wood to whack your sprue plate

[canyon-ghost]

After Ten years or more, I've had to replace my Tandy Leatherworking Mallet. I don't even use hardwood, these are softwood light mallets. I guess individual technique comes into it.

[Bullshop Junior]

This is exactly why I have a hard time buying used molds. I NEVER hit my moulds with anything. The end of the wood handles, I will TAP gently get get out a stubborn bullet. Other then that, timing timing timing. If you cant get good bases cutting sprues with a gloved hand you ain't doing it right. I use welding gloves, mostly because I have several pairs laying around.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

My first year of casting, I wore out a piece of White Oak Dowel WHACKING on the sprue plates.

THEN, I found out, All I need is a gloved hand to open the sprue.

But I still have a piece of white oak laying there, incase I need to free a stubborn boolit out of a cavity, I lightly tap the hinge bolt.

The current piece of white oak I use is a piece of branch the size of a baseball bat handle and it's cut so, the tapping edge is a large knot. it's had three years of use and not one splinter.

[captaint]

I'll tap on mine till they get up to temp. Then, it's only the gloved hand. I hate beating on my molds. Mike

[Bullshop Junior]

I'll tap on mine till they get up to temp. Then, it's only the gloved hand. I hate beating on my molds. Mike

Preheat. I use a little hot plate to help bring my mold up to temp, but even when I dont use it I still just use my gloved hand.

[Beesdad]

I only cut the sprue by hand... No hammer needed. I do use a yellow tipped hammer to tap on the opened mold if needed.

Most of my alloy is CWW...

[BruceB]

Here we see the usual disconnect between those who use "an instrument", and those who use a (gloved) hand.

Gentlemen: because "the instrument" happens be a light hammer doesn't mean that it's USED as a hammer!

All it takes to cut the sprue is a VERY LIGHT tapping action, and NOT a full-arm over-hand swing of a hammer as some seem to visualize... "whacking a mould", "beating" the sprue plate, and other lurid descriptions ad nauseam notwithstanding.

My "instrument" for about the last twenty years has been a light (maybe 4 oz?) plastic mallet, which will soon finally be replaced with a new one due to advanced wear. It has NEVER damaged any mould of mine in any way whatever, and that is a LOT of moulds, and a LOT of casting.

It is simply more efficient for my uses; I'm not a sadist who gets his jollies from abusing inanimate objects of any kind, and I DO appreciate my moulds and protect them from harm...... and my mallet doesn't constitute "harm".

[labradigger1]

This is exactly why I have a hard time buying used molds. I NEVER hit my moulds with anything. The end of the wood handles, I will TAP gently get get out a stubborn bullet. Other then that, timing timing timing. If you cant get good bases cutting sprues with a gloved hand you ain't doing it right. I use welding gloves, mostly because I have several pairs laying around.

In 20 years of casting i have never hurt a mold or sprue plate by whacking them. I do not hit downward or upward but squarely on the end. I do not use gloves because i have carpal tunnel and it makes my hands cramp to wear them. Rcbs sprue plates have an especially small handle to whack.
Lab

[high standard 40]

Here we see the usual disconnect between those who use "an instrument", and those who use a (gloved) hand.

Gentlemen: because "the instrument" happens be a light hammer doesn't mean that it's USED as a hammer!

All it takes to cut the sprue is a VERY LIGHT tapping action, and NOT a full-arm over-hand swing of a hammer as some seem to visualize... "whacking a mould", "beating" the sprue plate, and other lurid descriptions ad nauseam notwithstanding.

My "instrument" for about the last twenty years has been a light (maybe 4 oz?) plastic mallet, which will soon finally be replaced with a new one due to advanced wear. It has NEVER damaged any mould of mine in any way whatever, and that is a LOT of moulds, and a LOT of casting.

It is simply more efficient for my uses; I'm not a sadist who gets his jollies from abusing inanimate objects of any kind, and I DO appreciate my moulds and protect them from harm...... and my mallet doesn't constitute "harm".

Bruce, you and I are in full agreement here. But................different strokes for different folks.

[Beagle333]

Soft pine furring strips, cut about 14" long. It makes a great lightweight soft whacker and splinters everywhere as I use it. Free flux always at hand.

[Hardcast416taylor]

For the past 50 odd years that I`ve been casting either round balls to start or onto boolets to this day I have either used a broken hammer handle or my leather gloved hand to open the sprue. I still have the hammer handle to use when first bringing a mold up to temp. Then it`s the glove on the hand. I have never used the handle as if I were driving nails in a board. I knew long ago and even more so today the cost and value of the molds I buy.Robert

[Bullshop Junior]

That makes more sense. I keep picturing someone hammering on the mould with a 4lb sledge hammer.

All the same, I have seen some badly damaged molds because the original owner was a retard.

[alamogunr]

No one has mentioned tapping with an "instrument" on the hinge nut of the handle to get recalcitrant boolets to drop out. I've got some molds that have at least one cavity that refuses to drop w/o a couple of taps with something.

I've checked the cavities in question and can see nothing that causes the problem. I've tried going over the cavity with a soft lead pencil. No joy! I hesitate to try more stern measures. I don't believe that, no harder than I tap, any damage is done.

[mozeppa]

NO MEN HERE!

i bite them open.

[ShooterAZ]

I also use just a good ol' hickory hammer handle. Gently tap open the sprue plate, and lightly tap on the handle bolt if needed.

[bangerjim]

Whack???????????? OMG.

I use a small weight rawhide mallet (for YEARS) to gently nudge the plate open for 2 cavity molds ONLY. If you have to whack it, your sprue/lead temp is way to cold. Preheat your molds so they are at casting temp and the sprue will open with just a light tap......hardness will not be much of a factor when lead is that temp. I see no difference in opening break-out torque with a 9 or 15 hardness.

Any decent soft(ish) tool will work. I just like this old rawhide mallet. It gives me just enough weight to gently open the plate and tap the joint screw if a slug hangs up during droping.

Just do not WHACK it!

bangerjim

[bruce381]

I'm using a big plastic screw driver I bought at a garage sale for $0.25

me too +1

[MT Gianni]

When I worked service i got 4 old pins from the lineman removed crossarms. I am on the second of those. They are a little harder than pine but free. I cut most with my gloved hand but when they stick they get hit on the bolt/rivet of the handles.

[DRNurse1]

Tandy leather mallet repurposed when it developed a concave face from intended use. I agree with 'tap' versus 'pound' and find developing the perfect one tap opening sprue is one of the challenges of casting.

NO MEN HERE!

i bite them open.

Mould, I don't need no stinkin' mould. Pour the molten alloy on my tonge and roll it into the perfect round ball for my Asperly Aimless. Mozeppa must have learned from a bub.

[Blammer]

I used to tear up my mallets quite a bit, then I got one of these, they've lasted a few years now and have no signs of wear.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product...products_id=35

between this and NOE's mould handles casting is truely fun!