New to casting, Lee mold questionn

[franklin_m]

Hello. I'm new to casting and have a question about Lee mold prep.

I'll be casting pure lead for CB revolver. I see a variety of materials recommended for lube on the block, sprue cutter, and such.

I'm trying to avoid another trip or mail order, what would be the best of things I might have around the house that would be good and yet not damage molds?

Some stuff I've seen mentioned and have:
- Anti-seize stick (spark plug threads)
- Normal household lubricants (wd40, 3-in-1 oil)
- Synthetic engine oil (4 stroke)
- candles

Thanks,
Frank

[Markedoutdoors]

I rarely lube my sprue plates. I would try the synthetic engine oil first. Most of these guys Use 2 strike oil (mixing oil) Use any oil sparingly, just a little bitty dab with a q-tip.

[Dusty Bannister]

Just an opinion and not set in stone
- Anti-seize stick (spark plug threads) I use the paste from the tube, very sparingly.
- Normal household lubricants (wd40, 3-in-1 oil) Not only NO, but...
- Synthetic engine oil (4 stroke) Visit a neighbor and ask for a thimble full of synthetic two stroke.
- candles Only beeswax candles will do well and very little at a time to avoid contamination. Roll the wax to make a crayon shape with a fine point. Touch the tip of the point to a hot mold and the wax will melt off in a small amount.

[mdi]

The only parts I lube on aluminum molds is a very light dab (I use a Q-tip) on the top of the mold to prevent lead from sticking when I cut the sprues too soon. A light dab on the area where the screw holds the sprue plate and the alignment pins. I use 2 stroke engine oil very sparingly, as any that migrates into the cavities takes a while to burn off and produces wrinkled bullets...

[country gent]

I can recommend the 2 stroke motor oil applied sparingly to the mould. Use a q-tip to apply lightly then a dry one to thin and even out to a very thin coat. I coat the sprue plate and alighnment pins / guide rails in this manner. A q tip with a drop of lube rubbed over the above surfaces then a dry one to even and smooth out. One thing that makes 2 stroke synthetic work over household oils isn the higher flash burn point it has over the others. It dosnt burn off as quick or flow as fast.

[franklin_m]

Thanks so much everyone! I'll have to check my anti-seize, may not be what I thought it was ... but the synthetic two stroke oil is super easy.

Again, much appreciate the quick response.


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[Eddie17]

I've used anti-seize lube on all my molds. Lee and others; all parts spur plate, alignment pins, rotation points, etc. All with great results. Looks dirty but does the job. Just my 2 cents.

[randyrat]

Use Anti seize on the sprue plate screw..Also scrub your mold cavities real good with Ajax or Bar Keepers friend/ tooth brush, then clean with Dawn or a good dish soap, rinse with hot water and let dry..This will save you a lot of grief, believe me. The bullets will drop out much much easier.

[mac1911]

I just follow Lee's directions and use bullet lube. I don't use Lee's bee's wax/alox but rather whites 2500.
Did as in the video and all my molds run fine. I do not smoke my molds.

[HeavyMetal]

First welcome to the insanity, LOL!

Lee makes a fair product and their molds are usually trouble free but inspect closely before heating it up.

I use both anti seize and two stoke oil on my molds no matter what there made of, how they are made plays a big difference in what I apply and to where!

With the lee Two cavity molds, particularly the new ones which have left handed screws in the sprue plate, I'll apply a lite bit of anti seize to the alignment pins and try to get some in the handle pivot joint with a sewing needle, you'll have to open and close the mold a bunch to work the anti seize in but once you get it done you'll only have to repeat once a year or so pending on how much you use the mold.

The Two stroke oil will get applied to the outside "corner" of the sprue plate screw location when the mold gets hot, and will be applied using a pipe cleaner. You want to just touch the area with a very small drop of the oil and watch it "wick" into the area under the sprue plate where the pivot screw is, to much and it will run right into one, or worse, both cavities and make you say very bad things, LOL!

Much of the above applies to the Lee 6 cavity molds but it is much better to take the sprue plate off and apply anti seize since I firmly believe it lasts longer between applications than two stroke oil. If you decide to get a six banger Lee search for Lee-Menting before using the mold.

HM

[dhenry132]

pure Bee's wax

[bbogue1]

I rarely lube my sprue plates. I would try the synthetic engine oil first. Most of these guys Use 2 strike oil (mixing oil) Use any oil sparingly, just a little bitty dab with a q-tip.

Take a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKdB0ZASTDg&t=381s

[gwpercle]

Another tip....after applying thinly with a Q-Tip , either anti-seize or syn.2-stroke oil , take a rag and wipe it off , just leaving a super thin coating. For the longest time I applied too much and would get wrinkles. A quick wipe down leaves just enough on the surface. When doing the block tops , leave boolits in the cavities , lube top , wipe off then empty mould .
Synthetic 2 stroke oil can be found at lawn and garden , it's for the gas weed eaters.
Gary

[Walter Laich]

90% of my molds are Lee...

that being said I always look at Lee molds and a DIY kit--they need a bit of TLC to reach full potential

[franklin_m]

Thanks everyone. I successfully cast about 250 balls the other day. Outside of a little wrinkles here and there, I'm quite happy. Any thoughts on most likely cause of wrinkles?


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[DukeInFlorida]

My answers to several of the questions posed:

A) Lee molds are on the low end of the quality landscape. They are often misaligned (hold halves don't line up properly, giving issues like out of round boolits, boolits that don't release from the mold easily, etc.). Another issue, not specifically attributed to Lee molds, but rather to soft metal aluminum molds, is burrs from the machining process. Even a very sharp cutter, with proper feed rate, and proper machining lube, will sometimes leave a slight burr on the edges of a cavity or two. Those small burrs will hold onto a boolit, keeping it from releasing from a mold.
B) Molds are often shipped from the manufacturer with a small amount of machining lube on the mold. They do that to prevent oxidation prior to sale. Most of us like to see shiny aluminum, and no rust (cast iron molds) when we buy a mold. That lube residue will cause outgassing while casting, ONE OF the reasons for "wrinkles" in a mold.
C) I thoroughly clean a new mold with Brake Cleaner or Carburetor cleaner (whichever is on sale when I need it), to remove ALL manufacturing residue. Scrub with a clean toothbrush to get into tight places.
D) I also put a small amount of tooth paste on a tooth brush, and give the cavities a good scrubbing. My primary reason for doing this is to remove some of the burrs that might exist with the mold, especially aluminum molds. Re-clean with brake or carburetor cleaner to get the tooth paste off.
E) I run the mold through several heat cycles at 400 degrees to allow the mold to relax. It will immediately find it's "natural state", and you'll know right off if the mold halves are aligned properly. 2-3 heat cycles ( up to 400 degrees and then back down to room temperature) should be enough.
F) A properly made mold will NEVER NEED any sort of cavity lube to allow the boolits to drop correctly. No soot from matches, butane lighter, candle, or otherwise. NONE. And, spraying the inside of a cavity with any sort of "mold release" product is also un-necessary. The only time any spray should be put on a mold is if you are going to store a mold long term in a humid environment. Even then, remove the metal preservative prior to using the mold.
G) Wrinkles are caused by one or two things: The mold is either too cool or, any spray you installed is causing outgassing of the spray product, making the boolits wrinkled.

[John Boy]

I'm trying to avoid another trip or mail order, what would be the best of things I might have around the house that would be good and yet not damage molds?

Go to the super market and buy some canning Parrafin. It lubes and does not leave a burned coating on the mold

[franklin_m]

Thanks to all for latest thoughts. I cleaned the molds well with alcohol so I think I should have removed the oil. As for the wrinkles, I'm starting to think it was because my mold wasn't warm and lead wasn't hot enough. I was knocking the cooled sprues straight back into the pot. I suspect I wasn't waiting long enough between pours. What I have are good enough for plinking, but I'll work on improving my methods for the next batch.


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[ichthyo]

thanks for sharing the video. I haven't seen that one.

[Jack Stanley]

It does not take much two stroke oil to do the job .

Jack