Ok I see tons of conflicting info on whether a release agent is necessary or not, and several thing suggesting they're bad for the mold and cast quality. I'm hoping someone can help clear this up for me. It seems to me that aluminum molds shouldn't need it, that the expansion/contraction of metals is pretty different between Al and lead so the lead should not stick to a clean mold. I also find it hard to believe that not using a release agent is bad for the mold since the melting temp for Al is much higher than lead.
I have also seen some reports of using lube on the moving components, which makes perfect sense, provided it doesn't get into the mold itself.
Am I off on any of this?
Thanks in advance!