Prep for new Lee mold

[Boyscout]

NRA 50/50 on all the pivot points while hot. Some Lee molds I have only smoked once and never looked back. It doesn't take much or you will end up with lube running into your cavitites. Others, I have needed to smoke with a butane lighter every once-in-awhile. I have tried the Franklin mold release tool. It works well but it is too easy to put on heavy. I only use it on my ingot molds when they want to stick.

[Tar Heel]

Follow the directions on the Lee video and you will not have any problems.

http://leeprecision.com/help-videos.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYpSw95R5s0#t=45

[500MAG]

I tried to smoke my first Mould 30 years ago but couldn't get it lit. I just give them a good soapy scrubbing and heat it up and cool it once or twice.

[Echo]

I believe the instructions w/BullPlate suggest using a Q-Tip - unscrew the cap of the bottle and dip the Q-Tip in the puddle in the cap, use it to coat the top of the mold and the bottom of the sprue plate, then use the dry end to mop up any excess. Re-dip, and sparingly lube the sprue pivot pin, allowing it to wick down - but DON'T USE TOO MUCH!
And that's the way I do it...

[jonk]

Just go to WalMart and get some 2 cycle engine oil (the blue stuff). Built for high temps and works.

Lube the pins, joints, and a tiny bit on the sprue plate. Beeswax works very well. I have used it for a long time. I smoke ALL molds with a beeswax candle. I have never seen any problems with getting a little wax or oil in the cavities! Way over hyped. Spend your time casting rather than scrubbing and cleaning and cleaning and scurbbing your molds.

bangerjim

If you go that route, make sure to get the SYNTHETIC oil. It's strongly believed that it is one of the main ingredients in the bull plate lube mentioned. Conventional oil will smoke and burn off and leave a nasty residue.

As to using 'wax', Lee recommends a little dab of alox bullet lube. For a long time this is what I used. It DOES build up a residue over time, so I eventually abandoned it.

Smoking... some molds like it, some don't. Just have to try. I would degrease, heat up the mold, and cast. If you get good fillout and no issues releasing, no need to smoke. Otherwise, try it. You could also try "Leementing" which involves polishing the chamber of the mold with a bullet with a screw in the base, sprue plate open, dipped in a cleanser (think, Comet) and water mix, and slowly spinning... polishes out any micro burrs that hold up for good release.