Smoke the mould or use mold release?

[ShooterAZ]

Noob here... looking for a few pointers...Opinions on which is best, molds are Lee aluminum. Thanks!

[jeepguy242]

i smoked mine, and havent had one stick yet, course i am all new at this myself as i have only cast 150 or so in the last 2 weeks, and those are having leading problems due to an issue i am still trying to work out.

[geargnasher]

My opinion based on a whole lot of experience is DO NOT USE EITHER. A thoroughly degreased, clean, and deburred mould is the best-casting mould there is.

Take the Lee instructions and toss them in the trash, get yourself some Bullplate sprue plate lube or synthetic 2-stroke premix oil, and read the info on how to use it in the mould sub-forum. You'll be happy and your mould will last a long time.

Gear

[sig2009]

Be carefull with the Lee molds. I just shipped one back for evaluation because the cavities became pitted after about 2,000 bullets cast in 40/45 and 9mm.
I'm beginning to have second thoughts with the aluminum vs iron molds now.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've been smokin' my moulds for nearly 40 years 'cause it's the way I was taught to do it. That's what's always worked for me and I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

(As a side note, though, 'bout the only thing I've found any of the spray-on releases useful for is as a preservative coating for my ingot moulds between smelting sessions.)

Bill

[Mooseman]

I too have been smoking My mold Cavities since I learned to cast in the early 70's.
Its what I was taught and it has always worked for me. Im old school and just Old and set in my ways now.
I had to cast Boolits first so I could then Learn how to reload Properly...
I had a Good Teacher.
Rich

[oscar669]

I smoke mine if they need it just because I am to cheap to buy the release. Every mold I have is different you have to work with them and find out what it requires to drop good bullets.

[DODGEM250]

I heat my molds up and then shoot a squirt of WD-40 in the cavity and let it smoke the WD-40 off. This does two things. 1-lubes the cavity and 2- seasons the cavity. I then pour a few "pre-cast" trash bullets, then when you get to actually making the bullets you're going to keep, you open the block and BOOP they just fall out on their own, none of that tapping stuff on the blocks.

[stubshaft]

I'm with Gear, no need to smoke molds to get them to drop good boolits. I used to do it in the early 70's and have since given it up after learning to do it right.

[Shiloh]

My experience with LEE molds is to smoke them. After they break in real well, it is no longer necessary. As stated above, thorough cleaning of new molds is a must for good boolits.

Shiloh

[dragonrider]

Nothing in my cavities but lead. If smoke or mold release is needed then the mold has a problem that needs to be corrected, not covered up.

[Freischütz]

I used to smoke the cavities but found that it wasn't necessary. Haven't smoked them for about 10 years.

[williamwaco]

I prefer a clean "raw" mold.

That said, I have encountered Lee molds ( Lee only. ) that I just could not make cast good bullets regardless of temprature - from shiny to severly frosted. Smoking them has always cured the problem. I have never smoked a mold from any other manufacturer.

Curiously, after the smoke layer "wears off" they continue to cast good bullets.

Mold release:
THIS STUFF IS NASTY.
DO NOT SPRAY IT INTO THE CAVITIES OF YOUR MOLD.
ANY MOLD.

That said, it does make a passible sprue plate lube if you spray it lightly while the cavities are filled with newly cast bullets. It is not as good as Bull Plate.

If you don't already have a can, don't buy one.


.

[Char-Gar]

I have been using NEI Mold Prep since 1985 with complete satisfaction on brass, aluminum and iron molds.

[Iron Mike Golf]

I am wondering if smoking a new mold helps wick out that last little bit of machining lube.

I have only used iron and brass molds. No release agent used at all.

I do have a couple of aluminum RB molds (Lee and TC), though. Need to try them.

I would use smoke if I wanted to make a boolit a trifle smaller, though.

[sundog]

Aluminium gets a smoke if needed. Steel/iron/meehanite get release agent, if needed, but only with a qtip, then buffed with the dry end, never sprayed directly into cavities or mould faces. I've run across a few moulds over the years that absolutely refuse to drop a decent boolit without a little help, so I help, and they work fine. Live is too short to screw around with stuff that don't work.

I agree with the others that if you have a properly cleaned and deburred mould that will drop a good boolit, do not use anything.

I've heard several people say that anything added makes a boolit smaller, but you cannot prove it by me if it done very judiciously. Ever try to measure the thickness of a thin veil of smoke?

[ShooterAZ]

Hmm...sort of a mixed bag. I think I will try a clean unsmoked mold first next time... and go from there. I am also going to remove the permatex anti seize that I have been using on the pins and pivots, and apply a little synthetic 2 cycle oil. I bought four molds, only tried one so far. Thanks for the replies and advise.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Noob here... looking for a few pointers...Opinions on which is best, molds are Lee aluminum. Thanks!

Shooter,
Welcome to the best cast boolit forum...Period.
BTW, this is a a great question for a newbie.
As you've read by now, there is a split in the casting world on whether to smoke a Lee mold as per Lee's instructions OR to ignore said instructions.

although I am kind of new to casting (about a year and a half since my first boolit)
I own about 30 Lee 2 cavity molds. Some I recently bought new, some I bought/traded from members here that have some age to them.

I have learned here that Lee had some Quality issues in the past. I'm not sure when they have fixed this, but all (except one) that I have bought new in the last year have been great. I clean the new mold with a toothbrush and Dawn dishwashing soap, dry it, then preheat mold and start casting good looking boolits that drop freely from the mold. I suggest this is what you do before smoking a mold or applying a mold release agent. If you get a mold where the boolits stick, read the "leementing" thread before smoking a mold or applying a mold release agent. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=654 Because if you can find a burr and remove it OR polish it out, then there is no need for smoke or other releaser. If you have continued problems, then by all means start smoking it...it may help.

Also, ignore Lee's instructions about using their lube on the sprue plate...it'll make a mess. A great sprue plate lube is "Zip Lube" sold by a vendor here (randyrat), it's inexpensive and a small amount will last a lifetime. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=131679

[ku4hx]

I tried both smoking and mold release some decades ago and got the same results with both: discolored molds and great boolits. Without either I had clean molds and great boolits. So I stopped doing either.

[462]

Smoke the mould or use mold release?

I've never found a reason to do either, regardless of the mould's make or compoition. Read the Leementing stickies.

Another vote for tossing Lee's instruction sheet.