming them first, and then even soaking them.

From now on, I'll use the ol' kitchen-match trick for releasing the bullets. :)

Rick

[Bret4207]

You may never get the stain off, I wouldn't worry about it as long as there isn't a real build up. I would also suggest rather than smoking the mould you determine what is causing the boolits to stick. I try and avoid smoking the mould if I can help it. It's a makeshift fix for another problem. Read the "Leementing" stickies. They apply to all other mould materials too. In the end, no mould release works as good as spinning a boolit in the mould with an abrasive. Moulds lapped in such a manner never have " the stickies" but it's a lot of work and you can ruin a mould if you get too aggressive.

[Shiloh]

Carb cleaner chased with the orange Mr. Clean. Any house hold type general cleaner will work.

Shiloh

[mtgrs737]

I would Lee-ment the mould using toothpaste, it will clean up the cavities and smooth them up so that no mould release is required. I have had great luck with all my aluminum moulds done this way and have never damaged a mould.

[webby4x4]

I would Lee-ment the mould using toothpaste, it will clean up the cavities and smooth them up so that no mould release is required. I have had great luck with all my aluminum moulds done this way and have never damaged a mould.


Do you use a toothbrush or a cotton swab?


...Lee-Menting...
I read some of that yesterday and it seemed like a lot of work (I'm not afraid of a lot of work, mind you... heck, working with metal is my passion anyhow). I don't mind takig a flat-tipped screwdriver and (using the flat side of the blade), carefully pushing a boolit or two our of my mold now and then. I'm not reloading for volume, so it's never really bothered me.

However, if there's a better and easier way to "coax" a boolit out of a mold, I'd love to hear what others do (aside from Lee-menting, using release agents, etc.). What I mean is... what do other experts like you do, when you get a boolit that sticks in a mold slightly? Do you use a wooden dowel and push against the top of the boolit or something?

Thanks,
Rick

[Recluse]

However, if there's a better and easier way to "coax" a boolit out of a mold, I'd love to hear what others do (aside from Lee-menting, using release agents, etc.). What I mean is... what do other experts like you do, when you get a boolit that sticks in a mold slightly? Do you use a wooden dowel and push against the top of the boolit or something?

Thanks,
Rick

Dunno. I Lee-ment all of my moulds and don't have severe sticking problems. I'll have the occasional stick, but I just use my (gloved) thumb to push it out. I use my sprueplate-whacker to knock the sprue off, and then give the bolt holding the handles together a slight tap and when I open the mould, hot boolits fall out.

:coffee:

[armexman]

Webby, I would heartily suggest the polishing the mould with toothpaste. I too had my doubts and wanted to stay away from the suggestions of the dark room wizards. But I did one Lee 2-cavity with toothpaste and it worked wonders. Next, buy some Bullplate sprue lube and follow directions and your casting sessions will be an exercise in success. I have been casting for 20 years and have found that the suggestions on this board are much better than what is spouted on other sites. The excellent results have had me casting up to 200 boolits with the 2-cavity molds. Look carefully at your boolits after you push them out and you may notice a slight depression where the boolit was crunched against the wall of the cavity. My experience in having this happen lead me to Leementing all my molds. HTH

[webby4x4]

Webby, I would heartily suggest the polishing the mould with toothpaste.

Do you use a toothbrush and some water? Or, do you use a cotton swab?

Thanks,
Rick

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Webby , no to the brush or cotton swab for the tooth paste. It has to be used with the Lee-menting process. The tooth paste is just less aggressive than some other abrasives and works fine to "Polish" the cavities when you aren't looking to open them up to drop larger diameter boolits.

:confused:Read what Bret4207 said. If you don't care to fix it, it must not bother you much.

Hope this helps.

[GP100man]

i soak mine in purple power & a tooth brush does the rest.
BULL PLATE LUBE forever!!

GP100man:castmine: